[HOTEL] Novotel Bogor Golf Resort & Convention Center (Part II)

This is the Part II of our review about Novotel Bogor Golf Resort & Convention Center, here is the Part I if you haven’t read it yet.

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The night was ended beautifully with happy tummies although we didn’t get to walk around the garden because it was already late, we didn’t know the area too well, and it was too dark for children. After the dinner, we basically just spent time in our room and enjoyed the outdoor lounge and bathtub. The bathtub especially, is fabulous! The size is large, and it can fit up to 4 children with some space for playing too. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can just leave the curtains open, LOL! XD

Although the hotel itself screams old, old, and old; I must say that the cleanliness and comfort are still great. After spending a lovely night sleeping on super comfortable bed and cool air-conditioned room, we planned to wake up early the following morning to catch the glimpse of Bogor’s sunrise from the garden.

Around 5AM, I already woke up and got ready for a “sunrise hunting” and by 5.45AM we were ready to go. Before we left the room, we checked from our private terrace that the sky was still pitch dark and there was no sign of sunrise yet. Leaving our room, we proceeded to the nearest door in the hallway connecting to the garden, and we were shocked to see that the sky had already turned bright. It was just less than 5 minutes and it had changed so much! WHY?? *tears*

We were quite disappointed that we missed the sunrise, but life must go on, right? So we chose to continue walking around and explore more about the complex. First thing we noticed was the bridge heading to swimming pool, this looks totally much better than during the night!

The resort facilities like free web corner, outdoor pool, pool bar, kids club, children playground, tennis court, fitness and spa, are about to be discovered from here!

The swimming pool area is spacious but the pool itself is small for a resort like this. There are different depth levels of the pools, from the kids pool, to 2 meters deep pool for adults. We can also lounge around in the surrounding area, and towels are provided in the station.

Still around the pool area, we have all the family activities facilities from games, sports, and many more. There is even an indoor playing area where they provide electronic games like Play Station and its kind! Amazing. But for us, we wanted to do something without technology or gadget-oriented, so we skipped that and focused more on physical activities.

After walking around for some more minutes, suddenly one of the pool ladies told us that the sunrise was coming up. I was like, “Is it already rising?”, but well, we found the spot she told us and yes, we got the glimpse of rising sun in the middle of the scenery, YAY!

Going forward, we saw this beautiful separated building which is actually named In Balance, where guests can freely use to keep their body fit during their stay at Novotel Bogor.

Beautiful area for rejuvenating your mind, body, and soul. I felt totally refreshed after spending minutes here, can’t even imagine if I stay longer?

Around 7.30AM, we went straight to Verandah Restaurant for breakfast. While we sat inside the indoor area last night, the breakfast buffet is served in the semi-open space of the restaurant, facing the garden with small gazebo in the center where Sundanese instrumental music was played LIVE continuously by two talented men. The atmosphere was just top notch!

The breakfast is quite satisfying, with selection of Indonesian and International cuisine. The variety is not extravagant and not too many for a hotel breakfast but at least we can have decent, energizing breakfast here.

As we finished our breakfast, we spent more time walking around the garden and taking photos, swimming, playing table tennis and foosball, and the kids were very happy. I think it had been sometime since the last time we had this much fun just doing natural things totally unrelated with gadgets and stuffs. I believe this staycation was a success because we all had SO MUCH FUN!

Kids riding pony, why not? And it’s free of charge, but we can always spare some tip for the guide.

These are the photos taken from our room to the lobby area during daytime. Although it was beautiful during night time, these looked even better when the sky is bright.

After a rejuvenating stay, it was so painful to actually leave the place. Novotel Bogor is not magnificently luxurious, but we had so many good memories painted in our hearts. As usual, I have to mention that we are NOT getting paid whatsoever for writing this post, but we really love the place despite all its weaknesses here and there. We truly recommend this hotel for everyone who needs short getaway near Jakarta, it doesn’t have to be expensive, but having an unforgettable moment is most important.

We’ll see you again, Novotel Bogor!