The Ardjuna Boutique Hotel and Spa Bandung Java

Went a bit up market for a conference in January. My company EF Indonesia organised the conference in Bandung, West Java and chose the Ardjuna Hotel.
The link above is the best one to the site as the main one reports the site is under maintenance.
I dont know much about Bandung except it is built in the hills of Java, its cold at night, they sell lots of Strawberries, Brownies and is shoppers paradise. The traffic is worse in my mind than Jakarta.
Surrounding the city are lots of volcanoes active or inactive and it is about 2.5 hours by fast car from Jakarta. I also think it is one of the best train trips in the world as the route has stunning scenery.

So the hotel. It is up a long long hill and then tucked away behind some trees. It is rather unassuming and does not show any sign of the reason the rooms are so expensive. That happens when you walk inside.

Inside it is very bright and welcoming with lots of staff and pleasant smiles. On checking in there was no sign or help where the elevators were but I found them quickly.

The room I was in was a twin with a stunning view of the mountains and city and it looked great at night. However it was small and still a hotel room.

The colour theme throughout the hotel was brown and white and cream and it really worked. The bedroom had comfy beds and the ac worked well. The shower was over a bath and the water was hot and well pressured. The light in the bathroom was good.
It was very clean.

The conference rooms were huge and we were well provided for.

Dinner, Lunch and Breakfast was great. Lots of food and lots of choice. The vegetarian option was limited. But there was no limit how much you could eat.
The omelettes were not hot as they were cooked in bulk and you had to go looking for a cup of tea and the cups were very small however the service was very good.
Beer was 40,000 a glass with 10% tax and the piano bar shut at 11. It was well stocked with wine but the starting price at 1 million rupiah soon put me off. Thats silly money.

The karaoke bar next to it was occupied by a waiter and 3 hostesses that had sadly seen better days but they were cheerful enough and happy to smile if you bought them drinks. Lucky I did not do karaoke but the others I was with said that they had fun.

Getting to the city was easy although took a long time due to traffic and taking a mini bus down the hill about 1km got you atms and mini marts which was very useful.
Next door was a restaurant serving beer and western food too.

Outside was a great swimming pool although a bit too deep if you had young children but plenty of space to sit and in the evening it was rather pleasant with out the wind blowing.

My only criticism really was the fact that there was so many little steps all over the place and so you had to be very careful where you were walking otherwise you ended up tripping over them.

If I was to rate the place then I would give it 8/10. It was pricey but it was lovely.

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.

AP Inn Kuta Bali

This is possibly one of the nicest places I have stayed in Indonesia and through my travels in Malaysia and Thailand. It is located 5 mins walk from the Kuta Beach, surrounded by bars, massage places, Tourist Trap Shops, Travel Agents and random men asking if you want transport and other things.
24 hour access and all room are spacious and cool.
There is a limited range of food at the Inn and the breakfast I try to avoid as I find it very bland (considering you can get a full breakfast metres from the place for not much) and the welcome drink it promises either arrives or it does not. In fact of the 6 times I have stayed there I have received it once, but again it does not really matter.
There is a great feel to the place and there are always lots of different people staying there, from the surfers from across the world to the local Indonesian family. It caters for all.
The prices keep changing and they always add tax to everything. High season this year was 316,000 rupiah for a double room without AC.
The rooms are big and beds are huge. There is plenty of space to leave your stuff and a wardrobe that can hold a lot of clothes. Each rooms has a large ceiling fan which looks quite new and the AC if purchased is more than adequate.
The charm of the room is balanced by the dodgy shower which whilst effective is not powerful but does the job. The towels are changed daily and they are clean.
Checkout is 12 noon although a little late and they dont seem to mind. For 5000 a bag you can leave it with them all day. In low season you can normally rent a room for a day at half the cost which is good.
The pool area is great and there are lots of beds. Directly next to the pool is a massage place and you can drink beer and have a massage and then fall in the pool.
If you need motorbikes or cars the staff are happy to help or you can just walk out and someone will help you there and then.

For a comfortable and good place to stay which is close enough to the beach and the nightlife and easy enough on the pocket then I cant think of a better place to be.

Puri Bunga Beach Cottages, Senggigi, Lombok

This is a lovely delightful place. It is situated in the middle of the Senggigi Beach opposite the Sheraton resort and  every room has a view of the sea and the sunsets and it was charming.
I paid via a tourist agent in Lombok about 250,000 rupiah and that is half the price the actual place is advertising and for the money it was worth it.

The hotel is not on the beach but across the road and then from there you have to walk through a delightful art market and then to the beach or to the restaurants there. The Office was great value and good food and cheap with gin at 35,000, large beer at 25,000 and the food no more than 50,000 for most things.

The other restaurant was the Lotus. It was a chain I think but very good italian food and freshly wood oven baked pizzas. More expensive but very nice.

Puri Bunga did do food but it was brought from one of the restaurants listed. The breakfast was ok, toast, tea, coffee, juice, fruit, noodles and more indonesian food. The ants were a little distracting but the breakfast was simple and light but nice.

The hotel staff seemed a little stressed to me but that was ok. The one lady in charge was very nice and could not help enough but seemed to be the only one who knew anything. The owner (western) was quiet and wandered about but seemed helpful to the guests there.

The pool was also nice and whilst not so big it was refreshing. The lack of chairs and shade was a little annoying but that ok.

Behind the front building was a very steep hill. Built into the hill were the cottages. Each cottage had a AC, Towels, TV, Water, Fridge with the usual overpriced things. Superb view of the sea and the sunsets.

The AC worked well once it got going and the only drawback was the power throughout sengiggi kept going off, tripping the AC but that could not be helped.

My room was great. It was big and airey and like I mentioned the view was great. The gardens were very well kept and the floral and fauna was in bloom and there was always someone tending the gardens.

The room was made every day and it was immaculate. Using the laundry was a little complicated as not all the things you wear were on the list and whilst it was a 24 hour service it depended on when the staff took the washing to be washed and then from there it was 24 hours to get back. You paid at the end of your stay for that.

The hotel also sorted out transport and bikes for you.

When checking out it was discovered that the mini bar had been used. Something which was not from me so maybe that was the staff but it was waived and therefore not a worry.

The beach cottages were very relaxed and a great escape with stunning views and lovely staff.