Waterfront City

Probably Batam's best branded hotel, aging gracefully but solidly maintained under Western management. Weekend-tripping Singaporeans come for the large pool with an extensive kids' area, four restaurants and a well-regarded spa see Do, while oil industry business visitors are seduced by the promise of broadband internet.

A cheap but cheerful family holiday resort with a predilection for an eyeball-blistering shade of orange, renovated and expanded in 2009. Large pool, bowling alley, a scattering of restaurants and a fairly pathetic beach where swimming is explicitly forbidden. Try to get a room in the new wing.

Some of the shophouse pubs also offer lodging in their upstairs rooms, mostly on a short-time basis.