Jakarta - Hotels

[QUOTE=BKKguru; 1565898]The reviews for the Ambhara on Tripadvisor are not so good. *snip*

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

Thanks![/QUOTE]Gran Mahakum would be fine. I stayed there once, about 4 years ago, when I had a few days business in the Blok M area. It's a bit further walk than Ambahara, unless you are comfortable walking near / through the bus station. At Gran Mahakum, you would be closer to Maribaya Spa.

On balance, I would lean toward Ambhara unless you got a good, really good, price at Gran Mahakum. Enjoy the trip!

[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 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]If you want newer hotels at a better price, you can look at Fave hotel, M Hotel and Neo. All are much newer. There's also Oak Tree Urban near to Gran Mahakam. All are pretty reasonably priced too. Not too sure about their breakfast, but Gran Mahakam is definitely not in the same price range as Ambhara either.

MD II

I got the following in a PM from a senior member who contributes. I'm not entirely qualified to answer so am posting here for more input:

[QUOTE=Sr Member]Lately, I have been visiting Bangkok again after a long absence. I have been RTFF to plan my first visit to Jakarta.

I still do not know where I should stay in the North or South. I do understand that traffic here (just like Manila) limits mobility.

I am in my mid-40s and like to meet Freelancers for ST who can give a BBBJ. I am *not* a big fan of paying bar fine.

Please advise where I should stay so I can avoid wasting precious time sitting in traffic.

Names of Hotel would be helpful so I can look them up.[/QUOTE]If he wants English speakers and isn't a budget monger, my top recommendation would be Shangrila (where BATS is located) and second choice would be Mulia (where C. J. 's is located). At either hotel, you can take the elevator/staircase to where the hookers are. I've actually never stayed at Shangrila, although I did spend a month at Mulia and liked it a lot. Very nice hotel, reasonably close to Blok M and also close to Senayan, which in addition to having a nice mall has Red Square. They gave me a cake on my birthday.

If he's a budget monger and wants English speakers then Hotel Atlet Century Park would be my favorite of the hotels I've stayed in. Atlet Century Park is kind of next door to the Mulia. It's a little worn but a nice hotel with lots of amenities.

For budget choices close to Blok M, I suspect the last 3 posts below (Master Diver, SpearsMan, TimTim) provide good recommendations and are closer to the the action than anything I've mentioned.

And if he's not so concerned about English, then maybe he should be North of downtown, around Stadium, and I know nothing about hotels in that area.

Anybody want to weigh in?

Sr Member, the edit function isn't working and I don't think I was too clear. Anyway, by English speakers I was referring to freelancers. You are more likely to find them in BATS in the Shangrila and on Jalan Faletahan in Blok M. You'll also find them in smaller percentages at C. J. 's and Red Square. While I've never been to freelancer venues in north Jakarta, based on what I've experienced in other venues there, you better be prepared to use some sign language if you don't know Bahasa Indonesia.

[QUOTE=Tiny 12; 1566233]I got the following in a PM from a senior member who contributes. I'm not entirely qualified to answer so am posting here for more input.

Anybody want to weigh in?[/QUOTE]I just have a couple of comments:

1. He really hasn't RTFF if he's talking about bar fines. I've yet to pay a bar fine in Jakarta. Is there any concept of this here?

2. CJs just like BATS is crawling with freelancers, Red Square less so. The chances of meeting "normal" girls in either CJs or BATS is extremely low but not zero. I have gotten lucky a see few times in both places and I've gone to CJs with a normal girl on ladies night (Wednesdays) for the band.

3. You're right, if he needs English speaking FLs, he'd better stick to the hotel bars, and Blok M. Then again ALL of these places get going after 11pm or later so the effects of traffic will be minimised. As long as he stays central to South Jakarta, there should be no issues.

4. I can't recall any FL asking to do a CBJ, all offered BBBJ.

5. There are a lot of hotels so perhaps he should state his budget, or whether there is no limit.

6. Maybe he should ask JAD for a "nightlife" tour.

MD II

Will be in Jakarta over 17 May for a few days, first time visit, Almbhara is sold out, the Falethan hotel by Safin is available. Any other recommendations?

Thanks,

Osaka

Well I did not saw it mentionned and as I like it I would like to share. It is next to pasar festival and mmc hospital which helps it for the taxis to find it. It is apartment style which makes sur you have a big room even if you don't like to cook. It is on the mid-higher end tier (1million idr on the official website) but I find it strategical to go to thamrin and not far from casablanca and the south. I used to like the good quality priced kota hotels but they isolate me with the macet. Pasar festival suits the needs for food. Epicentrum mall is close by for movies and has a nice half outside bar called liquid. The karaoke in epimall looks great (none of the conventional brands). Its girlfriendly like almost all hotels and for those who do not like to pass by the lobby desk you can enter through the hospital next door (ye.). Looks brand new.

Breakfast is on the 2nd floor and basic but good as usual.
The swimming pool is rather small but ok for some laps amd located outside between 2 floors.
Taxis are arranged relative fast by the lobby but not on stand by.
An army of ojeks can be found next to the mmc hospital.
Wifi quality is rather bad; not suited for active use.


For those who like dating in the area its perfect. For mongering perhaps a bit more far off but not to far to the known places and it is in a cleaner / greener area. I hope to find a cheaper alternative in the 650. 000 range here as they seem to be building a lot. A new one close by "the grove suits". "5 stars" seems to have opened. Costing 800. 000 idr (tax included seems a good option).

I haven't found local spa's nearby. Thats perhaps a negative issue.

Might be an idea to others.

[QUOTE=Tiny 12; 1566233]I got the following in a PM from a senior member who contributes. I'm not entirely qualified to answer so am posting here for more input:

If he wants English speakers and isn't a budget monger, my top recommendation would be Shangrila (where BATS is located) and second choice would be Mulia (where C. J. 's is located). At either hotel, you can take the elevator / staircase to where the hookers are. I've actually never stayed at Shangrila, although I did spend a month at Mulia and liked it a lot. Very nice hotel, reasonably close to Blok M and also close to Senayan, which in addition to having a nice mall has Red Square. They gave me a cake on my birthday.

If he's a budget monger and wants English speakers then Hotel Atlet Century Park would be my favorite of the hotels I've stayed in. Atlet Century Park is kind of next door to the Mulia. It's a little worn but a nice hotel with lots of amenities.

For budget choices close to Blok M, I suspect the last 3 posts below (Master Diver, SpearsMan, TimTim) provide good recommendations and are closer to the the action than anything I've mentioned.

And if he's not so concerned about English, then maybe he should be North of downtown, around Stadium, and I know nothing about hotels in that area.

Anybody want to weigh in?[/QUOTE]Since your friend has apparently never been to Indonesia before and probably doesn't speak Bahasa Indonesian, my advice is similar to MDII's.

- stay away from hotels in the northern end, instead stay in the Jalan Thamrin-to-Kuningan-to-Senayan-to-Blok M area.

- definitely consider booking a trip with JAD for a tour, as JAD can give him a quick overview of the different types of places (North / South, higher end to lower end) and help him make the best use of his time in Jakarta.

Something that is obvious but worth mentioning. A first-time visitor to Jakarta can take advantage of JAD's know-how and expertise his first night in town, and then can go off on his own for the remaining evenings of his stay in town, visiting those places that JAD pointed out to him the first night. For example, a monger with a decent amount of cash who is seeking freelancers can rotate between BATS, CJs, Red Square and Tiga Puluh, maybe Ritz-Carlton, while a more budget-minded monger could try the Blok M places, maybe Stadium, while someone who enjoys the MPs / spas can rotate between Maribaya, Kartika, Berlian, Malioboro, Alexis, Travel, etc. However, a short-term visitor wouldn't be able to do so without a guide like JAD to show them the ropes (and where these places are located).

Another possibility is to find a nice girl at an MP/spa, then arrange to have her come to your hotel after her evening shift at the MP/spa is over. Some of the best sessions I ever had in Jakarta were in my hotel room (when I was just visiting Jakarta, not living there) with Cynthia (who I had met at Kartika), Tatik (who I had met at Maribaya, best BBBJ in Jakarta IMHO) and a girl who works at the spa at Mal Ambassador who will remain nameless (I've never posted about her before, will continue to keep things quiet).

Here's hoping your friend posts a report about his trip here on ISG!

I've done some RTFF on the forums and have to ask some advice still:

-I'm on a business trip around week of 23 June 2014, I'll be with another overseas colleague, which I don't intend to spend evenings with.

-I'm looking at this RedTop hotel to stay in, 4 stars, USD $70 per night (incl service and taxes), as it seems to be near Classic Hotel (plan to check out Terminal Classic or Terminal 2).

-Classic Hotel, I would not want to stay there as it would be too obvious to my colleague, hence picking a clean hotel that is walking distance to Classic.

-Am also interested in Kimochi Spa I, which seems to be a 12 min walk north from my hotel.

-I have been given advice that it's now IDR 350 k+50 k (tips) for Classic and 500 k for Kimochi for FS.

-also have been warned about drink touting in big establishments and taxi touting (only take blue bird taxi).

-I'm actually rather worried about throat infections so usually I do not go down (tongue on clit / pussy) on a girl, so my thinking is usually P4 P, at least that way the mentality is already 'paid to serve' so I do not have to invest time (and health) into pleasuring the girl.

-What is the system like at Classic when you pick a girl for 350 k? Bring her to your room in classic? Or she can walk with you back to a place 5 mins away?

-Any other comments and advice welcome, feel free to post here or pm me. I don't think I can reply pm yet though, unsure.

[QUOTE=MochiChoco;1569091]I've done some RTFF on the forums and have to ask some advice still:

-I'm on a business trip around week of 23 June 2014, I'll be with another overseas colleague, which I don't intend to spend evenings with.

-I'm looking at this RedTop hotel to stay in, 4 stars, USD $70 per night (incl service and taxes), as it seems to be near Classic Hotel (plan to check out Terminal Classic or Terminal 2).

-Classic Hotel, I would not want to stay there as it would be too obvious to my colleague, hence picking a clean hotel that is walking distance to Classic.

-Am also interested in Kimochi Spa I, which seems to be a 12 min walk north from my hotel.

-I have been given advice that it's now IDR 350 k+50 k (tips) for Classic and 500 k for Kimochi for FS.

-also have been warned about drink touting in big establishments and taxi touting (only take blue bird taxi).

-I'm actually rather worried about throat infections so usually I do not go down (tongue on clit / pussy) on a girl, so my thinking is usually P4 P, at least that way the mentality is already 'paid to serve' so I do not have to invest time (and health) into pleasuring the girl.

-What is the system like at Classic when you pick a girl for 350 k? Bring her to your room in classic? Or she can walk with you back to a place 5 mins away?

-Any other comments and advice welcome, feel free to post here or pm me. I don't think I can reply pm yet though, unsure.[/QUOTE]Hopefully you did enough RTFF to read that Ramadan begins in late June. In a post that I wrote on April 29th:

"Please keep in mind that the fasting month of Ramadan begins around June 28th, so the Stadium, Kartika and most of the other saunas will be closed from June 25th onwards, to reopen in August."

I may have been too optimistic, most of the spas and MPs may shut down even before June 25th, with the girls leaving town to return to their home villages for 5-6 weeks, which might severely impact your evening activities.

Some of the higher-end hotel spas, such as Hotel Alexis and Hotel Malioboro, should still be open. I'm not sure about Hotel Classic, but in general the mongering scene will be much quieter than you might had expected.

[QUOTE=Osaka;1566292]Will be in Jakarta over 17 May for a few days, first time visit, Almbhara is sold out, the Falethan hotel by Safin is available. Any other recommendations?

Thanks,

Osaka[/QUOTE]I believe that there are two new hotels on Falethan not sure of both names but one about half way down is called Sotis hotel and the other at the end of the street I am not sure of the.

Name it may be Safin.

There is also the Blue Gryadi in front of Jl. Falethan it is facing the main road, it's actually obliquely opposite to Ambhara Hotel.

just returned from a stay in jakarta, part in the novotel and part in ibis sarinah. the novotel is quite far from blok m but that didn't bother me at night it takes about 20 minutes by taxi one way.

novotel staff could sure use an upgrade on service the only persons who were helpful were the bellboys and the room cleaning person. the front staff desk persons were useless when asked any information and quick to tell you that we don't have your booking so you will have to pay full rate (too long a story). the girls working on the desk try their best to ignore you (perhaps they think i want to ask them for personal details).

room is spacious, has a nice layout tv flat screen small but has asn so can watch nhl hockey live, it was clean, this time the room i stayed in had blackout drapes so i guess it's the luck of the draw. the gym has so broken equipment from the last time i stayed there as well as the sauna and steam room doesn't work.

ibis tamarin, good for a short stay, most of the gym equipment doesn't work, pool is small but ok. the rooms are very small, very difficult for 2 persons in the bath at the same time, but it works especially as there is no wos as the novotel has. most nights when i return there is no one around, the front desk staff and one security are usually hanging out at the.

pool, so bringing in a companion (or two) is not a problem. i was worried at the novotel to bring in more than 1 person.

[QUOTE=MasterDiverII; 1566262]I just have a couple of comments:

1. He really hasn't RTFF if he's talking about bar fines. I've yet to pay a bar fine in Jakarta. Is there any concept of this here?

2. CJs just like BATS is crawling with freelancers, Red Square less so. The chances of meeting "normal" girls in either CJs or BATS is extremely low but not zero. I have gotten lucky a see few times in both places and I've gone to CJs with a normal girl on ladies night (Wednesdays) for the band.

3. You're right, if he needs English speaking FLs, he'd better stick to the hotel bars, and Blok M. Then again ALL of these places get going after 11pm or later so the effects of traffic will be minimised. As long as he stays central to South Jakarta, there should be no issues.

4. I can't recall any FL asking to do a CBJ, all offered BBBJ.

5. There are a lot of hotels so perhaps he should state his budget, or whether there is no limit.

6. Maybe he should ask JAD for a "nightlife" tour.

MD II[/QUOTE]Jad where do you find Info? Just saw a blog updated to 2011 and of then nothing else.

[QUOTE=RamonPillar;1575974]Jad where do you find Info? Just saw a blog updated to 2011 and of then nothing else.[/QUOTE]Maybe you should refer to his website. I think it's [URL]www.jakartaafterdark.com[/URL] if I remember correctly. To be honest I haven't had to look for contact info for years as we do keep in touch when I'm in Jakarta.

MD II.

Thinking about staying in this hotel when I get to Jakarta later in the year. What special services do they offer in the Spa. Just HJ and maybe BJ? In my first visit to Jakarta I got a hotel from the.

Airport hotel desk. Just curious is their prices competitive or is it better online directly with the hotel?