4 Days 3 Nights in Jakarta and need help

Hellow fellow VTers,

I will be leaving for Jakarta on 5th Feb with my wife. Expected to arrive in CGK around 12pm

Now i got 2 choices for hotel. which one is better based on my planned agenda below?

1. Millennium Sirih

2. Ibis Tamarin

Agenda:

1. sightseeing

2. massage %26amp; spa

3. shopping (a must when going with the wife)

4. live concert - indonesian band like dewa, so7, etc (hardrock maybe?)

5. any other recommended activities?

Based on my planned agenda, can you guys please advise what, where and when to go?

Regards,

Matt

4 Days 3 Nights in Jakarta and need help

Hello,

some world to illustrate the hotel:

1. Millennium Sirih: 4star, standard sized room, furniture never been upgraded, business hotel type.

2. Ibis Tamarin: solid 3 star, rooms are of Ibis size (a.k.a. small), popular with tourists.

Location wise, Ibis is more strategic (even though both hotel are only few hundred meters apart, but Millennium is located in less touristy area).

Based on your agenda, I can recommend something for you:

1. Sightseeing: what is your interest? Museums? For first timers, can go to Old Batavia (old town), seeing buildings from Dutch Colonial era, you can also visit National Monument, symbol of the city).

2. Most 5-star hotel have it. (beware, the spa at Millennium is infamous for certain type of client only). Good spa in the area is Taman Sari Spa at Jalan Wahid Hasyim.

3. Shopping: which one? Cheap stuff shopping at wholesale price? Then go to Tanah Abang (9-storey full of fashion stuff from textiles, clothes, shoes, bags, Muslim wear etc) If you feel to shop at upscale place like Suria KLCC, then go to Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indonesia, all branded goods are there. Hard Rock also located at Plaza Indonesia complex.

4. currently no upcoming live concert is scheduled. You can catch them on TV though. Hard Rock and other cafes do have resident band playing, but they%26#39;re not those famous bands.

5. Other activities: what really you want to try? Something that makes your adrenaline rush? Something cultural? Please give us more hints...

4 Days 3 Nights in Jakarta and need help

cirque,

you never failed to give brilliant replies! i have been a followe to this forum but never post anything.

to give you some hints...

1. sightseeing - i am not into museums.. i admire buildings, scenery and culture.

2. massage %26amp; spa - i dont care if millenium hotel appeals to certain type only as long as they dont make any advance on me. But i would appreciate if you can give me some ideas where are the recommended spas and massage parlors. and also, which spa should i avoid - i mean the ones that offer hanky panky stuffs... can you please give some indication what%26#39;s the price like?

3. shopping - tanah abang is a must. do they accept credit cards or prefer cash? i dont like to bring a lot of cash. Upscale ones are ok if there us a significant price difference compared to KL

4. live concert - any other venues that has dewa concert between 5 - 7 february? I really wanna see those guys in live!!!

5. recommended activities - culture, something new that they dont have it in KL... i am open for anything basically. I basically would like to do %26#39;things that without it my Jakarta trip is not complete%26#39;.

6. I got Ibis for MYR420, and millenium sireh for MYR840. I dont mind the difference if it is really recommended to stay in millennium. However, if it is not worthy, i dont mind staying at ibis tamarin either... so i need your expert advise.

Cheers...

Matt

Hello matt,

First of all, the price for the hotel you get, Ibis for RM400 something and Millennium RM800 something, izzit for the whole stay or just one night?

I recalled that Ibis%26#39; prices are within RM200 per night only for standard room. Izzit for 2 days? If you got budget up to RM800, I would highly recommend to check out other 4-star hotel that is better (location wise and service-wise) than Millennium. Just few meters from Ibis, there is Pan Pacific Jakarta, also 4 star.

Again, to answer you question:

1. Sightseeing: you can go to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah where it showcases traditional houses from all provinces in Indonesia. It%26#39;s like miniAsean in Melaka or Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching. You can go inside each house and if you%26#39;re lucky, you can see dances and stuff. Join a tour where you%26#39;ll be picked up from the hotel. (GrayLine, MAS%26#39; Golden Holiday, or Air Asia Go Holiday all have the tour)

2. Taman Sari spa is good, as well as other spa at well-established hotel. At the place like this, 60mins massage will cost approx Rp350,000-Rp400,000

3. If you%26#39;re adventurous, from Ibis/Pan Pacific, you can go to Tanah Abang by taking bajaj (something like tuk tuk in Thailand), the distance is quite short. Oh, you can also shop for souvenirs at Sarinah Department Store, next door from Ibis and Pacific. It has wide range of souvenirs from all over Indonesia. Branded goods (except local made) are more expensive as import tax for these goods are very high in Indonesia.

4. I can%26#39;t get any info about Dewa, maybe you can check out Jakarta event listing on the web.

5. At FX Lifestyle Mall, you can take slide that will bring you down from 4th storey to ground floor of the mall. http://fx-generation.com/icon.php

Oh one more thing about shopping, not every shop at Tanah Abang accept credit card. So it%26#39;s always convenient to bring some cash when you go to places like this. At shopping malls, most shops do accept major credit card.

However, at big shopping malls, money changer is now a major feature, besides ATM center. (and the exchange rates are pretty good too!).

For shopping, you can also take your wife to Pasar Baru, a street lined with shoes and textile shops. The shoes here are mostly local made. Nearby, there is the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia, Istiqlal Mosque.

cirque,

I got that package for 4 days and 3 nights.

Pan Pac will cost me MYR400 per nite... any idea of an excellent website with excellent rate to book from?

Wow... your findings is quite a bargain... I usually buy through travel agent or for the case of some international hotel chain, directly through their website (especially the one with tag %26#39;best rates guarantee%26#39;).

Through Agoda, I also find good deal for The Sultan (ex Hilton). They give rates USD68 per night (without tax). It%26#39;s 5star property located slightly to the southern Jakarta with big gardens. Many shopping malls nearby, approx 15-20mins to Tanah Abang.

Cirque,

Yes, i thought the rates are quite a bargain too...

So, between ibis and millennium, which one do you advise?

Matt

hi

in my opinion, if u don%26#39;t mind with Ibis room size, I will go with Ibis Tamarin. Millenium is not really in the middle of the ';happening crowd'; at night and the surrounding is more quiet at night. While Ibis like cirque explained is basically have more food and shopping options

If your choice is down to Ibis or Millennium, I would go for Ibis.

Location wise, the area around Ibis is more happening. You still can wander around at night and it%26#39;s still lively. Besides, it%26#39;s easy to get everywhere from Ibis.

thanks cirque and verdim!

The reason i chose ibis and millennium is because i read somewhere in this forum that these two are the best for my budget. But I am still open to any other areas... so, please advise! my budget is around MYR 200-250 per nite. Goals: Eat, shop, massage %26amp; spa, seightseeing.

Many thanks!

Matt