Jakarta - Hotels

[QUOTE=Xfreak0000;1950429]Hello?

I am thinking of staying at Grand Mecure Harmoni or Ibis Harmoni because these hotels are at the best location to visit Malioboro and close by to many other clubs, but based on my search on this thread people suggest stay at Ibis Jakarta rather than Harmoni.

Since this will be my first visit, can you please tell me which location / hotel would be better? And why?[/QUOTE]I stayed at Grand Mercure Harmoni early this October, and I would recommend it. The hotel is only four years old, and everything in there is relatively new. Plus it is located right across Malioboro, and if that is where you want to go, it is a walking distance. In fact, the pedestrian bridge is located directly in front of the hotel entrance, where you can just walk across, without having to go through the ordeal of crossing the Jakarta busy street.

Now here's the downside. Next to the hotel building is an exercise club, and from what I had been told, this club holds outdoor exercise event every Thursday morning from 7 to 8 AM. They would blast their music through their loudspeakers, and I mean they were really loud. Good luck trying to sleep through that hour, and it looked like there is nothing the hotel management can do, unless they are willing to get into a legal fight with that business next door. That was the only complaint that I have for that hotel.

Stayed recently at Hotel Santika Premiere Hayam Wuruk for 4 nights at $66 per night breakfast included. It looks like a new hotel. It is nearly opposite Novotel Gajah Mada.

The hotel has a good choice of breakfast.

No problem bringing in guest at night or during the day. I even saw guest of the hotel with two or more 'girlfriends' in the morning during breakfast. Only problem is that the lobby is most of the time crowded with guests moving in and out. And of course the WoS. As you have to walked though the reception to the lift. You also need card to access the lift which will open only to the floor of your room.

The reception does not face Jalan Hayam Wuruk but you have to walk a little as it is located a little further on the side. The staff is very helpful.

More positive is Maliaboro and Lokasari are nor very far away.

I have normally stayed in LE Meridien when I've been in Jakarta but discovered the rates in Alila is pretty good and location is good with regards to the action. I know almost all hotels in Jakarta are girl friendly but is it anyone who can confirm for Alila? Anyone that have stayed both here and LE Meridien and can compare facilities?

Yes, I can confirm Alila Hotel is girl friendly.

[QUOTE=G3100;1962577] I know almost all hotels in Jakarta are girl friendly but is it anyone who can confirm for Alila? [/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=G3100;1962577]I know almost all hotels in Jakarta are girl friendly but is it anyone who can confirm for Alila? [/QUOTE]I can also confirm to my own question after checking with the hotel:

Kindly be informed that you are allow to bring your guest to our Hotel. Maximum occupancy in our room are 3 person using Extra Bed.

Not sure if I will go for the option with extra bed though.

Still looking for company in two weeks time, let me know if anyone want to have some fun.

Stayed last week at the Grand Hyatt, adjoining Plaza Indonesia. Not only is it GF, but when I ordered an in room massage from the spa after my jet-lagged arrival, the therapist enthusiastically offered full release with her top off. Service with a smile.

After that, I had no worry calling down to reception and asking them to let guests come straight up to my room. It is a 5 star place so not for punters on a budget, but if your company can foot the bill for you, I recommend it.

P.S. The therapist had the most amazing set of DD breasts, no kidding. I had not seen bug naturals on an Asian girl before. She refused all requests for anything other than a HJ, but it was a nice treat.

[QUOTE=Chacal60;1967799]Stayed last week at the Grand Hyatt, adjoining Plaza Indonesia. Not only is it GF, but when I ordered an in room massage from the spa after my jet-lagged arrival, the therapist enthusiastically offered full release with her top off. Service with a smile.

After that, I had no worry calling down to reception and asking them to let guests come straight up to my room. It is a 5 star place so not for punters on a budget, but if your company can foot the bill for you, I recommend it.

P.S. The therapist had the most amazing set of DD breasts, no kidding. I had not seen bug naturals on an Asian girl before. She refused all requests for anything other than a HJ, but it was a nice treat.[/QUOTE]Can you send me a PM with her name? I will look her up.

Chacal60, that's a very interesting story about the Hyatt. I stayed at the Hyatt Jakarta gratis on hotel points for part of my last Jakarta visit and I really liked the hotel. The rooms are large and extremely comfortable. The location is smack dab in the middle of everything so lots of high quality restaurants are close and a trip down to Malioboro or up to CJ's is pretty easily done. Last but not least, the pool / garden area has about the nicest, most expansive swimming pool of any city hotel I have ever seen. Fortunately for me, I have accumulated enough points since my last visit for a free 7 night stay at the Hyatt on my upcoming trip. Here is a tip: check out the Chase Hyatt credit card. It comes with an annual free night voucher at any Hyatt worldwide so the card pays for itself and the points do add up. I will remember your tip about the in-room massage. LOL. Thanks for the heads up.

I am also booked gratis on hotel points (a different Chase credit card) for the next 7 nights of my upcoming Jakarta visit at the Intercontinental Hotel. Its another sweet deal and I like the Intercontinental Hotel as well. The rooms are smaller than those of the Hyatt, yet they are more elegantly appointed and classy. Upon check in, the hotel will automatically bump my reservation up to an executive floor room due to my Priority Club membership which means free afternoon & evening drinks and hors the'oeuvres in their executive lounge. The Intercontinental Hotel's location is a slightly less desirable than the Hyatt being that it is in it's own little enclave encircled by immense Jakarta boulevards. A taxi is needed to go just about anywhere. But the complimentary buffet breakfasts at the Intercontinental are outstanding, even better than those over at the Hyatt, IMO, and I really like their swimming pool which is very nice and almost as expansive as the Hyatt's pool. Needless to say I have had good times in both hotels in 2016 and I am looking forward to more, even better good times on my next trip.

One last thing, talking about girl friendly hotels; I enjoy inviting my favorite girls over in the afternoon for a pool party, lunch and shag. The girls seem to really enjoy it too.

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;1967816] I really like their swimming pool which is very nice and almost as expansive as the Hyatt's pool.

One last thing, talking about girl friendly hotels; I enjoy inviting my favorite girls over in the afternoon for a pool party, lunch and shag. The girls seem to really enjoy it too.[/QUOTE]Unfortunately, the pool at the JW Marriott is basically worthless.

[QUOTE=Smoothy;1968162]Unfortunately, the pool at the JW Marriott is basically worthless.[/QUOTE]I totally agree. The Jakarta JW Marriott pool is shockingly not up to the Marriott standard elsewhere. It is a 2* hotel pool at best. For that reason I do not recommend the Jakarta JW Marriott. I stayed there twice. My first and last time. 555.

In the course of my travels I have found that there are much better accommodations in Jakarta at this price point. For example the Intercontinental and at the top of the pyramid the Hyatt: The Intercontinental pool is very nice and as I reported earlier the Hyatt's pool is amazing in the amount of space and relative privacy it affords to its guests. I am aware that there are some other really fine hotels in Jakarta like the Mulia Senayan (CJ's), the Shangri-La (Bats), and the Fairmont for example which I have not had pleasure of trying out. But as long as I can keep accumulating hotel points on my various Chase hotel credit cards which allow me to stay for free at the Intercontinental and the Hyatt, there is no incentive for me to stay elsewhere.

I also have the Chase Marriott card, but I prefer not to use its annual free night voucher at the Jakarta JW. Instead, I prefer to use my Marriott Hotel voucher and points at the BKK Renaissance Hotel for two free nights during my visit to BKK. On those nights I plan to make my annual pilgrimage to the nearby Spasso bar at the JW Hyatt BKK and Mixx bar at the Intercontinental BKK. The rest of my 5 week stay in BKK will be for $$$ at various Suite/Apartment type hotels on or near Sukhumvit like the Fraser BKK and the Marriott Thonglor Exec Apartment Hotel.

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;1968175]I totally agree. The Jakarta JW Marriott pool is shockingly not up to the Marriott standard elsewhere. It is a 2* hotel pool at best. For that reason I do not recommend the Jakarta JW Marriott. I stayed there twice. My first and last time. 555.

In the course of my travels I have found that there are much better accommodations in Jakarta at this price point. For example the Intercontinental and at the top of the pyramid the Hyatt: The Intercontinental pool is very nice and as I reported earlier the Hyatt's pool is amazing in the amount of space and relative privacy it affords to its guests. I am aware that there are some other really fine hotels in Jakarta like the Mulia Senayan (CJ's), the Shangri-La (Bats), and the Fairmont for example which I have not had pleasure of trying out. But as long as I can keep accumulating hotel points on my various Chase hotel credit cards which allow me to stay for free at the Intercontinental and the Hyatt, there is no incentive for me to stay elsewhere.

I also have the Chase Marriott card, but I prefer not to use its annual free night voucher at the Jakarta JW. Instead, I prefer to use the Marriott Hotel voucher at the BKK Renaissance Hotel for two free nights during my visit to BKK. On those nights I plan to make my annual pilgrimage to the nearby Spasso bar at the JW Hyatt BKK and Mixx bar at the Intercontinental BKK. The rest of my 5 week stay in BKK will be for $$$ at various Suite/Apartment type hotels on or near Sukhumvit like the Fraser BKK and the Marriott Thonglosr Exec Apartment Hotel.[/QUOTE]I agree with you there. However, although I think the Hyatt is great, I don't think the Hyatt is the very top of the pyramid in Jakarta. I like the Kempsinski better. I also prefer the Ritz Carlton. However, the Hyatt and Kempinski are more convenient than the Ritz. Some people say the Dharmawansa is the best, but I don't agree with that at all. I do think the Hyatt was the best 20 years ago though. The Westin is opening soon in Kuningan. I would expect that to possibly be the best hotel in town when it opens, but it is not connected to a mall and it's in a location that will have horrible traffic, so I wouldn't recommend it.

I never tried the Renaissance in BKK. I have always stayed at the JW Marriott there on soi 2. I'll check it out next time. Unfortunately, all of my points are at the Marriott so I can't stay at Hyatt or Intercon in Jakarta.

[QUOTE=Smoothy;1968182]I agree with you there. However, although I think the Hyatt is great, I don't think the Hyatt is the very top of the pyramid in Jakarta. I like the Kempsinski better. I also prefer the Ritz Carlton. However, the Hyatt and Kempinski are more convenient than the Ritz. <snip>The Westin is opening soon in Kuningan. I would expect that to possibly be the best hotel in town when it opens, but it is not connected to a mall and it's in a location that will have horrible traffic, so I wouldn't recommend it.
[/QUOTE]Which Ritz Carlton are you talking about? The Pacific Place or the Mega Kuningan across from the JW? Or both.

I have never stayed at a Kempsinski property. The one in BKK across from Siam Paragon is very impressive, but the location is not convenient for our sport. Looking from the outside, the Kempinski Jakarta does look that outstanding. I will take your word on its quality, however.

The new Westin Jakarta is good news. With the merger between Marriott and Starwood now complete, points earned within either hotel group can be used or exchanged between accounts. I transferred some of my random superfluous Starwood points into my Marriott account for example. There are a lot of quality hotel choices in Jakarta. BKK is relatively cheaper, but good hotel deals are available in Jakarta if you look for them.

[QUOTE=Smoothy;1968182]I never tried the Renaissance in BKK. I have always stayed at the JW Marriott there on soi 2. I'll check it out next time. [/QUOTE]Location, Location, Location. You really can't beat the JW Marriott on soi 2 overlooking Nana. But I actually prefer the Marriott Thonglor Exec Apartment Hotel over on Thonglor (soi 57) or the Marriott Park Executive Apartment Hotel on Soi 24. I like the 1 bedroom apartment concept better and location wise the Thonglor area has an interesting collection of upscale dining and nightclubbing (G-club) opportunities, plus its only 2 stops on the BTS from Cowboy so I do not feel isolated. The Soi 24 Marriott property is a about a 5 minute walk to Sukumvit and the Phrom Phong BTS station and you pass by a string of naughty massage shops along the way. Both properties are approximately 30% less the price of the JW. It's an interesting alternative is all I am saying.

[QUOTE=Smoothy;1968182]Unfortunately, all of my points are at the Marriott so I can't stay at Hyatt or Intercon in Jakarta.
[/QUOTE]
I suggest that you check out either the Intercontinental or Hyatt Chase credit card. They pay for themselves with their annual free night voucher. The Intercontinental card has a $49 annual fee. The Hyatt card has a $75 annual fee. Both annual card fees are waived for the first year as they hand out incentive free nights to new members. You can then cancel your card before the 2nd years fees are due, although it costs virtually nothing to remain a member or rather $49 for a night at the Jakarta Intercontinental and $79 for a night at the Jakarta Hyatt.

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;1968200]Which Ritz Carlton are you talking about? The Pacific Place or the Mega Kuningan across from the JW? Or both.

I have never stayed at a Kempsinski property. The one in BKK across from Siam Paragon is very impressive, but the location is not convenient for our sport. Looking from the outside, the Kempinski Jakarta does look that outstanding. I will take your word on its quality, however.

The new Westin Jakarta is good news. With the merger between Marriott and Starwood now complete, points earned within either hotel group can be used or exchanged between accounts. I transferred some of my random superfluous Starwood points into my Marriott account for example. There are a lot of quality hotel choices in Jakarta. BKK is relatively cheaper, but good hotel deals are available in Jakarta if you look for them.[/QUOTE]Ritz Carlton Mega Kuningan. I love the rooms there. I haven't stayed at the one at Pacific Place, but I consider that to be more of an apartment setup than a hotel. The Kempinski doesn't look like much from the outside since it used to be Hotel Indonesia, but the rooms are great.

Don't want to risk getting her in trouble. Drop me a PM to set me at ease, and then perhaps I can share.

[QUOTE=Smoothy;1967804]Can you send me a PM with her name? I will look her up.[/QUOTE]