Jakarta Shopping Tips by latte18 Top 5 Page for this destination

Jakarta Great Sale: A Great SALEabration 2004

The Jakarta Great Sale is held annually to commemorate Jakarta's birthday. In 2004, it will be held from June 14 to July 14. More than 1700 outlets will take part in the SALEabration, which include 23 shopping centers, 101 department stores, and 1514 stores. In addition, the Great Sale will extend to 18 hotels, 41 restaurants, and 3 spas all over Jakarta.

A fashion-themed celebration will be held in Mal Kelapa Gading from June 14 to June 21 and the food-themed celebration will be held in Plaza Semanggi from June 14 to June 23. Savings will be offered from 20% to 70% off regular prices, so don't miss this once a year opportunity and get ready to shop till you drop in Jakarta!

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Jalan Surabaya Flea Market: shopping for antiques in Jakarta

The most enjoyable place to browse for collectibles and antiques is on Jalan Surabaya in Menteng. The entire street is lined with stores, small shops, and stalls offering all manner of collectibles: ceramics, colonial style home furnishings, masks, small statues, and other paraphernalia.

The rules here is are to bargain real hard and never assume that anything is a real antique. It might look old and authentique but it could have been made the day before. Bargaining is imperative, never be afraid to slash the price offered by the sellers by more than half.

What to buy: antiques

Theme: Antiques

Dharmawangsa Square City Walk: walk the CityWalk

Dharmawangsa Square City Walk is located in a nice neighborhood in South Jakarta, near the classy expat enclave of Kemang. It's a fairly new upmarket, smallish and elongated shopping mall. The ceiling features heavenly frescoes painted on it and the mall boasts fashionable galleries and boutiques, small and trendy restaurants and cafes, and music stores. For the young at heart, Singapore-based nightclub, Centro occupies five floors (including the rooftop) at one end of the mall.

Address: Dharmawangsa

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Pondok Indah Mall: the first of its kind

Opened circa 1992, this is the mall that started the mall revolution in Jakarta. Located in the posh residential neighborhood of Pondok Indah (the Beverly Hills of Jakarta), the mall is not quite trendy nor popular anymore with Jakarta elites. Nevertheless, it is still packed with families especially during weekends and public holidays.

The malls features the first branch of Singapore-based department store, Metro and offers numerous shops, eateries, a cinema, and a food cort. Adjacent to the mall is a popular water park with climbing wall facilities.

Address: Jl. Metro Pondok Indah

Directions: Pondok Indah, South Jakarta

Phone: +62 21 750 6750

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Kelapa Gading Mall: Best shopping in North Jakarta

At 70,000 square meters, this is one of Jakarta's biggest and busiest shopping malls and arguably the most prestigious mall north of Plaza Indonesia.

The mall houses a branch of the popular Japanese-based department store chain, Sogo and has unique themed floors. "Fashion Hub," the theme on the 2nd floor offers everything from upscale, traditional batiks to the most glorious evening gowns. Whereas on the 3rd Floor "Catwalk" themed, youngsters will be ecstatic to find a wide range of casual wears.

The mall is strategically located next to Gading Food City, also known as Jakarta's seafood mecca, where you can find everything from traditional rujak, dim sum, to pastas, all at reasonable prices.

Address: Jl Bulevar Kelapa Gading

Directions: Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta

Phone: +62 21 453 0690

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Plaza Indonesia eX - Entertainment X'nter: Get entertained at the new eX !

The new annex to the Plaza Indonesia was christened the Enterntainment X'nter or the eX. Apart from its corny name and its futuristic-looking building that is quite tacky IMHO, the eX offers dozens of small restaurants, trendy cafes and coffee shops including well-known staple brands such as Starbucks and Gloria Jean's.

The building also houses a handful of stores selling pricey teen ikea-look-a-like knick knacks that no one probably needs anyway, a music store, a bowling alley, a pool hall, a fitness center, a London-based hair salon, and what probably the most expensive movie theater in town. The eX will also become the new home for the Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta.

Although it is not yet fully operational (there are several stores that haven't been opened yet), throngs of people have crowded this place especially on weekends.

All in all, the new smallish mall is excellent if you want to hang out with your friends and go people-watching, since it's open until 2AM on weekends. However, the number and variety of the stores are a bit of a let down.

Address: Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav 28-30

Directions: Central Jakarta, HI Roundabout

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Ratu Plaza: Budget DVDs at Ratu Plaza

The new Indonesian copyright laws notwithstanding, pirated DVDs trade are alive and kicking at the Ratu Plaza. If you're in town and looking for bargain DVDs, then a visit to this mall near the Sudirman Central Business District is a must. On the 4th floor you will find a whole floor dedicated to high quality pirated DVDs from Hollywood latest blockbusters, past Oscar winners, European artsy flicks, Chinese soaps, even the latest season of Sex and The City, you name it, they've got it.

What's more, the sellers are honest about the quality of the DVDs and let you try them on their DVD players before you decide what to buy. What's more important is the unbelievable price of Rp 15,000 (about USD 1.75) for a locally-made DVD and Rp 20,000 (about USD 2.50) for imported ones from Hong Kong. The place is teeming with locals and expats alike and can be packed during weekends. No Air Conditioning means you have to sweat it out while hunting for your favorite movies.

If DVDs are not your thing, then this mall is filled with furniture shops, computer and electronic sellers and also features Dome, the Australian-based coffee shop chain and an internet cafe that is always packed with backpackers.

What to buy: DVDs

Address: Jl Jend. Sudirman

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