Originally Posted by
IAN-UK
This joins "taxis are dirt cheap is Dubai" as an enduring travel myth.
Well placed 5-stars in Jakarta can offer value compared to Hong Kong, London etc, but can also be painfully expensive for self-funding visits, especially after tax and service is added in. Lower rates are at weekends.
As it seems the OP might be in Indonesia for only one night, I'd suggest one of the hotels in or around the airport. The ex-Sheraton, now Bandara International is pricey but on-airport (though still needs a shuttle): there are Ibis hotels and some smarter offers close to CGK. In the city value is in second-tier chains such as the Holiday Inns and Doubletree. For hotels next to the city centre rail link at BNI Sudirman station, look to the Holiday Inn Express Thamrin or the All Seasons. They should give you change from £40, and are within a short walk of the Kempinski and the swanky malls.
PS the airport to city rail link I refer to above is recommended over taxis as it gives (more) dependable timings for the city-airport trip. Trains run every half hour and take something over 45 minutes though there's a measure of faff getting to the airport station. Tickets are easy, using credit card. A taxis usually takes about one hour, but that can easily run to ninety minutes or more: my record is four hours.
For the single passenger the rail ticket represents half the taxi fare. OK, that's £5 instead of £10, but it's till a saving
.
Generally, for short stays, I'm not fussed about hotel star ratings. I've been to Jakarta twice in the last few months and have stayed in the city both times (just north of the National Monument park).
Both places were clean, new and comfortable. I stayed two nights in the first: Hotel Santika at ca £45/night inc breakfast. Then four nights in the second: Yello Hotel Harmoni at ca £31/night. Good customer service from both.
Blue Bird taxis to and from the airport were ca IDR 150,000. I haven't spent enough time in the city to fully understand the public transport system and taxis were easily available and, to me, were good value.