Jakarta for the Weekend?
Jakartans leave their work early on Fridays, hoping they can beat the traffic to the airport in addition to enjoy a weekend in Bali or Singapore, away by the pollution. On the contrary, on the same day, another crowd of people, a mix of expats in addition to locals by nearby Asian countries actually choose to spend their weekend in Jakarta. These people have one thing in mind: to enjoy the great atmosphere of the day in addition to nightlife here in addition to they have made the right choice.
We expect of which little guide will answer all the basic questions you may have about your trip to the capital.
by the airport to your hotel
Like in any airport, the arrival in Jakarta can be stressful since you become the centre of attention as soon as you exit, in particular by taxi drivers. To prevent them by insisting too much, act as confident as possible in addition to give the impression of which you know where you are going.
So where are you going? You have a $3 shuttle than can take you to the centrally-located Gambir Station, nevertheless the item is usually better for once to take a cab, unless you are on a tight budget.
Taxis won’t cost you more than $10 to $15 in addition to you will arrive directly in front of your hotel. People are still recommending the use of Blue Bird taxis only, nevertheless in my opinion many brands are safe as well, including Express, Gamya, Taxiku in addition to all the taxis looking brand fresh. the item may sound like an approximate rule of thumb, nevertheless the item works. You may have bad luck in addition to have to deal that has a bad driver, nevertheless the item happens with Blue Birds as well.
You can book a taxi straight after the custom check at one of their counters. Alternatively, you can go to the taxi line, 100 metres away by the arrival gate on the left. There are several brands there you can choose by, in addition to you will get a coupon with your destination in addition to a number to call in case you have a problem with the driver. Before accepting to enter a taxi, ask if the toll is usually included or not to avoid surprises.
Which hotel should you choose in addition to where?
Dining on Jalan Jaksa by Maciej Dakowicz
First tip: Lower your expectations! The overall quality of hotels is usually pretty low in Jakarta, except from the 5-stars range where the offer is usually plethoric. You can see of which many hotels were decent at the time they were opened, nevertheless they are deteriorating fast. Don’t listen to someone if he tells you a place was not bad “a few years ago”. Far too often, you don’t get the not bad-value you could expect by a country with such a cheap cost of living. Apart by of which guide, check what people are saying on internet forums nevertheless pay attention to the date the message was posted.
I won’t give you the names of all the hotels of which are acceptable, nevertheless a more general overview of which are the not bad areas to stay in addition to what are the favorite hotels in these areas.
Low-budget/mid-range hotels
from the low-budget range (by Rp.50,000 to Rp.200,000 per night), the hotels in Jalan Jaksa will be your best option. Most of the places aren’t great, nevertheless the item is usually in a not bad location in addition to you will find a lot of services available for travellers there. The street, a much smaller variation of Bangkok’s backpacker street Khao San Road, has also many cafes in addition to restaurants in addition to is usually a not bad spot for meeting additional people. Jalan Jaksa residents are somewhat looked down upon by additional expats. You can do as I did when I was there in addition to say of which you “live near Plaza Indonesia”.
Without prior reservation you should be able to find something quickly nevertheless you can also call the following places (I remind you of which almost all hotels in Jaksa are a bit grim, nevertheless some are worse than others):
Kresna Hotel (021-325403): Rp.40,000, no aircon in addition to bathroom is usually outside. Basic nevertheless calm.
Bloem Steen Hotel (021-325389): Friendly, cheap (Rp.40,000), no aircon in addition to bathroom outside.
Borneo Hostel (021-3140095): Very basic, nevertheless clean in addition to the item has big rooms (around Rp.100,000)
Memory Café Hotel: Memories Café features a few bad rooms upstairs, with no aircon nevertheless bathroom inside. Noisy, yet lively.
Jalan Jaksa is usually approximately 5 minutes away in walking distance by Sarinah Mall in addition to by a Transjakarta bus station. With these, in addition to for a fraction of the cost of a taxi, you can reach Blok M or Kota easily. the item is usually also a great way to avoid traffic since they have dedicated lines.
If you feel a little adventurous, the best places to sleep in Jaksa are actually located within the gang, i.e. the tiny streets of which run perpendicular by Jaksa. Sometimes you will see a sign indicating there is usually a room (such as “KOS”), in addition to sometimes nothing. Ask around. If you bargain, you can get quieter, cheaper rooms of which way.
The street south of Jalan Jaksa, Jalan Wahid Hasyim has been developed more recently in addition to the item has some not bad-value hotels. My favourites are the Ibis Arcadia (021-2300050) in addition to Ibis Tamarin (021-3912323), which will cost you Rp.550,000 including breakfast. If of which is usually the budget you intend to spend, don’t look anywhere else because nothing comes close in Jakarta in terms of value for money. Do make a reservation to make sure you have a room. If the Ibis are both full, you can try Paragon (021-3917070) in addition to Cipta Hotel (021-3904701), nevertheless they aren’t as not bad by far. The fresh Akhmani Hotel, a four star, is usually excellent as well in addition to not so expensive (weekend rate of Rp.650,000). We can expect a cost increase when the place becomes more well-known though.
a few-stars hotels
5-stars hotels in Jakarta are well-worth the money. You will find them on average at least three times cheaper than in Europe, for the same quality of service. If you are staying in 5-star hotels, favorite options are the Shangri-La, Hotel Mulia in addition to Hotel Le Meridien which have not bad bars with live music. Ritz-Carlton in addition to Marriott were unfortunately bombed twice so I will leave of which call for you to make. The Grand Hyatt is usually perfectly located, above the Plaza Indonesia mall, in addition to if you book in advance, you can get a room for Rp.1.5 million.
Shopping
Shopping for cheap stuff is usually one of my favourite things to do in Jakarta. Going to malls is usually actually the most favorite activity of Jakartans, in addition to you will find them packed during weekends. The hottest high-end mall in Jakarta is usually Grand Indonesia, which was completed in 2007. the item is usually huge, in addition to you can easily spend hours walking from the item before seeing a shop twice. the item features a not bad, non-expensive theatre, the Blitz Megaplex, on its last floor. additional luxurious malls are Senayan City in addition to Pacific Place, all of them very similar. I think these malls are not bad to have a coffee or for eating, nevertheless when the item comes to shopping, they have prices of which are similar to those we can find from the US or in Europe.
Mangga Dua Mall
If you want to buy cheap products, you should head to medium-class malls where you may buy, amongst additional things, pirated DVDs, fake clothes, ink cartridges in addition to cheap electronics. I also like to print my best photos on large format in Jakarta, as the item costs 10 times less than in France. Although there are some options from the centre (Ambassador Mall) in addition to from the South (Blok M Plaza), I like to stay in North Jakarta, in addition to spend some time in Glodok Plaza or Mangga Dua Square.
For souvenirs, the best place to go to is usually the 5th floor of Sarinah Mall. They have a large choice of handicrafts by all over the archipelago. the item’s very convenient, nevertheless pricey. There is usually also a flea market on Jalan Surabaya, in Menteng, selling antiques nevertheless you will have to haggle to get a decent cost.
Comments
Jakarta for the Weekend?
Jakarta for the Weekend?