Boom Bab Lala: Turi Beach

Honestly, I am having a writer's block. I haven't been blogging for two weeks - my bad - and can't be bothered to upload any pictures.

So, this is not an advertisement but a promise to a friend that I will write about Turi so he can know more about the place. Shah - this is specially for you.

If you are heading to Batam and wonders what you can do there, here's a list :

Parasailing
Water skiing
Canoeing
Snorkeling
Jet skiing
Go karts
Massages
Lots of sun tanning
And every Singaporean's favorite - shopping at the mega mall at Batam Centre

Although, I have been a bit OD on my Batam trips recently, I must admit that I haven't stay at many of the resorts. I have my personal favorite - Turi Beach Resort which I had stayed at a couple of times now. Nongsa Point Marina - I say forget it because the place SUCKS. Unless you fancy walking around in the dark at night; climbing up massive amount of stairs; is satisfied with a pool which do not have enough pool chairs.....just forget about Nongsa. The other two hotels which is often filled with Singaporeans are Batam View Resort and Harris. I didn't bother visiting these two either because the reviews aren't great and the people I know who had stayed at these two resorts and Turi comes back with thumbs up for Turi.

Turi has it's own watersports centre so if you are a family traveling with kids, rest assured there will be enough sea sports to keep everyone occupied. One thing I won't recommend is snorkeling though. Well, it's simple, waters around Batam is not well known for their clarity level so you might end up staring at your own hands the whole time. There's also a shooting range near the beach-side restaurant between Turi and Nongsa which is usually filled with families. Sorry, the singles are hanging out by the pool checking each other out and not shooting at some random boards...muahahahahaha! Go kart track is nearer to Harris Hotel so to get there, you need to get the hotel to arrange transport for you.

Turi has got two pools so if you are staying for more than a night, why not use the chance to enjoy the two pools? Personally, I love the pool in the new Tirta wing. It's an infinity pool and it's much more newer than the pool at Riani wing.

As for meals, Turi has got three restaurants that serves really good food. The restaurant on the second floor serves international cuisine and a must try is their beef burger. It's super JUICY! The one on the second floor serves Indonesian cuisine. And the last one serves superb Teppanyaki. Of course, if you have gone all the way to Batam, do go for the seafood. I am recommending Rezek Seafood Restaurant. Been there twice and all I can say is that the food is worth dying for. Two dishes that everyone must try - butter crayfish and black pepper crabs. I swear that you will want to order a second serving. Forget about the chilli crab though, it's terrible.

I could start writing about the golf course but since I hate golf - I only played golf cos my godfather made me learn it - and haven't been to the golf course at Batam before, I am leaving this out.

Writer's block is slowly seeping in again and I am kinda stuck at writing so go on, enjoy the pictures of Turi. Pictures usually speak more than words.

.
.
.
.

A view of the beach from the pool bar at Tirta Wing

This bridge leads to the Island Bar. At the end is a sheltered area where one can do some cam-whoring and look out to the sea. Try looking down though - the water is clear enough and you can see the fishes and stuff in the water. No corals though.