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 Traveller's Tales: Shopping suggestions in Indonesia
Get the best advice on shopping in Indonesia. You may read about shopping malls, souvenir items and best buys in the area. Also, you might want to read our
Bali city guide,
and Lombok city guide.
Pages (2 of 11):
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| M Duggan |
13 September 2004 |
Stayed at Ibis Kemayoran - Jakarta, Indonesia.
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We arrived 2 days after the Jakarta bomb at the Australian Embassy, and local people seemed surprised that we (Australians) were still game to visit, and pleased that we were there.
We got around by taxis which were quite cheap but on average they were reluctant to use their meters and we had to insist. No problem with Bluebird cabs, but imitators were abundant.
We visited Ancol complex and walked around the beach. Good food and drink, not many tourists (indo or australian).
Mangga Dua shopping mall was not far from the hotel, and well worth a visit - clean and bright and modern, with good prices on consumer goods, and there are lots of rumah makans and padang restaurants nearby which do a roaring trade.
Also visited Pasar Raya shopping mall a little south of the city, better than Mangga Dua and a favourite of ours. Only about Rp 15,000 by taxi. The market around the mall was a hassle.
Sunda Kelapa harbour was interesting, watched boats being laden with timber bound for Sumatra and outlying islands, but the bearers loading the timber only get paid Rp 25,000 per day, a pity.
Went to Cafe Batavia on Fatahillah Square. Despite it being lunchtime on a Saturday, it was very quiet. Beautiful ambience, old colonial features, ceiling fans, dark wood, linen table cloths etc - very Raffles. Also very overpriced - we had a modest 2 course lunch which cost Rp 425,000 for 2 people including 2 beers - still stinging from that bill.
Visited Istiqlal Mosque, the biggest in SE Asia, which was beautiful - 5 storeys high and very vast and cool inside. We were made very welcome and given a tour by the guide/guard who advised us that he "normally gets Rp 20,000 from each person" for the tour. We gave him only Rp 20,000 total and he seemed ok with that.
Also visited the fleamarket on Jl Surabaya which was very interesting - well kept, neat, orderly, little tiny shops in a row filled with bric a brac, "antiques", bits of porcelain, coins, brassware, and assorted interesting bits and pieces - worth a visit.
We did struggle to fill 3 days in Jakarta and were happy to be leaving at the end, and feel we won't return unless it's necessary to pass thru on the way to another destination. Having said that, we have visited in the past and stayed a beautiful villa in Pondok Indah with swimming pool and cook, and were chauffered around by drivers - if that had been the case again, I'm sure we would feel very differently than having to find our own way around in dodgy taxis in uncertain areas.
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| M Racines |
08 August 2004 |
Stayed at Le Meridien Jakarta - Jakarta, Indonesia.
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For shopaholic, try checking out the Mega Pasaraya for their regular sale on RTWs. The local crafts, however, are quite expensive. If you want some cheap souvenirs (Jakarta standard), try Sarina Department Store.
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| P Greenlaw |
06 August 2004 |
Stayed at Balisani Padma Hotel - Bali, Indonesia.
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Having been to Bali about 40 times now I can recommend a few quick essentials for first timers: Bargaining is a way of life there. Dont get angry: relax, smile and treat it as a game (they do). Starting price also depends on your nationality: if you’re Japanese unfortunately you get to start at a price almost double the starting price offered to an Australian tourist – sorry about that but better you know. Wherever you’re from, start off at 20% of the price offered and work your way up (as they work their way down) to a maximum of about 50% of the starting price. Don’t be afraid to walk slowly away or call their bluff. As a guide, you should pay about RP20,000 for a simple sarong or RP 25,000 for a copy (not good quality) T-shirt. If you buy more than one whatever, that's always another good reason to offer them less.
Any freshly cooked food is fine even at smaller restaurants. Be careful of soup (which may not have been boiled). Peeled fruit is great. Salads are usually washed in the local water - dont go there. Don’t be afraid to try the local dishes if they are FRESHLY cooked and haven't been standing in some bowl for half a day. The local food is often better as it has a higher turnover rate and they know how to prepare and store the ingredients. (unlike Western food)
If you change money at the airport you will end up with a rate about 200-400 RP less than what you can get at the money changers near the hotels (hotel rate is a rip off), but you won’t get ripped off. If you change at the money changers the ones who count out 50,000RP notes and are in dedicated buildings are usually ok. It's the ones with just a small wooden table or offer fantastic rates that you have to watch out for. Common tricks are: leaving one bill missing, the total not equaling what's on the calculator, counting out so many small notes (often repeatedly) you get totally confused or after watching them carefully and they cant find any other way of ripping you off, they tell you the exchange rate has just changed and guess what?: it's much less. You can actually get the correct money even out of the rip off ones but you really have to watch them closely - again treat it like a game.
“Transport” Yes, you’ll hear that a lot. Taxis with a meter are probably going to be cheaper for short trips. For a driver for a day, about 150,000RP FOR THE WHOLE VAN is a reasonable price. For 5 or 6 hrs about 100,000RP is a good price. Be careful whatever price is quoted to you is TOTAL and not per-person. Taxis fares to anywhere from the airport are a set price at the taxi counter outside arrivals. You can bargain with the touts but you'll probably end up only a few dollars cheaper if you're good.
It is normally better for your own piece of mind to have an international driving/motorbike licence if you intend to hire your own transport. The police aren't paid much so stop a tourist instead and "fine" them for not having one. The minimum "fine" which goes directly to their pocket is for a local 10,000RP and for a tourist about 50,000RP. You can always just pay the fines as you go and you may be lucky and not even see any police. When getting petrol, make sure the attendant ZEROS the meter on the bouser before filling up your tank. Remember you’re on holidays: enjoy, relax and don’t stress about all this.
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| S Ganason |
13 June 2004 |
Stayed at Le Meridien Jakarta - Jakarta, Indonesia.
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Shopping centres nearby worth a visit are Plaza Indonesia and Plaza Senayan. Every Saturday night Metro TV (a local TV station) does a live show from a cafe at Plaza Indonesia and it is worth seeing...
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| W Suraji |
12 June 2004 |
Stayed at Ibis Kemayoran - Jakarta, Indonesia.
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Be sure to visit places like Taman Mini - great cultural revelation. Do also spend a full-day at Dunia Fantasi especially if you have kids. They'll love it there. For the shopaholics, don't leave Jakarta without stepping out to Mangga Dua Mall. It is great for the computer freaks as well. If you have the time, head on to Bogor and then up to Puncak. Don't forget to visit the Taman Safari there. Great outdoors for the whole family.
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| R Schafer |
09 June 2004 |
Stayed at Park Lane Jakarta, The - Jakarta, Indonesia.
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Recommended restaurants are: Paprika - wine bar, Hazara's - Indian, Stix - steaks, Porto Venezia - Italian, and Koi Gallery - Mixed.
Best souvenir shopping at Pasaraya Grande. Most interesting shopping at Jalan Surabaya.
Jakarta is an interesting city with lots of energy. It has lots to offer but often takes some looking to find.
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| L O'neill |
31 March 2004 |
Stayed at Padma Bali, Hotel - Bali, Indonesia.
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The best places we found to eat. PaPa's at Kuta. Padma Cafe is just across the road from the motel and is very good. The tailor across the road in the little shop is very good and does lovely work and will be made on time.
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| P Sykes |
08 February 2004 |
Stayed at Qunci Villas - Lombok, Indonesia.
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OK, first Lombok is not the new Bali. Lombok has a charm all of it's own. Lombok is for those looking to relax and unwind and do nothing too exhausting. Don't expect streets lined with bars and night clubs or huge shopping centres. Tours are available to the watersfalls (2hr drive from Senggigi), the Monkey Forest (1hr drive from Senggigi) and other areas, but we spent most of our time at our fantastic hotel, sitting on our balcony, swimming in or lying around the pool, or lying on the balcony day bed sleeping. We also went to Mataram (the main city) using the local public transport, but unless you speak Bahasa Indonesian (we do), we recommend that you get taxis. A trip from Senggigi to Mataram costs about 25,000rp and they are clean and safe. Just make sure they use the meter. Mataram has the only Shopping Mall in Lombok and it is rather small. We will be back!
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| W Poerner' |
29 January 2004 |
Stayed at Taman Harum Cottages - Bali, Indonesia.
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In Ubud you should visit the Neka Museum which shows many great paintings from Balinese and other Indonesian artists. Bargaining is a must: reasonable price is maximum 20 % of first quote!
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| E Loh |
29 November 2003 |
Stayed at Green Garden Beach Resort & Spa - Bali, Indonesia.
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Take a trip to Sukawati Market north of Kuta. 45 mins drive. Good for handicrafts, oil paintings, clothes, sarongs and batik. Much cheaper than in Kuta Square.
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