MrsBillT

Given that the traffic in Jakarta may be the worst on Asia, which 5star hotels would be best for not having to taxi around to get to a lot of the shopping venues ?

Kathie

No matter where you stay, you will be taking taxis - Jakarta is not a walking city. IMO, any of the major hotels are pretty central - look at the Hyatt or the JW Marriott for instance.

marmot

As Kathie mentions there's no real "center" to Jakarta and wherever you stay you'll end up driving and most likely get caught up in some heavy traffic. The good news is that there are many very nice hotels all over Jakarta. There are also big shopping malls everywhere, so wherever you stay you won't be too far away, but walking options are limited. There's a lot of road construction all through the central business district right now (at last, building mass transit!) so if you stay in the center of town you're going to face some tangles.

My hotels of choice right now are the Grand Hyatt in the central business district and the Dharmawangsa in South Jakarta. There are many, many others of similar quality all with excellent facilities. The Grand Hyatt is connected by walkways to two large upscale shopping malls -- Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indonesia -- and not too far from Tanah Abang, the huge traditional market. Pacific Place and Senayan are also fairly close, but not walkable.

The Dharmawangsa is in a quiet residential neighborhood in south Jakarta, a short taxi drive to Pasaraya (a department store with wonderful arts and crafts floors) and to the boutiques and restaurants of Kemang and Senopati. The Central Business District is about 20 minutes by taxi.

MrsBillT

Thanks that helps. Not sure of we are going to do Jakarta but this info helps if we decide to go.

Guenmai

That's helpful information as I am considering Jakarta on the 2017/2018 trip as I can't squeeze it into the 2016/2017 trip. I was just wondering where the Four Seasons is located in relation to the shopping areas as the Four Seasons is open now. I'm going to bookmark this thread.

Happy Travels!

Kathie

Guenmai, to be honest, I don't really recommend Jakarta. If you want an Indonesian city, I'd suggest Yogyakarta in central Java. Yes, traffic is bad there, too, but no comparison to Jakarta. And the area around Yogya has so much to offer.

MrsBillT

It seems the hotels are far better in Jakarta, than Yoga, but there is less to see and do in Jakarta. Shopping is better i n Jakarta.

Kathie

True, Bill, there is a much greater variety of shopping in Jakarta. I still have some of the things I bought at Pasaraya more than 20 years ago. But Jakarta is just not a pleasant city - and I am a lover of big cities.

Yogyakarta has marvelous crafts shopping (which is what I bought at Pasaraya). What are you and Olive shopping for?

MrsBillT

We like shopping for crafts as well as other items, but the hotel is very important and we just don!t see the hotels in Yoga being up to par. The traffic is the big problem for Jakarta and it has held us back over the years from visiting. We have. As yet not decided to add it to our list just yet.

marmot

In value for price, Jakarta has some of the finest hotels in the world. They are mostly new with luxurious spacious rooms and beautiful spas and pools. Most have very good to excellent restaurants and the service is warm and charming, if not always efficient.

You are, however, still in Jakarta. It's a huge sprawling, crowded city with a weird energy of its own, but without a lot of attraction for the traveler. The traffic is existential. The daily rush hour back ups -- which go on for hours -- are annoying but expected. The real problem is the random and inexplicable snarls that occur hourly somewhere because of something and can't be predicted or avoided. Everyone who lives in Jakarta experiences a complete traffic meltdown about once a month. They simply cannot get where they're going. They have to turn around and go home.

I haven't been to the new Four Seasons, but I'm sure it falls into the same hyper-luxury category as the other international 5 stars. The location is much the same as the others, in the central business district, close to the large upscale Senayan shopping malls.

Unless you need to be near a specific destination, the convenience level of any location in Jakarta is more or less the same. The Dharmawangsa, which is an elegant boutique hotel, is a bit of an outlier in location and in size. It may be too quiet for some but the rooms, grounds and facilities are exceptional.

I really can't express how many malls there are in Jakarta and the surrounding suburbs. They are everywhere, and there's not a whole lot of difference among them. They all feature the same exorbitantly priced luxury brands and the same moderately priced fast fashion stores. The prices are higher than what you'd pay in other shopping-centric countries. All of the department stores have huge arts and crafts and batik floors. You pay more in Jakarta than you would wherever the item is made, but shopping is convenient and fixed price.

Serious bargain hunters will like the enormous local markets like Tanah Abang and Mangga Dua. The experience can be an ordeal but they sell a wide range of merchandise at shockingly low prices.

There's really no comparison between Jakarta and Yogyakarta or Solo/Surakarta. Greater Jakarta is some 20 times their size with 20 times the urban problems. Jakarta is also the center of government and business and is on a higher level of modernity and sophistication. Yogya and Solo are a sultanates, outside the Jakarta power base. They have deep traditions of arts and crafts and most of the products that you find in Jakarta and Bali are actually made in Central Java.

Geordie

I lived in Jakarta for 18 months and I had a great experience but I cannot think of a reason whey a tourist would visit it. I fly there on my way to Sumatra quite a bit but I never even think of going into town.

The hotels are definitely world class and great value but so are the one's in Bali, I know which one I would choose