Ancol Dreamland: Jakarta, Indonesia Series 6

Ancol Dreamland Jakarta

Indonesia’s Fun Capital

(Jakarta, Indonesia Series 6)

We divided tour Jakarta trip to two phases.

First, the Fun Phase from November 10 to 13

where we stayed in Mercure Hotel Ancol

Ancol Dreamland in northern Jakarta,

…and second, the Cultural Immersion Phase

from November 13 to 17 wherein we will be staying

in Hotel Manhattan in central Jakarta, 

…and where I would be attending a medical convention

in the nearby  Ritz Carlton Mega Kuningan,

Day 1

Our day one was lost to delayed flights from Manila

that we arrived past midnight in Jakarta.

We took a Silver Bird Taxi and we arrived at

almost 2 AM at Mercure Hotel- Ancol 

The hotel had a huge beautiful lobby,

…and luckily the check in was fast and easy

and we were able to immediately

get the much needed rest and sleep.

We had huge a two bedroom suite

which was old a needing renovation,

…but otherwise very clean

and comfortable.

Day 2

We woke late the next day, 

…and had a late breakfast  at the

Sunda Kelapa Restaurant  that had

a wonderful spread at  the buffet.

Shortly after breakfast, were we’re on

our way to explore Ancol Dreamland.

I could liken Ancol Dreamland to Sentosa  

in Singapore  as both facilities are  seaside 

multi-  tourism complex composed of posh hotels, 

…Theme Parks, 

…Water Parks,
 

…Water sports facilities,

…Golf Course,

…prisitine beaches,

…and various restaurants and commercial

establishments catering to tourists.

We had a leisurely walk from the hotel

to the Gondola station,

 

… where we took a cable car

ride  to Sea World Indonesia.

 

It is on this cable car ride where we discovered

the Ancol Wake Park that brought a huge smile

to my daughter and we knew that we had

to include it in our itinerary.

 

The kids enjoyed the various aquariums

of all shapes and sizes in Sea World,

..and we later moved to Ocean Dream Samudra

for the rides and fabulous animal and stunt shows.

The kids had a blast of good time

on the two the parks 

....and we took the cable car ride back to the hotel, tired
 but happy and enjoying our first outing in the city.

We intended to d dine out in an Indonesian restaurant

in Ancol but found out that the Sunda  Kelapa at the

Mercure Hotel was having and all Indoniesion Cuisine
for their dinner buffet, so we decided to dine there,

 

…and discovered that Indonesian food,

 except for the curry, are so much like our Pinoy

dishes, especially our regional  Bicolano dishes.

They even look and sound alike as well.

Day 3

We woke up a lot earlier on our 3^rd day,

had an early breakfast at the buffet,

...and the kids found time to enjoy the wonderful

outdoor and indoor playgrounds at the hotel.

We then took the free shuttle bus  
from Mercure Hotel,

...to Dunia Fantasi or Dufan, Jakarta’s local version

of Disneyland where we spent the whole day -

…enjoying the theme park rides and shows.

We left the Dufan at 4 PM, took the free shuttle

to Epic Cable Park for a late afternoon wake boarding.

My daughter who loves wake boarding had a blast

of good time at the new and very hip wake board park.

She particulary enjoyed being fetched by a jetski

whenever she falls off  far from  the base.

It rained hard that day but the bad weather did not

dampen her enthusiasm to enjoy the wake park.

We returned to the hotel and

had dinner by room  service.

The food served was superb

and everything tasted very good.

I would rate Mercure Hotel’s food, from the

room service to the restaurant buffet a triple AAA

from service, menu,  taste, and quality.

 Day 4

It would be our last day in Ancol, and the

last day of our Fun Phase of the tour

before we move to Central Jakarta.

Check out time at Mercure was  at 12 noon and

we had an early breakfast at the buffet area.

 

I went swimming with the kids at the

hotel’s fabulous water park- like pools,

as my wife packed our luggage in the room.

The Mercure Hotel’s swimming pools are incomparable.

It had huge, beautiful main swimming pool,

 

…and two kiddie pools with lots of

water spouts and pool fountains,

…and another pool with terrific water slides

which the kids enjoyed very much.

We had to cut short our stay in this wonderful 
happy place as we had to check out at noon.

 We hired a Silver Bird Van,

and we were off to our next destination,

…to Hotel Manhattan in Central Jakarta.

for the cultural phase of our tour.

We’re missing Ancol Dreamland already

though we have not even left Jakarta yet.

Jakarta Indonesia Series Blogs

Mercure Hotel Ancol

Jakarta Indonesia Series 1

Sea World Jakarta and Ocean Dream Samudra

Jakarta Indonesia Series 2

Sunda Kelapa Restaurant

Amazing Indonesian Buffet

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 3

Dufan is Fun

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 4

Ancol Epic Cable Park

Jakarta’s Hip Wake Park

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 5

Ancol Dreamland Jakarta

Indonesia's Fun Capital

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 6

Hotel Manhattan Jakarta

Modern Hotel with a View

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 7

Kidzania and Wendy’s

Pacific Place, Jakarta

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 8

Historic Jakarta City Tour
Traffic Choked, Rain Soaked City Tour

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 9

Ikan Bakar Cianjur

Binge Eating on Indonesian Food

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 10

Taman Mini Indonesia and

Caping Gunung Restaurant

Binge Eating at Taman Mini

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 11

Ritz Carlton Mega Kuningan

Unwelcoming Fortress Hotel

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 12

Restaurant Haka

Chinese Food Galore

Jakarta, Indonesia Series 13

Sarinah Shopping Mall
Jakarta's One Stop Souvenir Mall 
Jakarta, Indonesia Series 14 

Jakarta a Fun Filled Kiddie Paradise
 and  Traffic Choked Culinary Adventure 
Jakarta, Indonesia Series 15