Monday, December 11, 2006

Hotel Ciputra

Here is the truth. I have never intended to stay in Hotel Ciputra Jakarta until one day I have decided it is time to visit Ciputra Mall. Therefore, Ciputra mall is in fact that main impetus for me to stay in Hotel Ciputra




Hotel Ciputra is located in Jalan Letnan Jenderal S. Paraman, Jakarta 11470. Confusing address? Don't worry about it. From Sukarno-Hatta airport, tell any cab driver that your destination is Hotel Ciputra, he will take your there without further question. It is that simple.
As you are traveling along the the toll road towards the city, from Cengkareng airport toll road, you will eventually see Ciputra Hotel and mall on your right; it is so prominent that you simply can't missed it. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes by cab.




Stepping into the hotel entrance itself, you will see 2 tall white lady figurines. The lady figurine on the left holds a durian, and on the right, the other lady figurine bends over, putting her face close to the durian; looking and smelling the fruit. By the way, durian is a tropical fruit commonly found in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. So you have Art figures to look at and ponder before checking in.




Even though I have booked a standard room, I was expecting the size of the room to be big, as this was after all a 4 star hotel. But it was not. It was smaller than expected but nonetheless adequate for 2 persons. My assessment of the bedroom are as follows:

A) Bed - Clean and comfortable However the pillow seems a bit too soft and thin. Providing an additional pillow that is firm and thick would be nice.
B) Minibar/Coffee & Tea - The minibar is well- stock with beverages. There are some space left for you to put your own drinks. There is a mini kettle and coffee/tea bags. However I couldn't find any Chinese tea bags. Many other 4 star hotels do provide at least 2 Chinese tea bags (Jasmine) for their guests. So what I did was to go to the mall and bought a box of Chinese tea.
C) air-condition - it was sufficiently cool. But I am not able to increase the airflow even though there are 3 buttons to choose - low, medium and high.
D) Carpet - the carpet seems to be slightly worn out, due to aging and daily wear and tear. But it was acceptable to me.
F) Bathroom - There is a bathtub and adequate towels and toiletries. Take note that there are no disposable razors. So either you have brought it on your own, or you can buy it at the mall. Overall the bathroom is well maintained and clean.
G) Daily newspaper - provided free in the morning - Jakarta Post. One morning, it came wrapped up in a plastic bag hanging on my doorknob and another morning, it was simply placed on the floor right outside my door. Anyway if it means using less plastic bag for the sake of our environment, it is fine with me. On the floor it should be.

There is direct access to Ciputra mall from the main lobby. Remember the 2 lady figurines that I mentioned! When approaching the figurines, just turn right and you can see a long passageway leading to a glass door. Open the door and viola, - you are in Ciputra Mall. Now that is what I see as really cool.

The swimming pool and the gym are nice. There is a pool for kids, where you can see a frog figurine spurting out water from its mouth. The adult pool is spacious enough for a relaxing swim. The name of the gym is called V- Posture Fitness and Spa. Guest can used it for free. The lady staff at the gym took time to show me around the gym and its facilities, very thoughtful of her. The equipment are relatively new and in good condition.

Overall my stay in Hotel Ciputra was a comfortable and pleasant one. The pulling factor for me to come back would still be when I want to visit Ciputra Mall again.

For more information, visit IndonesiaPics.com.