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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FJ ON 7 - Kemang

Hello there guys! It's been a while since I posted, sorry for that, before so I would like to welcome April and say Happy Easter to all who celebrated it! Today's post will be about the details from my previous vlog (which you guys can see in my Youtube channel or just simply click here). For today I am gonna post about FJ on 7! Without further ado let's just get started!

Absolutely love the nature theme they put in the restaurant, gave a really calm ambiance

FJ On 7

I visited this place with my sister for lunch. The weather was really nice and since it is a rooftop we sat in the outdoor part, so it was pretty cool and breezy. The service was really good they were all very attentive and nice. After we ordered sadly it started to rain so we have to be seated somewhere near the indoor area, before we were seated on the edge of the balcony (that's why rain water may hit us).

The indoor part of the restaurant, in love with the pillows and the garden theme

The interior of the restaurant is one of the best interior I have ever seen in Jakarta. I absolutely love the mixture of nature and lounge ambiance, which they did a very good job in combining it. This was actually my third time visiting the place and I don't see myself getting bored of this place anytime soon. My opinion might be very biased but I just really love this kind of ambiance, so I do feel like the interior of a restaurant varies on each's perspectives. 

Ice Tea
Rp 27,000++

I do not need to review Ice Tea, since I am sure tea all tastes the same except if we are in a tea house (like TWG, which is a favorite of mine). I do feel that we are able to judge the overall price of the restaurant by the price of the beverages they sell and the one in FJ On 7 is above average (around Rp 400,000 for two people).

Fresh Melon Juice [4.0/5.0]
Rp 51,000++

For juices the taste actually varies from the fruits they use, so even if we order the same juice in the same restaurant the taste might vary. Luckily the Melon Juice I tried that day was great, it was sweet and fresh. If you guys do happen to eat here and wanted something fresh and sweet I do recommend this to you guys.

Vanilla Milkshake [4.0/5.0]
Rp 57,000++

I was never really a milkshake enthusiast, but I must say the one here is good. Milkshakes are supposed to be sweet right? So is the one here it was very creamy and sweet, which is the texture and taste I was looking for from milkshakes. I really like the white chocolate decoration they infused in the drink. If you guys are a fan of milkshake I highly recommend you guys to try it.

Fresh Soup of the Day: Tomato Soup [4.0/5.0]
Rp 85,000++

I absolutely love that day's soup, it was Tomato Soup! I really love tomato so yeah I might sound really biased for this one. The taste of the Tomato Soup is just simply delicious and it tasted really fresh. This was one of the best Tomato Soup I has ever tasted, not perfect but definitely one of the best. I am in love with the complementary bread, it was amazing especially with the soup. I have to agree the soup is a bit pricey though. I highly recommend you guys to try the daily soup.

Caesar Salad with Cured Salmon [3.5/5.0]
Rp 95,000++ (extra Rp 20,000 for Salmon)

The Caesar Salad was honestly very average and there was really nothing special to it. In my preference it didn't really catch my attention and I must say it is a bit overprice. Adding chicken or salmon adds an extra Rp 20,000 to the original price. In my opinion the salad might not be at its most fresh state that might be why there was a weird after taste to it. I do recommend you guys to try this out, you might like the one here.

Creamy Mushroom Pizza [5.0/5.0]
Rp 125,000++

This pizza is absolutely one of the best pizza I have ever tried and indeed perfect for my taste. The cheese, the mushroom and the crust it was perfect. I really love this pizza since it is unique and very rich in flavor, unique in a sense that it doesn't contain tomato in the pizza. The first bite was just heavenly and rich, the crunchiness of the crust and creaminess of the cheese was just brilliant. I highly recommend you guys to try this out especially if you guys are seeking for good pizza places, start considering this place.

I absolutely love this shot, simply beautiful and the colorful pots are just beautiful

That was actually all that I ordered that day, on my previous visit I did try the Beef Short Rib and it was amazing. So I highly recommend you guys to eat here, perfect for dinner or just a simple lunch. The outdoor area might be a a bit hot in the hot weather but still due to the high location, the place will still be cool and breezy.

That is it for today's post guys, thank you all for reading up to this point! I do hope this post is helpful or informative and have a good day everyone! Make sure to check out my other social media!

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Further information about FJ On 7

Colony 6, Rooftop, Jl. Kemang Raya No. 6A, Kemang, Jakarta

Open from 9am to 12midnight

WEEKEND GETAWAY: BALI

Hey guys! So sorry I haven't been updating in a very long time. I'm just gonna be honest to you guys that lately I have been very busy with school and just finished my exams two weeks ago (Yay!) aside from that I have also been doing fundraising for a school event (which I will explain in detail later on) and of course hanging out with friends (LOL). I am actually still into blogging its just that I suck at managing my time but all the best to me and you guys.

Anyways today's post will be about my weekend in Bali (two weeks ago). It was the week of my exams and when the exams ended me and my mom went to Bali for one bug reason (not for holiday purposes). We departed from Jakarta on Friday (5th of December) and returned from Bali on Sunday (7th of December), because I have school on Monday (yay school!).

(Airplane Food!)

Okay! So we departed by using Air Asia because it is highly affordable and reasonable. You guys can also order your own on flight meal through their website. I am not sponsored by Air Asia but I just think it is the smartest way to travel around Asia and the meal options are quite a lot and the taste will also be satisfying. So the flight took me about one and half hour from Jakarta to Bali and honestly I couldn't sleep on board the plane (I honestly don't know why).

So our first stop in Bali (aside the airport) is actually the Siloam Hospital in Sunset Road not our hotel. We went to the hospital because me and my mom wanted to visit my dad who was hospitalized there. He actually works in Bali and that's why we went to Bali that weekend. When we arrived he's actually allowed to leave the hospital already and so we decided to just stay in the hotel together.

Ramada Resort Kuta's Swimming Pool

We stayed in Bintang Kuta Hotel in Jalan Kartika Plaza, I totally recommend staying in this hotel. It is a 4 star hotel and it is related to Ramada Resort, so the hospitality was top notch and the price were very affordable. This hotel is also located in the prime location of Bali, the Kuta Beach area and it is located literally in front of Ramada Resort Kuta, since they are related tenants of Bintang Kuta Hotel has a privilege access to Ramada Resort Kuta's facilities (5 star hotel facilities!). Ramada also happen to have their own private beach.

Ramada Resort Kuta's Private Beach

So that actually concludes the first day and we actually did nothing on the first day. For dinner we wanted to eat out but the rain was really bad so we decided to order room service. The next day was very chill and easy going, we had a morning walk around the hotel and left to walk on the main street until we reached Centro (which was surprisingly very close from the hotel). We had our breakfast at the hotel and on the afternoon we took a cab to go to Beachwalk Kuta.

Beachwalk Kuta's Garden View

Beachwalk is actually my favorite mall in Indonesia, it is very different and unique from any other malls here. I must say this is the highlight of today's post (because most of the pictures are actually taken here). We ate lunch at Bebek Tepi Sawah which is one of my favorite place to eat duck (way better than peking duck in my opinion).

The restaurant is actually located on the 3rd floor of the mall and it is indeed decorated with the most beautiful and traditional interiors. But I really recommend you guys to go to the original one in Ubud, Bali the view there is amazing and it just has different ambiance, but it is also very far from the Kuta area. I personally love the classic craved stone and the traditional Balinese umbrellas. 

Freshly Made Dipping Sauce

They gave us three kinds of dipping sauce, all of them are spicy but they do have a different kind of spicy level. I personally didn't try the bottom left one (because I'm weird I guess), the top one was rather heavy and spicy, and the bottom right one is my favorite since it tasted really fresh and there is a mild spicy taste to it. But these dipping sauce is for preference and the good and bad of the taste actually depends on the person's taste.

The Classic Crispy Duck

The highlight of today's post! Bebek Tepi Sawah's signature dish, the Classic Crispy Duck. This is indeed the best duck ever and wherever you are in the world you must come and try this amazing dish (well that is in my opinion). The duck tasted very fresh and crispy with a very balanced taste. It is juicy and every crispy part tastes like heaven. The assorted vegetable was also a very good complementary to the dish since it gives a balance to the fatty duck oil.

After lunch we returned to our hotel and swam for a couple of hours. That night we went out for dinner to eat Thai Food, I didn't take any pictures since it was dark and the only camera I have in Bali that weekend was my phone (so all pictures are taken by my phone). I also forgot the name of the restaurant (lol stupid me).

The last day was very common, since nothing happened and I have to go back to Jakarta since I have school on Monday. I had to return alone, since my dad had another check up on Tuesday. So this trip is also my first experience of flying alone!

#airportfashion #ootd

Okay so that wraps up my weekend in Bali! So thank you guys for reading until this point because honestly this post is just about Bebek Tepi Sawah (LOL) but anyways it was a very meaningful trip for me because I went to Bali for a good reason and it is also my first time flying alone. Thank you guys once again and have great day! God Bless!

Thanks to Air Asia, Ramada Bintang Bali Resort, Bintang Kuta Hotel and Bebek Tepi Sawah.

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