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

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

Cancellation Policy

IDR329,712.75

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

Standard Room - Queen Bed

Cancellation Policy

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Room Facilities

IDR364,772.34

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2 beds. Cable television service. Television.

Standard Room - Twin Bed

Cancellation Policy

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

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Tanjung Pesona Beach Resort Bangka

I decided to fly to the island off the east coast of Sumatra call Bangka for a weekend to relax and catch some sun and enjoy life by the sea.
I flew with Lion Air to the island and the flight took about an hour in total.
The beach resort I was heading to  was a little over 45 mins away. It was called Tanjung Pesona Beach Resort and to get there I had booked a car although you can arrange transport with the hotel directly and they will come and meet you and then take you back again so thats helpful. The cost is around 80,000 so thats quite good.
The room I paid for was a double standard and I got it at a reduced price from 420,000 t0 372,000 for a night which was great. Why? I really dont know but I am not complaining.

On arrival I had to leave me identification with reception as the copier was broken but I was not going any where else that did not seem to matter. The other thing was that there was a distinct lack of people at the resort, even in the off season you would expect to see other people there, or cars or anything! but no there was not a soul at the place. A few people on the beaches but paying guests, hard to say really. But again that never mattered.
The room was ok. A double standard as described. Not very big but clean and tidy and the bed was also clean. The tv was good with the exception of the Indovision channel which was controlled by someone else and so just as a movie would start, someone changed the channel!!!

The room I was in was next to the Karaoke lounge and staff area and so it was noisy quite late into the night.

Wandering around the resort, there was tennis courts, free bike hire, cheap speedboat rides, 2 restaurants, blliards, karaoke (mind the nearest entertainment from the resort was hard to find, maybe nowhere close). Then there was the beaches. The resort is between 2 coves and both are beautiful. Bangka island has many white or golden beaches and on these beaches are large outcrops of rock which over the years have smoothed away and they meander into the clear, sandy floored sea which is warm and still.
One beach in is part of a public beach, there is a small cafe there with limited food offer which comes from the hotel, the beer is warm but welcoming. The view again is my favourite, beer sea and sand. The beach stretches in a big circle and there was no one on most of it but as I left on the Sunday cars and bikes a plenty were going into the area.

The resort has some nice private villas and some of those have their own terraced areas and private gazebos overlooking the sea.
The other beach is accessible by some steep steps or if you like a short journey around the rocks to it. It is almost private with the exception of some fishermen. There were many rocks there but the water was warm and clear and very welcoming. The sunset could be seen there but sadly the sun set behind the hills as the resort is facing north west.
The main restaurant served some good indonesian food and the staff were friendly and helpful and I think quite happy to see someone.
Overall I enjoyed the resort as I was there for a short time.  2 nights and I would have been ready to move on, but there was enough to do in the day and in the evening for sure.
Tanjung Pesona is not the best resort on the island but if this is the minimum standard then it has to be hard to beat. For a relaxing few days on an sun drenched golden sand island which is not Bali or Lombok then this is a good place to choose.

Borburdor

Staying at the Hotel Boroburdur was a nice and pleasant experience, but like I was told it was a good looking place but as soon as you started to look you could see things were broken or did not work as well as perhaps they should.
Located near the Monas and Gambir railway station, Hotel Borobudur has a reputation as the safest hotel in Jakarta in relation to terrorist attacks. This is probably down to the fact that there is tighter security to get in than the airport but once you are in then it is pretty easy to wander around the whole place unmolested or questioned as no one likes to question a western person as they might be important.
The hotel is plush and a 4 star place and could 5 star but I think it would need to be even more luxurious than it is now. Standard rooms start at $100 dollars and go up.
There are many and I mean many staff available the service is pretty good. However I would say the staff are nervous of westerners and also Asians a like and so are a little coy and quiet.
I stayed there for a conference and the rooms were good and the facilities were great. The additional service of constant coffee, water and snacks and food was amazing.
The room I was in was a twin and it had 2 good sized twin beds, a very good ac, the fridge was locked (maybe they know of my reputation) and the usual slippers and robes were available.
The bathroom was neat and not too small and there was a bath tub with shower curtain and a big flat shower head. Sadly I am taller than the shower so I had to bend down to wash.
The soap and things cam in little dispensers shaped like the hotels name, the bells champbers at Boroburdur.
But i felt they looked more sexual and so commented on that.
There was 2 bottles of drinking water provided and after that you had to pay for extra. A pot of tea was 50000 or $5.
So I liked the room. I liked the hotel it is long and tall and huge with lots of conference areas and meetings.
Dripping fans in the Cafe Bogor was not great and slow to refill breakfast items also not great but the food was overall great.

The grounds were big and there was a pool and it looked good. It was raining while we were there and really never had the time.
There is a great big model of the Boroburdur temple in the grounds as well.

I would like to stay there again I think as it could be a good place to chill out over a weekend, it is right in the middle of the city and there are always taxis avaiable. The rooms are very comfortable and the service as I have already mentioned was very good.

By far this is the nicest hotel I have stayed in in Indonesia and one of the best I have been in through out the world (Twin Towers Bangkok, Millenium New York, Somewhere is Cardiff and a  lovely coutnry Estate just outside Bath) and so that is good.

My last thought, floor 7 where I stayed has a corridor that just screams 'the shining'...."Come and play with us. Come and play with us. Forever... and ever... and ever"

Ibis Hotel Tamarin Jakarta

Living in Jakarta has its drawbacks, one being during new year the city fills with traffic and so you cant get anywhere and you spend your time in a car while the new year approaches. So the easiest option for me is to stay in a hotel for a night in the city and then it makes the access and speed to places far easier and faster.
I choose for the 3rd tine the Ibis Hotel in Tamarin. Now in the same street there are 2 Ibis. Why? I dont really know. The Arcadia is the other one and it is smaller and has no pool etc but is equally as comfortable.
The room rate was 600,000 rupiah for the night and this was seasonally inflated of course but still it was ok.
The hotel offers breakfast at another 60,000k and I never took that option as I had no desire to be up and alive before the check out time of 12 noon.
The rooms are small but well laid out with a nice sized double bed which is very comfy and great to sleep in. The TV has lots of channels and there is a lot of information to read.
The bathroom is compact with a big shower cubicle and a fair sized sink area which is well lit. The water was not the fastest but it was hot and the towels are big and very clean.
There is a mini bar which was empty and you are provided with a kettle and water and tea and coffee. They also put some candy in the room also.
The rooms are spotlessly clean.

I used the hotel just for its location and it was well priced amongst other hotels in the area and so did not really expect much apart from what I have already written.

I will use Ibis again as they are both simple and located in key parts of the city.