When I was a kid, my dad wanted me to be a successful man. Among the many advices he told at the dinner table to inspire me towards my adult life-hood or career was this one, which for some reason stuck with me, “When you are done with high school, you must able to go to a good college, have a degree and hopefully have a decent job and enjoy your life.” He would always quickly follow it up with a little laugh. Now that I have a job and a career that I have dreamt of, I get the privilege to afford the finer things in life. As a permanent resident in the big city like Jakarta, I always have a lot of options to spend my time with various entertainment or activities, including to visit places that have historical value, which, sadly, many young Indonesians often take them for granted. Even so, not all historic sites that are located in Jakarta are under a proper management, well-kept and maintained, nor offer a great unique selling value. One of the most interesting and probably always been kept as my must-have visit since I was little or probably by another millions of people in Indonesia who visit Jakarta is a quintessential hotel named Hotel Indonesia.
From the outside, it has a spare, severe look. But inside, past the liveried professional guards and huge glass door, the vibe is serene and hushed. So when I took a step inside the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, relief at finding the lobby turns to admiration as if I was taken a journey back into the country’s past in the 1960s. At several other hotels near location, you might get a whiff of perfume or coffee but here you will be greeted by the staffs in their pressed, button down white shirts complete with dark suites and their entire formal wear.Peeking around further, my finding got me into a scene of smartly dressed travelers lounging in leather sofas, few vintage photos of the first President of Indonesia, Soekarno, complete with the rich development and history of this place, and some business professional looking guests were fixated on their laptops at the long library-styled table, oblivious to their surroundings.
According to one of the staff,
“This area hosts high profile public figures, from celebrities to state delegations.”
I could walk around the lobby hotel for hours just studying the art pieces attached on every corner in the hotel from paintings, sculptures to endless photographs but I must stop as I was assigned to check-in through a special, privileged area called Executive Lounge. Located on the 7th floor, the lounge feels like another destination to unwind into a comfortable seating, quieter space, over a cup of tea, wine, or a choice of liquor while seeing several (more) historic photographs or just dive into the dynamic Selamat Datang Monument through the glass paneled windows.
To a remarkable extent, this place, the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, is the brainchild of a single man, prominent leader, a father figure, and nationalist leader of Republic of Indonesia named Soekarno. He wanted an iconic landmark to welcome guests and athletes for the 4th Asian Games. An art lover and visionary of his own right, he was able to look around the corners of culture and see what was coming years, if not decades, before everyone else.In addition, he also ordered several constructions and city beautification projects for the preparation of the Asian Games. This includes the construction of the Gelora Bung Karno Sport Complex and several statues, including the Selamat Datang Monument, designated as Tugu Selamat Datang. All of his projects shared a particular vision of what Indonesia must have and could be. At once deceptively simple and meticulously curated, he undertakes to the international world that Indonesia was ready to face the modern world and upwardly global. As a result, his influence far exceeded even his considerable politic success. And things have not changed that much as the landmark of Indonesia still consists of two wings, the Ramayana Wing and Ganesha Wing. Ramayana Wing featured two types of guest rooms, the Deluxe room and Grand Deluxe room with range size of 58 to 62 square-meter with total of 129 rooms. In another, Ganesha Wing is designed for premium business travelers operates a total of 160 rooms consists of 1 super secured and bullet proof Presidential Suite, 4 Diplomatic Suites, 6 Salon Suites, 90 Executive Grand Deluxe, and 59 Deluxe room complemented by an Executive Lounge at the 7th floor.
The next day dawns bright, clear and hot, and the mid-size but well-formed restaurant beckons. The Hotel Indonesia Kempinski very own restaurant, Signatures welcomed me with huge selection of Western, best European bakery products, Asian, and Indonesian food, including the traditional yet legendary Bubur Ayam Hotel Indonesia along with other classy foods to pamper my staycation experience. I thought it will be lame, but I was wrong as it was good as people saying (as the restaurant come alive with buffets and open show kitchens). The restaurant itself is located in the hotel lobby between the Ganesha and Ramayana wings. After a light toasting in the sun, I had to search for my dinner, perhaps the best, mostly popular amenity is to step inside the Grand Indonesia mall and walk ahead to try the German inspired restaurant known as Paulaner Bräuhaus. The German Bräuhaus brings Bavaria right into my heart as they served me some monster food. Do not miss the large portion of the pork knuckle dan its famed fresh home-brewed Paulaner beer which I totally recommended. But if have another thing in mind, you could step-over next to Kempi Deli. Catering to the fast-paced consumer lifestyle, this place is a fine-food and delicatessen shop that showcases their strength in homemade produce such as the one of the star retail products of the Deli, dry pasta, bread, sausages and cold cuts as well sweet temptations. The Deli also caters to foodies who like to just “grab and go” or pick the best products to cook themselves at home.
Before my good days came to an end, I was craving for something sweet and sophisticated, therefore I just had to try this Sweet Boutique by Kempinski. They are well known for creating fresh confectionary items such as chocolates, sweets, macarons and cakes. They use only the finest ingredients found in Indonesia and all over the world to satisfy the demands of business travelers and Jakarta residents as well as weddings, social, and corporate events. Their pastry chefs use the choicest ingredients from local and global sources and combine them into a sophisticated blend of sweet temptations using European way of preparing. Sweet Boutique is your answer when it comes to finding an elegant and unique memento of your travels to take home to your loved ones without the trouble of last-minute shopping at the airport, so please do that before you leave the door.
Overall it is essential if you have you have the budget for just one indulgence, make it a stay at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski. As the location of this hotel is the key for my trip, you could enjoy the neighborhood around Thamrin, Menteng, and the surrounding. But perhaps in overall, my greatest experience in this hotel is having a bathtub session with a grand view of Bundaran Hotel Indonesia or Selamat Datang Monument which is priceless. And by the time I check-out, I still got served by a warm farewell and waved away by a delegation of senior staff and the regal doorman. While Hotel Indonesia Kempinski is undoubtedly still a five-star property, it is an old-interpretation of five-star rather than the modern interpretation we have all grown so accustomed to. It was a memorable trip as I went through a pleasantly confusing line between being in a fully functioning hotel and a anachronistic museum exhibit. But I did appreciate the sense of luxury the staff cultivate for all their guests at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski.
At last, echoing my father words, “…enjoy your life”, I am taking it one step at a time. Framing “life indulgence” in a tinier scope, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski’s Executive Grand Deluxe might be next in my bucket list. More likely I will visit again one day with my future wife, maybe on a special occasion, like our anniversary or New Years. Because nothing is “standard” at Hotel Indonesia. For those of you who would like to stay at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, you can visit Agoda Indonesia now and book yourself a room. I recommend grabbing the special KITAS or Indonesia residence weekend rate offer that is featured on the site.
