Jakarta Capital Indonesia Travel Review - The Ultimate in Luxury Bleisure Travel

Jakarta Capital Indonesia Travel Review - The Ultimate in Luxury Bleisure TravelContrary to popular belief, Jakarta is a cosmopolitan city with some incrediblerestaurants, bars, shopping and cultural activities.So it was only a matter of time before Raffles Hotels and Resorts – renowned across theglobe for their discrete, personalised service – opened in Jakarta, the capital of one thebiggest emerging countries not only in Asia Pacific, but the world.FCM's National Product Leader for Land, Kal Ruediger recently visited Jakarta, stayingat Raffles for the duration of his visit. He's shared his review of the property with us.Opened in mid-2015, Raffles Jakarta sports 173 rooms (which are really more likesuites). Located in Kuningan, the core of Jakarta’s gold triangle, there is the addedconvenience of being directly connected to Ciputra World, one of the many mega-mallsthat Jakarta is well known for.Tell us about the propertyI planned in advance and had arranged transfers with Carey Worldwide who had alertedthe hotel of my updated arrival time from a delayed arrival.Upon arrival, every whim was taken care of. The concierge who assisted with my luggagewent to the point of calling through to the front desk, so by the time I arrived at the

check-in desk, I was greeted with a personal greeting as if I had been staying at thishotel for years.Service is what you expect from a true five-star brand; discrete, efficient and friendly butnot over the top and calming which is just what you need when you've spent a busy daybetween meetings and manoeuvring the traffic of a city that is home to nearly 10million.The first thing you notice when you walk in is the incredible artwork of HendraGunawan, an Indonesian painter and sculptor whose artworks on display in the hotelmust be worth millions.What were the rooms like?In true Raffles style (think Singapore’s iconic colonial palace), each room has anallocated butler service to cater to any request. Any request and it is yours!At a minimum of 60sqm, the rooms are some of the largest in Jakarta. In fact, at 60sqm,these rooms are bigger than most apartments you would find in Australia’s capital cities.Much like in the public spaces, the rooms are filled with Hendra Gunawan artwork andall feature an Illy coffee machine, a refreshment centre with complimentary water, highspeed internet and two interactive ZVOX LED TVs, because of course one isn’t nearlyenough in a 60sqm room.After enjoying a welcome mock-tail courtesy of the Raffles Ambassador loyalty program(you can sign up free via your FCM Travel Manager), I thought it was time to explorethis junior-suite inspired Raffles Room that was almost twice the size of my Sydneyapartment. Each room is divided into three spaces. First is a living room off the entryhall with a full size sofa, armchair and working desk (complete with ergonomic officechair for long evening hours on the laptop). From the living room and through thesliding panels you are lead into the master bedroom complete with a king size bed, floorto ceiling windows featuring a vista over the city and automated features like electroniccurtains and a high-tech surround sound system.What was the bathroom like?Off the bedroom you find a luxurious marble bathroom featuring Aspey bathroomproducts with a double vanity, separate bathtub (some overlooking the Jakarta skyline)along with a steam room inspired shower.

It really is one of those rooms that if you didn’t have to leave you wouldn’t, and afantastic respite from the hectic streets of Jakarta. Certainly a treat to come back to aftera busy day in the office.Was there a conference room and other rooms that made it suitable for acorporate getaway?In the short time that it has been open, Raffles has made a name for itself as the place tobe for events and conferences in the region. The great thing about Raffles Jakarta is thatsmall boardroom style meetings can be accommodated in tastefully decorated privatemeeting spaces or if you need a 3,500 person reception dinner this can also beaccommodated. In fact the Queen of Denmark and a large government delegation wasstaying at the hotel for Danish State Visit to Indonesia and in a testament to the staff ofthe hotel, what I found impressive was that the experience for other guests was not at allaffected.What other facilities were there?An outdoor pool, state of the art gym, three onsite restaurants/bars and a directconnection (indoors and air conditioned!) all make for not only a convenient stay butalso allows you to make yourself at home.Did you enjoy the food?Room service was prompt and delicious. I like to try local foods when I travel so waspleased to find a mix of Indonesian and Western favourites on an extensive menu.Breakfast is served in Arts Cafe and an artistic presentation of the buffet and a-la-cartemenu is an understatement. Think gold dusted donuts, freshly made macaroons andcream filled Berliners; and is before the extensive a-la-carte menu available from 6amevery day and complimentary for all FCM travellers booked on our SmartSTAY rates(ask your Travel Manager for more information).