Jakarta - Hotels

[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.

[Tiny 12]

looking for a decent jakarta hotel near hot-spots (gf action zones) with (true) "high" speed internet connection for 5-6 nights.

my info is dated as it's been 2 years since i was last in jakarta, but of the hotels on your list, the internet in the atlet, mulia and sari pan pacific sucked the last time i was in those hotels, so much so that i had to go to an internet cafe or in case of mulia the hotel business center to get anything done. i too would be very interested if anyone knows a hotel with true, in-room, high speed internet close to or just south of the central business district.

[Bulai69]

No problems at all taking girls in there. If you want them to come up to your room, just mention it to the concierge along with, as always, a small tip, 50k max

[John Aldrich]

I do not recall about internet, but I just checked on the Wotif.com site and it says that the Grand Executive rooms only have it. So I guess thats a no.

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

[Cooze Hound]

By any chance, do you remember if they have a good internet connection in the room?

I do not recall about internet, but I just checked on the Wotif.com site and it says that the Grand Executive rooms only have it. So I guess thats a no.

[Master Diver II]

looking for a decent jakarta hotel near hot-spots (gf action zones) with (true) "high" speed internet connection for 5-6 nights. my personal experience in latin and south america, tells me that the expensive (4-5 star) hotels would have better/faster internet connection. unless someone knows (for sure) of a medium class (3-4 star) hotel with good high speed internet connection.

1. based upon your reviews/postings, could the following (4-5 star) hotels would match this profile (any addition or deletion?)?

atlet century (near plaza senayan, not far from cj's)
mulia (home of cj's bar/disco) = usd $133 for single, $148 for double
meridien (home of tiga puluh bar/disco) = usd $87 for single, $98 for double
marriott (nice hotel) = usd $144 for single, $156 for double
shangri-la (home of bats) = usd $168
ritz (home of mistere)
crown plaza (retro)
sultan hotel (old hilton hotel, very low price for a nice hotel)
grand hyatt
hotel sari pan pacific
hotel borobudur

2. assuming all of the above have great internet connection, which ones are in the better locations (close proximity of the pick_up_malls, ladies action, mps, night clubs, etc.)? (per forum, the in-house mps of these hotels could be quite expensive

3. how do you get the best price to these hotels? noticed people recommending bobobobo.com, hotelclub.net, kaha/indotel@airport, hrs.com, asiarooms.com, etc. any other site or travel agent? i am usa citizen but noticed on some postings that you get better pricing, if you are kitas holder or local resident book for you. what is kita? how do you get that?

as mentioned by other members, the hotels listed here will probably serve you well but you may also want to consider park lane (usd70?) and manhattan (rps550k - 840k) but take note that manhattan has no in house entertainment but a reasonably convenient location. they also sell you internet time either 24hrs (rps100k), 1 week, 1 month, or 5hrs actual usage(rps140k); the 5hrs costs more than the 24hrs but i find it can last me a few days. also take note that le meridien used to provide broadband in deluxe rooms (free with the room) and only dial up in standard rooms - so you might want to check into whether that still holds true.

md ii

[Du Blondii]

Could someone please tell me how the ascott apartments are in regards to bringing girls over.

I am staying at the first few days in the parklane hotel but i be way to busy on business to have some fun.

Plan on relocation to the ascot apartments afterwards.

Would it be easy to brings girls over there?

Anybody any experience with it?

[Menteng]

Getting Meridien for $100+tax (incl. internet and breakfast). Being non-kitas guy, can i find better price than that?

Mulia is USD$ 123+tax (with breakfast and internet). Does Mulia has significant location advantage to justify additional $23

Both has what Bulai calls a "last resort". Tigapuluh in LM and CJ in M. For that "last resort" I think CJ is better, BUT, for mongering activities, LM has the much better location.

[Bulai69]

Does anyone have any experience of this mall in Bekasi? I was chatting to a girl on YM and ascertained, after much skirting around the subject, that a lot of girls go here to get picked up. It's a long way to go on a wild goose chase - anybody ever been?

[Bulai69]

I agree with 2 previous posters of course. According to some websites the Mandarin Oriental is open again - local residents may confirm or otherwise. That is a stone's throw from Grand Hyatt and seems to have some good deals. Personally I don't recommend Grand Hyatt, especially for those not familiar with Jakarta "process" for getting what you want, but the location is good. It is one of the most expensive and least friendly - but still better than most in the west obviously.

As MS said, Meridien is a good compromise for location, price, quality and the on-site night club - which is not as good as it used to be but represents a "last resort" if you are staying in the hotel.

Asia Rooms is pretty good for rates. You won't get a Kitas card - but you might well meet someone who has! Of course you will want to book in advance and in fact you often get a similar rate online anyway.

[Gringoguy]

Getting Meridien for $100+tax (incl. internet and breakfast). Being non-kitas guy, can i find better price than that?

Mulia is USD$ 123+tax (with breakfast and internet). Does Mulia has significant location advantage to justify additional $23

[Gringoguy]

Regarding the Hotels, I have used the Atlet Century Park a few times when I have been changing house etc and needed a place. Good sized rooms, casual reception area, good price, last time was 40.00 USD and even though I am a KITAS holder I got the best price online via WOTIF.com. CLose to Blok M but also right in front of Red Square ( watch out for spiked drinks ) and Plaza Senayan should you seek something a bit different or a Mall troll.

You will probably get your best rice for anywhere at the Kaha desk in the arrival hall however.

Good Luck.

By any chance, do you remember if they have a good internet connection in the room?

[Cooze Hound]

Regarding the Hotels, I have used the Atlet Century Park a few times when I have been changing house etc and needed a place. Good sized rooms, casual reception area, good price, last time was 40.00 USD and even though I am a KITAS holder I got the best price online via WOTIF.com. CLose to Blok M but also right in front of Red Square ( watch out for spiked drinks ) and Plaza Senayan should you seek something a bit different or a Mall troll.
You will probably get your best rice for anywhere at the Kaha desk in the arrival hall however.
Good Luck.

[Mighty Spearsman]

looking for a decent jakarta hotel near hot-spots (gf action zones) with (true) "high" speed internet connection for 5-6 nights. my personal experience in latin and south america, tells me that the expensive (4-5 star) hotels would have better/faster internet connection. unless someone knows (for sure) of a medium class (3-4 star) hotel with good high speed internet connection.

1. based upon your reviews/postings, could the following (4-5 star) hotels would match this profile (any addition or deletion?)?

atlet century (near plaza senayan, not far from cj's)
mulia (home of cj's bar/disco) = usd $133 for single, $148 for double
meridien (home of tiga puluh bar/disco) = usd $87 for single, $98 for double
marriott (nice hotel) = usd $144 for single, $156 for double
shangri-la (home of bats) = usd $168
ritz (home of mistere)
crown plaza (retro)
sultan hotel (old hilton hotel, very low price for a nice hotel)
grand hyatt
hotel sari pan pacific
hotel borobudur

2. assuming all of the above have great internet connection, which ones are in the better locations (close proximity of the pick_up_malls, ladies action, mps, night clubs, etc.)? (per forum, the in-house mps of these hotels could be quite expensive

3. how do you get the best price to these hotels? noticed people recommending bobobobo.com, hotelclub.net, kaha/indotel@airport, hrs.com, asiarooms.com, etc. any other site or travel agent? i am usa citizen but noticed on some postings that you get better pricing, if you are kitas holder or local resident book for you. what is kita? how do you get that?

since you have obviously read the board and done your research, i'll try to help.

a "kitas" is essentially a residence permit for an expat who is a long-term resident of indonesia. i have one, so do many of the other posters here. however, there are also many other senior members who post regularly here who are not kitas holders, they just visit jakarta a lot

i assume that you just want to visit indonesia and that you do not wish to become a long-term resident here, so you would not be able to obtain a kitas. luckily, with a us passport, you can easily get a visa upon arrival at the airport in jakarta.

virtually all of the hotels on your list offer high-speed internet connections, so that should not be a problem.

location? esteemed senior member bulai69 has warned against the sultan hotel as not having the best location, difficult to get taxis. the marriott hotel and the ritz-carlton (both in kuningan) are very nice but are in an awkward place for most mongering.

most of the other hotels on your list are probably ok location-wise, except the hotel borobodur is not that well-located - close to atrium mall but otherwise is not in the best location.

bulai69 swears by the le meridien and so would i, as it is easily accessible to all of the places you're interested in: the 3 main hotel night clubs, the blok m scene, mall-hunting, even the kota massage places.

look forward to a post of your experiences here.

[Gringoguy]

looking for a decent jakarta hotel near hot-spots (gf action zones) with (true) "high" speed internet connection for 5-6 nights. my personal experience in latin and south america, tells me that the expensive (4-5 star) hotels would have better/faster internet connection. unless someone knows (for sure) of a medium class (3-4 star) hotel with good high speed internet connection.

1. based upon your reviews/postings, could the following (4-5 star) hotels would match this profile (any addition or deletion?)?

atlet century (near plaza senayan, not far from cj's)
mulia (home of cj's bar/disco) = usd $133 for single, $148 for double
meridien (home of tiga puluh bar/disco) = usd $87 for single, $98 for double
marriott (nice hotel) = usd $144 for single, $156 for double
shangri-la (home of bats) = usd $168
ritz (home of mistere)
crown plaza (retro)
sultan hotel (old hilton hotel, very low price for a nice hotel)
grand hyatt
hotel sari pan pacific
hotel borobudur

2. assuming all of the above have great internet connection, which ones are in the better locations (close proximity of the pick_up_malls, ladies action, mps, night clubs, etc.)? (per forum, the in-house mps of these hotels could be quite expensive

3. how do you get the best price to these hotels? noticed people recommending bobobobo.com, hotelclub.net, kaha/indotel@airport, hrs.com, asiarooms.com, etc. any other site or travel agent? i am usa citizen but noticed on some postings that you get better pricing, if you are kitas holder or local resident book for you. what is kita? how do you get that?