HARRIS Hotel Batam Center Review – Your Most Convenient Choice
We booked a lovely sea view room from HARRIS Hotel Batam Center. Review photos of the room are taken by the Mi5. Read on to find out if this hotel is suitable for your traveling style.
If you’re looking for a hotel recommendation in Batam, you’ll be faced with options near 3 of its ferry terminals. Here’s a review for one we tried near Batam Center – HARRIS Hotel.
Top 3 Reasons You’d Love To Stay At HARRIS Hotel Batam Center (Review)
Our experience with traveling makes our needs rather basic, but important. Which fits this hotel’s offering quite well. Here are 3 reasons why you may find the hotel a suitable option for you.
Comfortable Bed That Revives A Dying Body
The past few weeks have been tiring for us, so this weekend getaway helps us recharge by enforcing a temporary disconnection from life in Singapore. After lugging our stuff from Mega Mall, which is within 5 minutes’ walk from HARRIS hotel, the first thing that got our attention was whether the bed is good.
It could be the massage, or the heavy fumes from the aroma diffuser that filled the room with a sweet smell of jasmine. It might even just be the lingering wafts of second-hand smoke that the diffuser is trying to combat, just enough to make you light-headed.
The wife quickly identified the most crucial element that makes this stay worth the investment – the comfort of the bed.
Since checking in till day 2 late morning, the TV was not even turned on. That’s how quickly the bed induced sleep in its visitors.
If you have a preference for stiffer mattresses, this will not disappoint. We’ve yet to uncover the mattress HARRIS hotel uses, but it’s shortlisted for sure.
Location From Ferry Terminal Maximizes Your Enjoyment Time
Without having to take another car from the Batam Center ferry terminal, you can bring your backpack with you to Mega Mall till check in time.
We took the 9.35am ferry from Harbourfront Cruise Centre, arriving in the late morning just as Mega Mall opened. You can have a comfortable early lunch with time to digest your food before a massage.
You should find yourself just slightly shy of 2pm, which is just nice to cross the road from Mega Mall’s exit nearest Starbucks.
The coloured windows of HARRIS Hotel is just one main road away.
While the location is convenient, the traffic from the main road doesn’t disturb your rest. You can land a sea view room and enjoy a relaxing time looking at ferries come and go.
The location is perfect for couples that want to minimize transport time post-massage to the reach the comfort of their room, other than using the in-room massage option.
Quality Service From Staff Makes A Difference
From check in till breakfast the next day, and little encounters in between, the staff offer a human touch to your stay.
Upon check in, the concierge staff informed us that we are getting a low floor smoking room if we want a king sized bed. That or a non-smoking room with 2 single beds.
When she knows we prefer the king bed, she offered to set up the aroma diffuser in the room to clear up the smoky environment and asked us to wait at the sofas.
That set expectations right for a highly rated hotel on TripAdvisor.
Unfortunately, the room was missing a pair of slippers when we finally checked in, despite the additional set up time they took.
That sums up the disappointment from day 1.
It’s made better by the hearty greeting from the staff at the concierge upon our return from the mall.
Over breakfast, the server at our table greeted me with such energy that it turned me back into a human from a zombified state, even before my morning coffee. In fact, I took note of his name.
Iqbal took the effort to greet me and ask how I was with sincerity that gave a most human touch to the service.
Little things do touch the heart, something to bring back into the things we do on a daily basis.
Ending this write-up before heading to the gym shortly.
A quick walkthrough this morning after breakfast shows its basic facilities. Compared to high tech machines with huge interactive screens from previous stays, this is going to be a low tech work out.
Looking forward to cycling to the sea view nonetheless, which should make up for the limitation in equipment.
Enjoy the videos and photos that should help you decide if it’s your accommodation of choice!
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWcl02pqx98″ /]
Day 1 – Photos Taken Using Xiaomi’s Mi5
View from 2nd floor, smoking room with king size bed
Plenty of standing space from where I took this photo
A closer look at the 3rd bed, a sofa bed
Good legroom under the table to sit and do some stuff on your laptop
Pillows are soft and mattress is hard
Started off with 1 pair of slippers, then wifey went to get another
Get vain here
Very basic shower facilities – the ledge was broken and got fixed with super glue
Basic items to make yourself a comforting cuppa
Cheerful green and orange colour theme runs throughout the hotel. If you like frozen mixed vegetables, you’re just missing the corn.
A closer look at the waiting area. Seems like you can cycle around should you wish
The dining area right behind reception
Souvenir shop on the ground floor selling a cute mascot, misconstrued to give a little room for imagination
Closer look at the friendly crew behind the counter
Dispenser at reception table to give you a sugar boost
To the left of the reception – 2 lifts to take you to your room
To the right of the reception – waiting area
Reception that’s got sufficient manpower
What you see as you walk from Mega Mall towards the hotel.
Happy as a girl could be with curly fries in her hand
Quality of food and service is better than Malaysia – tried Melaka, KL and JB.
Funny to eat rice here, but it’s pretty good
Mi5 macro mode on water drops
Day 2 Breakfast – Images Taken By GoPro
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc9uyWBfnCI” /]
Said fried eggs that isn’t too impressive. Omelette stacked beside it was better
Starting off with a salad and coffee
There’s a live eggs station (not very impressive sunny-side ups), fried batter, pancake and noodles station
A whole counter dedicated to drinks, behind the concierge. Includes stuff you don’t find every day like Slimming Detox Water and some yucky looking concoctions
Breakfast with 4 live stations, that’s rather impressive
Up close with the swimming pool, up to 1.15m
Corridor to room – we got the one beside the lift, yay!
View from 2nd floor lift landing