We are currently in uncertain times as Covid-19 develops across numerous countries and travel advisories change on a constant basis.  Given this environment of uncertainty I outline below the steps we are taking to protect our guests and staff from the virus.

 

Firstly, however, I wanted to touch on why the outdoor life at Batu Batu is a good option for a getaway at this time. We are extremely lucky to be on a little island, 3km round and 16km away from the mainland. We have plenty of fresh air, eight white sandy beaches and individual villas so that everyone can enjoy open spaces and the island’s incredible nature.  Our restaurant and bars are open to the air and we do not have any communal enclosed air-conditioned spaces. If you live in Singapore or Malaysia you can get to us by car, and travel into the island is on our small private boat. There is no need to travel by communal public transport. To date, there have been no recorded cases of Covid-19 in Mersing or our surrounding islands.

 

Nevertheless, we have also taken a series of measures to ensure the safety of everyone on the island and keep Batu Batu a Coronavirus free territory. These steps are outlined in detail in our FAQ section below.

 

For those of you that have bookings with us, we kindly request that guests please let us know as soon as possible if they will need to change their travel plans and / or cancel their bookings. A lead time of six to eight weeks would allow us to try and find a replacement to take your villa and helps us avoid a loss in revenues from the cancelled booking. If you have a friend who might be able to travel and take the villa in your place, your help in referring a replacement through to us would be greatly appreciated.

 

Batu Batu is a small local business and we have an amazing staff team who rely on us financially as well as local suppliers who rely on our business in providing us with supplies. We very much hope that visitors will keep coming to the area and enjoy our amazing island so that we (and the businesses around us who face similar issues) are able to collectively weather the storm together.

 

Thank you, and keep safe and well.

 

Cher Chua-Lassalvy

Managing Director - Batu Batu – Pulau Tengah

 

 

What is Batu Batu doing to protect staff and guests from the novel coronavirus?

·      Step 1 – Pre-arrival: All our guests, staff and any third party contractors coming to the island are asked to submit a Travel Declaration Form prior to arrival in Mersing. Anyone who refuses to submit the declaration will unfortunately not be able to board the boat for Batu Batu. The form is amended as cases rise in specific countries and Batu Batu may refuse entry to persons travelling from certain countries as per Malaysia’s travel restriction rules.

·      Step 2 - Mersing: We carry out temperature checks at Mersing Jetty for all our guests, staff and contractors entering the island using a non-contact thermometer. Anyone with a registered temperature higher than 37.5 degrees Celcius will be asked to seek medical advice and will not be able to board the boat to Batu Batu.

·      Step 3: All staff, guest and third party contractors present on the island have their temperature checks every morning and this is recorded and filed.

·      Step 4: The resort has stopped serving buffet breakfasts and no buffets are served at all during the day.

·      Step 5: We have placed hand sanitiser in all communal areas, and basins with handwash are available both in the main resort area and at the Long Beach end of the island.

·      Step 6: All our staff and third party contractors have been briefed that it is of utmost importance to immediately report to HR if they have a fever or are feeling unwell. HR then will immediately arrange for them to visit the panel clinic in the mainland.

·      Any updates on the novel coronavirus are transmitted on the HR Whatsapp broadcast list so that our staff teams are kept aware at all times.

 

·      Who can come onto the island?

Only guests, staff and third-party contractors of Batu Batu who are employed by the resort to provide certain services from time-to-time are admitted onto the island.  All of these individuals come onto the island from Mersing and will be screened.

On rare occasions, we may have Maritime Police or other government agencies visit the island. We do conduct temperature checks and ask each visitor to fill travel declaration forms for anyone who comes onto the island beyond the jetty.

 

 

·      If I’ve been to China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, Denmark or Japan in the 15 days prior to my check-in, can I still come to Batu Batu?

Unfortunately we will ask that you postpone your stay or cancel your trip if you have been in any of these areas in the 15 days prior to your stay with us.

Furthermore, according to the latest Malaysian government policy, you would not be allowed to travel into the country at this time.

·      If I am not allowed to travel into Singapore (people with travel histories of 15 days or less to France, Germany, Italy Spain, Iran, Republic of Korea, Mainland China), can I travel to Batu Batu?

Unfortunately we will ask that you postpone your stay or cancel your trip if you have been in any of these countries in the 15 days prior to your stay with us. Our preference is to be very safe and follow the travel advisories of both Malaysia and Singapore.

As these change all the time, please do check travel advisories for both Malaysia and Singapore prior to travel.

·      What should I do if I am suddenly banned from travelling to Batu Batu by a travel restriction and it is less than 14 days before my visit?

Please email us as soon as you know that you will not be able to travel to Batu Batu as planned. In this case you have two options. Firstly, you can claim cancellation costs from your travel insurance company. Alternatively, we are allowing postponements to new dates up to 31st December 2021 without any change fees.

 

·      What happens if I develop a cough or fever just before I travel to Batu Batu?

We will ask you to please postpone your stay with us until you no longer display symptoms. If it is not possible to postpone, we would ask you to cancel your stay.

In the case of a cancellation less than 14 days before your check-in date, we would please ask for a doctor’s certificate to show that you have been displaying fever / cough symptoms and upon receipt we will process a refund of your deposit.

 

 

·      What happens if I develop a cough or fever when I am staying at Batu Batu?

We will consult our panel doctor as well as the local health authorities and follow their advice. At present any case in our area would be sent to the designated Covid-19 hospital in Johor Bahru.

 

 

·      If I have a temperature or a cough and am not allowed to board the boat for Batu Batu at Mersing, will I be allowed to cancel my stay and receive a deposit refund?

Yes, in this unlikely situation (none to date), we will allow you to postpone or cancel the trip without cancellation fees.

 

 

·      Do you serve buffets at Batu Batu?

No we do not serve buffets at Batu Batu. Lunch and dinner have always been à la carte whilst breakfast was a combination of à la carte and buffet. The buffet section at breakfast has now been discontinued and guests are served their homemade pastries and breads, fruit plate and hot items, at their individual tables.

 

 

·      Have there been any Covid-19 cases in Mersing or other islands?

There have not been any reported Covid-19 cases in Mersing or any of the surrounding islands. We have checked this with the local hospital and the local government.

We are in close contact with both the Mersing Hospital and the District Council at this time.

 

 

What is your cancellation policy?

Please let us know as soon as possible if you think that you have to cancel your booking. Whilst your deposit is not forfeited until 14 days before travel, the longer we have to find a replacement to fill your villa, the better. Your help and understanding in this respect is very much appreciated.

Cancellation or any amendment of booking dates more than 14 days before date of arrival: 100% refund of RM deposit received (minus any payment processing fees taken by the bank or credit card company).

Cancellation or any amendment of booking dates 14 days or less before date of arrival: 100% of the RM villa rate deposit will be forfeited.

For bookings made 14 days or less before date of arrival: 24 hour grace period from the time of booking is given for postponement or cancellations after which 100% of the RM villa rate deposit will be forfeited.

 Refund Procedure

If you cancel a booking and are entitled to a refund we will instruct the bank to process a refund to your credit card immediately. However, from experience, it  generally takes up to 4 weeks for the refund to show on your credit card statement. This is due to the minimum 5-10 business days required for our bank to process the refund request and release the funds back to your credit card issuing bank and then a further 5-10 business days required for your credit card issuing bank credits the moneys back to your account. This is beyond our control.

However, in light of the current situation, we are allowing guests to postpone or cancel their trips with a refund if they are sick (with medical certificate) and cannot travel to Batu Batu as planned.

 

 

·      Can I bring my own ear thermometer for testing?

Yes, we have some guests ask if they can bring their own ear thermometers to ensure that their temperatures are accurately tested. This is absolutely fine but we would still ask that the daily temperature taking is done at our Guest Services desk so for our records.