Pekanbaru Hotels

Pekanbaru is the capital of Riau province, Sumatra. It is the centre of oil production in the province. There's not much to see, but if you're going overland from Singapore or Malacca in Malaysia to Bukittinggi you're bound to pass through Pekanbaru. Before the Americans struck oil, Pekanbaru was little more than a sleepy river port on Sungai Siak. Today it is Indonesia's oil capital, with all the hustle and bustle of modern cities. Pekanbaru's primary purpose for tourists is as a transit point between ferries from Singapore, but the increased affordability of air travel has curtailed the sea passage. Now only Western oil executives on business trips find themselves in Pekanbaru. If you do decide to wander through, you'll spend most of your time accepting inexplicable gestures of kindness, from café conversations to instant friendships.