To those who want a good hotel and don't mind splurging, i highly recommend Hotel Mulia Senayan.

I stayed there for a month when i was on a business trip and i must say it's really good. It's near to the business district area and shopping malls (Plaza Senayan & Senayan City). They have Italian, Chinese, Japanese restaurants and the food are great. And also a disco on the 2nd floor - liquors are kinda overpriced though, IDR1.5mil for a Black Label. Service is excellent (but not the reservation counter) - laundry was never late, good job in housekeeping, they greet you by addressing your surname when they see you at the corridor, they pay attention to very small details and i was pretty amazed.

My room rate was IDR1.2mil including GST per night.

Wow, that's expensive, is it a 5 star or what.
IDR 1.2m is like those westin/le meridien rate already.
Senayan area usually I'll stay in atlet century park.
Much cheaper.

Yup it's a 5-star hotel. That's why i said if you don't mind splurging.

This is just to confirm that hotel rate in Jakarta is not cheap. Anyway Senayan is not near the Central of Jakarta. The center should be area surrounding Hyatt/ Grand indonesia Mall area.

For those who dun mind hotels without swimming pool. no cafe/restaurant something like Tune & wth boutique quality..Do consider Smart Hotel ..just 2 doors away from Grand Indo Mall..The most luxurious of all malls in Jakarta - Only ~ US$33/nite or Rp300K 7 just 100M away from the nearest BRT halt

i'm here at smart hotel 5mbps internet connection. win! yes Rp300k per nite + Rp5,000 untuk key. I dunno why there's extra 5k for key.

heading out to grand indonesia now

Yeah Smart hotel really beyond my expectation haha..I paid for a budget stay without expecting much since it's the cheapest AGODA hotel in Jakarta.

Here abit of my belated photo sharing on my 3 Nites in Jakarta..Mostly spent my time inside those shopping mall;s wth only 1 Morning at the old Batvia city + Glodok Chinatown (More like gigantic electronic street of Jln Pasar in KL )

Smart Hotel interior wth 5mbps Wifi..damn kheng & never expect such service from a budget hotel...If not bcos of the high speed wifi, I probably spend less time inside the hotel!:


Grand Indonesia Mall Food Louver - Food Court - One of the best Mall's FC - 2nd to FVenetian Macau..and rivalled our Pavilion FC - well I think better design than Pavilion too haha


Nice food but not cheap if compare to KL malls; food court...Equivalent to Hutong food court pricing in KL Lot10!


Mangga Dua Shopping Complex near Chinatown. The only place I heard Hokkien been spoken by shop owners (Well not many of them as most Chinese there also spoke in Indon liao)

Linked Mangga Dua ICT mall opposite Mangga Dua mall - Even bigger than LYP!! And Notebook suprisingly cheaper than KL:


Old City square of Batvia at the end of Chinatown..Remains of Hollanders:


Sunda Kelapa port..damn dirty walking 1 km from the old Batavia city square


Tmn Angrek Mall, the largest Mall in whole Indonesia & even bigger than our Time Square..welll..to me not really . Anyway, this is the mall where I can see almost 80% of shoppers are local chinese..


The best Wantan mee I tasted in Indonesia so far...They call wantan mee as "Bakmi" and wantan = "pangsit" Located at one end of Angrek Mall - Must try - Halal too



....continue...

This post has been edited by stimix: Nov 8 2010, 03:51 PM

My daily cheap transportation..Jakarta bus Rapid Transport (BRT) - This halt is just 100m from Smart hotel..in between Grand Indo & Smart Hotel and infront out OUB Bank Jakarta. Best way to escape Jakarta traffic - rp3500 (~RM1.20) to any destinations in jakarta.


Jakarta skyline from the bus halt overhead bridge:

Jakarta skyline from the bus halt overhead bridge:



Grand Indonesia mall near that fountain ??

Smart hotel, does it have rooms with 2 beds? Or only one?

based on brochure I have here, they only have double bed no separate single bed I guess.

the room is really nice.

Not only near but beside the Welcome fountain-lah. It was built as part of the expansion of Hotel Indonesia.

Hi Pak Stimix, who's that chick in the BRT station pic?

Most of their local chinese can converse in their own language so well that it's impossible to find out if they are chinese or not by listening to them talking.

Not like Malaysia, most of the chinese, I would know once I hear them speaking in other languages.

Any other cheap hotels to suggest that is fairly central?

Haha random shoot.. During my previous visit to Jakarta, Medan & even Bali, I din notice local Chinese till this trip. I was expecting Indon will speak to me or thinking I'm from China, Korea or Japan as what happening in Bali...Well I was wrong.. They treated me as their locals Spoke to me in IOndon & etc...And the numbers of local chinese in Jakarta are the most I have seen so far in all my past trips to Indonesia..

Previously on working trip, din go shopping much except Kelapa Gading Mall but during lunch hour so really dunno that the chinese in Jakarta are sizeable & noticeable

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Added on November 9, 2010, 8:55 amAs mentioned earlier, Smart hotel is the cheapest you can get in Agoda and right in the Ctr of Jln Tamrin. Others ~ Jl Tamrin mostly 3-5stars hotels. Smart is abit small..something like 1st world genting, Tunes, Hotel81 (Singapore) concept i.e without real closet but atleast having bigger bathroom (Wth powerful shower too)

The Queen sized bed also can accommodate 3 if you sleep the other way round wth legs sticking out abit haha..That's how I slept there..
This post has been edited by stimix: Nov 9 2010, 08:55 AM

stimix, how is the room space by the way?? Last time around I was in Jakarta, I had a few friends coming around, so we ended up sleeping on the bed, on the floors and the likes. Enough room to sleep on the floors or is it very compact???

I was looking at Smart Hotel actually. For dates 8-10 january or 15-17, cant seem to score any rooms. Hence looking for options.

This post has been edited by air_mood: Nov 9 2010, 09:44 AM

Very compact but abit of space for additional 2 person..one in between the desk & the bed & another between the batroom & bed..You can check the photo posted above. Slightly bigger than Hotel81 Singapore & 1st World Genting

Thanks stimix. Any idea what the walk in rates are like?? I was definitely leaning towards Smart Hotel anyways. Just that couldn't get it for the prospective in my head.

ok...i always go to mall kelapa gading...go eat at little penang...it's ok.. got roti canai n teh tarik...

Walk rate is Rp300,000k for the biggest room. Mine is the biggest. There all smaller windowless rooms too..probably cheaper..rp250K? well not sure din check.

Easier if you book online via Agoda. You still get the walk-in discount of rp300K for that big window room.

Breakfast set is at rp15,000/pax ( but 2 adults breakfast already included in the rate. U pay for 3rd & 4th person). Room key Rp5K well dunno why they ask for this? and also xtra pillow also chargeable & NOT free.. so bring your own pillow...It's not cheap for xtra pillow!
but very small portion..served ~ 8am -9am to your room as not cafe in the Hotel. The best part that amazed me is not really the room but the 5mbps wifi..haha..

This post has been edited by stimix: Nov 9 2010, 10:43 AM

That's the thing, cant seem to get on agoda or asiarooms for those dates in my head i.e. 8-10th jan or 15-17th jan. Hence why I'm asking for the walkin rates.

Could try and ask my friend to check for me as well since she's in Jakarta.

Trying my luck, any other hotels you'd suggest that's not too far off which is fairly cheap??