[HOTEL] Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta, Thamrin, Jakarta

My favorite holiday season is Christmas and normally, this time of the year is guaranteed for vacation. Last year, due to Mr. K’s schedule, we couldn’t go anywhere so we decided to have a staycation in hotel again to have some fun and relax a bit. We chose Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta this time, and we stayed there during the Christmas weekend (27-28 December 2014).

Picked the infamous “Bundaran HI” and “Welcome Statue” as the cover image of this post because what else is better describing this hotel than this? (Psstt, do you know that the infamous “Bundaran HI” is named after this legendary hotel?)

So, as usual, the check-in is after 2PM and I arrived around 1.30PM. The receptions area was packed with people and there were queues for the check-ins, I was surprised. Luckily, I got a shorter line where only 2 person in front of me so I expected it will go smooth and quick. However, in the end I had to wait (while standing) for more than 30 minutes for my turn, to be greeted unprofessionally by the staff (who seemed to be rushing and not focused), and after I turned in my reservation email, he told me to wait once again and started processing another man’s reservation who was standing next to me and wasn’t even waiting in any line! WTF, really.

After some long process (took about 45 minutes) to get the check-ins done, we finally got our room on the 7th floor. We booked Executive Grand Deluxe room for USD 399.3/night incl. tax (USD 1 = IDR 12,000), because I wanted to get access to the Ganesha Executive Club Lounge. I know, the reason was probably ridiculous, but let’s take it as a replacement of Winter vacation! XD The room’s size is 64 sqm, separated into 3 areas: bedroom, bathroom, and balcony. Let’s start with the bedroom!

Our bedroom looks great but it doesn’t look too big, considering the mentioned size. We picked one King-sized bed, and that’s all. There is no sofa whatsoever, and we only had a desk instead.

The room is complimented with Illy espresso machine (and the coffee packs, of course), iPod docking station, and laptop-size safe.

The second area is the bathroom, where I spent most of my time during my stay, LOL! I believe the size of the bathroom is almost as big as the bedroom. With double sinks and mirrors, the bathroom looks spacious and glamorous. It also has separated shower with both rain and hand shower, a fully automatic toilet, and oversized bathtub. Seriously, these all are what I need to relax and enjoy my me-time!

The third area is the balcony. Here is the twist: not every room has “walkable” balcony. Basically we couldn’t really choose any floor because the rooms were fully booked during the check-in, but we got the one with balcony, complete with sofas and table. For a smoker like Mr. K, this is a total jackpot and he was indeed very lucky (^^;)

Moving on to the next room. Since we stayed in this hotel together with my sister’s family, she also booked the same Executive Grand Deluxe room with same price. However, she got a room on 8th floor, same view overlooking Bundaran HI, but seriously her room looks MUCH bigger than ours. ;( The reason is that her room has higher ceiling, which creates more spacious illusion. She got the 2 twin-sized beds instead of one King-sized bed. Replacing the desk in my room, she had a nice set of sofa by the corner, also another single sofa and desk are placed near the window. The room is actually no smoking one, so there is no balcony in this room.

Uniquely, the spa, fitness center, and swimming pool are located on the higher floor (17th if I am not mistaken), and everything can be done while enjoying the view of Jakarta through the glass windows. The swimming pool is not big but there is also kids’ pool, which is great for family who brings kids. It’s amazing to think that the pool is located on the rooftop of the hotel.

As I mentioned earlier, the reason why I booked this room was because I wanted to gain access to the Ganesha Executive Club Lounge, which is located on the 7th floor.

The lounge is not big but since it’s private and limited to higher room types only, it’s more than enough to accommodate the guests. It opens everyday from 6.30AM to 11PM, serving breakfast, fresh fruit and beverages through the day, afternoon tea and cookies, selections of wines and alcoholic drinks. As if these are not enough, we get unlimited access to the lounge anytime we want.

During our stay, we visited the lounge more than once and we were very satisfied with the food, service, and everything. The staffs were very polite and informative, the food were great, I really didn’t find anything bad at all.

Took some shots of the beautiful night view of Jakarta’s Bundaran HI, I really felt that our room is simply the best! <33

Although we had a little problem with the check-in, the disappointment was replaced with great experience that we had during 2 days 1 night stay in Kempinski Jakarta. This is not an advertorial post but seriously, this hotel is a place I would definitely choose again whenever I need a short getaway inside Jakarta. Hope to be back soon!