1st trip to jakarta

Hi everyone out there!

I%26#39;d b travelling to Jkt for the 1st time this mth-end.

Pls advise if Hotel Mercure Rekso Jkt, located in d Glodok/Chinatown area, as well as Novotel Mangga Dua Hotel, r good choices for 2 ladies looking for cheap shopping, massaging, spa %26amp; relaxation. Btw, is transportation to towns or shopping areas from these 2 hotels easily accessible %26amp; within 30 mins?

Thanks a million in advance for your replies.

1st trip to jakarta

Yes, both hotels are pretty good for all your purpose. However, if you really want to be near Mangga Dua wholesale center, I recommend Le Grandeur instead of Novotel. The shopping mall adjacent to Novotel is still rather empty.

Based on your itinerary, if you intend to spend more time to shop at Mangga Dua area, then choose a hotel in Mangga Dua therefore minimize transport cost.

However, if you also would like to visit other places, Mercure Rekso is pretty good. You can go to other places by using taxi, busway, or even public van (angkutan kota).

With busway system, you don%26#39;t even have to switch line to get to other places such as Plaza Indonesia, Senayan, and Blok M.

1st trip to jakarta

Hi Cirque,

Thanks again 4 ur prompt advice.

Wld like more advice on d places of interest around Htl Mercure Rekso Jkt besides shopping/massaging/spa.

Also, advise if 2 full days shopping in Mangga Dua area %26amp; 1 full day activities in Glodok is sufficient for my mission.

Intend to take up a land tour to Bandung or Puncak for a 2D1N trip. Advise if it%26#39;s a better deal to source from travel agents in d shopping areas or directly from the hotel%26#39;s tour desk.

Thanks in advance.

Fengjie

2 days should be enough for shopping in Mangga Dua area. It should cover the whole area.

Around Mercure Rekso, actually not much to see except extraordinary food options (mainly chinese foods). In the daytime, the area is a trading area (offices and hardware shops) and in the nighttime turns becoming red light district with clubs, spa++ etc (don%26#39;t compare with geylang, no prostitute in the street).

If you are into history, have a dinner in Cafe Batavia (around 7 mins by taxi from yr hotel). It is a nice cafe in old dutch architecture bldg adjacent to the Museum Fatahillah. The chinatown itself is nowhere near to the one in Singapore as it is very crowded and unorganized, so you may find it somewhat too crowded.

As Mangga Dua shops are closed at 5-6PM, in the nighttime, you can take Trans Jakarta (busway) as explained by cirque to Plaza Indonesia and other nice shopping malls. The bus stop is only 3 mins walk from yr hotel.

Actually you can visit Glodok and Mangga Dua at the same time as they%26#39;re only few hundreds meters apart. Maybe something like this:

Day 1: Morning go to Glodok and Old Batavia, shop and have breakfast then proceed to Mangga Dua (using public van in front of Jakarta Kota train station, pay Rp1500 per person, only 5 mins journey) until it closed around 5pm.

Day 2: You can visit other places such as for spa or shop at nicer malls with busway

Day 3: You can do shopping again at Mangga Dua or Glodok.

OR

Day 1 and 2: make use your time in Mangga Dua and Glodok

Day 3: Day trip to Puncak.

You can book in advance from tour operators such as Gray Line Jakarta or Air Asia Go Holidays (min 2 person tour together). Booking through hotel desk might get you overcharged. Alternatively, if you stay at Mercure Rekso, there%26#39;s travel agent just next door (Dwidaya Travel). You can visit and make arrangement or call them in advance.

P.S. I do not recommend going to Puncak on weekend (especially for only 1 night trip) because it tends to be packed and jammed on weekends.

Hi,

Due to a change of plans, we wld be in Jakarta fm 30Mar - 3Apr. Please advise on the following:

- other 4-star hotels in Mangga Dua area that are also around USD50 per night as Le Grandeur is out of my budget

- if a 3D2N trip from Jakarta to Bandung %26amp; Yogyakarta is a good idea since we wld be staying in Jakarta for a total of 5 full days and would want to do more than shopping/dining/massaging. Also guide on d places of interest %26amp; shopping areas/markets in Bandung %26amp; Yogyakarta.

- if it is easy to access to a local travel agent in Mangga Dua area for a 3D2N trip from Jakarta to Bandung %26amp; Yogyakarta, cos we would only book upon our arrival on 30Mar.

- if getting a taxi from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on our arrival is safe %26amp; easy, as we do not want to run into touts.

Thanks a million for your time.

Have a good day.

Hotels: how about the Novotel? You can go with it. If still out of your budget, you can consider Ibis Mangga Dua or Orchardz Hotel.

Taxi from airport: Tourist are advised to only use Blue Bird Group services. How to find? Look at Blue Bird Group sticker on the windscreen. Also, take note of the driver%26#39;s ID and taxi ID for easier investigation in case any mishaps. To learn more about Blue Bird services, visit www.bluebirdgroup.com

Taxis are available just outside the arrival hall.

You should know:

1. Jakarta-Bandung

mode of transport available: bus, shuttle van

approx travel time: 2-3 hours each way

more info on Bandung sightseeing %26amp; shopping: research on the net, if you got more question, ask at Bandung forum. tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g297704-Bandung_Ja…

Shuttle bus booking can be made on the day you want to depart (there%26#39;s a counter at the shopping mall just below Novotel Mangga Dua).

2. Jakarta-Yogyakarta

mode of transport: bus, train, or plane

approx travel time: 1h20m (plane), arnd 7-8 hours (train), half day (bus).

more info on Yogyakarta sightseeing %26amp; shopping: search on the net, if got specific question, can ask at Yogyakarta forum. tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294230-Yogyakarta…

So, I think 3D2N is a bit tight (can do if using plane), so in order to maximize your holiday, choose 1; either to spend the time at Bandung or Yogyakarta.

For other travel arrangement, I strongly suggest to have everything confirmed before you go (it%26#39;s better that way, isn%26#39;t it?)

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