Jakarta stopover ideas?

[SYD]

This thread is closed, so starting a new one:

Jakarta stopover

I'm looking at having to overnight in Jakarta airport between flights; late arrival, early departure. I've never been to the city - is there anything recommended to see in a day, if I went the day before - like a day trip out of the city? Or is the traffic enough to deter from attempting...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

We’re on our second SYD-CGK // cheap J fare to Europe trip and have a longish layover at Jakarta coming up before QF42 (checkin won’t open until about 17:45).

Last year on the way out, we stayed in town for 2 nights to look around Jakarta (tick) but that was a bit of a drag because CX departed around midnight. Coming home it was via DPS.

This trip, staying at the Ibis Styles Jakarta Airport both ways. I just hung around the airport prior to my afternoon QR flight. But heading home, we have the good part of a day to do something (and no early checkin).

I know the airtrain can take us into town but don’t need to do that. Any other thoughts and suggestions?

As a Accor Gold or higher, the hotel will give me a late checkout until at least 4pm (probably 5pm) and a free private transfer to the airport. So we should be able to freshen up before heading off again.

Doing it all again in Dec/Jan!

 

[jase05]

We use CGK a bit and with a short stopover we don’t mind the Mercure PIK which is only a short taxi ride from the airport and quite a decent hotel situated within a shopping complex so we can have a wander around.
If on a longer stay we head into the city and the Pullman Thamrin CBD is our preference as it’s pretty well located near some large malls and has a pretty decent EL.
Fairmont is also nice and has a great bar area with good views but location not as good IMO

 

[SYD]

We use CGK a bit and with a short stopover we don’t mind the Mercure PIK which is only a short taxi ride from the airport and quite a decent hotel situated within a shopping complex so we can have a wander around.
If on a longer stay we head into the city and the Pullman Thamrin CBD is our preference as it’s pretty well located near some large malls and has a pretty decent EL.
Fairmont is also nice and has a great bar area with good views but location not as good IMO

Thanks. We stayed at the All Seasons Thamrin (basically an Ibis Styles) last year. Quite close to the airport train station but have no need to stay downtown again.

Already booked (and stayed before) at the Ibis Styles Jakarta Airport. So pondering more what we can do from there without the risk of getting stuck in traffic getting back to the hotel.

 

[elanshin]

This thread is closed, so starting a new one:

Jakarta stopover

I'm looking at having to overnight in Jakarta airport between flights; late arrival, early departure. I've never been to the city - is there anything recommended to see in a day, if I went the day before - like a day trip out of the city? Or is the traffic enough to deter from attempting...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

We’re on our second SYD-CGK // cheap J fare to Europe trip and have a longish layover at Jakarta coming up before QF42 (checkin won’t open until about 17:45).

Last year on the way out, we stayed in town for 2 nights to look around Jakarta (tick) but that was a bit of a drag because CX departed around midnight. Coming home it was via DPS.

This trip, staying at the Ibis Styles Jakarta Airport both ways. I just hung around the airport prior to my afternoon QR flight. But heading home, we have the good part of a day to do something (and no early checkin).

I know the airtrain can take us into town but don’t need to do that. Any other thoughts and suggestions?

As a Accor Gold or higher, the hotel will give me a late checkout until at least 4pm (probably 5pm) and a free private transfer to the airport. So we should be able to freshen up before heading off again.

Doing it all again in Dec/Jan!

Just a note, I struggled to get them to give me a transfer to the hotel. Took them 1.5hrs... (would've been faster for me to walk). Back to the airport was fine though.

 

[SYD]

Just a note, I struggled to get them to give me a transfer to the hotel. Took them 1.5hrs... (would've been faster for me to walk). Back to the airport was fine though.

Yes, I grabbed a Grab a few weeks ago. Too hard to work out the transfer arrangements. Others here have mentioned a better service as Accor Platinum+

 

[SYD]

Yes, I grabbed a Grab a few weeks ago.

Gees, the non “Premium” Grab pickup is a bit of a zoo! Half the price but twice as long overall.

Since no one has suggested anything, thinking maybe head to PIK to checkout what’s there and whether the Mercure / Swissotel are better alternatives for the next trip in a few months (I already have the Ibis Styles booked but we’ll have 2x arvo / evening departures again and there’s not much around the Ibis(s).

 

[jase05]

Gees, the non “Premium” Grab pickup is a bit of a zoo! Half the price but twice as long overall.

Since no one has suggested anything, thinking maybe head to PIK to checkout what’s there and whether the Mercure / Swissotel are better alternatives for the next trip in a few months (I already have the Ibis Styles booked but we’ll have 2x arvo / evening departures again and there’s not much around the Ibis(s).

PIK mall which the hotel is attached to isn’t bad for shopping and has a variety of fast food and other smaller restaurants. Around the hotel it’s a pretty hip modern area with stacks of good restaurants, we had some really good steaks one night at a bar and grill. Plenty of nightlife around the area but the hotel complex is safe and quiet.
There is a golf course right across the road and also a mangrove national park area that has a boardwalk and if the weather is ok and the smog not too bad it’s quite an enjoyable walk.
The rooms are ok at the Mercure and the breakfast has always been good

 

[SYD]

PIK mall which the hotel is attached to isn’t bad for shopping and has a variety of fast food and other smaller restaurants. Around the hotel it’s a pretty hip modern area with stacks of good restaurants, we had some really good steaks one night at a bar and grill. Plenty of nightlife around the area but the hotel complex is safe and quiet.
There is a golf course right across the road and also a mangrove national park area that has a boardwalk and if the weather is ok and the smog not too bad it’s quite an enjoyable walk.
The rooms are ok at the Mercure and the breakfast has always been good

Thanks. Well check it out and hopefully find somewhere nice for lunch.

 

[SYD]

Yes, the PIK Avenue mall and hotels (Mercure and Swissotel) look like good potential options for slightly longer stays.

We had a nice Bailanese lunch in the centre. The surrounding streets aren’t particularly pedestrian friendly - I do miss that in SIN stopovers…

As a side note, QF42 CGK-SYD currently scheduled for 20:45 opened “early checkin” at 16:30. We were expecting 3 hrs prior (which seems pretty standard at CGK), so pleasantly surprised. Note: the signs above the checkin desks weren’t showing the usual Business, Economy, Bag drop but the lane signs were up and they were processing bag checkin. So very useful if travelling on seperate tickets.

Also, smart gates on arrival and departure now if you have a valid eVOA (or other visa).

 

[RooFlyer]

How do you position to CGK, @SYD ? Scoot business or whatever they call it?

And as it sounds like you are fixed, SYD, so can I pls impose and ask - for a complete noob in Jakarta, if I had a full day (ie spend 2 nights) there, what might I do? Interested in history. Not so tolerant of jammed roads.

 

[jase05]

How do you position to CGK, @SYD ? Scoot business or whatever they call it?

And as it sounds like you are fixed, SYD, so can I pls impose and ask - for a complete noob in Jakarta, if I had a full day (ie spend 2 nights) there, what might I do? Interested in history. Not so tolerant of jammed roads.

For me personally, we like Jakarta and have been there dozens of times but I know many that absolutely hate it. The traffic is chaotic and the smog can be terrible to the point where it can be hard to breathe but somehow i still find it nice enough for a day or two.
It’s only about 30km from the airport to the CBD but I’ve had varying times of 30 minutes up to 3hrs depending on traffic.
I do enjoy the National museum and if you are into history it’s pretty interesting and we like wandering around Merdeka square which is quite close to many sights and where you find the National monument which you can climb but lines can be huge. Koa Tua is the old part of the city and has plenty of Dutch heritage museum and is quite pleasant to wander around, there is a smaller museum there but the name escapes me but it is quite interesting with plenty of artifacts

 

[travelislife]

How do you position to CGK, @SYD ? Scoot business or whatever they call it?

And as it sounds like you are fixed, SYD, so can I pls impose and ask - for a complete noob in Jakarta, if I had a full day (ie spend 2 nights) there, what might I do? Interested in history. Not so tolerant of jammed roads.

Avoid Jakarta if you don’t like traffic!

 

[SYD]

How do you position to CGK, @SYD ? Scoot business or whatever they call it?

No, QF41/42 J just now (and again for Xmas/New Year - seperate QR J CGK-Euro (ret) - all up ~$4k plus points for Oz-Europe return in J). There’s still generally good CR seat availability ex-SYD (and MEL?) in J (and whY). Although, last nights flying time of ~6hrs is heading towards “too short” to sleep (I didn’t!).

Previous trip was open jaw from CGK / DPS. QF41 up and JQ/QF home via PER (all day flights). We scored CX J to Euro open jaw CGK-HKG-LHR//MAD-HKG-DPS for about $4.5k. The trip just completed, QR J (CGK-DOH-MAD//AMS-DOH-CGK) was ~$4k and the next trip (CGK-MUC//BCN-CGK) was ~$3.5k. I found all these combos using ITA matrix and usually book direct. Note: QR does throw in “unbundled” fares (with no included lounge but QF / OW status should still be ok).

In theory, you could transit same day. QF41 lands in CGK ~17:30 (summer) and closer to 19:00 in winter. Plenty of onward late evening flights but the obvious risks of delays and cancellations, and through check of luggage. For the return a morning arrival into CGK through to early afternoon is plenty of time to connect to QF42 which departs CGK ~19:00 (summer) and ~20:45 (winter).

We’re not pushed for time, so have taken the approach to o/n in CGK. There is a hotel at the airport (Ankara) and several close by (Ibis Styles and an Ibis Budget plus others). The offsite hotels can be as cheap as $50 pn thru to $100, including breakfast. Slightly further afield, as just mentioned upthread is a Mercure and Swissotel connected to PIK Avenue Mall. These are still relatively cheap compared to SIN and will have a lot more dining options. The shopping mall itself is very modern, the actual shopping looked a bit ho hum (or maybe just not interested after 6 wks away).

Flying into CGK has improved. With pre approved eVOA, just head to the smartgates and you’re in. Luggage delivery, so far has been pretty quick. Once landslide, enjoy ordered chaos. There’s a gaggle of taxi and rideshare options. A “regular” Grab (once you find the pickup point) from the airport to a nearby hotel will be $10-$15 but the wait can vary and there’ll be a lot of others waiting. The “premium” Grab service (cars are usually waiting) is about $20+ but worth it if you just want to get going to a hotel.

The downside to a layover is you’re looking at about 24-30 hrs on the way back. So that’s probably the time to spend 2 or more days to explore Jakarta (or other things). Heading out from Oz, there should be early morning flights out of CGK, so just a quick o/n near the airport is a good option.

And as it sounds like you are fixed, SYD, so can I pls impose and ask - for a complete noob in Jakarta, if I had a full day (ie spend 2 nights) there, what might I do? Interested in history. Not so tolerant of jammed roads.

Yes, there’s stuff to do and we did most of what @jase05 mentioned last year. It had been close to 30 yrs prior for me but it’s still a hot mess! No real need for me to do it again. Hence my earlier question of what was closer to the airport to do and see (not that much it seems).

To see central Jakarta, there’s a Skytrain (about $5 from memory - each way) but the price can vary based on time of day / demand. I think you can buy tickets online or from the machines. Trip takes about 40 mins and is slightly circuitous but gets you there in relative comfort. There’s a decent All Seasons Thamarin (by Accor) a short walk from the station or all the other usual suspect hotels further afield.

Not sure what a taxi will cost, but could take 30 mins to 2 hrs (depending on traffic).

Grab trips around Jakarta are about $1.50 (if tipping, the min is $0.50 ). To avoid too much walking in a mainly pedestrian unfriendly city, it’s a good way to get between places.

 

[Scarlett]

@RooFlyer. For a full day suggestion I’d book a Cengkareng area hotel (my go-to’s are the Ibis Styles or FM7, but note there is a new Fairfield almost next to the Ibis now and the oft mentioned Mercure PIK) and then search how you get a day trip out to Anak Krakatau (child of Krakatoa - still an active volcano) in the Sunda Strait.
I would imagine you could get a private transfer vehicle west to some point on the western end of Java (couple of hours), then a boat (probably sea-worthy… enough) into the Strait to the volcanic island (~1.5 hrs). I don’t know whether you can actually land on the island or not; ISTR it was actually based on recent level of activity but I’m sure some operators just go there irrespective of any rules. Probably would cost a couple hundred dollars.
A quick internet search shows plenty of companies running one day trips with pick up from Jakarta city or airport.

 

[drwtsv]

Unfortunately, there is not much to do in Jakarta for a few hours, but for staying the 5-star hotels in town have some really good rates, and really fantastic service. Most of them have access into shopping malls, there are also lots of really good 5-star hotel buffet lunches and dinners for around $100 for 2 people. If you have 24 hours you could always catch a flight to Yogjakarta and have a look at the Borobudur temple or go up to Bangung, by bus, train or plane (around 3 hours' drive) where there are hundreds of factory outlets with brand name clothes all selling for about $30 per piece. Also, if you have 24 hours could take a day trip to Tamin Safari where you drive through the zoo and the animals all come up to the car and put their heads in the window. There are many sellers selling carrots and bananas for the last km before the zoo entrance. The zoo is about $100 a family entrance fee or can be included in a tour cost if you book transport/zoo entry package tour. Unless staying at airport area its a good idea to allow 4 hours before your flight to leave for the airport, Friday nights especially the traffic can be bad, but rain also has a big impact on the traffic problems. Just driving around Jakarta looking at everything is an amazing experience to watch how daily life operates. You can hire car with driver very cheaply for around $50 dollars upwards a day, of course depending on how luxurious a car you want. Self-drive hire car is not recommended as road rules, and the way people drive, are very different to Australia.

 

[SYD]

If you have 24 hours you could always catch a flight to Yogjakarta and have a look at the Borobudur temple

Yes, I might consciously try and do that another time.

Self-drive hire car is not recommended as road rules, and the way people drive, are very different to Australia.

That would be an understatement!

 

[drwtsv]

Yes, I might consciously try and do that another time.

That would be an understatement!

Not sure if you have any interest but Garuda also have a flight simulator experience package that is quite reasonably priced