Funny I think there is an existing Jakarta thread b4 but probably to old & no one bump it & now purged

Nevertheless here're my view of Jakarta. I only went there for work once. So my view might not be the same as what I hv experienced

1st, This is a very huge city!! The largest I have seen! The total population according to the locals there is 20million which I have to agree! It's bigger than Bangkok (2nd in SEA) & Manila (3rd).

One thing really unique in Jakarta is the huge slump area surrounding the tiny skyscrapper city in the middle which is not that big compare to KL. All the way from the airport to my hotel on the other end of the city in Bekasi, sea of slump residential areas..people staying under the flyovers, buiding cardboards/ wooden houses under the bridges & every inch of the city OMG I wouldn't to imagine how the authority there going to clean up the mess! Although this scenarios also happening in Manila but the numbers are much lesser compare to the sea of slump in Jakarta.

I think in Jakarta u should visit:

1) The city centre
2) The shopping malls as highlighted above such as Block M, & etc. I only visited the Kelapa Gading Mall - in 2005, It's the largest mall in Indonesia (Alomost the size of Mid-Valley & Garden combined.
3) Glodok Chinatown ( I passed by only). Also the old Batavia port area, museum & etc near to the old port of Batavia
4) Ancor amusement park (Also passed by)
5) Pulau Seribu group of islands North western park of Jakarta port...from Google earth looks interesting...(This is my target if I hv oppotunity to Jakarta

For factory outlet, I think Jakarta is not the place. It's in Bandung. U probably wanted to check out another active Bandung thread here (Use the search function)

Infact the Bandung & Bali threads are more active than Jakarta.

Haha, if no factory outlet, the size of the city will make KL so tiny & also probably the unusual residential houses under the bridges & flyovers...

stay overnite will be better...I'll be taking a train ride to bandung & overnite there..

I think the general LYN Street mart http://forum.lowyat.net/LYNStreetMart ios where most of agencies placed their ad kua Anyway...already deleted his/her spammings

Currently in Jakarta. Staying at Smart Hotel (Abit like Tune but wth simple brakfast & free aircon & 5mbps free wifi ) Located just 3 blocks South of Grand Indonesia mall and only 100M away from Tosari Bus Halt (Jakarta Bus Rapid System)

For the past 2 days, I hv used the BRT and it's by far the fastest & cheapest traveling around the choked city. Price per pax to any destination is at Rp3500 (~RM1.20) almost similar to LRT except buses need to stop at every traffic lights & no rail . The dedicated bus lanes is blocked from normal trafic & thus no other vehicles except the special buses by Transjakarta..

http://www.transjakarta.co.id/rute.php

Currently having 8 routes and much extensive routes compare to our 2 routes LRT.

BTW, the most modern & probably the largest Mall should be Grand Indonesia although Tmn Angrrek still hold the record,

Super futuristic mall and I think our upmarket Pavillion or even Garden can't even beat the elegance of this super mall... ..However price is on high side wth whatever luxury branded stuff there just like Pavilion, KLCC & Starhill..Food court probably the best I have seen and much nicer than the Macau Venetian's Canal Mall

For Cheap cloths & IT goto Mangga Dua Mall (BTW, prices of notebook/netbook is slightly cheaper than LYP to my suprise!) - The Mangga Dua IT Mall probably 2X LYP & the Clothing mall probaly twice of Sg Wang! & similar to MBK of BKK. But the mall abit dull & not so modern dy.

Just back from Tmn Angrek Mall. Touted as the largest in Indonesia but I think smaller than Grand Indo & even smaller than Kelapa Gading to me? There is a skating ring on level 3 but currently closed for reno. One think suprise me at Angrrek Mall..Most of the visitors ~ 80% are Chinese indon. Probably the largest single mall wth chinese indon in indon & more than Mangga Dua Glodok area..

Will update pictures soon

When I last there (working also not jalanX2 ~ 2005, I even stayed at the suburb area. another district called Bekasi. That even worst haha & that's when everwhere surrounding Bekasi, Cilicing & even Kelapa Gading area like a huge slum area rivaled those in Slumdog millionaire..haha..

This time staying at Smart hotel in the middle and the cleanest part of Jakarta feel secure & more relaxing. Now i can see the good side of Jakarta. Everynite my dining place is at Grand Indonesia mall haha.. Atmosphere even better than Pavilion.

And suprisingly during this 2nd time JalanX2 trip to Jakarta, I saw an amazing changes...Jakarta getting cleaner compare to 2005..Less slums area (probably I was at Central district haha)..Can't see anymore wooden/cardboar houses under the flyovers and etc..

Well..I can say..bravo to the clean-up work for the past 5 yrs by indo Govt..

Well, I avoid the never ending jam by taking their BRT - Bus rapid system...Cheap (rp3500/pax to anywhere!!) & fast avoiding those jams except the buses still need to wait for traffic lights haha

Dun feel the jam using BRT and suprisingly no need to wait very long..every minute during peak hours there will be a bus arriving. Even off-peak on Saturday Evening, I only need to wait for <10min for the bus.. Definetly the best transport to connect the whole of Jakarta. You can take BRT to lotsa destination ! Jakarta such as:

BlokM, Senayan Mall, Grand Indo, Sarinah, Tmn Angrek (New line 8), Ancol & etc...

At the Kota Lama area, or the last BRT line 1 opposite Mandiri Bank museum & also at the Tmn fata.. museum square, they even have bicycle wth one seat at the back & they will carry you around the Old city for rp20K haha

yeah Jakarta Hotels are not cheap..Even the budget standard similar to Tunes also cost ~ RM100++/nite

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

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:

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

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

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

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

Those budget hotels/motels normally located at jln Jaksa..not far from Gambir stations.. Can't find any of those motels in Agoda & heard lotsa jijik stories there too...You can google for jl Jaksa..that's the Khao San road of jakarta..haha

Jijik meaning those room wth bed bugs /pijak, and bathroom full of dark moses & lotsa crocroahes running around..

How long depending on jam-lah..It's not really far..~ 21km from the airport. & straight way. If no jam, only ~ 30min but when the highway jam expecting 1 hr lor