An hour away from Singapore lies Montigo Resorts in Batam, a sprawling architectural expanse of white against the deep blue waters of South China Sea. The nearest ferry terminal is Nongsapura Ferry Terminal and it takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (Singapore) to Nongsapura Ferry Terminal (Nongsa), easy! There is even 2-way complimentary land transfers from Nongsapura Ferry Terminal to Montigo Resorts and back.
Moving around the resort is a breeze through the on-site buggy service, simply call and you will be picked up!
There are four types of villas – hilltop villa (highest viewpoint at the resort’s crest), hillside villa (between hilltop and seafront), seafront villa (unobstructed view of the sea), and spa villa (with private cabana). Most villas have the same structural layout so whichever you pick, it will be a safe choice!
Our hillside villa comes with a private sea facing infinity plunge pool (K totally maximized the use of it lol), master bedroom complete with king-size canopy bed, large modern bathing area with natural skylight, guest bedroom with two single beds, rooftop dining terrace (very Santorini-ish!) and a living room/kitchenette with basic facilities.
I didn’t want to step out at all!
On second thoughts, it’s such a waste to stay indoors all day and not explore the resort further. We opted for a fishing trip and it was so fun! The staff was really patient and genuinely wanted us to have a good time. Although it was our first fishing experience, I got lucky and caught two snappers, score! #lunchsettled
Other water activities include wake boarding, water skiing or mangrove tour and firefly sighting for a more laid back excursion.
With the fresh fish in hand, we headed to the kitchen of TIIGO beach club to prepare an Indonesian home-style lunch of gado gado and grilled snapper. On a side note, TIIGO’s a la carte menu features typical bar bites, tapas and sandwiches. The seafood medley of soy infused scallops, tuna carpaccio on watermelon and mahi-mahi ceviche is worth a try but avoid the club sandwich unless you like dry roast beef and smoked chicken breast.
With our tummies full, it’s time for our favourite activity – spa!!! We are huge fans of spa and massage (imagine going for massage sessions at least twice a day in Bangkok, that’s us!) so we were looking forward to this the most. The Montigo Spa has rustic little Sumatran huts acquired exclusively for the resort, with a steam bath and plunge pools – the latter perfect to lounge, wade or simply cool off in.
Other than massages, the comprehensive spa menu also offers facials, body wraps, scrubs, and even medi/pedicure! It was difficult to choose as I wanted to do everything ha. In the end we picked the “Montigo Signature Revival Journey for Him & Her” consisting of a refreshing facial, moisturizing scrub, firming wrap and traditional massage. That is 3 hours of pure bliss, my friends. Highly recommended!
Time to feast again ha. For dinner, we had private dining at a section off the main restaurant. Honestly it felt kind of weird and I think in-villa dining may be a better option! The chef put together a special menu for us – seared scallop, tuna nicoise salad, thick and chunky cream of mushroom (omg this was unexpectedly good!!), snapper with prawns, beef tenderloin and sago malacca with palm sugar, creme anglaise and vanilla ice cream. I was more impressed with the service than food – professional, intrusive and so friendly!
An all day dining spot, TADD’S is the place to go for breakfast the next morning. The buffet spread has lots of local delights from pastries and kuehs to noodles and prata. What caught our eyes from the a la carte menu was the traditional tahu tek – a delicious dish of tofu and egg omelette, carrot, cucumber, spinach salad and black peanut sauce. I was kicking myself for not ordering it the day before! Besides Asian selection, there is also Western comfort cuisine in the form of eggs hemingway (smoked salmon with perfect poached eggs on english muffin) and the signature beef burger!
Our special thanks to Montigo Resorts for organizing this trip!
Montigo Resorts Nongsa
Jalan Hang Lekir, Nongsa, Batam
Kepulauan Riau 29465, Indonesia
+62 778 7768888
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