ANCOL DRREAMLAND - WEEKEND GETAWAY [North Jakarta]

Hello there guys! I am finally back after a month, I deeply apologize for the absence, I have been doing my exams, assessments and a bit of travelling for the past 4 weeks. I am back with a post that is quite similar yet different in a way, just a simple Weekend Getaway in the very busy and often hectic city of Jakarta (Indonesia). Let's go with it shall we!

Living in Jakarta can be very tiring, cars everywhere, not much parks and very limited public entertainment that is quite decent. Aside from that living the city live can be tiring and a simple change in atmosphere can be really fun. This where Ancol Dreamland comes in! Located in North Jakarta and I am so so sure that you guys here are aware of Ancol Dreamland. Established in 1966 makes Ancol Dreamland one of the oldest entertainment area to be visited in Jakarta.

What is Ancol Dreamland? In my opinion it is a form of the government's gratitude to the citizen of Jakarta by making an area for recreational activity and a simple getaway from everyday lives. Located in the northern part of Jakarta makes this place quite famous for its beaches and resorts for the locals. Some even come to swim in the beach, even though it is not the best (as in for cleanliness and location wise) place to actually swim. Over the time, Ancol Dreamland is slowly improving in many different aspects and I do hope for the best in the future.

Why did I visit Ancol Dreamland? I went to stay in Ancol over the weekends because I had to do a charity work from the HOPE Foundation, the activity is called Walk for HOPE and it was held on a Sunday morning in Ancol. I live quite far from Ancol, so me and my parents decided to stay in Ancol Dreamland for convenience. Aside from that we felt like sleeping in a hotel and we needed some sort of relaxation, so why not?

Where did we stay? We stayed in one of their newest hotels, Discovery Hotel and Convention Ancol, a four-star hotel and located near Dunia Fantasi (Dufan) Theme Park and the main gate of Ancol Dreamland. Surprisingly the hotel room is really nice and it's actually one of the best part of the hotel itself (especially the bed).

Discovery Hotel & Convention Ancol

Exterior wise, the hotel is very common, but it does stick to a resort theme, making it only limited to 9 floors. Interior wise is where the fun starts, the public area are very common but the rooms, they are so much more than we would have expected from a four-star hotel. We booked the Grand Premier Suite, which features a spacious 113.4 meter-square room alongside a breathtaking view of the pier and Dufan Theme Park.

Of course the room accommodates all of the basic necessities, a favorite of mine is the spacious luggage area (picture above), spacious television area (refer to video) and outstanding bathroom (refer to video). One big downside is the quality of the water in the hotel, was not really clean and the water flow was quite weak, which was not very enjoyable I must say. The bad quality of water actually limits us to bathe in the spacious bathtub, which is a shame.

Dinner there wasn't a big issue, since the hotel itself is equipped with 24-hour room service and two mega restaurants. One of them is called Kembang Goyang, this is where we had breakfast and dinner that weekend. On Friday and Saturday nights Kembang Goyang holds a special barbecue themed buffet dinner. They mostly serve seafood, but upon special request (without any additional charges) we may request beef steak of our choice (sirloin or tenderloin). The food there was relatively very average I must say, nothing special in particular but it wasn't bad.

Desserts were fascinating and fulfilling! Displayed in the hotel's lobby, the patisseries there are indeed not only for viewing pleasure. It tasted as good as it looks, a personal favorite of mine is the rainbow cake here, also tried the Strawberry Cheesecake which was splendid.

Did I mention that they have a sky lounge? It is called Discovery Sky Lounge, located in the 9th floor. Getting there is quite a challenge since the elevator stops at the 8th floor, from there we asked the hotel staff regarding the location of the sky lounge and we were led to a 'secret door' that leads to the 9th floor. The place is really beautiful in my opinion but I must say that it is highly underrated and the Sky Lounge becomes a nightclub (with DJ and lights) at night.

I saved the best for last! Which was the bed. It is the absolute best that is available in the hotel, the best part of it is actually the type of the bed is the same for all room types (even the cheapest room!) so this facility is indeed the best. And if you guys do check my video out, you can see how addicted I am to the bed.

Unfortunately that is all I have to say for this post. I didn't do a lot of things there, but I did try the swimming pool and it was fun, but it gets really crowded especially on Sunday mornings. Aside from that I enjoyed the activity of Walk for HOPE, which involves a 5km walk around Ancol Dreamland, walking/jogging in Ancol Dreamland is actually really good. A simple drive in the beach area of Ancol Dreamland is also fun and refreshing. Refer to the video below for some more detail of Ancol Dreamland.

That is it guys for today's post! Thank you so much for reading until this point and I do hope you enjoyed it or found it useful and all. Pardon for the misuse of language if available or any of the grammar mistakes. Thanks once again and have a good day!

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CAT CABIN JAKARTA - KEMANG

Hey guys! Sorry for the very late update and as usual I have been very busy lately, I just did my show last week. What show? It is like an original musical play done by a theater group in my school that was completely student led (so I am really proud of it). The play is called Fairest and the theater group is Spotlight, I did mention it in one of my Youtube Videos. So anyway back to to blog, today I will be continuing the detailed version of my trip to Kemang (I know this is so outdated but I still need to finish the post). Let's just get started!

The Cat Cabin

The Cat Cabin Jakarta is located in the heart of Kemang, it is a bit confusing to get to the actual place. It is located in front Takigawa Kemang (for those who knows Kemang welll I am sure they instantly know), in a building that is not old but not new also. Located on the 3rd level (or 2nd floor) of the building challenges people to actually look for it. 

This place is actually like a hidden gem of Kemang, there are actually two Cat Cafes in Kemang, but I must say this one is better. I did visit the other one on the same day, but I decided to go to The Cat Cabin because we had to wait for an hour for both Cat Cafes and I feel like The Cat Cabin's interior and ambiance is better for my preference. I highly recommend to book prior to your visit especially on the weekends (applies for both Cat Cafes in Kemang, they are both very crowded). I must say the fee is quite high, Rp 50,000 per hour for both Cat Cafes. 

Now let's discuss about the interior of the place. The interior is pretty modern and simple, I do really like the interior of this place it has a home-y and comfortable vibe. Very bright and yet calm at the same time, the composition of the interior is perfect despite the small space. I really enjoy staying here even if it was only for an hour due to the very comfortable space.

The service of this area? It was seriously one of the best. The staff were all very attentive and they are always present at all time. The Cat Cabin also sells food, beverages and cakes in jar, I didn't order anything since I did eat already prior to my visit. They provided us with complementary water, the water has some freshly cut lemons which made them really fresh. 

The best part of The Cat Cabin? Of course the cats! There were so many cats (around 10 or more I suppose) and they were all so fluffy and cute. Cats are a bit quiet compared to dogs so there are some cases where we have to approach the cat not the other way around. The best part is the cats are all so clean and fluffy (I know I said this already but they are so soft and lovable). 

In the middle of the place there's like a big cat playground (I am not so sure about the name of the thing so sorry for that). The picture of the above actually shows the cat just slacking off on top of the playground (?).

Like I said before the service here is really good so if we want to carry the cat we have to ask the staff to carry it for us and then lend it to us to ensure the mood of the cat and safety issues. Cats are living creatures so being that they do have like a rest/nap time. This means that at some cases only a few cats will show itself and the others might be sleeping in their own private 'chamber'. What sucks is when there are just too many people inside (even though they limit the number of people inside) and there aren't enough cats for everyone, so instead of relieving our stress we get stress from not getting any cat. 

 

This wraps up my post for today, I would like to thank all of you who read until this point and I am sorry for delaying the posts. I would like to apologize also if today's post is a bit 'off' since I am not feeling at my best when I was writing this so please do understand (especially for the weird grammar and sentences). Thank you all once again and have a goof day all!

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BIRTHDAY IDEAS: EDOGIN - HOTEL MULIA

Food is always the right answer for everything, so it is always best to celebrate special days (birthdays, anniversaries or any other) with special food also. You can never go wrong with spending your money on food, price equals quality, right? Anyway, if you guys are having any special day coming or probably you're visiting Jakarta make sure to check out Edogin at Hotel Mulia. Especially if you love Japanese food!

Edogin

Edogin is a Japanese restaurant that is located on the lower ground level of the Hotel Mulia. Hotel Mulia is located on Jl. Asia Afrika Senayan Jakarta, Mulia is very famous for their five-star service and food. All of the restaurants in Mulia are top restaurants which serves the best quality of food and the most delightful taste.

Edogin is one of those restaurants that is located inside Mulia, this makes Edogin one of the best Japanese restaurants in Jakarta, Indonesia. Edogin is considered a five-star restaurant so be prepared to spend a bit more than you usually do if you are planning to visit and make sure you are not wearing sandals on the day of the visit (Mulia Jakarta's policy).

Edogin is actually more to a Teppanyaki restaurant than a normal Japanese Ala-carte restaurant. Aside from serving Teppanyaki, Edogin also serves a variety of Japanese Buffet. Edogin is an All You Can Eat restaurant so you will automatically be satisfied and go home with a really full and happy stomach.

My visit to Edogin was actually to celebrate my Mom's birthday last week (literally last week, 12th of October). I actually had eaten in Edogin when I was small, but I of course I did not remember it. Surprisingly the place feels and looks a bit familiar for me, as if I have been there before. 

Edogin has a really warm and luxurious/fancy feel in the restaurant and plus the very nice Japanese Oriental theme makes it way better for the best dining experience. I personally love Japanese themed interiors. Edogin also speaks a bit of Modern Japanese interiors which is really interesting and beautiful.

Now moving on to the food, the food was absolutely amazing, starting from the assorted FRESH sushi and sashimi, all the deep fried tempura and even the desserts (which includes, mousse, pudding, jelly, fruits and even pastry). The main attraction was of course the Teppanyaki, Edogin has a lot to offer to you guys, starting from tenderloin, ribs, chicken, seafood, salmon, tuna, dory, vegetables and even rice (the rice will be cooked in a Teppanyaki style, kind of like a fried rice). I personally think the Teppanyaki is way better than the assorted Japanese buffet.

Assorted Sashimi

Assorted Sushi Rolls

Assorted Nigiri Sushi

Assorted Deep-fried Tempura

Assorted Mousse (Desserts)

Squid, Onion and Short Ribs Teppanyaki

My culinary adventure did not stop there, my mom requested a Banana Flambe which they will make in front of us! I was really excited in seeing the process and of course tasting it later on. The process was really fun and thrilling. The taste was so delightful! I literally became the happiest boy on earth after getting the FIRST bite, not the whole thing! It was really delicious and you can really taste the banana, the ice cream and the brandy, it was literally the best for me.

Another thing that was really fun was the Lychee Ice Tea that my mom ordered. The Lychee Ice Tea was really good and sweet (I love sweet food). What makes the Lychee Ice Tea so special was they blended the Lychee and served it in this very big glass!

Lychee Ice Tea

Overall I would definitely rate Edogin a five out of five (5/5) and the price for this really good food, service and ambiance is really worth the price. The cost for the four of us (me, my mom, my sister and my dad) was around 2 million rupiah. Another thing that need acknowledgement is their service, super nice waiters and chefs, like they are literally very friendly and full of smiles! This wraps up today's post and sorry for the really long post but I hope you guys find this useful and comment down below about Edogin. Thank you guys for reading this post! Have a great day!

Five-Star Service!

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Trip to Pantai Indah Kapuk

Blackball Taiwanese Dessert House

Ruko Garden House, Blok A, Bukit Golf Mediterania, Jl. Raya Pantai Indah Kapuk, Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta

Yayasan Buddha Tzu Chi Indonesia

This place is really cool and different from any other buildings in Jakarta so I couldn't help myself to take pictures of the place. The building was designed well and its clean and also well managed which is different from any other places in Jakarta.

Locale 24 Diner & Bar

I did some photo taking at Locale 24 Diner and Bar since the place was really unique and interesting. Hope you guys enjoy it and find it interesting also! (sorry for the low quality photo it was because I used my iPhone 4 which has an average quality)

The address of the restaurant is at Ruko Garden House, Blok B 10 / 11 Bukit Golf Mediterania, Jl. Pantai Indah Kapuk, Pantai Indah Kapuk