Batam is one of the nearest island getaways from Singapore. We were looking for a 1 night getaway and decided on Montigo Resorts Nongsa. Overall, we had a pretty good time at the resort and here’s my full review. Not sponsored in anyway ok!
Getting to Montigo Resorts Nongsa
The quickest way to get to Montigo Resort Nongsa is via a 40-minute ferry ride from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore, and the nearest ferry terminal to the resorts is Nongsapura. As of 2023, it costs SGD 73/pax for a return ticket.
There are 3 ferries daily that will take you to Nongsapura, 8am, 12pm and 2.20pm. There is also a 10am option on some days.
Montigo Resorts Nongsa offers a complimentary pickup service from the ferry terminal and we sent an email with our ferry timing once we’ve booked our villa.
Once we got off the ferry and cleared immigration, it was easy to spot the staff as he was standing right at the exit and we were led to the bus that would take us to the resort. The ride to the resort was only about 5 minutes.
Checking In
We were dropped off at the lobby and were greeted with a welcome drink. The check-in process was straightforward but as we got to the resort at 8.30am, our villa wasn’t ready, so we decided to head for breakfast and a massage (read on for review on those).
Note: While the official check-in time is 3pm, they managed to get our villa ready by 1pm so we got an early check-in.
The Room
We got the Premier One-Bedroom Villa this time and my first impressions of the room were that the design was dated, looking more like a chalet than a resort room. The layout of the room look largely similar to that of the master bedroom of the Two-Bedroom Hill Side Villa I had stayed in, 7 years back.
However, unlike the Two-Bedroom Villa which had 3 levels, the Premier One-Bedroom Villa was a single-storey unit.
In the cupboard were the usual, bath robes, slippers, hairdryer and also insecticide, which we luckily did not need during our stay.
The Bed
The standard king-size bed was placed in the middle of the room, facing the pool deck. The middle of the mattress was sunken in — bad news for those who like sleeping on harder mattresses. The pillows were also noticeably old, as the cushion could barely hold its shape the moment I plopped my head on it. As I am on the team of firmer mattresses and pillows, I did not have a superb sleep, and even woke up to a headache after my nap. This wasn’t a deal breaker as many hotels I’ve been to also had lumpy pillows.
The biggest problem with the room was the placement of the air conditioner unit. It was right beside the bed and blows directly at your face. It was really uncomfortable and drying for the eyes.
The Bathroom
The spacious bathroom had separate cubicles for the shower and toilet, with the tub placed in between. We initially thought the bathroom and tub would be facing the pool, based on what we saw on the website, but this was not the case for the room we got.
Amenities in the bathroom included shampoo, conditioner, body soap and dental kit (toothbrush and toothpaste), fairly sufficient, though I would have preferred having a comb.
The bathroom in the one-bedder villa looked more like a hotel toilet. I remember loving the bathroom in the two-bedder villa as it really felt like a seaside resort.
The Pool
We found that the pool was of adequate size for a couple. What I enjoyed the most was lounging on the pool deck and the loungers were pretty comfortable; plus, it gave a great view of the sunset! While the pool looked clean on first impressions, I found a plastic bottle and straw when I looked over the pool in the drainage area, god knows how long ago was the last time they cleaned the pool area properly…
The pool deck is where the one-room villa does better than the two-bedder. The two-bedders do not have a lounge area by the pool, but they do have a roof terrace with seats. It’s really up to personal preference but I would prefer to chill by the pool, in the shade than on the roof.
The Food
There are a number of restaurants in the Montigo Resorts Nongsa compound, but we only managed to try Tadd’s Restaurant and Tigo Beach Club.
Tadd’s Restaurant
If your room rate includes breakfast, you can get it at Tadd’s every morning from 7am – 10am, otherwise it costs IDR 254,100 (after tax) per pax for the buffet breakfast. We had breakfast two days in a row and the food served for both mornings were different.
The food were a mixture of hits and misses. My biggest gripe is that there were eggshells in 2 out of the 4 eggs we got from the live egg station, which is quite a high chance of getting eggshells in your eggs if you ask me.
Tigo Beach Club
Tigo Beach Club is in the same area as Tadd’s Restaurant and serves the usual bar type of food. We got the truffle fries, char grill bbq wings, loaded nachos, pepperoni pizza, iced hazelnut cappuccino and iced latte. The food was average and acceptable for a club’s standard, but I was not a fan of the wings as they were really dry. The hazelnut cappuccino was also extremely sweet and artificial tasting due to the syrup.
You can see the full menu and prices on Montigo’s website.
We also decided to use our free cocktail coupon here. We initially thought we were able to pick from the cocktails on the menu but this was not the case and were served a cocktail made of gin and mango syrup. I enjoyed the drink and the mix really did give beachy vibes.
The Spa
As we got to the resort way before check in time, our villa wasn’t ready and we decided to hit the spa for a massage while waiting. Reservations are required so the staff that checked us in helped us with it.
When we got to the spa, we were asked to fill up the form with our villa information and there were questions such as what you want to achieve from the session. Once done with the form, you’ll have to make payment before the massage (or chosen service). We chose the Montigo massage and Indonesian massage. Both are full body massages but the Montigo massage is done with light to medium pressure, while the Indonesian massage was done with medium to hard pressure.
On the spa menu, it was indicated that the Montigo and Indonesian costs IDR 658,000 each, but we were present with a bill of IDR 1,908,200 for 2 pax (works out to IDR 954,100), which confused us. The staff told us that it is because the price on the menu excludes a 10% service charge and 35% government tax (shocking).
The massage was done in a small hut by the sea and it was my first time having a massage to the sounds of waves.
At the end of the massage, we were served hot tea and cookies. Though the massage was nothing to shout about, the service and view made up for it, but I’m still not quite sure if it was worth the high price tag.
The Activities
Being by the sea, Montigo Resorts Nongsa offers quite a number of water activities such as banana boat, kayaking and jetskis. There are also tours and local experiences like batik painting. However, the activities are quite pricey in my opinion, hence we did not do any of them.
Note: I did play the banana boat when I visited Montigo Resorts Nongsa years back and it’s exactly the same as my banana boat experience in Bali, but more expensive.
The Service
Though many aspects of the resort felt just average, it was the service that sold it for me. The staff always looked happy to help with our requests. Often, when we were done at a location, the staff would also ask if we needed the buggy without being asked. I’ve also seen the staff getting ready for a birthday performance with a cake and ukelele in tow.
Connectivity
Wifi was available throughout the resort and it did not require a password — great for those waiting for their villa but I’m not sure how secure it is.
Final Rating
We paid SGD 240.40, after taxes, for 1 night in the Premier One-Room Villa and we stayed on a Friday night. This excludes ferry tickets, food and the massage.
Overall, I think Montigo Resorts Nongsa is a great getaway option, if you’re looking for an accessible resort getaway from Singapore. However, I do wish there were more activity options.
Cleanliness: 3/5
Price: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Value: 4/5
Remote Workability: 4/5
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. There are affiliate links in the post but all opinions remain our own. A purchase through affiliate links earns us a small commission and if you found this post useful, do consider making a purchase through the link, it greatly supports our ongoing work!
