Ritz-Carlton experience in Jakarta

I am writing this post as I wait for my flight back to Manila coming from here in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia. I flew to the city last Monday morning from Manila with a stopover in Singapore via Philippine Airlines.

 

early morning flight!

 

Food in-flight. Little servings, but just enough to fill you in for the slightly over than 3 hours flight.

At the stop over, all passengers, including those continuing to Jakarta, has to transit thru Singapore by deplaning and boarding the same plane again so I had a chance to sneak a little time to buy some macaroons in TWG at the terminal.

 

 

 Jakarta bound!

snacks served in-flight

 

After arriving in Jakarta, I met up with a hotel personnel who led me to the executive taxi I arranged prior for transportation between the airport and the hotel. It is a first for me to finally stay in a Ritz-Carlton property. I've always longed to experience one however the price per night is usually preventing me from doing so (specially on personal travels). It was a good thing that we have a corporate rate with The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan, that I managed to sneak a few nights stay here. A sister property The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place would have been more convenient for me as it is located just across our office but the steep rates and lack of negotiated price would not permit.

 

As I enter the hotel security gates, my service car was stopped and went into the usual full physical inspection done to vehicles in most hotels and establishments in the city. Here I was greeted by a staff by my name so I must be on record. Upon reaching the driveway and ultimately at the lobby entrance, I was whisked into another security point where they do x-ray for baggage and persons entering the hotel. It has been a very pleasant experience so far.

 

As I finally enter the hotel door, I was greeted by my name by a staff named Diantika who then led me to my room on the 17th floor. Then I was awed when I saw the room. It was huge and spacious and later did I know upon checking my reservation online that I was actually upgraded as the staff didn't tell me about it. I originally booked using company rate for USD125 for a Grand room (63sqm) with 1 king bed, inclusive of breakfast and internet but I was given a Tempus Grand room, with 1 king bed, which is actually a corner room and has 75sqm of space.

 

Upon entering the room, a welcoming ambience of the closet that actually contains the honor and mini bar greeted me. On the left is a walk-in closet, connected to the bathroom and on the right is the bedroom with a space for sofa and working table.

 

minibar items

walk-in closet, walking inside and further to the right leads to the bathroom

The room is very spacious indeed! The ceiling was high at 3.5 meters which emphasizes the feeling of having a big room. The window is very inviting as well and has a view of the surrounding area outside the hotel.

The working desk is ample enough for my business duties. Wireless and wired internet is available for free (or inclusive) and for power, they even provided an adaptor for those who brought home devices with a different plug (they use rounded 2 prongs here).

 

the working desk

 

view of the room from the window

 

A big highlight of the room of course is the bathroom. Spacious and luxurious if I may say, marbled throughout. The tub is separate from the enclosed shower which I always prefer so as not to slip while climbing out of the tub when using the shower. A couple of sinks is always welcome so that a couple sharing a room wouldn't have problem having his or her own space.

 

 

bathtub

toiletries

 

welcome fruits

 
Bottled water is provided, around 4 bottles in different areas in the room. They recommend that even for tooth brushing to use bottled waters for health and sanitation purposes.

 

view from the room at daylight, overseeing the Mega Kuningan area

 

 view from the room at night

Breakfast is served at Asia Restaurant, located at the lobby level of the hotel. It features cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, American/Western and of course local Indonesian food. There is a wide variety of food available for diners, and servers does rounds on tables for freshly baked breads and pastries.

 
my breakfast plates for the first morning and second, respectively

 

I didn't get a chance to go around the city for food due to weather and for most of my meals, I just had them at the restaurants housed at the nearby Oakwood Shopping Arcade. The area is the same where I stayed 2 years ago for my first business trip in the city. I went back to a restaurant where I've eaten local food that time but I remember it was named as Waroeng Kampong at that time if I'm not mistaken. Right now, this restaurant is called Pawon Nyonya.

 
Again, I had my favorite food in Indonesia - Sop Buntut (or oxtail soup). There's another variety of this dish that I like better called Sop Buntut Goreng where the oxtail is fried and usually separated from the soup.

On another occasion, I ate at Eaton Restaurant - Ah Mei Café, who serves Singaporean and Japanese style food, together with some baked goods at the café.

 
nasi bebek

 
lumpia udang mayonaise

 

wonton soup

 
all together now!

 

 

Such a short trip. I was to stay for 3 nights but my flight falls at the wee hours of Thursday so I had to checkout Wednesday very late at night and headed back to the airport. It is regretful for me that I didn't get to experience this city much, knowing that it may be the last of my travel to this city for quite a long time due to a realignment of my job role.

Vieux Chalet Restaurant and St. Moritz Inn, a Swiss getaway

I was treated by my wife Roshie last weekend for an overnight stay in Antipolo, half an hour drive from Metro Manila. The place was quite difficult to find at night as the place is very dark but when we saw this sign after asking some locals for directions that states "Vieux Chalet Swiss Restaurant" and the other side spelling out "St. Moritz Cottage", we knew we were at the right place. Picture below was taken the morning after.

 

Vieux Chalet is a restaurant serving Swiss cuisine and St. Moritz Swiss Inn is their in-house accommodation for those looking for a quick getaway from the city. Below is how the entrance to the place looks like in the morning. Unfortunately, no parking inside but you can park at the street just outside. The inclination is a bit steep though and you would have to make sure you got good breaks and have something to block your wheels from rolling off. The place owned by the Hassig family was opened for business in 1984.

 

We arrived dinner time at the restaurant and was gladly assisted by their manager, Rico Doy, who has been very friendly and accommodating to both of us throughout our stay. The place is cozy, specially at night when the breeze outside can be chilling. The restaurant has its homey, comfortable feel and very welcoming to diners.

 

 

decors, displays and setup inside the restaurant

 

The place has a nice overlooking view of Metro Manila skyline at night. If possible, request for a table by the window, specially the one at the middle as some view may have been obstructed by the growing plants and trees in the area.

 

our table setup

 

My wife had informed them that it is my birthday beforehand so a table with a greeting sign was waiting for us at the restaurant.

 

menu

 

We were availing a package so food was already part of it, and there were a few choices at hand. These are the food items we had and shared that night, upon the recommendation of Rico.

 

garden fresh mixed vegetable salad

 

Italian farmer's soup, made of pumpkin and tomato with bacon

 

pork fillet mignon in onion-cream sauce

 

fish fillet in white wine sauce

 

Swiss chocolate cake a la mode, with a happy birthday greeting

 

me and Roshie

 

The inn was just a short walk downhill from the restaurant. There were only 3 rooms available for guests and we were given the Olivier Room. Each room is designed and decorated differently.

 

 

inside the Olivier room

 

TV with satellite cable service and DVD player

 

 

We also had a chance to use their Jacuzzi and sauna facilities that night. As it was cold outside, the water got cold easily but the bubble jet was very relaxing and we stayed for an hour or so before hitting the bed.

 

door on the left leads to the shower room and door on the right is for sauna steam bath

 

When we got back in the room, the staff did a bit of turndown service and left a pitcher of water for us, together with a can of drink I ordered earlier.

 

The next morning, we woke up before 9:30AM, just in time for our breakfast, which we preordered the night before. We ordered Swiss brunch, which we were told could fit for 2 persons and they had set and served the meal by the poolside.

 

 The pool was inviting but it was cold that day so we never had a chance to use it.

 

our table setup

 

fresh ripe mangoes

 

bread

 

The Swiss brunch, comprised of ham, bacon, sausage, cheese, jam, etc. and was just enough to be shared for two (or for one person who is very very hungry).

 

After breakfast we just chilled out at the vicinity and explored the place before we checked out that day.

 

stairs leading to the restaurant

 

long table setup at the restaurant

 

It was a nice experience amidst a garden of nature, not to mention that it is just minutes away from the city. Too bad the time we had there was short. The place is also good for family get-togethers so we may be back soon for a little something.