Itinerary Archives

Batam July 5, 2016

Lotte Mart Wholesale in Batam – YES!! (Must-Go!)

Lotte Mart Wholesale – Jl. Engku Putri, Batam Centre Core kel. Gulf Tering, district Kota Batam, Batam, Riau islands Date of visit: July 2016 Having stayed in USA for a year, I’ve grown to appreciate Costco and their wholesale supermarkets – being able to buy things in BULK (like serious bulk) and feeling like I’ve saved a ton of money. I think I’ve once bought like 60 packets of instant Quakers flavoured oatmeal for $15 or something… cool right?? That’s something I miss in Singapore, going grocery shopping with my friends and buying the staple things in bulk. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled into Lotte Mart Wholesale on a weekend trip to Batam! WHAT IS LOTTE MART Lotte Mart Wholesale is a super-sized grocery store aimed to provide businesses (retail, hotels..) and SMEs with quality products at very competitive prices. They use a membership system with these businesses (sending…

Bandung March 9, 2016

Ola Spa, Bandung – Cheap & Awesome (Must Go!)

date of visit: August 2015 Address: Jl. Bahureksa no. 23. Bandung – West Java. Indonesia 40115. Contact number: 62-22- 4234253/ 62-22- 6168898 No holiday is complete without a massage, so we were pretty determined to find a good massage place (at a good price, of course). We were recommended by the hotel to go to Everyday Spa in Bandung, as they told us it was the most popular massage place. But when we called to ask about the price, it was really expensive, about IDR 295,000 for an hour. That was way more than we wanted to spend on a massage – almost Singapore price! So we did some research and looked through reviews to find a better option. Pinisi Relaxation seemed like a contender, but some reviews stated that it was in a really sketchy, dark building. So it was out (We didn’t feel like getting assassinated). We,…

Bandung March 3, 2016

The White Crater, Indonesia (Wanderlust-worthy!)

Date visited: Aug 2015 Entry fee: IDR 150,000 for foreigners/ person & IDR15,000 for locals. Kawah Putih (eng: White Crater) is located in Bandung, Indonesia – about 1.5-2hr drive from the city center. It is aptly named for its eerily beautiful white appearance. Unlike in normal volcano craters, the lake here is highly acidic (ranging from pH 0.5 -1.3 – please don’t fall in guys!), hence the color changes from bluish to whitish green to even brown, depending on the sulfuric concentration. The sand/rocks surrounding these waters are whitish-yellow, due to the contact with the acidic waters. The result? Breath-taking and beauuutiful – almost like a painting. Light turquoise waters, trees and greenery everywhere – if the waters were not killer-acidic, I would have taken a dip! We were terribly lucky to have visited in an off-peak season/timing, which meant almost no other tourists except for us. (Tip: We set…

Bandung February 28, 2016

Tangkuban Perahu, Ciater Hot Spring & Floating Market

In my previous 4d3n Bandung Itinerary post, I mentioned these places as the main activities for Day 2. They were actually planned out for us by the friendly staff at Hyatt Regency Hotel (thumbs up!) – since these three places were along the same route. We managed to also get a great deal for transport – Indra who charged IDR750,000 for 10 hours. Unfortunately I did not get his contact details, as the hotel staff did all the liaising for me! (Tip: if possible, ask the concierge for more options when choosing transport, as they usually recommend Golden bird – which charges about IDR1,250,000 for 12 hours) So was it worth the while? Let me share some details with you, and you can decide for yourself. First stop: Tangkuban Perahu NOTE: Entrance fees are IDR 200,000 per person (while for locals it’s only IDR 20,000). We grumbled a little since…

Bandung February 26, 2016

4d3n Getaway to Bandung, Indonesia (Itinerary!)

Date travelled: August 2015 As I’ve mentioned in my previous post, this was a pretty last minute plan for the SG50 holidays last year. Because everything was fully booked or way too expensive by the time we got around to planning the trip (even Bintan was crazy), we were resigned to doing a staycation in Singapore. However, after chancing upon this article online, we got really inspired to explore Bandung, Indonesia. Tickets were $200/pax (last minute prices) and most of the hotels mentioned in the article were fully booked, so we made do with a comfortable one in the city area – Hyatt Regency Hotel. This meant that we would have to take long rides up to the volcanoes, but it also meant that we could take some time to explore the outlets, cafes and food! So here’s my itinerary overview: Day 1: Morning flight via AirAsia straight to Bandung…