I first stayed here in one of the apartments for several months when posted to Jakarta in 1994. August 07 was my first stay in the hotel since then and to be honest it has not changed very much.

The best part of the hotel is still the huge grounds and well maintained 50 metre swimming pool - which was virtaully emplty when I stayed their mid week. It really is an oasis in the middle of the big durian.

I took advantage of the room upgrade to the club level rooms - well worth it I think as the free breakfast, afternoon tea and cocktails served in the private 18th floor lounge saved a fortune on the expensive hotel restaurants. The room was recently refurbished and was up to 4 **** standards - great views as well. Service was very good and security tight but unobtrusive.

The hotel seemed pretty empty even though it was national day - doesn't seem like many expats use it nowadays which is a shame because they do seem to be trying hard to please. UK pound to Rupiah rates make it a real bargain!

Grand Soeharto era hotel showing it's age and lack of investment. Main attraction is huge gardens and pool - great if you have a young family with you. Also a bit of a sense of 'The Year of Living Dangerously'. Restaurants not bad. Close to major government offices and departments, well located for Old Town and not bad for CBD. Guest
rooms definetely very tired - ancient sanitary wear and plumbing. Worn out tables and chairs, 1980's TV. Tiny bathrooms best described as chipped round the edges - plenty of hot water, but no water pressure at least on higher floors. Business club is a pale imitation
of others on offer in Jakarta and has a mean selection of cheap F&B on offer for limited periods only. Single internet enabled PC in exec
club is a sad joke - the world's slowest internet connection and KGB style security to get on for your 1-hour-only ration, which you need at the rate of 5 minutes per e-mail! Badly in need of a wake-up call and some serious investment to regain the pace.

This hotel has a lot of positive features but some significant shortcomings. On the positive side, it is in an excellent location in central Jakarta. The lobby and restaurants are spacious and beautiful, the gardens and pool are very nice and a great break from the busy city.

When you get to your room, you will be shocked at how it doesn't seem to match the rest of the property. The carpet must be original and the hotel just celebrated its 33 year birthday. The dirt is everywhere from the walls to the bathroom. Paint and caulk are missing and the "automatic" light on the closet didn't work. There is very limited storage space for clothes. The hot water kettle is bolted to a shelf in the closet so when you prepare your coffee/tea your clothes get steamed.

I thought the problem couldn't be that pervasive so I asked to change rooms. The staff showed me another room that was identical in its poor state except the closet light worked. I agreed to change and was given the key to a 3rd room that was identical to the one I moved from including the broken closet light and with the addition that the thermostat was older and difficult to regulate.

Consider other hotels in the area.

My wife, our 1 1/2 yr old son and I stayed in Jakarta for 4 months. We first stayed at the Hilton, now called something else. because it was right across the street from work. The rooms were spacious though a bit dated. The facilities were nice, many tennis courts, two pools, a nice fitness center, ok restaurants and located close to a park with soccer and basketball courts. The childrens' play aria was a bit lacking. There wasn't much grounds to speak of.

The borobudur was recommeded to us and we checked it out. The room was spacious enough for all three of us. The two bedroom was TOO spacious if you can believe that. We found the security comforting, the staff at all levels to be consistently professional and courteous and the grounds very nice to walk around. The facilties includes a covered full length basketball court (the sincher for me), 2 uncovered and 2 covered tennis courts, a 700m cushioned path for running or walking that flowa around the perimeter of the grounds, a gym with strength machines, free weights, aerobic machines and classes, saunas, very attentive staff and beautiful large pool. There is a nice outdoor play area and indoor kids place also. We tried all 3 or 4 of the restaurants there and were very pleased with them all. There is also a bakery for fresh baked treats, cakes, quiches and loaves.

The very comforting environment made us forget that we were in the middle of Jaktown. Tho' not in the center of the city, there is easy acess to the main roads and highways. It is also near the national mall, which, being from Washington, DC, rivals the US national mall easily. There are also basketball courts and soccer fields across the street in addition to a full size track.

Next time we need to stay for more than a bit in Jakarta, we will stay at the Borobudur.