A weekend may be enough for most tourists to cover Jakarta (formerly Batavia, capital of Indonesia), any longer I would say an excursion to nearby city of Bandung (Kota Bandung) is advisable. Click here to read post on Bandung.
Attached is the recommended itinerary for an all rounded and laidback trip to Jakarta ;)
| Itinerary | ||
| Jakarta Indonesia Jakarta Indonesia Jakarta Indonesia | ||
| Day | Remarks | |
| Fri | Check in morning flight | |
| Depart SIN ✈ | ||
| Arrive at CGK ✈ | ||
| Travel to Mandarin Oriental |
By taxi to: Jalan M.H. Thamrin, PO BOX 3392 Jakarta 10310, Indonesia
| |
| (check in and settle in) | ||
| Tel: (0)21 29938888 | ||
| Shopping @ Tanah Abang | Take taxi from hotel (15-20mins) | |
| Lunch @ Sate Senayan Khas |
By taxi back to hotel area: Jalan HOS. Cokroaminoto St. No. 78. Menteng Village, Menteng District Central Jakarta
| |
| Hotel | Nap and freshen up | |
| Dinner @ Potato Head | By taxi, 15mins to: Pacific Place G51A Jln. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53 Jakarta Selatan t. +62 (21) 5797 3322 | |
| Enjoy the nightlife @ Menteng | ||
| Sleep | ||
| Sat | Wake up! Breakfast @ hotel | |
| Shopping | 3 mins walk to: Grand Indonesia/Plaza Indonesia | |
| Indo Massage @ Zen Family Spa |
Jl. Gunawarman 43- Kebayoran Baru
| |
| Lunch | ||
| Shopping @ Mangga Dua | By taxi: (30-45mins) depending on traffic | |
| Dinner | Option A>Restaurants at Ancol Dreamland Jakarta (near to Mangga Dua area) | |
| Option B>Restaurants at Grand Indo Mall/Plaza (head back to hotel area) | ||
| Platinum/Gold Class Movie | Malls, to check timings | |
| or | ||
| Coffee @ Café Batavia | Kota Tua Complex | |
| Sleep | ||
| Sun | Rise & Shine! Breakfastime! | |
| Last min shopping | ||
| Flight to SIN | ||
| Arrive at SIN ✈ | ||
| Note: Flag Bluebird taxis as they go by meter and are more reliable overall, Contact them at 7941234 or 7981001. | ||
What to buy in Jakarta? Lulur Scrubs, Jamu (if you're into that kind of thing, I'm not too sure where to find it though, if you know or can recommend any do share), Indomee and Cloth/Lace.
Where to eat in Jakarta? Lots of food everywhere in Jakarta, but seriously, those two restaurants I listed in the itinerary on the first day has really good food.
Potato head is a sophisticated bistro and bar in Jakarta. The outdoor and indoor (ground and mezzanine-to my amusement!) sitting areas are uniquely designed to look like a vintage industrial setting, yet ironically the place gives a bit of a contemporary feel. They serve international cuisine, a nice mix of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pastas and meats.
Where to shop in Jakarta? Malls malls and more malls, their malls are full of international as well as designer brands. For kain (cloth/traditional clothes) shopping, there is Tanah Abang. But beware there are many blocks. I had walked the most part of the blocks and scanned through every floor, and found it hard to navigate my way. I would totally scrap ideas of going to the old blocks, and just head to the newly renovated mall section.
Jakarta wasn't a shopping trip for me so I didn't really buy anything. I did buy three tops at Mangga Dua though, for about RM40/S$20 each.
2 pokes at mojo:
Your itinerary construction matched the description about yourself (kiasu). Hope that you are not that kiasu when you travel. I have to admit that Batavia is one of my favorite places around the world. But most of it was done on weekdays due to work related. wow. did you spent all that money on MO? i would recommend a hotel down in Cikini which is about 15 mins away from Grand Indonesia. Room is clean and you'll get fresh pillows and towels on a daily basis for SGD 55. The hotel is called Formule 1. There are 2 F.1 hotel down in Jakarta. One is in Menteng and the other is in Cikini. Both of these hotel is in JaKPus (Jakarta Pusat).
As for the food. if you are in Jakarta, the street is a must. well its nothing worst that our own mamak resto in KL. I dont quite like the restaurants in Jakarta malls or shops. In Singapore might be ok but in Jakarta, everything taste like indomee.
If you got the chance to go Jakarta again, i would definitely recommend the following:
a) BAKSO : Blok S - infront of the rumah sakit - you have to try BakSet (Bakso Setan). It is as big as your boyfriend's fist.
b) Nasi Goreng Kambing and Sate Kambing : Kebon Sireh. The kuah kacang, haji samuri punya pasal they marinate the satay with lots of ketumbar jintan.
c) Nasi Padang : im sure when ur there, at every corner you can see almost everyone is selling nasi padang. But, the main difference between a good nasik padang and a bad one is the sambal kuah hijau and when actually they cook the lauk. So far, nasi padang sederhana has been the best. Ayam pop dia, memang, once you pop you cant stop. SERIOUS WEI
d) Post Isya' night time entertainment: hit down to Kemang theres alot of bars with good quality custom made drinks. There is no specific bars that i could recommend, probably because i always came back to the hotel with a dimentia. The clubs in Jakarta is way exclusive and better then the one in KL. But they are just way too expensive and everyone tend to start partying at 1 am.
e) Late night supper : Nasi Uduk Zainal Fanani. SUPER SUPER SUPER.
Jakarta wild side/darkside. if you want to see what most men do/seek or stereotype in/about Jakarta, you should head to the Mulia hotel discotheque (this is the most decent among plenty others). Its a market for pleasure and you can see the modern age poverty that we have. Its a good place for women that have a midlife crisis. Pendek kata, kalau lindsay lohan pergi sana, confirm dia tak kan keluar masuk rehab lagi. terus insaf.
oh well, theres so much to write about jakarta.
if you are the adventurous type. 10 pm on words. try to go around the city with a motorbike. there, they call it Ojek. All ojek are registered, (the one with the blue vests) it should be safe.
sorry about the food recommendations and hope it didnt spoil you annual diet resolution.
-onedimensionalman-
Hi! Thank you for the recommendations, especially on food. About your comment on Mandarin Oriental, it is a little on the pricey side and if I were travelling on a budget I would have sourced elsewhere, same as you. But I think that area was quite strategic (as well as Cikini)and would use that as reference point for future trips.
I didn't have time to try Bakso or Nasi Uduk! Abit jealous that you did. This is the kiasu side of me, though I am not Singaporean ;) My indonesian friend told me it is abit like Nasi Lemak? Nvm, will try it InsyaAllah if there is a next time...on a longer trip.
Err...My travel partner told me about the Murni nightlife *ahem ahem* Maybe for the men yes...haha
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