Jakarta Staycation 2013

Oct. 14 - 15, 2013

It was a pleasant surprise when i found out that my dad was coming over here in Jakarta for a business trip. He stayed for 4 days before heading to his main destination for work, which was east timor. Thankfully, he was here during a national holiday, "Idul Adha", thus, i was able to spend one night at his hotel and managed to bring him to some malls to shop and dine. 

 staycation with the fathergoose. check out my pasalubong! heehee :)

my dad stayed at JS Luwansa Hotel and Convention Center in Rasuna Said, Jakarta.

for a staycation, here is what i thought about my experience...

PROs

• friendly and accommodating hotel staff
• modern and clean hotel room
• comfy bed
• fast internet (wifi)
• one of the best tiramisu experience
• located at business district and nearby malls

CONs

• no lounge area at the reception. only a handful of chairs. better to stay at the restaurant

i can't comment about their other amenities like pool, gym as i wasn't able to check it out.

i would highly recommend this hotel for business and/or staycation purposes. 

the room

bathroom

hotel's restaurant (ground floor)

must try TIRAMISU!

  

room service on our last night

on our first night together, my dad and i went to Senayan City to have dinner and roam around. 

indonesian style ribs for dinner

the following day was the holiday so after we had our breakfast at the hotel we went to grand indonesia and plaza indonesia to shop and dine.

lunch at jun njan restaurant (grand indonesia)

kitchenette!!! (plaza indonesia)

Last Thoughts about my Staycation

for almost 3 years of residing here in Jakarta, i never had a staycation before so it was somewhat an exciting experience for me. hehe. moreover, ever since i got here in Jakarta i really wanted my dad to come and visit me. he wasn't able to join my mom last august trip but this trip made up for that. he was the one who encouraged me to take this job overseas and one of my best decisions ever. 

emo aside, i realized i should have more of this staycation experience. one can not refuse marshmallow sheets. seriously!  plus, you'll never know what the hotel's restaurant can offer. i'm already eyeing my next hotel. cross fingers!

Jakarta Staycation 2013

Oct. 14 - 15, 2013

It was a pleasant surprise when i found out that my dad was coming over here in Jakarta for a business trip. He stayed for 4 days before heading to his main destination for work, which was east timor. Thankfully, he was here during a national holiday, "Idul Adha", thus, i was able to spend one night at his hotel and managed to bring him to some malls to shop and dine. 

 staycation with the fathergoose. check out my pasalubong! heehee :)

my dad stayed at JS Luwansa Hotel and Convention Center in Rasuna Said, Jakarta.

for a staycation, here is what i thought about my experience...

PROs

• friendly and accommodating hotel staff
• modern and clean hotel room
• comfy bed
• fast internet (wifi)
• one of the best tiramisu experience
• located at business district and nearby malls

CONs

• no lounge area at the reception. only a handful of chairs. better to stay at the restaurant

i can't comment about their other amenities like pool, gym as i wasn't able to check it out.

i would highly recommend this hotel for business and/or staycation purposes. 

the room

bathroom

hotel's restaurant (ground floor)

must try TIRAMISU!

  

room service on our last night

on our first night together, my dad and i went to Senayan City to have dinner and roam around. 

indonesian style ribs for dinner

the following day was the holiday so after we had our breakfast at the hotel we went to grand indonesia and plaza indonesia to shop and dine.

lunch at jun njan restaurant (grand indonesia)

kitchenette!!! (plaza indonesia)

Last Thoughts about my Staycation

for almost 3 years of residing here in Jakarta, i never had a staycation before so it was somewhat an exciting experience for me. hehe. moreover, ever since i got here in Jakarta i really wanted my dad to come and visit me. he wasn't able to join my mom last august trip but this trip made up for that. he was the one who encouraged me to take this job overseas and one of my best decisions ever. 

emo aside, i realized i should have more of this staycation experience. one can not refuse marshmallow sheets. seriously!  plus, you'll never know what the hotel's restaurant can offer. i'm already eyeing my next hotel. cross fingers!

Jakarta, Indonesia: Saculo Family Visit

May 4 - 6, 2013

this is obviously a late post. monumentally late. shux.

anyhoo, i have been residing here in Jakarta for more than 2 years and my family finally decided to visit me. i know right. haha!

i was lucky enough to be granted a one day leave to spend quality time with my family. it was the best 3 days of my year so far. :)

hello from airport! can you see the sign? i've made it myself!

this entry will be a bit of a photodiary with some tips along the way.

ACCOMMODATION and TRANSPORTATION

I have rented a unit in my apartment building for their entire stay. i likewise rented a car (with driver) to take us everywhere. i wanted their vacation to be stress - free plus it turned out to be cheaper and i get to spend more time with them.

Day 1

Sadly, i still had work that morning so i informed the driver to pick them up in the apartment and drop by to my workplace to pick me up after my work finished.

after which, we all went to Taman Mini. i was a bit hesitant to visit this place again as i feared there will be a massive crowd just like my previous visit. BUT apparently saturday afternoon is the best time to hit this place during the weekend. we immensely enjoyed our visit. my favorite taman mini visit ever!

TIP: if you can't visit during the weekday, best time is saturday! 

 the cable car experience

monyet = monkey

 touring different tribe houses

 trying traditional dining

another side of taman mini

Yogyakarta - my favorite spot!

the Bali part of Taman Mini. best place for photo ops!

my original plan was to drop by ancol for sunset and dinner but we scrapped that plan and decided to hit Kelapa Gading Mall for sushi dinner and pasalubong shopping instead. we did have a quick stop over to Harvest Cake to buy Andy, my niece, a celebratory cake for being a salutatorian the past school year. i'm a very proud aunt! :)

TIP: try blueberry cheesecake of Harvest Cakes. super yummy!

dinner at one of my favorite sushi place, Standing Sushi Bar

she was surprised and they loved the cake!

Day 2

Taman Safari Adventure

we have dedicated this entire day road tripping. we left the apartment as early as 6 am and spent the whole day at the park. we had so much fun! sadly, we were not able to hit the falls. oh well, next time!

TIP: buy carrots prior entering the park for animal feeding during the tour. it costs cheaper.

 animal encounter

TIP: make most out of your photo ops with the animals. have it in solo and family photo.

TIP: check out the schedule of shows so you can maximize your time  

Bird Show and Tiger Show

Sea Lion Show

Abby's favorite spot, the penguins!

Day 3

for their last day, we opted to stay in Jakarta to buy some souvenirs and dine in to places not available in Manila.

TIP: for batik shopping, check out Thamrin City Mall

TIP: head out to Grand Indonesia to dine in Marche and dessert afterwards to Magnum Cafe 

Marche

 

 Magnum Cafe

we also dropped by to Kota Tua only to find out that museums were closed during Mondays. so we had a quick look around, some photo ops and bought some souvenirs at the souvenir store. 

Final Thoughts about this long weekend

nothing beats quality time with family especially them flying all the way just to spend long weekend with you. as their tourist guide, i'm proud to say that they enjoyed their short stay. moreover, they got to see the city i've been working my ass off for 2 years (and counting). haha! 

so for my next tourist guide adventure, my mom and my aunts. will let you know how it goes! goodluck to me!

Jakarta, Indonesia: Saculo Family Visit

May 4 - 6, 2013

this is obviously a late post. monumentally late. shux.

anyhoo, i have been residing here in Jakarta for more than 2 years and my family finally decided to visit me. i know right. haha!

i was lucky enough to be granted a one day leave to spend quality time with my family. it was the best 3 days of my year so far. :)

hello from airport! can you see the sign? i've made it myself!

this entry will be a bit of a photodiary with some tips along the way.

ACCOMMODATION and TRANSPORTATION

I have rented a unit in my apartment building for their entire stay. i likewise rented a car (with driver) to take us everywhere. i wanted their vacation to be stress - free plus it turned out to be cheaper and i get to spend more time with them.

Day 1

Sadly, i still had work that morning so i informed the driver to pick them up in the apartment and drop by to my workplace to pick me up after my work finished.

after which, we all went to Taman Mini. i was a bit hesitant to visit this place again as i feared there will be a massive crowd just like my previous visit. BUT apparently saturday afternoon is the best time to hit this place during the weekend. we immensely enjoyed our visit. my favorite taman mini visit ever!

TIP: if you can't visit during the weekday, best time is saturday! 

 the cable car experience

monyet = monkey

 touring different tribe houses

 trying traditional dining

another side of taman mini

Yogyakarta - my favorite spot!

the Bali part of Taman Mini. best place for photo ops!

my original plan was to drop by ancol for sunset and dinner but we scrapped that plan and decided to hit Kelapa Gading Mall for sushi dinner and pasalubong shopping instead. we did have a quick stop over to Harvest Cake to buy Andy, my niece, a celebratory cake for being a salutatorian the past school year. i'm a very proud aunt! :)

TIP: try blueberry cheesecake of Harvest Cakes. super yummy!

dinner at one of my favorite sushi place, Standing Sushi Bar

she was surprised and they loved the cake!

Day 2

Taman Safari Adventure

we have dedicated this entire day road tripping. we left the apartment as early as 6 am and spent the whole day at the park. we had so much fun! sadly, we were not able to hit the falls. oh well, next time!

TIP: buy carrots prior entering the park for animal feeding during the tour. it costs cheaper.

 animal encounter

TIP: make most out of your photo ops with the animals. have it in solo and family photo.

TIP: check out the schedule of shows so you can maximize your time  

Bird Show and Tiger Show

Sea Lion Show

Abby's favorite spot, the penguins!

Day 3

for their last day, we opted to stay in Jakarta to buy some souvenirs and dine in to places not available in Manila.

TIP: for batik shopping, check out Thamrin City Mall

TIP: head out to Grand Indonesia to dine in Marche and dessert afterwards to Magnum Cafe 

Marche

 

 Magnum Cafe

we also dropped by to Kota Tua only to find out that museums were closed during Mondays. so we had a quick look around, some photo ops and bought some souvenirs at the souvenir store. 

Final Thoughts about this long weekend

nothing beats quality time with family especially them flying all the way just to spend long weekend with you. as their tourist guide, i'm proud to say that they enjoyed their short stay. moreover, they got to see the city i've been working my ass off for 2 years (and counting). haha! 

so for my next tourist guide adventure, my mom and my aunts. will let you know how it goes! goodluck to me!