August 09, 2023

Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel

I can’t believe that we only have a few days left to enjoy our school break and to be honest, I did not feel the summer vacation this year because we did not have any trips. Well, for the past several weeks, my husband has frequent Jakarta Indonesia and we had the opportunity to travel with him. Still, I let go of the chances because Jakarta is not on my bucket list, airfare is expensive, and for tourist spots, I only need a day or two to visit those. So I chose to have a staycation na lang at home and save money. 

Anyway, I mentioned in my other post that my husband usually stays at The Westin Jakarta but during his trip, it was fully booked so his colleagues informed him to book at Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City. This is the 6th hotel that my husband tried in Jakarta Indonesia and since he frequents Sheraton hotels, he has his own expectations. 


But unfortunately, his expectations were not met. It started with the reception where the staff wanted him to pay his booking in full. What?!? We are aware of incidental deposit pero full payment agad upon check-in, first-time sa Sheraton. What if he wanted to shorten his stay like his previous trip

When he reaches his room, the room looks good but there is a certain smell that he doesn’t know kung saan ba nanggagaling, parang amoy kulob or molds. It is not the same with other Sheraton rooms na mabango pag open mo pa lang ng door. 



The room and bathroom are spacious. The staff even prepared welcome snacks and handwritten cards.





He stayed on the 17th floor but can still hear the noise outside so it is hard to sleep. 


Buffet Breakfast at Anigre Restaurant 

The following day, while they were eating their breakfast, a hotel staff approached them and asked for feedback and my husband was surprised when his colleagues started talking because they stayed in 3 different rooms but they had the same concern which is the “smell of the room”. But the hotel did not transfer them to a different room so they endured the smell for almost a week. 

About breakfast, there are so many options like Indonesian, Asian, and Western cuisine but the taste is just okay. I won’t go into details but after his colleagues shared their feedback about the food, the chef even went out and told them, that if they wanted a certain meal, they could prepare it for them. But they did not make any special requests; it just so happened that the hotel staff went to their table and asked for their feedback. Unfortunately, their reviews are not positive. 





But on a positive note, the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel has a good location because it is adjacent to Gandaria City Mall so you can easily shop and dine. They have a 24-hour fitness center and swimming pool. 

Lobby Lounge 

Aside from Anigre Restaurant, they have a Lobby Lounge too which serves cocktails and appetizers. My husband stayed and dined here while waiting for his midnight flight. 


Update: December 2024

Just this month, my husband went back to Indonesia for a business trip and stayed at the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel during his first and last days. And because of his past experience, he booked here without expectations so he was surprised when he arrived at the hotel. 





There is a welcome note on television, handwritten notes, and welcome snacks, and the surprising part is, that he has complimentary access to Sheraton Club. 

Complimentary Sheraton Club Breakfast Buffet - 6:00AM to 10:30AM 
Complimentary Evening Hors D’oeuvres with selected house wines, beer, and basic spirits.
Complimentary snacks, coffee/tea, and soft drinks were available throughout the day 
Complimentary Sheraton Club Meeting Room usage
2 pieces pressing per stay 

He also received a coupon for a one-time lunch/dinner at Anigre (1 pax) and a Special Happy Hour drink at Lobby Lounge (one time only).

There are so many freebies, unfortunately, he was not able to enjoy all the benefits because he only stayed for several hours. On his first day, he arrived in the wee hours so he missed the Evening Hors D’oeuvres but he was able to eat breakfast at the Sheraton Club before he checked out. 







After a few days, he went back to the hotel so he could rest before his midnight flight. The staff changed the expiration date of his coupon so he had a buffet dinner at Anigre.


Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel 
Jl. Sultan Iskandar Muda, Kebayoran, 
Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia, 12240

August 08, 2023

Food Trip at Borro + Kandle Cafe

My college friends have been planning for our get-together and it took us almost a year to finalize everything. Unfortunately, we were not complete pero go pa rin kasi baka mag2024 na hindi pa kami magkita-kita. I thought I can’t make it too because my husband was in Indonesia, good thing that he was able to go home before our get-together. 

We’ve been eating at Tong Yang for the last two meetings so for a change, my friend suggested Borro Manila. She reserved a table, a few weeks before our scheduled reunion. It was a good decision because when we arrived, the restaurant is already crowded and there are so many people waiting to be seated. Parking is hard too so we're thankful for the valet parking. 


Borro Manila 

Prior to our get-together, I checked Borro Manila Facebook page so at least I have an idea of their menu but when we arrived, it took us a long time to browse the menu. A one-page menu pero ang dami din options for pasta, seafood, pork, chicken, beef, steaks, soup, salad, and others. Most of the food is good for sharing so it is perfect for family or big groups. 



They served complimentary bread kahit hindi pa kami nakakaorder. We ordered Creamy Truffle Pasta PHP550, Mixed Veggies with Seafood PHP650, Lechon Kawali PHP530, Stuffed Pork Chops PHP480, Barbeque Pork Belly PH490, Boneless Fried Chicken PHP580 (2), and extra rice + Service Charge








When they served the food, we were surprised because of the big serving, especially the boneless chicken, 2 pa naman ang inorder namin. We are group of 8 adults and 4 kids, pero hirap kami ubusin yung order so take-out na lang. Among the food that we ordered, we liked the mixed veggies with seafood. 

Borro
10 Scout Borromeo, 
cor Sct. Tobias St, 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 

Kandle Cafe 


After lunch, we went to Kandle Cafe which is just a few minutes walk from Borro. I thought they only serve coffee and pastries but they have meals din pala. But we went here for coffee so for my family, I ordered Americano PHP125, Iced Chocolate PHP165, White Mocha PHP170 and Blueberry Cheesecake PHP225. Drinks and cheesecake are good naman but feeling ko mas mahal compared sa ibang cafe na natry ko. 



Kandle Cafe 
113 Mother Ignacia Ave, 
Diliman, Quezon City, 
1103 Metro Manila

August 02, 2023

July Craft Projects

Just this week, I found this quote on my Facebook memories “Stress does not come from being busy. Stress comes from being busy about things we don’t want to do, or from not being busy about things we do want to do” - Patricia Sprinkle 


Somehow true because for the past few weeks, I’ve been so preoccupied with some things that I don’t like to do but I need to do. I was mentally exhausted because I’d been researching, reading, planning, and processing some stuff. Information overload so I miss blogging and crafting. 

I am not done with my list of things to do but I am carving out time so I can post something on my blog. Hehehe! I was browsing my phone and I only had a few craft projects compared to the past few months.

1. Surfer Box Card 


I already shared this project on “My Philippine Travel Bucket List” blog post. It was my entry for Bee Happy Craft Weeklies: Travel 

2. Congrats Cake Topper or Scrapbook Title 


I’ve made this for my niece who finished her Junior High School level last month. This is a layered of textured and glitter cardstock. The font is Muthiara

3. Friendship Card 

This was also my entry for Bee Happy Craft Weeklies: Friendship. I used metal dies, stamps, Distress Oxides, and Ohuhu marker to make this “Thanks for Bee-ing my Friend” card. 


That’s it for now.

July 25, 2023

Aryaduta Lippo Village Hotel in Indonesia

Since the year 2018, my husband usually stays at The Westin Jakarta Hotel whenever he has a business trip in Jakarta, Indonesia. I can no longer count how many times he stayed in this hotel. During his last trip, he booked at The Westin Jakarta Hotel for almost one week but he cut his stay short because the hotel is too far from the site that he needs to visit. 


Travel time is more or less 2 hours depending on the traffic so he was spending four hours or more every single day just to reach his destination and vice versa. His colleague suggested to transfer hotel so when he went back to Westin he asked the staff if there will be no penalty if he will shorten his stay. 

The staff said “Yes, no penalty” but in less than an hour, he received a message stating that he needs to inform them within the day or else there will be a penalty charge. It was already late in the evening so he has only a few hours left to book another hotel. His colleague suggested Aryaduta Lippo Village. He browsed the website and the hotel looks good in the picture. And because of limited time, he booked the hotel without reading reviews. 


Aryaduta Lippo Village Hotel 

Aryaduta Lippo Village is located in Lippo Karawaci which is now known as Lippo Village. It is outside Jakarta and a short drive to the international airport. The hotel features 191 rooms and villas. This hotel is budget-friendly compared to other hotels that my husband tried. 


At the time of his trip, he dropped by Aryaduta Lippo Village first for check-in but no early check-in so he just left his luggage and off he went to the site that he needs to visit. When he got in the taxi, out of the blue the taxi driver told him “You know I hear so many ghost stories here”. My husband was so shocked, he just check in tapos may ghost story pala. Waah! 

When the lady driver said “here”, she was not saying that there are ghosts in the hotel but "ghost stories in the Karawaci area”. Napagkwekwentuhan daw ng mga taxi drivers. And because of that, my husband already felt uncomfortable especially when he saw his room after work. 





He arrived late at night so even he turned on the light, the room was still not well-lighted. So parang Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar feel, hehehe! The room already looks old so it is no longer the same as the pictures on the website; expectation vs reality.


The hotel has a swimming pool designed in Balinese style, a gym, spa & massage, and a team building area. 



For food and beverages, the hotel offers indoor and outdoor restaurants; Lounge Bar, Palm Cafe, Laguna Bar, The Gardenia, and RJ’s Sports Bar and Grill. 



The Indonesian colleague who suggested this hotel also stayed in this hotel. The hotel looks okay naman but because of the taxi driver, nakakadalawang-isip magstay sa Lippo Village area. We don’t know if the ghost stories are true because when I tried to search, I can’t find anything. Also, there are so many guests in the hotel; in fact, my husband was not able to take a lot of pictures in the buffet restaurant because it was crowded. 

Aryaduta Lippo Village 
401 Bulevard Jendral Sudirman 
1300 Lippo Village
Klook.com