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.

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Ciputra Mall

Ciputra Mall Jakarta is located at Jl. Letnan Jenderal S. Parman. The Ciputra Hotel which is built next to the mall, has a direct access link to the mall via the hotel lobby.

I find that the location of Ciputra mall and hotel rather odd and fascinating. It sits right at the section of the busy highways and toll roads. In fact you can catch a good glimpse of this development while driving along the highway. It is so prominent that you can't missed it. Interestingly, there is a University that is just next to this mall. It is called the Tarumanagara Universiti. The building of this university is almost as tall as the Ciputra Hotel itself.

Ciputra Mall is spacious indeed. There are plenty of space and multi-level floors for the shoppers to stroll. You can actually walk up or down from one floor to the next floor instead of taking escalators. Good concept. There are literally hundreds of retail stores lining up waiting to catch your attention. The anchor tenants includes Hero Supermarket, Guardian, Watson and Matahari. What stands out for Ciputra Mall is that besides large anchor tenants, there are hundreds of small retail stores offering an unlimited variety of merchandise. If you are a food lover, food outlets are plentiful too.

However take note that if you are looking for famous international branded merchandise such as Aigner, Louis Vuitton, Dunhill, Cartier, etc. This is not the place. You should go to Senanyan Mall or Plaza Indonesia instead.

I have noticed that there are a large numbers of teenagers here. Perhaps they are students from the nearby University.

One of the best way for me to enjoy shopping in this mall is to take my time to check out the special offers merchandise from big/small retail stores. My girlfriend picked up beautiful shorts from a small retail store for just US$1-50 a piece. Fantastic value! I have bought a multi-compartment backpack for just US$7/-.

If I can afford the time again when I'm in Jakarta. This will be the place I will want to visit again.





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Plaza Indonesia

I took a slow walk from my hotel to Plaza Indonesia. As I approached close to the mall, the first object that caught my eyes is the traffic circle (roundabout) with fountain jetting out cool water into the air. Traffic was very heavy but moving very smoothly.

Plaza Indonesia sits on the prime land overlooking this famous traffic roundabout. And as though not to be outdone by the fountain at the traffic roundabout, it has its own water features as well. Water cascading down from 3 levels of walls and also fountains. The surrounding is like a mini garden. Besides it, a huge sign - Grand Hyatt Jakarta. An upmarket mall combined with a upmarket hotel. A perfect synergy.



Plaza Indonesia is not a new mall but it still manage to retain its grandeur and importance. It draws its strength from its prime location. Opposite the mall is the Nikko hotel. The Japanese embassy and Hard Rock cafe /ex. is just 5-10 minutes walk away. Also close by is the Ascott and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Seriously, how can any malls in Jakarta compete with that?





This is the mall where you can see lots of tourists, Japanese and Chinese. There are of course local Indonesians as well. Metro and Sogo are the main tenants of this mall. There are many specialty stores here, especially those international designer brands from Europe and America.

If you are hungry, the are plenty of restaurants and coffee joints to choose. There is a restaurant that is located at the concourse itself. It is an open concept with trees lining up on two sides. Very unique indeed. The food court is located at the basement. However avoid going there on lunch or dinner hours, as seating capacity is limited.



One of my favorite store is in fact a snack shop called Snack Zone. They have so many variety of snacks and candies - it is fascinating. The snacks taste good and it is not expensive at all. There is also a store that sells beautiful flowers and plants. It is also located at the basement. Must see.

Plaza Indonesia is perfect for Shoppers looking for famous branded merchandise. For myself, I do not belong to the rich nor famous category. But I still do enjoy coming here to gaze at the beautiful merchandise and enjoy the serene atmosphere.
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