Just wanted to throw my 0.02 in with the batam vs jb debate
Having been to both somewhat frequently, i can say for all metrics, Batam is really falling off
Batam starts off needing to pay $76 ferry which already sets it behind
Batam's former star attraction is cheweks for 1.4 juta, now its 1.7++ which is iirc cheaper than its jb equivilant of rm500 for 8hrs/3 shot. Yes in batam the girl stay with u longer, but that isnt always a plus and in JB the hotel is usually thrown in for free
Batam food is cheaper but significantly lower quality
The other batam attractions of Octopus and Hallo kitty also cant really compete.
Octopus is way over priced compared to VIP/Glory/VS etc
Hallo kitty is equivilant to paying a place like amansari spa and the former One6 spa for a massage then 1 shot. But the latter 2 have facilities and food
All those dating app girls are also delulu and a turn off by daring to ask for more than the fishtank
Lastly JB have many nationalities, batam only has indos and the odd chindo
Conclusion: unless you want to do batam exclusive non chiong stuff (seafood, go kart, supermarket). There isnt anything in batam that JB doesn have