Is Jakarta worth a visit?

[Prosal]

gadogado said:

Also, any well priced hotels worth staying at whether it be Blok m

 

Hi Gado.

 

Nice to se you back.

 

Why don't you try The Dharmawangsa in Kebayoran, a few minutes walking from Pasaraya/Blok M : 24 hours butler service, traditional architecture, fabulous restaurants, ect ... the most luxurious and expensive boutique hotel in town !!! :: ::

 

More seriously, the Park Lane, on Jl Casablanca, is currently one of the best option in town (around $50/60). Not that close from Blok M, but MUCH better than Ambhara. Stix, the basement's latin bar, is sometimes good.

 

The brand new Novotel on Jl Gunung Sahari (Mangga Besar) has VERY good rates, but you may not want to stay in North JKT. In Senayan area, the old Hilton could have interesting bargains also.

 

Anyway don't forget to report !

 

 

[Prosal]

 

I received a e-mail from Alila, they open in January the Kemang Icon, a new apart-hotel concept (only 12 suites, all on a different theme) in the heart of Kemang. The location is PERFECT, and suites seems really nice : chic decoration, flatscreen TV, home theatre/DVD, wifi, ect.

 

I'd easily stay a few monthes there !!

 

 

::

[Guest]

Has anybody stayed at the Hyatt Aryaduta at 44-48 Jalan Prapatan. Is that a central location. Jakweb can obtain rates for $USD60 per night or 74.00 for superior.

How is Jakarta. Still lots of pussy avail. thinking of doing a 4 day stopover on wayhome next month from Manila

[Guest]

And i presume its like the Hyatt in Manila, girl friendly

[Belem]

wonderlust said:

Just got back from Indonesia. I'm glad I went but I doubt I'll be back. BATS, CJs and Tigah Puluh were all busy but everywhere else was dead (I know ... Ramadan). There were some stunning girls (or rather, women, the average age is much higher that Thailand). Prices in these places are higher than Thailand - 5 star hotels with 5 star prices to match. Short time seems to be the norm too. The girls seem to be there for a quickie with a hotel guest before coming back down to the bar for another customer. The 5 star customers seem more than happy to be throwing 100USD at the girls. In the end I picked up one gorgeous girl and spent the rest of my holiday with her and had a great time.

 

Avoid Jalan Jaksa like the plague. The shitty accomodation is overpriced, the girls are on heroin and are very dangerous. Some people have made the comment that these girls like fucking white men and some do it for free. If you think you'll get free sex here be very careful. I went with one girl who claimed not to be a prostitute but demanded 1 million rupiah after 2 days! She was completely demented but I managed to get rid of her with half that much...

 

I didn't really crack the mall scene. Fucked if I can tell the difference between a whore and a normal girl in those places, although there are some obvious prostitutes. Didn't feel like doing my whoremongering in such a well lit public place.

 

Personally I think Jakarta has been talked up a bit too much on this forum. Those who claim the girls are sexier and more sensual than Thai girls must have been unlucky in Thailand. The women are very sexy but not more so than other girls in the region. As far as sensuality goes the brothel girls in Jakarta were awful. The disco girls were very sensual but no better than a girl from a Thai disco. Prices are equal to or even higher than Thailand, except at the very lowest level. Jakarta is definitely not the place for a holiday - the traffic is awful and you can spend much of the day in a taxi looking at dull smokey streets. Having said that the food I thought was delicious and there were very cheap flights to other places in Indonesia like Bali and Yogya. As far as living there goes I'm sure you can pick up a great girlfriend, but that's true of many Asian countries (I'll never forget my year in Japan!) I'm glad you expats are happy and I can see why, but don't talk the place up too much. It's good for a visit if you have the patience but doesn't even compare to Thailand for a good holiday.

 

Even though I didn't check out the brothel scene, I would have to agree with this assessment. I think Jakarta is a bit overrated, even though the women are beautiful (and don't make you wear a raincoat if you're into that sort of thing). Was there from November 10-14. I was happy with all of the women I spent time with. In fact, the best looking girl I had on my whole 44 day holiday covering Jakarta, Phnom Penh, and Pattaya, came from BATS. This girl was smokin'. When we went to the Stadium Disco, every guy was checking her out. Speaking of the Stadium, it was going strong, especially on Saturday night. As soon as you walk into the disco, there is a bar with girls who have a mamasan where you can go ST in one of the short time rooms or take the girl home all night. The mamasan quoted 800,000 rupiahs for LT(and my girl who blew the other girls away who worked at the bar was cheaper.:. CJ's had a good band from New Zealand that played cover tunes. Talent IMO was not as good as BATS. Hung out at the Hard Rock Cafe a few nights but didn't see any action. I liked one of the waitresses, but I would have to be there a little longer to get in her pants. Maybe next time.::Block M? Well the action gets started in the early evening at Top Gun. D's Place looked dead even though I heard good things about it from other message boards. Late at night, My Bar is the place to go on Block M, and it was packed with women. Went to one of the biggest shopping malls but didn't see any action or anything that looked obvious. I stayed at the Sparks Hotel(the Mulia was full) which is good value at $60 US a night including a delicious Indonesian breakfast buffett(just make sure you get up before 1030am). The staff was very friendly and went out of their way to ensure a pleasant stay. I know I didn't stay very long nor check out all of the venues, but Jakarta is pricey, especially the hotels and drinks in the hotel bars. There are some hardcore women in the hotel bars, and too many guys are throwing too much money at these girls, like $100 US. The daytime was so boring I was waiting for the night. One last thing, if you take a taxi, always take a Bluebird. It does get annoying where everytime you pull into a hotel to check out a hotel bar, you have security check out the vehicle(I know it is necessary given the current climate). If I was an expat in Thailand looking for an interesting place to make a visa run, Jakarta would be a good choice. What started out as a post agreeing with another post has turned out to be an impromptu trip report...LOL!!!Thanks guys for the information on this thread which was invaluable in my preparation for this trip.

[gobbledonk]

Hi Belem,

 

Absolutely agree re Jakarta not being a cheap destination - unless you are prepared to do it backpacker-style, its going to leave a dent in your wallet. The locals are definitely doing better than they were 10 years ago, and this is reflected in the prices you pay for 'recreational' activities - Surabaya is reportedly much cheaper, but I dont know how much there is to see beyond poontang. Next time I go to Indonesia, I want to see a lot more than Jakarta - its a bit like flying all the way to Oz and only seeing Sydney, IMO.

 

Cheers,

 

Artie

[Guest]

I'm trying to dig up a post I made on two other boards, but before I was married I was staying at Hotel Kaiser in Duren Tiga as it was close to my (then) fiance's work and Kost. It had the twin advantages of being cheap (US$30 a night) and having some mongering oportunities that remain largely unknown to the regular crowd in JKT.

[Guest]

Hows Jakarta these days.

Arriving there next Tuesday for 4 nights of fun.

Staying Le Meridien.

Havent been back for over 3 years.

[Guest]

Just got back myself, stayed in Jkt with the missus in the Grand Flora, opposite McDonalds in Kemang. Smallish rooms can be had for 40 bucks a night +++ if you take the two night deal. There is a nightclub in the basement that had plenty of parties and promos on during the time we were there and there were often models coming and going. Not really sure if they are on the game, but if you are a big swingin dick bule with the means you may snag it. Also of note is the Nu China bar, just up the road and on the opposite side. Its ostensibly just another Kemang nightspot (not well known for its p4p action) but there were a lot of ayam there the night I ventured in with a female friend from back home. Drink prices there are also eminently reasonable for the area. Hope this helps.

[Prosal]

Belem said:

I think Jakarta is a bit overrated, even though the women are beautiful

 

 

Jakarta is not overrated IMO. The eye candy at Plaza Senayan or Plaza Indonesia malls is really outstanding. You could see more gorgeous women there in a half hour then you will see in Bangkok in one month.