Jakarta - Hotels

[Key Master]

For those who don't know, the mall to which Xdentx refers is Blok M Plaza about which I and others have reported.

I believe the mall across from Ambhara Hotel is Passaraya. Blok M Plaza is a little bit farther down but within walking for most.

[Mighty Spearsman]

For my first visit to Jakarta (and Indonesia) I decided to stay at the Ambhara Hotel...

...During my 5 day stay, I took 3 or 4 ladies home LT to the Ambhara for 500,000 IDR and taxi money of about 20,000 to 50,000. One LT turned into a ST for 320,000 all in when she turned into a goofy starfish in bed. I don't always specify what services I expect (bbbj and mutual shower among other things) and she was not providing either...

...The approved "Blue Bird Group" taxis park in mass at the hotel. If your doorman calls one for you the meter starts at 7500 IDR. If you fetch it yourself, the fare starts at 6000 IDR...

Great report! Ambhara is around the same price as Le Meridien Hotel, and more than the Mercure Rekso, but is in a good location for mongering

- happy to read that you did not overpay for LT - proof that it's not necessary to pay 1 million or more

- from my experience, "bbbj and mutual shower" are standard items on the menu for Jakarta girls, sorry to read that you ran into one of the few who wouldn't do either

- for what it's worth, the 1,500 rupiah difference between a taxi called by the doorman and one you fetch yourself is equivalent to 17 cents US or around 0.12 Euros, not that much money

- Ambhara Hotel has a decent Indian restaurant, I had a memorable lunch with esteemed senior member Prof Designer (from Bali) there several months ago

[Bulai69]

Good report Xdentx. For those who don't know, the mall to which Xdentx refers is Blok M Plaza about which I and others have reported. You mention that there were not many (available) girls around but I wonder if you went to the cinema lobby at the top floor? Also the availability depends on the time of day, afternoon / evening being the best time.

[Xdentx]

For my first visit to Jakarta (and Indonesia) I decided to stay at the Ambhara Hotel due to its close proximity to Blok M. After 5 nights here, I'm relatively pleased with the place. I booked it through the internet getting a rate of $97/night including breakfast buffet. Although they mentioned that internet was available in the room, it wasn't until I got here that I learned it was a whopping 175,000 IDR additional per 24 hours. I tried the one hour rate of 65,000 IDR first, but quickly decided I needed more than an hour each day.

The hotel itself is positioned across from an upscale mall by a very busy divided arterial. To get to the mall you can group with the locals and cross the street on foot or utilize a steel pedestrian overpass. I used the overpass the first time, but switched to the local method thereafter. The mall contains a nice supermarket, drug store, and fast food outlets in the basement. Good place to stock up on your water and snack supply. An accasional freelander was apparent at certain times of the day, but pickings were slim. I quickly discovered that the famous FL bars are not in or particularly near the nice mall. Rather, they are a short two non descript blocks away which involves the same arterial crossing.

After asking around a bit, I found the bars positioned on both sides of a nearby street. They seem to be dead before about 10 pm when the live music starts. While I was here, Top Gun seemed to be the place to be, followed by My Bar. My recollection is that only Top Gun had a live band of questionable quality, but regulars may wish to correct me here. The other bars held some old men (like me) shooting pool, but very few ladies. There is little traffic at night on this out of the way street and the whole street scene lacks excitement. Nothing like the street scene outside LA Cafe in Manila or Fenwicks in HK.

The doormen at Top Gun had the unusual practice of shaking my hand each night that I would enter the bar...I presume as a friendly greeting. During my 5 day stay, I took 3 or 4 ladies home LT to the Ambhara for 500,000IDR and taxi money of about 20,000 to 50,000. One LT turned into a ST for 320,000 all in when she turned into a goofy starfish in bed. I don't always specify what services I expect (bbbj and mutual shower among other things) and she was not providing either. If you stay at the Ambhara there is no need to deal with the taxi guys...who are very aggressive in trying to get you into their car. The hotel greets you and your date politely upon returning and there is no registration or staring during the walk of shame. You may or may not pass the reception counter on the way to the elevators, but it's a non issue. I believe there's only 6 floors here and my floor was non-smoking and also held the outdoor pool, massage place, and gym. I didn't use the gym, but tried the massage on my first night there...when the prices still seemed reasonable. One hour Swedish with a very nice lady was 155,000 IDR. She offered a hj, but I was saving fuel for my first evening and passed. I'm sure she would have expected an additional tip. She also made it known to me that she could provide FS in my hotel room, but no LT since she worked there. The hotel concierge later helped me book Rodger's Spa nearby (about 8000IRD taxi ride) which offers legit massage for about 85,000/hr in a very upscale spa atmosphere and a lot of female clients. I even indulged in a manacure while there. This hotel concierge was very helpful throughout my stay...

The hotel itself has marble floors in the entry and throughout the entire room that you occupy. A grand piano is played in the lobby each night accompanied by a violinist. The hotel was nicer than I had anticipated. It presents a clean, well maintained, traditional look, run by exceptionally hospitible staff. Laundry services and extra towels are a call away. There is an electronic safe in your closet and a stocked minibar which I didn't use. The marble bathroom with its walk in shower and extra ammenities was especially appreciated.

I used the Stanford Arms Pub twice for light dinner before going out. There were a couple of ladies there meeting up with expat men. During my stay I never noticed Fl hanging around. A breakfast buffet is served each morning in the large dining room. It's oriented toward the 90% asian businessmen clientale but is adequate for a western guy. Everyone wears slacks here...no shorts. In the morning, there were never any working girls in attendance. Each of my dates left between 6 and 8 am. It would have been awkward to take your lady down to breakfast here. I never noticed men taking ladies to their rooms. A French Pastry restaurant is located in the lobby and I tried it a couple of times for snacks. Good deserts.

Across from the hotel is a medical clinic which I used once to get a Rx. Cialis and Viagra are both available in the mall pharmacy without Rx. The doctor and my "other" pills from their inhouse pharmacy cost a total 248,000 all in. There was no wait to see the young physician.

The approved "Blue Bird Group" taxis park in mass at the hotel. If your doorman calls one for you the meter starts at 7500 IDR. If you fetch it yourself, the fare starts at 6000 IDR.

In summary, I'd recommend the Ambhara. Downside is expensive internet, so-so buffet for the westerner, and a pool that no one wants to use. Upside is very friendly and well trained staff in nicely equipped rooms with a masculine marble and brown wood look. The walk in shower is great. I can't address value because I've never stayed anywhere else in Jakarta. I'm attaching a few pics to give an idea of the hotel and nearby area. I realize this report is a little long, but hope it's useful to someone.

[Mighty Spearsman]

Hi senior members and all other brothes,

I will be in Jakarta for vacation in Dec.

Would you help me where I can stay for a good fun? Hotel names and nice girls area?

Thanks

Well golly, I just did some research and discovered that you asked the same question here on the Indonesia board back on Feb 15, 2008!

You've also recently asked the same question on several other ISG boards, including two in China and some in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, you never bothered to write a post of what happened during your visit here earlier this year.

So, RTFF (read the forum)!!!

[Mike Mike]

Hi senior members and all other brothes,

I will be in Jakarta for vacation in Dec.

Would you help me where I can stay for a good fun? Hotel names and nice girls area?

Thanks

[Menteng]

Now that I've had to renew my 24 hour internet connect, I see that I'm paying 175,000 IDR for this period. That does come out to $18.24 US. This conversion with all the zeros seems too complicated with the jet lag and general fatigue. Bottom line....internet here at the Ambhara Hotel is pricy. And yes, it's 175,000, not 17,500 as I earlier posted. Sorry for the confusion.

This may come too late, but if you cross the street and enter Pasaraya Grande there's a good internet cafe on the 1st basement-floor.

[Xdentx]

Just a quick note here to say I paid between 500 and 550 with taxi money each night in Jakarta for my long time entertainment. Picked mainly from Top Gun, but took one gal from CJ's. She opened with one mil but dropped to 500 when i feigned indifference.

[KL Guy]

The following is my personal opinion :

The prices varies with the girls and customer as a guide

300K IDR to 500K for short time and 500K to 800K for long time. I normally pay 700K and nothing more but the choice is yours! Have fun! Please correct me if Im wrong guys! BTW CJ's is a better place to hunt in terms of quality & choice!

KL Guy

PS This question would have been better placed in the Jakarta thread instead of this hotel thread! ;P

I'm heading to JKT soon, its been a few years since I have been there, just wondering what the going rate in a place like BATS is for LT these days?

I'd hate to overpay and spoil the market.

[Key Master]

Now that I've had to renew my 24 hour internet connect, I see that I'm paying 175,000 IDR for this period. That does come out to $18.24 US. This conversion with all the zeros seems too complicated with the jet lag and general fatigue. Bottom line....internet here at the Ambhara Hotel is pricy. And yes, it's 175,000, not 17,500 as I earlier posted. Sorry for the confusion.

I thought something was seriously wrong with your quote earlier. Most hotels if they're offering it at a price, it ain't going to be cheap compared to going to an internet cafe or such.

[Ceegee]

I'm heading to JKT soon, its been a few years since I have been there, just wondering what the going rate in a place like BATS is for LT these days?

I'd hate to overpay and spoil the market.

[Xdentx]

Now that I've had to renew my 24 hour internet connect, I see that I'm paying 175,000 IDR for this period. That does come out to $18.24 US. This conversion with all the zeros seems too complicated with the jet lag and general fatigue. Bottom line....internet here at the Ambhara Hotel is pricy. And yes, it's 175,000, not 17,500 as I earlier posted. Sorry for the confusion.

[Master Diver II]

I'm here now in the Ambhara and think it's quite nice. The internet in the room is reasonably fast and via cable. The cost is 6500 idr for an uninterrupted one hour and 17500 for a 24 hour period. I think that's steep...but I'm willing to pay it.

I may or may not have time to write a comprehensive report on this place, but my general feeling is that it's much nicer than I expected and very convenient to Blok M. Of course I'm coming from City Garden Makati and Riveria Mansion in Manila. I checked the bars Monday night (Top Gun etc) and may have been too tired from air travel to appreciate them. Didn't particularly enjoy the scene. Certainly nothing as exciting as LA Cafe in Manila...from where I just came. I ended up making a selection at CJ's in the Mulia. Must say the drinks there were pricy at 75000 for a local bear and 95000 for a corona. Probably wont go back there again.

USD2 for 24 hour internet connection sounds cheap to me - for a decent hotel. Rates are normally around USD10 upwards! Please check my post below on Manhattan hotel internet rates. Some hotels go as high as USD15 or even higher for 24 hours.

Incidentally, since I do go to JKT regularly enough, I've found it cheaper to buy bottles and use them for entry a few times. Just pay for mixers. It works out cheaper in the long run.

MD II

[Cooze Hound]

Just saw the prices in Wotif.com. They seem crazy. The price for Crown Plaza states USD 130 for a friday booking, whereas just last week I paid just about USD 58 through rajakamar.com for Crowne Plaza. These guys seem to be looting. And if you go through Kaha, its about USD 60

Yes I always used to use Wotif for my Singapore trips but now I get much better prices on local Singapore sites.
It is a reasonable information site for hotel information however.

[Xdentx]

I'm here now in the Ambhara and think it's quite nice. The internet in the room is reasonably fast and via cable. The cost is 6500 idr for an uninterrupted one hour and 17500 for a 24 hour period. I think that's steep...but I'm willing to pay it.

I may or may not have time to write a comprehensive report on this place, but my general feeling is that it's much nicer than I expected and very convenient to Blok M. Of course I'm coming from City Garden Makati and Riveria Mansion in Manila. I checked the bars Monday night (Top Gun etc) and may have been too tired from air travel to appreciate them. Didn't particularly enjoy the scene. Certainly nothing as exciting as LA Cafe in Manila...from where I just came. I ended up making a selection at CJ's in the Mulia. Must say the drinks there were pricy at 75000 for a local bear and 95000 for a corona. Probably wont go back there again.