We purchased vouchers from
deal and got a 2D1N ($78) plus one night extension ($40). This included a whole list of other stuff, like breakfast, half day tour etc. There was free breakfast on the two days we were there as well.
Harmoni One, according to our tour guide is quite new. In fact, in the three days we were there, we felt like it was just us staying in the hotel. We saw a few others but that was about it. There was one night when we had dinner in the hotel and we were the only ones, besides 4 other people. Not sure if this was because we were there on a weekday. Anyway, the exterior of Harmoni One looks really grand.
Check-in was fast and the lobby, as you can see, is very spacious. At night, there will be someone playing the piano and another person singing. As I said, because this place is so empty, it was just my friend and I listening to them at night. The staff at the counter are very friendly and can speak English.
If you are thinking of using the free wifi on your phone, the only possible areas are the lobby and the dining area. You can't access wifi in the room although there is a cable which you can connect to your laptop.
Room wise, we got the most basic of all, the Superior Room. A little small, but it's fine because we don't really need the extra space. However, if you want to upgrade to a bigger room, it does not come at a huge price tag. It's only $12 a night for more space!
From our room, we could look down to the lobby and because we stayed on the second floor, we had free music to listen to every night. TV programmes were rather comprehensive, with Singapore's channels as well as the usual ones like StarMovies, CNN etc. There was also a mini bar with free Coke and Sprite, and two bottles of mineral water.
Facilities wise, there is a gym, jacuzzi and swimming pool on the 6th floor (top floor). The architecture's interesting as well. The pool's a little small and the gym is well equipped. As part of our package, we also got to enjoy a free massage at the adjoining building.
As for our meals, breakfast was a little
meh although there was quite a spread. There were crossaints, cereal, danish pastries, dim sum, sushi, mee goreng etc. Quantity wise, it was fine although they did not really refill the food. Quality wise, it was either average or slightly below average although the malay food was pretty good. We had dinner for one of our meals there, and it was quite cheap (around $5 SGD). But the food was a little salty and left us feeling thirsty after the meal.
As for this place's location, the only place that you can go is
Megamall. And it's not mega at all although there's good food in the mall and a cinema. That's a 10-15 minute walk away and you don't need a taxi if you don't mind getting there on foot because it honestly isn't that far anyway (although it's almost definite that you will get honked incessantly by taxi drivers on the road asking if you want a ride.)
If you are looking for beaches, Turi Beach or Nongsa is around a $14 taxi ride away. And unless you can camouflage yourselves as one of their guests, don't even bother venturing in because we were informed that it is a "private beach" and only for people who stayed there. A monopoly on beaches, seriously?
In all, Harmoni One is a decent and clean place to stay at although it's out of the way from everything else except Megamall which honestly doesn't have much as well. So, depending on your agenda in Batam, see if Harmoni One is a good fit for you!
Harmoni One
Jalan Engku Putri
Batam Center Batam Island 29400
Indonesia
Tel No: 778 464 111
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