Novotel Jakarta Mangga Dua Square is located at the popular Mangga Dua shopping district in North Jakarta. It is near the Old Town and is about 30 mins from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (with clear traffic of course). The hotel is actually situated within the huge Mangga Dua Square mall and there are several other hotels in the same complex which makes it quite convenient to access shops and eateries. The Mangga Dua Square mall caters mostly to local brands and you will find rows of little shops selling everything from cheap clothes to knock off shoes to beauty products. If you are looking for a mall with international brands you have to travel a bit further.
I first stayed in Novotel Jakarta Mangga Dua a few years back when it first opened and it has remained one of my favourite mid-priced business hotel in Jakarta ever since. However in my latest stay on 26 July 2016 I notice that its age is starting to show and it appears that some basic maintenance were not followed through properly. More of that later.
Newly Renovated Lobby
Rooms
I like Novotel Jakarta Mangga Dua’s spacious rooms which has a cosy, modern wood theme. Splashes of colors brighten up the rooms. It has an in room safe, bathrobes, big LED TVs, hair dryer, and all the amenities expected of a 4 stars business hotel. It would have been better if there are more wall power sockets as an average traveller have at least 3 pieces of electronic equipments to charge nowadays.
Fluffy beds
Nice large studio room
The beds are very comfortable and the linen used are of high quality. There are 4 pillows provided on the king sized beds (sorry I didn’t try the twin beds configuration) and these are fluffy although some may find that it is not firm enough. This can easily be fixed by requesting additional pillows from the housekeeping.
There are signs of wear and the lack of attention to details in the maintenance of certain aspects of the room. For example, there are mold growing in a corner of the shower cubicle. The shower head has a leak and water sprays out from a joint that was cracked. Some of the walls are discolored.
Not very well maintained shower area
If Novotel’s management can pay a bit more attention to these details it will make the stay an even better experience.
Facilities
The hotel has a fully equipped gym, a good sized pool, a spa, an international restaurant, a bar/lounge for chilling out, and also ample parking for guest that require it. I personally find the gym and pool quite attractive.
Full size outdoor swimming pool
Free weights section in gym
Gym undergoing upgrade
Conclusion
Novotel Jakarta Mangga Dua is listed as a 4 stars business hotel and the service is definitely 4 stars. While there are many things to like about the hotel such as the spacious rooms, comfortable beds, excellent service staffs, fully equipped gym and pool, some signs of age is beginning to show in other areas. I would continue to stay here if there are good offers but if not, there may be better value to be found elsewhere.
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