Jakarta (CGK) - the ultimate Q&A thread
 

Taking a cue from my thread over in the South American forum, Ive decided to start one of these about another city Im very familiar with. Please post your questions and if you have some tips on this great city please feel free to add your contributions here. Im subscribing to this thread, so I will try to do my best to come back here often.

Jakarta has lots of (unwarranted) bad press. Sure, there are many things to whine about in this town but the positives absolutely outweigh the negatives. You just need someone to tell you where the goodies are.

Cheers !!!

Gaucho

Nobody interested in Jakarta....?

Gaucho,
It's usually a quick in-and-out of the Hyatt/Four Seasons for me. But if you could start the ball rolling on the 'juicy' bits, I might be inclined to stay/explore the next time round... ;)

milehighj

Yeah, give us the juicy bits, cowboy :D

I've never been there, but I may be stopping over for the night on a RTW. Where are the fun places where the mid-twenties crowd hang out? Any suggestions on what to do if I'm there for a Sunday afternoon and night?

Sure.... I can get the ball rolling. Please give me some details on what your interests are and I can take it from there.

There are lots of interesting places to party in Jakarta.... but, Sunday night is not really good in terms of timing. Any chance you can do this on Thursday, Friday or Saturday?

Do you Golf...? Golfing in Jakarta is quite good, you could get a round in in the Afternoon and then hit the bars at night...

My wife is from Jakarta - close to Taman Angrek (sp?) mall. We are going back in late November / early December. I do have a question about Jakarta: has the Indonesian government cracked down on the ahem 'discount' dvd and cd vendors? I have heard that the Malaysian govt has done so, and was wondering about Indo. Also, is Mangga Dua still the best place to go for electronics-related stuff? Do you know anywhere near Taman Angrek or Mangga Dua where I could find a high-speed Internet connection into which to plug my laptop? Last question, where is the best place to go for a reasonably priced taylored suit? I am looking to purchase something of good quality which looks a lot more expensive than it costs.

Thanks for posting the Jakarta thread :-)

Mangga Dua is alive and well, and business is, well, business as usual. The DVDs and electronics are also as usual.

Cant help you on high speed internet connection in the areas you mention. Biznet offers a high speed connection that is pricey, but works quite well at the Intercontinental Hotel - buy prepaid cards and you are good to go.

Tailors.... in Jakarta, my one and only tailor it Baik Tailors, lemme look up the address and I will post the details later. Its not cheap.... but the workmanship isnt cheap either, so I think its fair.

I can't speak for Jakarta, but I was in Bali a few months ago, and the "discount" dvd and cd vendors were all over the place (not to mention the discount software vendors!). Mind you, I certainly didn't buy any!

I'm doing it as part of a RTW...ending the first part in CGK on a Sunday. But I guess I could start the second part on a Saturday so that I can be there on a Friday night :)

Yup! But I do my golfing in Bangkok and I'm not likely to be carrying my clubs with me on the RTW.

I have a choice of staying (at low corporate rates) at the Mandarin Oriental, Borobodur, Shangri-la or Intercontinental Midplaza...which would you suggest to be close to where the action is?

Stay away from the Borobudur and the Mandarin.... for action, I would recommend the Shangri-La. The Intercontinental is also rather quiet, although it does have decent restaurants (Scusa, some Japanese options in the Mid Plaza area below).

details of tailor in Jakarta
 

Biak International Tailor
Jl. Biak 14 B
Jakarta
(62-21) 6329251

Terima kasih :)

I have to say that the Shangri-La is THE place to stay if you like the bar/club crowd at night. Not a quiet place.

As for the tailor, you say the price is not cheap and that they are decent tailors...I need a new suit and I live in HKG as well...wanted to know if your guy can beat HKG prices in quality and well, price...if so, I'd be more than happy to give him a try later this month.

Also, you going to be there Oct 20s?

What do you recommend the places worth visiting for a family with small kids (toddlers) in or around Jakarta for a2 or 3 night stay? Any ideas?