Biak International Tailor
Jl. Biak 14 B
Jakarta
(62-21) 6329251
Is this tailor really good? I will be in Jakarta in Feb and need to get trousers done for a suit i started working on...the jacket is done (did it in States). The fabric is a little difficult as it's super 180s cashmere and wool...it tends to slip and only an experienced tailor (as in HKG, etc) would do a good job with it. I will be in CGK for the month so it would be convenient to get it done up there.
Any advice?
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In my personal view, no piece of fabric is worth losing sleep over... but then again, thats just me. Ive had various suits made by the folks at Baik, and while they are not amazing, Ive always been able to get them to do what Ive wanted and with the details of finishing that I have specified. As long as you are able to communicate what you want and how you want it, it should be OK. To give you an idea, I had a suit I had tailored in London and explained to them what my idea of tailored finish is supposed to be. The results I obtained were in order.
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I need some advice on Jakarta hotels please. What would be more preferred, a Club Suite in ALILA Hotel or a superior room in FOUR SEASONS? The price is pretty much the same.
I'd like to try DHARMAWANGSA but I've been told it's very far from the center. Wanted to try GRAND HYATT, but it's even more expensive than FOUR SEASONS (go figure).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by broadwayboy
I'd like to try DHARMAWANGSA but I've been told it's very far from the center.
If you don't have to absolutely be in the center of Jakarta, I'd highly recommend the Dharmawangsa. It is only about 15 minutes by taxi from the center and it is a really great hotel. It is located in the nicest upscale residential area so, depending on who you're meeting, it might be convenient for them to see you at the hotel.
Travel time in Jakarta depends heavily on the traffic.
From the Jakarta Stock Exchange (BEJ) complex, The Dharmawangsa is merely 10 minutes by taxi when the traffic is OK. I agree with jtrader - the hotel is very nice and highly recommended.
Alila is located near the Presidential Palace and is further to the BEJ complex than The Dharmawangsa. So it highly depends on where you are heading.
Four Seasons Jakarta used to be a Regent Hotel and prices between Regent and Grand Hyatt has been comparable.
Food in FS is much better than in Alila.
If you supply more details of your places of interest we might be able to assist you more.
Now it's between FS and Grand Hyatt. I heard GH is always so very crowded - the lobby is always full of people mingling and the restaurants are constantly packed.
I would say go for FS - less expensive, good food.
Although you should know GH is connected to a shopping mall (Plaza Indonesia), so you have more choices for F & B.
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Well I sorta live in Jakarta now (summers at least), so I'll try to answer as many questions as possible.
broadwayboy, you are correct about the GH being packed with people. In fact you might actually run into my uncle there. The GH is commonly used as a meeting point for businessmen (because of its relative centrality), so it's pretty much busy all day. And people do tend to filter in from Plaza Indonesia. So I HIGHLY recommend the FS for now...until the Ritz-Carlton opens later this year in Mega Kuningan. As for the Dharmawangsa, it's not THAT removed from the city - only in a more residential area. It's a boutique hotel, so you'll definitely see less people than at the GH. I hear good things about that place.
To add to StarG, yes there is actually FREE Wi-Fi in certain malls around the city. It's called CBN Hotspot and can be found at the following locations:
Plaza Senayan
Plaza Indonesia
Cilandak Town Square
Hotel Mulia
Mall Ambassador (not ITC Kuningan which is connected to it...it's not the one with Carrefour)
Plaza Semanggi
You just ask the Customer Service counter for some, then they'll ask you to write down your phone number (sometimes you can just make it up if you don't have one or if you forget...they don't check), and you get one (or two in the case of Plaza Indonesia) one-hour cards for free. Now some of you may freak out at the thought of only being able to use it for an hour, but here's the thing...they haven't quite gotten it right yet, so once you're online and logged in, don't shut off your computer and the ISP won't realize how long you've been on. I've done this and I've been online up to 5-6 hours at a time. I don't know if they've fixed that bug yet, but might as well try. If you're in the Mega Kuningan area and you need to use the net, go to Mall Ambassador, and then go to Level 3 (that's the fourth floor under the food court) and find Java.net internet cafe. It's ADSL and it's not bad. Rp 10.000 for an hour. Ask for David. He'll take care of you.
Starbucks is expanding rapidly in Jakarta nowadays. They're almost as common as over here. The only difference is their sizing. They don't have the ventis that we do stateside. There's also The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Southern Californians know what I'm talking about), and also Dome.
For electronics, I used to go to Mangga Dua, but not anymore. They know that they're well-known so they jack up the prices. The best place to go is Glodok. It's inbetween Mangga Dua and the presidential palace. They have lower prices for everything. My aunt got a Sony DVD camcorder for Rp 1 million less than at Mangga Dua. That's also the place to get your pirated CDs, though those backalleys are SHADY TO THE NINES.
As for recreation, I'm not entirely sure about those hip bars (since the business is so fluid...one day they're open the next they're gone), but for most Jakartans, the places to be are at shopping malls (the nices ones like PI, PS, and Pondok Indah). But for me, I love to golf. The golf there is pretty spectacular (despite the heat). There are tons and tons of golf courses that you wouldn't be able to afford if it was anywhere else, but the only setback is the weather. To escape the heat, you have to play in the morning or in the afternoon or else you might as well hop into a frying pan and ask to be cooked well-done.
Lastly, I'm just curious about everyone's postings...why are all of you going to established places? There are a LOT of good places to go to that are outside of hotels. This is just my opinion, but when I'm in a foreign country, I try to immerse myself in the local food, not CPK or McDonalds. Bleh! However, Laguna Restaurant (near Juanda) is good for seafood. If you're craving serious Medan food, then I recommend Pluit. I can't remember the street name but the hawker stalls there are really good (and cheap too).
