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The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place
When I originally planned my latest Aeroplan round-the-world trip I had decided to spend only one night at The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place and two nights in Paris at The Prince de Galles. However, after a fantastic first night, and checking the weather in Paris (on high alert for a catastrophic flood), I decided to change my flights and stay an additional night in Indonesia.
Luxury hotels in Asia are usually pretty great, and often priced comparably with basic chain hotels in North America. Jakarta is even better, with even the most luxurious properties rarely commanding more than a few hundred dollars per night. On my last visit to the city I stayed at recently opened Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta and had a fantastic stay, but wanted to try something different and decided I would look for a points redemption hotel. The Ritz Carlton is part of Marriott rewards, with free-night stays ranging anywhere from 30,000-70,000 points per night. While this is still a fair number of points for one night, it can often times represent great value, like when I redeemed 70,000 points for a room at the Hong Kong Ritz-Carlton and got upgraded to a beautiful Victoria Harbour View Room.
I ended up choosing the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place over other options in the city as every room comes with club lounge access. Club lounges in Asia are unreal, and I usually have no problem paying supplement fees for the added value. All guest rooms at this hotel come with:
- Continental breakfast
- Light lunch
- Afternoon tea
- Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
- Chocolate and cordials
In other words, it’s an all you can eat buffet with basically continuous food offerings. The ‘light lunch’ consists of a full buffet spread, as does ‘hors d’oeuvres’ and ‘continental breakfast’. There is a good variety of food, all of high quality, and the staff even offered to make anything I might like that wasn’t being presented.
And how much did all of this cost? 30,000 Marriott Reward points per night, inclusive of all taxes and fees. Incredible.
The Suite
I arranged airport transfer through the hotel and was greeted by multiple members of staff at the entrance (by name of course). For anyone worried about safety in Jakarta, there were two security checks heading to the entrance including a car search with armed guards and German Shepherds, along with metal detectors at the door. While I realize this is a bit of ‘security theatre’, it did make me feel a bit more safe.
I was escorted from the car directly to the room for check-in, and was informed I had been upgraded to a beautiful suite. All of the rooms at this hotel are large, with standard rooms measuring in at nearly 800 square feet, but this suite was something else. At over 1,300 square feet with soaring ceilings on the top floor, the room felt palatial. The entrance opened up into the main room, with a powder room to the left. The main area was huge, with a sofa and coffee table near the window and a television opposite the comfortable work space.
The desk was comfortable and featured two chairs that would make it suitable for dining. All of the essentials were there, including an iPod docking station, telephone, stationary and plenty of power sources.
There was a nice welcome amenity on the coffee table addressed to both Brad and me (although Brad wasn’t staying) consisting of some sweets, gluten free cookies, and an apple.
The highlight of the room for me was the bedroom, which was larger than most luxury hotel rooms. The space featured another sofa and television, along with one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in. The linens and pillows, of course, were high quality and very comfortable.
Off the bedroom was one of the largest hotel bathrooms I can remember, with floor to ceiling marble. The washroom featured a deep-soaking tub near the window with wall-mounted television and electronic drapes, with a large walk-in shower on the opposite side. I was a bit surprised the toilet area wasn’t in a separate closet, but the space was so big it was hardly noticeable.
Every amenity imaginable was offered, including luxury toiletries by Asprey. I’m a big sucker for baths in hotels, and this one didn’t disappoint!
Jakarta isn’t known as being a hot tourist destination, with many people only visiting for business. The traffic is incredibly bad and unpredictable, the city is noisy and can feel polluted compared to other cities, and it just doesn’t feel easy to navigate as a tourist. That being said, The hotel has done an incredible job creating an outdoor oasis in their pool, which felt more like a tropical five-star resort in the middle of a chaotic urban centre.
Due to the small size of the hotel (only 62 rooms total), the pool area never felt busy. In fact, the two times I used it I was the only guest for much of the time. Seating is arranged around the pool deck with a variety of covered options. The service by pool staff was good, though admittedly not quite as good as The Four Seasons Jakarta.
In addition to the pool, the hotel also features a full-service spa, indoor steam rooms and jacuzzi along with a fully equipped fitness centre.
Ritz-Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place Bottom Line
This was definitely one of my favourite hotel stays to date, with enormous guest rooms and a pool area that made me forget I was in the middle of one of the world’s most congested cities. Above all though was the service. From the moment I arrived I was greeted by name, with all of the staff offering professional and genuine service. Indonesian hospitality is generally regarded as very good, but this was next level. Being able to redeem points for such an amazing property is incredible, and I consider this one of the best Marriott Reward redemptions I’ve made.
A small consideration for families is that this hotel doesn’t offer any rooms with two beds, which could be challenging with young children. For those requiring double beds, consider the other Ritz-Carlton property in Jakarta (though it doesn’t include lounge access in all rooms). Alternatively, considering the value in redeeming points, just get two rooms!
Have you visited Jakarta before? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below!
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