A hop, skip and 45-minute boat ride from Singapore, Batam has become a well-known spa and seafood paradise for bargain hunters and city dwellers looking for a quick getaway.
While some may still associate this island with less than desirable activities - prostitution, dubious massage parlours, secret second wives of Singaporean men who have received their pensions - and that may indeed be the case... stick to the well-established tourist routes and you'd be safe.
Wrapped up in our busy corporate lives, Batam represents a relatively painless retreat for the girls and I to get pampered, scrubbed from head to toe, massaged till our sore muscles are soothed and to prepare us for another week ahead.
