Sunday, 13 November 2011

Hotel Mulia, Senayan Jakarta

Having the chance to stay in one of the best hotels in the city, who am I to turn down the opportunity. I stayed there for one night, room only in a 'Splendour' room and thoroughly enjoyed the stay.

The hotel is not cheap but you can see why. The luxury and plushness of the foyer and entrance, big sweeping staircases and mirrored elevators are enough to take your breath away and on top of that, english speaking staff who outside the restaurant all greeted me and spoke to me everytime they saw me. Even the housekeeper tidying a room near ours stopped to say hello.

The service and check in was great and no bother, we had to leave a credit card deposit of 700k which was cancelled on check out. 2 room keys and shown to the elevator.

The Elevator can only be accessed and used with an active room key and once that was established we found our room with ease. There are lots of floors in Hotel Mulia, the lobby is where the reception is, the ground floor, has bars and restaurants, the 5th floor the pool, floor 33 was ours and the top floor was 40 although there are not 40 floors. Still did not seem to be that confusing eventually.

The room itself was massive and contained a huge bed and sofa, 42" tv, internet access (not free, 140,000 for 24 hours) free drinking water and fruit, towels, 1 pair of slippers, 2 gowns, endless towels and bath room accessories and a very effective AC.








However no Bottle opener could be found and only 2 sachets of coffee was in the dish next to the kettle.

The bathroom was big with a separate shower room and a deep bath tub with endless amounts of hot water and it was immaculate and really well cleaned.

The most confusing thing was the door lock which seemed inadequate for the room or the size of the door but once we worked out how to double lock the door no worries.







Breakfast was not part of the deal and so we had to pay, quite willingly just over 400,000 rupiah for breakfast buffet which was amazing. Japanese, Chinese, Western, Indonesia food in abundance. Lots of choice of salad, cheese, fruit, danish pastries etc made it even more appealing. However they had a queuing system which seemed chaotic and we were lucky we got there early as  the whole dining area was fully, noisy and crowded. For a place with 1000 rooms (so I am told) thats a lot of toast!!!



Outside in the foyer there was lots of noise and confusion as to be expected, the person in charge of taxis seemed not too concerned if there was a taxi or not yet the other people helping were busy shouting and moving people and cars around. Getting into the hotel was a little bit of a drama as all your bags are taken from you and put through scanning devices which work better than the ones at the airport!! and you are not sure what they do as they take the bags from you and then disappear around a corner with them.

Finally you should know that the sign that says no Flip flops or sandals is not there for something to do. They mean it.

All in all for a room that costs $300 usd or thereabouts without breakfast or free internet I would say it was worth staying there as the opportunity does not arise too often. Its nice to be treated :)

For information about the hotel click here


Thursday, 4 August 2011

Prasada Mansion Hotel, Jakarta

Hidden between Sudirman and Setiabdui lies this rather vogue 3 star hotel, called the Prasada Mansion Hotel. It is situated behind the HSBC / Permata / Tamara buildings at the Setia budi area of Jakarta. Ideal if you are staying over night and doing business in one of the many office towers and on a budget, no fun if you are travelling through and if you never knew it existed and arrived at night, you would probably not want to venture out as the back streets are like rabbit warrens and there is little to nothing to see if you did. Saying that is was quite nice.
I stayed one night as in the middle of training in a local building and and so arrived after 8pm.
The checkin and welcome was friendly and quick and within 10 minutes in the room.
With no fridge, kettle, or tea/coffee I ventured out in hope for a 711 or Alpha Mart or something. The porter said go left and left again and it is about 10 minutes away. Knowing Jakarta as I do, that is easy to find. You go left at the big roads and leave the small streets alone. I arrived at the store got some stuff and headed back, going right and then right. I was offered a guard to go with me, but I declined.
In the hall on the first floor where I was staying was a water dispenser which I could fill the jug provided with water which was helpful.

The room was small but comfortable and there was plenty of storage. The TV was good and worked as did the free WiFi for the room although it was painfully slow.
The was very clean and whilst nearly as small as a Tune Hotel room, did serve its purpose as somewhere to sleep. The bed was comfy and the AC worked and was very quiet.





















The shower well, there was no hot water at night but there was in the morning. But the pressure was not great and there was no shower gel only soap. I never bring any as thats what hotels provide.

Apart from someone knocking the door at midnight I got a reasonably good nights sleep which was nice.

In the morning the view from the window and small balcony was on the skyline and building work and was a noisy  but ok.
The breakfast room was very clean and the staff helpful and friendly. The choice was very limited to indonesian breakfast foods although the omelette and fruit were good. Lots of coffee and guava juice which was nice.

And thats it. It was a short stay and to be honest yes ok. It was paid for by my company so I cant complain. However it would not be a place I would stay if I had to stay somewhere in the city. Lack of access to the city, tucked away and limited facilities. Ibis is better in that respect but as I have already said, it is ideal for business people staying over night.



Standard Room - Twin Bed
IDR329,712.75

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1 twin bed. Cable television service. Television. Housekeeping.
Standard Room - Queen Bed

IDR364,772.34

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2 beds. Cable television service. Television.
Standard Room - Twin Bed
IDR364,772.34

Book Now

1 twin bed. Cable television service. Television. Housekeeping.

The above is for illustration only and the prices will change. Please understand that

http://www.hotel-rn.com/hw/a365880/index.htm?lbl=ggl


Thursday, 5 May 2011

Sakanti City Hotel Jogja

I spent 2 nights in Jogja for a quick respite from the city and it was the second time I have really stayed here although this time there was plenty of time to explore.
Booking hotels seemed to be more complicated than normal as the ones on the shortlist were booked. I had originally budgeted for less than 300k a night but due to my choice of hotel and it being the weekend and also my Fiancee agreed to upgrade we were looking for something less than 400k a night.
We searched for hotels through http://www.yogyes.com/ as they have a wide choice of hotels and information for the hotels there.
And at the end of the day I have done the budget hotels and cheap rooms and now I want to have more luxury and comfort.

So we ended up choosing the Sakanti City hotel. The hotel is located 300 - 500 meters from Maliboro street and is behind the railway stay and so well in walking distance. It is also very close to a Trans Jogja bus stop and also there are many becaks as well there.






Sakanti City Hotel Jogja will indulge you during your stay there as if you stay at star hotel’s room. It lies only 300 meters from Malioboro
SAKANTI CITY HOTEL
Jl. Gowongan Kidul No. 34, Mangkubumi
Phone:
+62 274 588118
+62 274 557659
SMS:
+62 81392750666

MapShow on map

RoomRatesDescription
Superior RoomIDR 350,000for 2 persons, double/twin bed
Deluxe RoomIDR 375,000for 2 persons, double/twin bed
Tripel RoomIDR 425,000for 3 persons, double/single bed
VIP RoomIDR 450,000for 2 persons, double bed

  • Extra Bed IDR 90,000
  • Extra Person IDR 70,000
  • All rates are inclusive goverment tax & service charge
  • Rates including breakfast for 2 persons
  • Check-in time at 13.00 PM and Check-out time at 12.00 PM
  • Rates are subject to change without prior notice on Idul Fitri, Christmas, and New Year


We opted for the Deluxe room which was a double with balcony. The hotel was small but friendly and comfortable although I never saw any other guests at any time I was there.
The room was on the ground floor so the balcony was quite intriguing. The corridor to the room was partially exposed to the weather and so the floor got slippery in the rain.
The room was medium size but the bed was clean and comfortable and the bathroom was a fair size although there was some problems with a leaky ceiling. 
The AC worked very well although on the last day it was leaking water every where. 








The balcony door opened into a very small space of which you sit and look at a grey wall. Slightly cheated with that but it did make the room a little bigger.

The breakfast was soup and rice and not for me. The fridge worked and the staff were great and helped get taxis and sort some other things out.
The becak men did not try to rip us off, in fact we over paid them due to them carting us around in the rain.

Now, would I stay there again? If I had too yes as it was ok. But maybe not with a balcony. Overall out of 10 - 7 and a good 7.

Monday, 7 February 2011

RamadaResort Benoa Bali

I stayed here 2 nights as I was attending a work conference and to be honest I have been in better resorts and places in Bali but still it was nice and quite upmarket.
Benoa is the otherside of the airport and almost directly opposite to Kuta on another coast facing east.
The resort is a long line of hotels on one side of the road with access to the beach the other. Benoa is about about 45 minutes from Kuta/Legion from my experience, mainly due to traffic and roadworks and to Kuta Square it costs about 85,000 rupiah one way.
You can take a taxi directly there from the airport for a flat rate of around 100k.

The hotel itself has a big reception at the top of a lot of steps and the main dining area is underneath that. There are lot of steps and stairs there but the welcome and atmosphere was welcoming and friendly.
The room I was in was a twin and it was spacious with all the usual stuff in it, tv,m beds, table etc. The shower had a double shower head and the water was a good pressure and plenty hot. Towels were changed daily and the beds were made.
There was a sign on the balcony doors not to leave the doors open as mosquitoes would come it, not a reassuring notice. Although the view from the balcony was just backs of houses and some tall bamboo.


The pool was kidney shaped with a bar inside it, but it seemed that is was not open until 9am and shut at 7. There was also a volley ball area on sand, table tennis table, seats around the pool. Also a hindu temple and a travel agent.
The staff were very friendly and helpful. Taxis that were called arrived quite quickly, there was also cars and drivers who could ferry you to where you needed to go.


The resort has lovely gardens throughout that are well manintained and lots of things to look at. Across the road there seemed to be another swimming pool that belonged to the resort and then the beach itself.




It is not a swimming beach as fishing boats are moored there but the view was pleasant enough. The downside was that the resort is under the flight path of everything arriving from Java and so there was often noise from planes through the day.







Food was ok and there was plenty of it. The breakfast was huge with plenty of choice from western to the usual rice and porridge. The evening meals were not part of the weekend so I cant comment.

All in all it looked and felt like an expensive place to stay with no real benefit to being there. Benoa on the other hand looks great and a nice place to explore so I would consider going back to stay somewhere else to have a good look around.

If I am scoring it I would give it 7 out of 10.

The resort website http://www.ramadaresortbenoa.com/

I have cut and paste this straight off their website, no offence meant or intended and I take no responsibility for changes in prices or rates at any notice, but rather I have done this to help you know the prices.


Internet Rates

Rate Period
Room Type
Single or Double Room per Night
6 Jan - 14 Jul 2011Village View RoomUSD 90.00Book Now
Garden View RoomUSD 95.00
Pool View RoomUSD 100.00
1 Bedroom VillaUSD 180.00
2 Bedroom VillaUSD 280.00
1 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 230.00
2 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 330.00
Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with poolUSD 330.00
15 Jul - 15 Sept 2011Village View RoomUSD 100.00Book Now
Garden View RoomUSD 115.00
Pool View RoomUSD 120.00
1 Bedroom VillaUSD 200.00
2 Bedroom VillaUSD 300.00
1 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 250.00
2 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 350.00
Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with poolUSD 350.00
16 Sept - 22 Dec 2011Village View RoomUSD 95.00Book Now
Garden View RoomUSD 105.00
Pool View RoomUSD 115.00
1 Bedroom VillaUSD 200.00
2 Bedroom VillaUSD 300.00
1 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 250.00
2 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 350.00
Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with poolUSD 350.00
23 Dec 2011 - 5 Jan 2012Village View RoomUSD 120.00Book Now
Garden View RoomUSD 130.00
Pool View RoomUSD 140.00
1 Bedroom VillaUSD 225.00
2 Bedroom VillaUSD 325.00
1 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 275.00
2 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 375.00
Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with poolUSD 375.00
6 Jan - 31 March 2012Village View RoomUSD 95.00Book Now
Garden View RoomUSD 105.00
Pool View RoomUSD 115.00
1 Bedroom VillaUSD 200.00
2 Bedroom VillaUSD 300.00
1 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 250.00
2 Bedroom Villa with poolUSD 350.00
Two Bedrooms Family Duplex with poolUSD 350.00
Note:
  • The above rates are NET (included 21% Government Tax and Service Charge)