Jakarta - Hotels

[QUOTE=Koperen Karel; 1557541]The Ambhara is at walking distance from Jalan Felatehan, it is clean and the breakfast is excellent.

Regards,

Ko[/QUOTE]Affirmative. The best breakfast in South Jakarta. Grand Kemang, Arion Swiss Kemang and Gran Mahakam have also great breakfasts, but nothing beats the Ambhara breakfast buffet. The friendly staff is also great. And it has a swimming pool, the Falatehan hotel does not have? Drawback for me in the Ambhara is the internet. It is expensive and I can see the Falatehan hotel offers free Wifi.

There is also this new hotel right in the middle of Jl. Falatehan. Sotis hotel. I don't know what it is like, but if they start offering short time rooms, I bet they'll have a lot of success.

[QUOTE=Joel Goodsen;1558639]There is also this new hotel right in the middle of Jl. Falatehan. Sotis hotel. I don't know what it is like, but if they start offering short time rooms, I bet they'll have a lot of success.[/QUOTE]I don't think they will offer short time rooms. The only hotel in the blok M area that had short time rooms, was the Golden Boutique and like there's a pact, none of the hotels have that kind of rooms now. Why should they be the exception? They know you will pay for a full rate room anyhow to relieve your distress.
But I agree, they´ll have a lot of success if so.

What I used to do, when I know the girl well, is give them the key of the room afterwards, so they can have a better bed than the one in their kos, for that night.

[QUOTE=MWong; 1558478]HHM,

There is a spa at the Orchardz near the airport, and the girls can perform an "oily" and full service.

650K to pay upfront, or a lesser amount (don't remember how much) and you can try to nego the specific finish with the girls themselves. I pay fix price. My negotiating skills no good when vulnerable or horny or both.

Goodluck,

MW[/QUOTE]Thanks, MWong. I am going to try it since I'll be staying near the airport for one night.

During my trip last week I used this place on two occasions pretty much as a short time hotel. It's $50 AUD when booked through Agoda so I think it's pretty good value. The place itself is in a good location and is reasonably clean. You get what you pay for and on one of the times I got a room with no window as I think half of them are. Got some beers from Family Mart and spent time near the pool area getting to know my date as she actually worked on level 3 Thamrin Residences where it seems they have a few offices operating. After about 4 hours we checked out.

The second time I used it as a base after checking out of Kemang and stayed until 9pm from where I went to the airport. Was used for freshening up and a finale round with the previous nights date.

I wouldn't be choosing this for a long term stay as the place seems a bit bleak, not somewhere you'd want to spend a lot of time in to "relax". But if you'll be out for the majority of the day and only use it for sleeping or a short time place then it's good for the price.

[QUOTE=HappilyMarried;1560024][/QUOTE]That must be the shortest review ever ;-)

Regards,

Ko

[QUOTE=Joel Goodsen; 1558639]Affirmative. The best breakfast in South Jakarta. Grand Kemang, Arion Swiss Kemang and Gran Mahakam have also great breakfasts, but nothing beats the Ambhara breakfast buffet. The friendly staff is also great. And it has a swimming pool, the Falatehan hotel does not have? Drawback for me in the Ambhara is the internet. It is expensive and I can see the Falatehan hotel offers free Wifi.

There is also this new hotel right in the middle of Jl. Falatehan. Sotis hotel. I don't know what it is like, but if they start offering short time rooms, I bet they'll have a lot of success.[/QUOTE]I was very un-impressed by Safin's wifi service. When I stayed there (late 2013-early 2014) it was lousy (read: slow). Of course I don't know whether it has improved now.

Regards,

Ko

[QUOTE=Koperen Karel; 1560363]That must be the shortest review ever.

Regards,

Ko[/QUOTE]I agree. Thankfully I've saved so will post tonight!

[QUOTE=Koperen Karel; 1560363]That must be the shortest review ever.

Regards,

Ko[/QUOTE]Kemang Icon.

I spent 3 nights at this what they call 'Boutique' Hotel. I chose it over the Grand Kemang because of what I had read in the agoda reviews. For an extra $20 it promised to be a better experience, more luxury, upscale etc. The Hotel has 11 rooms (I think) and the price point through agoda was $150 and $170 with the dearer having some sort of view rather than no view. I was greeted by reception who were very polite and friendly and gave me the sales speil on how they pride themselves on being so different and on their great service. I was taken to my room, the 'Ivory' room and told I could swap every day to another room as they have different themes. I am guessing they were not fully booked as they gave me that option. I opted to stay put for the three nights in the Ivory room.

The room was large. 60m2, true to the advertising. It was well setup for the business traveller with a dedicated fast wifi point with great signal strength. The bathroom was large and reasonably well kitted out except no toothbrush. Whilst it was probably a feature to make the whole design unique, the bathroom had no door. With mirrors plastered throughout the interior there were several spots in the bedroom and living area that could be lined up for a great view of your guest (or you) sitting on the loo and / or taking a shower. Some would see this as a plus but a few of my guests were rather shy until things warmed up.

I did however get the feeling that the internal finishings could have been done better. For example the joinery with the office workbench, internal bathroom fittings and lighting were a bit sloppy. Given that they try to brand it as a boutique hotel these type of things should have been paid more attention too.

Outside the room each level (levels 3 and 4 for hotel suites) there was a common area. I do like the hit of cold air whenever I reach the lobby of a hotel. Unfortunately only the rooms were air conditioned but not lobby or common areas. The common area also had the smell of a vase of flowers that have been sitting there too long and need replacing (rotting vegetation). There are big planters there so I suspect it came from them.

On level 5 was the famous outdoor area which they have so many stunning pics of on their website. They do serve breakfast on this floor and again with no fan or aircon it was unpleasant a couple of times. The wooden planks could have done with some fixing too. My lunchtime date almost twisted her ankle and on the return trip to the elevator I had to find a safe path for her. The breakfast itself was only ok. You will not find big servings here. It is cooked to order so will take a while but I guess that's ok all things considering. The pool also needed what looked like a bit more maintenance but I didn't come close enough to confirm all it's good and bad points.

So, overall, the stay was good, girls were impressed when they saw the room so perhaps worth the extra $20 as compared to the Grand Kemang. The hotel did leave me a bit disappointed in some areas though. I would return.

HappilyMarried

[QUOTE=HappilyMarried; 1560566]Kemang Icon.

I spent 3 nights at this what they call 'Boutique' Hotel. I chose it over the Grand Kemang because of what I had read in the agoda reviews. For an extra $20 it promised to be a better experience, more luxury, upscale etc. The Hotel has 11 rooms (I think) and the price point through agoda was $150 and $170 with the dearer having some sort of view rather than no view. So, overall, the stay was good, girls were impressed when they saw the room so perhaps worth the extra $20 as compared to the Grand Kemang. The hotel did leave me a bit disappointed in some areas though. I would return.

HappilyMarried[/QUOTE]Thanks for the review HM, I've been curious about this hotel for some time. However, after reading what you said, I would far rather end up in Fraser Place or Oakwood for the same kind of price. Both have large rooms (hell they're service apartments) about 70-80 square meters in this price range, and are probably better maintained. They definitely carry the wow factor for the ceweks and are nearby to food / coffee / wine bars to meet with them (especially Oakwood). BUt if your choice is Kemang, it is more limited.

MD II

[QUOTE=Master Diver II; 1560847]Thanks for the review HM, I've been curious about this hotel for some time. However, after reading what you said, I would far rather end up in Fraser Place or Oakwood for the same kind of price. Both have large rooms (hell they're service apartments) about 70-80 square meters in this price range, and are probably better maintained. They definitely carry the wow factor for the ceweks and are nearby to food / coffee / wine bars to meet with them (especially Oakwood). BUt if your choice is Kemang, it is more limited.

MD II[/QUOTE]I'd not stayed at Kemang on previous trips so I thought I'd try it out. It turned out to be more hassle than benefit as I found myself meeting my dates back around Thamrin or Kuningan and getting a cheap hotel for a few hours or a long taxi ride back to Kemang. It's also far from where most of the dates I'd met lived. I'll not stay in Kemang again. The only place I enjoyed spending a night at was Vin+. Murphys was ok and EP I don't know why I bothered.

I stayed in this hotel for only one night mid week due to a screw up in extending the stay in my previous hotel (my fault). It's at $50AUD which is a good price for the area I think. The hotel seems reasonably new and the small bedroom (hardly 1 metre on either side of the bed) and bathroom were very clean. It's good for a couple of nights if you don't really want to unpack your luggage but any longer and the small size would be annoying. The location is right in the thick of things too. A good place for the money.

HM

[QUOTE=HappilyMarried;1560978]I'd not stayed at Kemang on previous trips so I thought I'd try it out. It turned out to be more hassle than benefit as I found myself meeting my dates back around Thamrin or Kuningan and getting a cheap hotel for a few hours or a long taxi ride back to Kemang. It's also far from where most of the dates I'd met lived. I'll not stay in Kemang again. The only place I enjoyed spending a night at was Vin+. Murphys was ok and EP I don't know why I bothered.[/QUOTE]EP (Eastern Promise. Next to the new Pop! Hotel in Kemang) , it much depends when you go, I think. The weekend nights, when there are live bands, are probably the best time to go. But I guess, that is a rule that will apply to all bars in Jakarta. Murphy's is nice too, but for bars, I prefer EP over Murphys, as it has great food, large TV screens for watching sports and pool tables.

[QUOTE=Joel Goodsen; 1558639]Affirmative. The best breakfast in South Jakarta. Grand Kemang, Arion Swiss Kemang and Gran Mahakam have also great breakfasts, but nothing beats the Ambhara breakfast buffet. The friendly staff is also great. And it has a swimming pool, the Falatehan hotel does not have? Drawback for me in the Ambhara is the internet. It is expensive and I can see the Falatehan hotel offers free Wifi.

There is also this new hotel right in the middle of Jl. Falatehan. Sotis hotel. I don't know what it is like, but if they start offering short time rooms, I bet they'll have a lot of success.[/QUOTE]The reviews for the Ambhara on Tripadvisor are not so good. Here is a sampling of the quotes:
"The elevator is very old and trying to kill us several times (it had a very short timespan between opening and closing). The room was quite old", "Staff with limited ability to speak Engish", "Rooms need renovation" etc.

I have never visited Jakarta. Is the Hotel Gran Mahakam a good choice given that it is walking distance from Blok M?
Please feel free to recommend another Hotel with good breakfast buffet. A slightly higher price tier per night is acceptable.

Thanks!

[QUOTE=BKKguru; 1565898]The reviews for the Ambhara on Tripadvisor are not so good. Here is a sampling of the quotes:

"The elevator is very old and trying to kill us several times (it had a very short time span between opening and closing). The room was quite old","Staff with limited ability to speak English","Rooms need renovation" etc.

I have never visited Jakarta. Is the Hotel Gran Mahakam a good choice given that it is walking distance from Blok M?

Please feel free to recommend another Hotel with good breakfast buffet. A slightly higher price tier per night is acceptable.

Thanks![/QUOTE]I'm curious as to the background of the person who wrote those quotes, as it sounds like someone who's 80 years old, has never traveled to a non-English-speaking country before and who wants Ritz-Carlton quality at bargain basement prices.

If I were travelling to Jakarta with a spouse and 3 children on vacation and had a decent budget, I'd pick a better hotel than the Ambhara, but that's not the point. For mongers who are travelling alone to Jakarta and who want a decent, girl-friendly hotel in a good location without spending too much money, the Ambhara is an excellent choice. Near Blok M, near the TransJakarta busway, near Pasar Raya mall, etc, with an excellent breakfast, decent meals the rest of the time and a swimming pool. Who cares if the elevator doors open and close quickly and the rooms are old?

P. S. Still remember an excellent lunch at the Ambhara with esteemed senior member Prof Designer (and a young cutie) back in 2007. After lunch, I went back to the office and the good Prof spent the rest of the afternoon plowing the young cutie.