Quantcast
Channel: Jakarta100bars - Nightlife & Party Guide - Best Bars & Nightclubs
Viewing all 1118 articles
Browse latest View live

Cloud 9 (Manado Nightlife)

$
0
0
Cloud 9, formerly known as Score, is one of the most happening nightclubs in Manado. It is located near the beachfront, in the mall Manado Town Square (MANTOS). It belongs to the same group behind Corner Club that will reopen in 2017.

The best place to sleep in the immediate vicinity is probably the budget hotel Biz Boulevard (Rp300,000 per night). 10 minutes further away, you also have the 4-star Swiss Bell Maleosan and the 5-star Aryaduta.

Cloud 9 is rather large with a high ceiling and a mezzanine. It was renovated quite recently and it is modern compared to other provincial nightclubs in Indonesia. The sound and lighting system in particular are good. Most customers sit around tables with a group but if you are alone you can also stay at their main bar, in the middle of the club.

They have a resident live band and a DJ every night. The music is Western, apart from a few Indonesian love songs from time to time. They normally have more famous DJs at least once a week on Saturday. Wednesdays and Fridays are also busy.

Overall: Cloud 9 is a must-try if you want to sample Manado nightlife.

Cloud 9 Nightclub and Lounge Manado
Manado Town Square, Blok A, Second Floor
Jalan Pierre Tendean Boulevard

Phone number: 08114333365 or 08114306550 or 087846354977
BB Pin: D38B37EB

For an updated list of events:
Instagram: Cloud 9 Manado
Twitter: Corner Club/Cloud 9

K43 Bar and Club (Kemang)

$
0
0
Last Saturday (December 3rd 2016), I visited the club K43 in South Jakarta (K is for Kemang, 43 is the street number). I had already been several time to this location that was once called Second Floor, then SF Club, and then Hangover.

The entrance fee was Rp100,000 and it included a drink. Not many people were inside and I guess that several customers were just friends of the owner/manager/PR. There were some hostesses as well, two of whom came to introduce themselves and chatted with us for a while. Apparently they have fashion shows and sexy dancers occasionally.

The music was commercial EDM, nothing really special. Drinks were rather expensive for Kemang at Rp100,000 for a whisky coke.

The only thing I liked was the set up of K43 which is quite intimate and modern. They also have a cool LED light display on the ceiling.

Overall: Not really worth it, it is better to go to Tipsy, Venue, 999 or Nu China if you want to party in Kemang.

K43 Pub and Club
Jalan Kemang Raya No.43A
Bangka, Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta

Phone number: 082211767657
Email: k43.bar@gmail.com

Tangerang Nightlife: Exploring BSD and Serpong

$
0
0
I've been living in Tangerang for over a month now and I've had a few occasions to visit the bars and nightclubs there.

This review will give you a short overview of the nightlife in Tangerang and more precisely in the new cities Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) and Gading Serpong.

Note: If you need a hotel, please check Serpong Hotel Deals and Tangerang Hotel Deals (I make a small commission on every booking but the price does not change for you and it helps me maintain Jakarta100bars).

Overview of Tangerang
Enigma Nightclub in Gading Serpong
Tangerang and South Tangerang are two separate suburban cities located about 20 kilometers from the center of Jakarta. You have probably been there without realizing it since the Jakarta airport (CGK) is actually in the northern part of Tangerang.

When I first arrived in Jakarta in 2004, Tangerang was a conservative, working-class area that was flirting with shariah law. Alcohol was prohibited even in hotels and the police was arresting women simply for walking in the street alone at night.

Since then, things have smoothed a bit, though not everywhere. The most visible transformation is happening in the privately-owned new cities that have emerged in recent years. I'm sure you are already familiar with a few of them such as:

→ Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) owned by the Sinar Mas Group
→ Gading Serpong owned by Summarecon Agung Group
→ Lippo Karawaci owned partly by Lippo Group and Salim Group
→ Alam Sutra owned by the Argo Manunggal Group

These new cities are well-planned with modern roads, brand-new malls, offices towers, apartments, housing complexes, hotels, golf courses, hospitals and schools. They have attracted tens of thousands of middle and upper class Indonesian families as well as several large companies. Judging by the number of new construction sites in Tangerang, this trend is likely to continue over the next decades.

This new demographic has led to a new demand for entertainment venues, starting with restaurants, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs and spas.

Nightlife in Tangerang: Best Bars and Clubs
While the nightlife in the traditional neighborhoods of Tangerang is still limited, it is slowly starting to take off in BSD, Gading Serpong, Lippo Karawaci and Alam Sutra.

Almost all the places I'm writing about below didn't exist 5 years ago and I'm sure that in 5 years, there will be twice as many. Please do leave a comment below if you know about a new opening so I can check it out.

This is my ranking of the best clubs and bars in all Tangerang (starting with my favorites):

Enigma (Gading Serpong)
Enigma is just across the street from Summarecon Mall Serpong and it is the best nightlife option in Tangerang at the moment. You have a coffee shop on the ground floor, a club on the second and pool tables on the third. During the week, it is a popular hangout for students. On weekends, the club normally gets full and happening until 4am. Once or twice a month, they'll have famous DJs.

Its crowd is mixed, including some really young people and older executives/professionals. There are normal girls, but also some semi-prostitutes/freelancers. The entrance fee is Rp100,000 on weekends with 1 drink.

You can read my full review here: Enigma Gading Serpong

Clique (Gading Serpong)
Clique is close from Enigma and you can reach it by foot if you're not too lazy. It is also built on several floors with a lounge and an Italian restaurant. I only visited the lounge, on a Saturday night. There was no entrance fee , the drinks were cheap and the small dance floor was packed. It is more upper class than Enigma.

You can read my full review here: Clique Serpong

The Breeze (BSD)
The Docks German Restaurant inside The Breeze
The Breeze is a crossover between a public park and a lifestyle center. You'll find many restaurants there, including a few that serve alcohol. They are not party places but you can grab something to eat while having a few beers. Most have an open-air terrace with a view on a muddy lake. As it is new, it is still quiet and it probably hasn't reached its full potential yet.

The best venue is The Docks German Restaurant (previously known as Metro). It is the closest thing from an expat bar in Tangerang. They have good food, some games (darts, pool) and live music on Saturday. It is open until 2am on weekends.

The sports bar/microbrewery chain Brewerkz is the second best option. It is part of a Singaporean group that also owns a branch in Senayan City. It is similar with the Docks but with a more Asian touch (in the sense that it is a more modern/playful). They craft their own beer in Singapore and they import it in Indonesia. They have several pool tables as well.

If you need more options, you can also visit The Fool and Juan Coffee Bar.

Venesia (BSD)
Venesia is a one-stop entertainment center, the only one of its kind in Tangerang (to my knowledge). It features a hotel, a karaoke, a spa and a small lounge/club. It is quite expensive and not always crowded unless they have a special event. The crowd is older than elsewhere and consists mostly of guys accompanied by lady hostesses.

You can read my complete review here: The Venesia Hotel, Karaoke and Spa

Summarecon Mall Serpong (SMS)
Live music in The Barrels
There are a lot of restaurants within Summarecon Mall but the majority doesn't sell alcohol. Still, it can be a fun place to hang out on the weekends as it gets quite crowded and you'll often have a live band.

There are two recommended venues serving alcohol: The Barrels, a semi-open air café with various types of draft beer and some basic food, and the tiny but popular Poka Ribs, where you might meet a group of loyal expat customers (apparently because that's where they can buy the cheapest beer). 

Backyard Café (BSD - Teras Kota)
Backyard is a laid-back café in Teras Kota, just across the street from the Venesia Hotel mentioned above. It is a nice place to watch sports, listen to live music or just to hang out. A few of their waitresses are cute. They serve cheap food (Rp40,000-Rp60,000 for a main course) and alcohol (beer tower Rp325,000++).

Benton Junction (Karawaci - Lippo Village)
Waitresses/SPG from House of Bintang Spirit
This is a small colonial-style complex next to Supermall Karawaci with a few restaurants and coffee shops. It attracts many students from the nearby Pelita Harapan University (UPH), most of them Indonesian-Chinese. The only real bar is House of Bintang Spirit, a small café with an indoor area and a terrace that serves all types of beers, spirits and cocktails. You can also hang out in the 24-hour Dim Sum Inc and in Poka Ribs.

Not far from Benton Junction, the Hotel Aryaduta has a sports bar with live music called RJ's.

Aeon Mall (BSD)
Stopover Beer and Satay
I didn't find a proper bar in the Japanese-oriented Aeon Mall apart from Stopover Beer and Satay and Little Tokyo Bar.

Celcius Nightclub (Samarinda - Kalimantan)

$
0
0
Celcius Club, Lounge & KTV is an upmarket nightclub in Samarinda, just behind the airport. There are no decent hotels in the immediate proximity so I advise you to stay instead either in Aston, in Horison or in Swiss Belhotel (which are all near from venues like Deja Vu, D'Lux or Crowners).

Celcius is located inside an impressive building and the inside is rather luxurious. It has the best atmosphere of any clubs in Samarinda with beautiful LED displays both on the walls and on the ceiling ("raining light" effect).

Every night, it has a live band (Top 40, rock, pop, oldies, Indonesian songs), a DJ (commercial house and party anthems), sexy models and sexy pole dancers. The latest can be considered lady companions and you should be able to invite them at your table or in the karaoke if you ask the GRO (and pay for it).

In terms of special events, I feel that it is lacking compared to Deja Vu. They may have famous artists once or twice a month, but not that regularly. I also believe that it is not as crowded in general and that it does not have as many girls.

Free entrance for girl, Rp100,000 FDC for men.

Celcius Pub, Lounge & Karaoke
Jalan Gatot Subroto No.20A, Samarinda, Borneo (East Kalimantan)
Phone number: +62 (0) 541 743430
Email: ethnicjavaentertainment@gmail.com

10 Best Gifts Ideas For Your Indonesian Girlfriend or Wife

$
0
0
If you have a local girlfriend or wife, you certainly know that Indonesian girls absolutely love receiving gifts. In fact, I would say that being generous is one of the surest ways to keep your relationship strong and happy (the only most important thing is to be committed and faithful).

At the very least, you should always offer a gift on your partner's birthday. A failure to do so is only excusable if you've just met or if you're trying to get rid of her. Depending on the girl you're seeing, you should probably buy something for Valentine's day and Christmas as well (yes, even if she is a Muslim).

Some relationships may require more frequent gifts, for instance if you are dating someone out of your league. If you are 50 years old and your girlfriend is 25-year old bombshell (like the girl on the picture above), it goes without saying that you'll need to have deep pockets. Similarly, if you are dating a girl that you don't intend to marry, a few gifts may keep her hooked for a little longer. I'm not saying that every Indonesian girl is materialistic, most are not, but they can sometimes be pragmatic.

The list below will give you 10 ideas of gifts that all Indonesian girls would love to receive. I've included links to trusted websites you can buy them from.

Flowers
Flowers are the most romantic gift you can make, for any type of girls and for any occasions. Red and white roses are the preferred choice, unless your girlfriend is a bit more sophisticated and requires originality. You can buy them at the cheapest price in flower markets (see my review Traditional Markets in Jakarta) or you can buy them online directly on Flower Advisor. A bouquet costs around 25$ and it will be delivered on the same day with a personalized note. I used it a lot when I had a long distance relationship and it was very practical.

→ Ideal to show that you care
→ Price range: From 10$ to 50$
→ Delivery in Indonesia: Flower Advisor

Perfume, Make Up and Beauty Products
A classic gift if you don't want to take any risks. You are always sure to make your woman happy with beauty products but always choose a famous brand.

If you are a frequent traveler, it is always easy to buy a fragrance bottle at the duty free shop before arriving in Jakarta. The prices are much cheaper than anywhere else and you get to choose the smell you like the most. In Indonesia, you can buy from Sephora Indonesia or from department stores like Sogo with prices a bit higher.

→ Perfect gift if you want to be 100% sure she'll like it
→ Price range: From 50$ to 130$
→ Delivery in Indonesia: Not recommended for perfume to avoid counterfeit products but you can buy safely from Sephora Indonesia for make up and other beauty products.

Chocolate, Candies, Cakes and Snacks
This is an inexpensive gift to make, especially if you buy them in your home country. Chocolate in Indonesia is 2 to 3 times more expensive than in Europe so it is considered a bit of a luxury here. I always bring as much as I can from France and then gives them around. It's a very easy way to make people smile!

Since Indonesian love eating sweet food, an alternative is to buy any kind of sweets that come with a nice packaging (for instance a heart-shaped box).

→ Ideal for Valentine's day
→ Price range: From 5$ to 20$
→ Delivery in Indonesia: Flower Advisor sells romantic chocolates and you can buy cakes/desserts on BoBoBoBo.com. You can also get standard chocolates delivered to your door on HappyFresh.com.

Photo Frame/Album or Video
A more unique way to show that you care if you are 18, penniless and deeply in love. It sounds a bit girly and cheesy, yet it will very certainly be a hit if your girlfriend is young.

If you really don't have any money, you can make a short video or slideshow online and send it to her as well.

→ Perfect gift for younger girls
→ Price range: 0$ for a video, 4$ for a frame, 20$ for an album, 0.50$ to print a photo
→ To buy online and get delivered in Jakarta: Photo Frames can be bought on Matahari Mall (Indonesian). You can print photos on Pictalogy or Snapy (Indonesian). You can make a free slideshow/video on Smilebox.

Romantic Trips
Photo: https://www.instagram.com/sukiminthio/
The perspective of going on a romantic trip is extremely exciting to every Indonesian girls. Not only because they have few opportunities to go anywhere alone, but more importantly because it will give them plenty of occasions to update their Instagram with new pictures.

Even if you don't have money, you can at least go to Bandung or Bogor. With a bigger budget, Bali, Belitung, the Thousand Islands and Lombok are great choices. Singapore and KL are also quite cheap and easy to reach from Jakarta.

A good way to find amazing prices is to visit Kiwi.com. This travel website allows you to find flights without entering the destination. The result will be a display of the cheapest flights available on a particular date, from Jakarta (Yes I know, Skyscanner does that also, but please try Kiwi and you'll see it has many more possibilities).
Is Kiwi.com better than Skyscanner? I think so.
→ Smart gift if you already have a wife
→ Price range: From 50$ (weekend in Bogor) to 5,000$ (weekend in Velaa Resort in Maldives)
→ Buying online: Keep an eye on the deals from Groupon Indonesia - Travel or Bobobobo - Hotels and Resorts.

Anything Cute and/or Cheesy
This is a bit vague but you probably understand what I mean. Asian girls love cute accessories or toys, especially if they are somewhat romantic. It can be dolls, teddy bears, cups, pillows, watches, sunglasses, t-shirts, pencils, cards, etc as long as there is a funny face or a heartbreaking sentence on it.

→ Easy gift if you're back from a business trip in Japan
→ Price range: From 5$ to 30$
→ Buying online: Check the gift section on FlowerAdvisor.com and Bobobobo.com, they have some cute teddy bears and other plush dolls.

Designer Clothes, Bags and Shoes
Guys who buy designer clothes and accessories are either very rich, crazy in love or dating above their league. Whatever your reason, you can never go wrong as long as you buy genuine stuff either from abroad or from any of the luxury malls in Jakarta.

→ Perfect gift if you were caught cheating and need forgiveness
→ Price range: Starting from 200$ up to several thousand dollars
→ Delivery to Indonesia/Buying online: The best Indonesian-based website with a large choice of designer clothes, bags, shoes and accessories is certainly Bobobobo.com. You can check their brands directly here Woman Fashion.

Spa or Salon Treatment
Have you ever met a girl who didn't like going to the spa?
You can either buy a treatment that your wife or girlfriend will do alone or buy a couple's massage. Several venues allow it in Jakarta and I've listed them in my review: Best Luxury Hotel Spas in Jakarta. I also recommend you to try any of the Taman Sari Royal Heritage Spa (check for deals on Groupon).

→ Perfect gift if you want to please her while still meeting your friends
→ Price range: 30$ to 80$
→ Where to purchase online: You can have a look at the Spa Deals on Groupon: Best Spa Deals in Indonesia

Phone, Laptop and Tablets
It is almost a tradition for the boyfriend to pay for his girlfriend's phone in Indonesia. This is why you'll see so many girls who earn less than 300$/month with the latest 800$ Iphone. Once the phone is taken care of, you may start to hear things like "I really need a laptop for my work" or "My teacher wants us to buy a laptop". This is the sign you're in for a little present.

→ Must-buy gift if you are dating a gold-digger
→ Price range: 400$-1500$
→ Buying online: If you can speak Indonesian, you can visit MatahariMall or Lazada. Both have a huge choice and they can deliver anywhere in Indonesia.

Sexy Stuff
Offering lingerie or sex toys is actually more a gift to yourself and that's why it is such a good idea. Lingerie can easily be found in any malls, for instance in La Senza or Victoria's Secret. It is much harder to buy sex toys in Indonesia so it is best to bring them from abroad.

→ Perfect gift to yourself
→ Price range: 30$ to 200$
→ Buying lingerie online: Websites like Bobobobo (Lingerie for woman) and Zalora have a limited choice. Matahari Mall and Lazada are better but they are in Indonesian. The best choice would be AliExpress, and especially its page Sexy Lingerie.
→ Buying sex toys online: Limited choice on Lazada - Sex Help. Much better if you import through Aliexpress - Sex Toys but the customs may not allow your stuff to enter the country.

Photo credit: The two awesome pictures with Indonesian beauties were taken by Mr. Ecko. You can see more of his portfolio on Instagram here @rockandrolla_photography.

Cebu Nightlife: 10 Best Nightclubs and Bars

$
0
0
Note from Jakarta100bars: This article about Cebu City's best bars and nightclubs was written by my friend Seb who's lived there for 6 months. My plan is to visit him in the second semester 2017 so I'll have the chance to make a more complete review.

I love Cebu, both the island and the city. I could write a book about all the amazing things that you can do here, from tanning on deserted white-sand beaches to swimming with whale sharks. 

But that’s not what you want to know isn't it?

What you want to know is where you can party and, if you are a guy, where you can meet hot local girls.

The good news is that Cebu City is one of the best places in the world for single guys and probably the second best in the Philippines after Manila.

Because it is the richest province in the country, it attracts thousands of young Filipinas who study or work, particularly in one of the numerous call centers near IT Park. As they are far from their families, these girls enjoy a certain level of freedom and you'll meet many of them in bars and clubs every day.

Even though Cebu City is a tourist hub, the number of foreigners remains low compared to Manila or any major cities in Thailand. The most noticeable community is made of Korean students learning English, followed by the usual backpackers, teachers, executives and pensioners. To be fair, many guys I met don't seem to do anything apart from chasing girls all day long.

Cebu nightlife is pretty straight-forward and you'll only need a couple of nights out to be familiar with the best venues. The major nightclubs are almost all located in central Cebu City with a few more in the suburban towns of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.

The main nightlife area is around Mango Square and Mango Avenue (the other name of General Maxilom Avenue). It is a low-to middle class party zone with a dozen of bars and clubs lined up next to each other. For your first time in Cebu, you'll probably find everything you need there. It can be a bit seedy at night though with ladyboys and freelance prostitutes chasing clients until early morning.

As you venture to the east of Mango Avenue from Alaya Mall up to Mandaue City, there are more expensive venues, for instance in IT Park, Cyberpark and City Time Square. This is where more upper-class Filipinos will hang out, including the most gorgeous girls.

There are other party areas, for instance the local red-light district of Colon. The latter does not have a very good reputation at night so I advise you to stay clear.

Meeting Girls in Cebu
While there is widespread prostitution (and sex tourism) in Cebu, you also have hundreds of normal girls that you can date fairly easily. Girls in clubs generally come with friends and may not always be receptive if you try to approach them. For this reason, I recommend you to meet girls from dating sites and apps instead.

Tinder works very well and you'll get plenty of matches. I personally don't find the application very convenient to use though because I hate to type on a smartphone.

Instead, I prefer either Filipino Cupid or Pina Love. Both are free but you should probably update to their premium version (25$ for a month that can be cancelled anytime). They are the most popular dating sites in the country with thousands of girls online at any time.

Pick-up artists usually do the "pipeline" strategy. They contact as many girls as possible on various dating sites months before actually coming. They slowly build a sense of familiarity with them by regularly sending messages and Skyping. Once in Cebu, they finally meet the girl. By then, she is normally ready to take the relationship one step further (strangely forgetting that the guy will leave a couple days later).

Best Hotels Near Cebu Nightlife
If you've never been to Cebu before, you may be wondering what are the best places to stay near the nightlife.

I advise you to choose a hotel between the Fuente Osmena Circle or Mango Square (the heart of the nightlife) and the Alaya Mall (a more expensive area). By doing so you will be within one kilometer from the majority of the clubs listed below, but also from the city's best malls, activities and restaurants.

The following hotels are the most recommended for party-goers:
Budget (under 30$ per night): S Hotel and ResidencesABC Hotel, Pillows Hotel, Red Planet
3-star (50$): Cuarto Hotel
4-star (70$): Harolds Hotel
5-star (120$): Marriott Cebu City

Please consider using one of the links provided to book your room. I make a small commission on every booking but the price stays the same for you. It helps me  run the website.

10 Best Nightclubs and Bars in Cebu City

J. AVE Superclub (formerly Juliana's)
J. Ave is the most famous nightclub among foreigners in Cebu City. It is located in Mango Square, next to Ultra (see below). It used to be the top place to go for both tourists and locals, but it has lost its glory in the past couple of years. You now have quite a lot of guys (including 50% of Koreans) and maybe 80% of prostitutes (among which many are exclusively interested with Korean guys).

The club consists of just one big dance floor that is always packed. Expect to be pushed around if you haven't book a table. The music is commercial (clubbing anthems and EDM).

Not stylish but a fun place to end the night. It is also rather cheap (PHP 75 for a beer, PHP100 for entrance).

More information: J Ave Superclub

Liv Super Club
Liv Super Club is an upper-class nightclub located 15 minutes from Mango Avenue in the mall City Time Square. With its small dance floor but numerous tables/sofas, it is specifically designed to attract groups who order bottles of alcohol. The proper way to enjoy Liv is to book a sofa in advance, come with a few girls (why not invite one from Pina Love or FilipinoCupid.com?), buy as many bottles as necessary, get drunk, and finish the night in J. Ave.

If you are alone in Liv, you may not feel that comfortable and you'll probably struggle to order drinks. At least, you should try to secure a seat near the central bar area from where you can more easily meet people.

There are a lot of gorgeous Pinay girls in Liv, but they are not so easy to flirt with. Generally, they are the guests of other guys and they are not interested to talk with strangers. The freelance prostitutes are also more discreet compared to the bars in Mango Square.

The music is commercial EDM. About once every two months, they have a more famous international DJ. The entrance fee on weekends is PHP300 but it's free during the week. Open until 4am from Wednesday to Saturday night. There is only 10% or less foreigners.

More information about events:
Instagram: Liv Super Club Cebu
Facebook: Liv Super Club

There also have a branch in Cagayan De Oro: Liv CDO

Sentral - Hip Hop Bar and Club
I'm normally not a fan of hip-hop, trap and Rn'B but I had great fun in Sentral. It was opened last August (2016) as a small NY-style bar/club with a different themed hip hop night every day. Weekdays are still quiet but Friday and Saturday are fully packed. Lots of stylish girls who love to dance. The set up of the bar makes it easy to talk to them as well. Few foreigners. Free entrance.

The only problem is the location as it is about 20 minutes from Mango Avenue (in Norkis Cyberpark).

More information: Sentral Cebu

Alchology
Open in 2012, Alchology is one of my favorite clubs in Mango Square, first because it is cheap and second because you have the right mix of Filipinos and foreigners. It has two lounge areas and one big dancefloor where you can easily meet girls. The crowd mostly consists of younger people. The music is commercial (EDM, Top 40).


Club Hype
A basic, unpretentious nightclub located in Mango Square. Weekend nights are busy but not as much as in nearby J Ave or Alchology. Commercial music.

More information: Club Hype Cebu

Club Icon
Club Icon is in the center of Cebu City but a bit isolated from the rest of the nightlife. It is just a few hundred meters from Castle Peak Hotel. It used to be called Roof Hyper Club but was renamed Icon last summer (2016).

The majority of the customers are Filipinos and the rest Korean. It looks like a high-end venue but the prices are quite affordable compared with Liv for instance. There are a lot of hot girls, Pinay and Korean, but as usual in this kind of club, hard to talk to.

It is open every day of the week until 6am, with Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays the busiest. The music changes every day depending on the DJ but most expect your usual trap or EDM songs. The entrance costs PHP100.

You can read my full review here for more information: Club Icon Cebu.

Facebook: Club Icon
Instagram: Cebuicon

Club Holic & Mixx
On the second floor of Mango Square, this nightclub is open every night and it is popular with young Filipinos due to its cheap prices (PHP75 for a beer). No foreigners apart from a few lost souls. It is a friendly place: Customers come here to dance and not to flaunt their money around.

No entrance fee on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 100PHP the rest of the week with one free drink. They have a ladies night on Wednesday. The music is EDM or Hip Hop depending on the night. You can check the schedule on their Facebook page below.

More information: Club Holic And Mixx

Ultra Club
Ultra is right next to J Ave in Mango Square. It is quite small and not that crowded, even on weekends. Since the entrance is free, you can always have a look and see if there is anything you like.

More information: Ultra Cebu

Lotus
Lotus is a bit out of the way in Lapu-Lapu city on Mactan Island, but it might be interesting for those who want to experience another area of Cebu. You can go there from Mango Avenue in about 30 minutes by taxi.

It consists of a main room which is not really modern except for a large and flashy LCD display. The crowd and concept is similar to Liv Super Club: Lots of Koreans, Japanese and Filipinos, a few working girls and some random Westerners. Their DJs will play commercial dance music.

Facebook: Club Lotus Mactan

Club Bai
Club Bai is a local lounge/restaurant/bar/club with an outside terrace located in One Mango on General Maxilom Street. During the week, it is a laid-back venue where groups of friends come to hang out and talk (Bai means "buddy"). On weekends, it gets more groovy as they have DJs playing EDM, trap, hip hop and Rn'B.

Price are standard for the area: A bucket of local beer costs PHP280.

More information: Club Bai

More Recommended Bars in Cebu:

Stylish Bars and Cocktail Lounges

The Distillery
The Distillery is a happening bar located in the lifestyle center Crossroads, near IT Park. It is part of a larger chain that has branches in Makati, Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City.

It is a good place to go after dinner for a few drinks. The music is generally good, the girls are pretty and there is a really large choice of imported beers. On weekends, don't go there too late as it gets packed very fast. Happy hours from 6pm to 10pm with all cocktails at PHP75.

More information: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedistillerycebu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDistillery.Cebu/

Morals and Malice
Morals and Malice is a new lounge that may be the most sophisticated in Cebu at the time of writing (Yes, I admit that it is not the impression given by the photo above). They serve good cocktails and food starting from 4pm until 2am (3am on weekends). Gay-friendly yet this is where you'll see the most beautiful girls in Cebu.

Instagram: Morals and Malice Cebu
Facebook: Morals and Malice

Expat pubs
Several expat pubs/sports bars located near Mango Avenue are good venues to socialize with foreigners, listen to live bands, watch sports, play pool, flirt with the waitresses and eat decent pub fare. You can try in this order: Howling Dogs, All Stars Sports Bar and Marshall Irish Pub. The Alaya Mall has a few other bars such as The Social and Gilligan's.

Japanese or Korean Karaoke
To be honest I haven't visited any, but I couldn't resist the temptation to post some photos from several famous karaokes.

Many Japanese/Korean KTVs are located on A.S. Fortuna Street in Mandaue City. They follow a similar concept: There are private karaoke rooms but also a main lounge with 10-20 pretty Filipinas in sexy outfits that dance or sing. To stay in the lounge, you pay a fixed price and you get to drink as much as you want for a certain period of time. In Komachi for instance, the all-you-can drink buffet costs PHP600 per hour. You may request a girl to accompany you and she will get a commission on your drinks + on the ones you buy for her (ladies drinks are generally a bit more expensive, around PHP200 per glass). The girls aren't necessarily prostitutes but some may be willing to do more than singing if you pay them the right amount.

Here are photos of the girls in some karaokes in Cebu:
Komachi KTV's Angels
La Bonita Karaoke (Archbishop Reyes Avenue)
Club Ace KTV
King Japanese KTV girls
Bikini girl in King Club

Kampung Bule in Batam - Best Bars and Hotels

$
0
0
Kampung Bule is the main area for expat-oriented nightlife in Batam (Bule = white foreigners, Kampung = neighborhood). It is located in Nagoya, about 10 minutes by taxi from the Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal. It is also sometimes referred to as NED (Nagoya Entertainment District).


It is a small red-light district with only a few streets and not more than 40 bars, nightclubs and massage parlors. 

I find Kampung Bule to be quite boring to be honest as almost all the venues are identical (which is not surprising considering they are owned by a handful of individuals).

Typically, the bars have a name that has some sort of sexual connotation, for instance: Foreplay, Lusy's Oarhouse, Fat Willy's, TTs, Bollocks, etc... They look very similar: A rectangle-shaped room with a pool table in the front, a bar area, a few tables, music from a youtube playlist and around 10 girls to entertain the clients. The girls may be taken out if a mutual agreement is reached and a bar fine is paid. You should note that the prettiest ones will always be waiting outside to lure the customers in.
A typical Kampung Bule Bar
During the week, it is almost deserted and you'll probably be alone surrounded by desperate girls. On weekends, it is better but you may have to visit a few bars before finding a busy one.

Even though it is an area with many prostitutes, it is perfectly fine for those who only want to have a drink. I was more annoyed by the child beggars than by prostitutes personally.

Best Bars in Kampung Bule
Map of Kampung Bule / NED (Nagoya Entertainment District)
I went to Kampung Bule about 4 times and I think I've entered every bar at least once. I forgot the name of most, but some were more memorable (to a certain extent).

Secret's Bar
Centrally-located bar and restaurant. It is in the open air which is nice as it allows you to see how many customers it has. A good spot to see the street action (or lack thereof). A similar venue is Chili's.

Cock and Bull
I ate there twice as it has the reputation of having the best food in Kampung Bule. They had a crowd of old expats who were chatting with the waitresses while watching sports. Twice, I chose their meat pies which are indeed tasty and affordable. 

PP Banana
A very strange place that I felt I had to write about in details here: PP Banana's Review. It is a hidden strip club/brothel on the second floor of Lusy's Oarhouse.

Foreplay
The most expensive place on Kampung Bule. I paid Rp100,000 for entrance with a drink. The place was rather empty apart from their hostesses (that I must admit are hot). Live music every night followed by a DJ.

See my review here: Foreplay Batam.

No Name Pub
Located on the ground floor of the Harmoni Hotel, it is probably the best bar in Kampung Bule. It also features a DJ and live music daily but, unlike Foreplay, the entrance is free. It does not get busy before 1AM so it is best to go there at the end of your night. There are many freelance prostitutes but some normal girls as well.

See my review here: No Name Batam

The Office
I went there twice but it was empty both times. Too bad because they are look promising with sexy dancers, live music and sports.

Hot Spot
Nothing special but we had a dinner there once and the food was fine. The waitresses are quite friendly.

Tatwo
Next to Foreplay, they were fairly crowded when I visited on a Saturday night (= 10 customers). They had a DJ and some cute girls.

The prices in Kampung Bule are similar every where (more expensive only in No Name and Foreplay). You can expect to pay around 35,000 for a beer and Rp70,000 for liquor/cocktails. All bars close at 4AM.

Best Hotels Near Kampung Bule
As I mentioned on my article about the best hotels in Batam, Kampung Bule is the best area if you want to be close from the nightlife.

Ideally, you should stay in Harmoni Hotel. It is in the middle of Kampung Bule and you have No Name bar inside. The only problem you might have with it is the price (70$ per night).

A great alternative is Barelang Hotel. It is a brand-new property inside Kampung Bule that costs less than 25$ per night. It is only available through Booking.com at the moment and it is rated over 8/10.

My third recommendation would be the Allium Hotel, which is just 5 minutes away by foot. It costs about 45$ per night. While it is girl-friendly, it is more suitable for families and couples though.

Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/jordan.sfr/

3 Best Ways to Send Money to Indonesia

$
0
0
There are many reasons people send money to Indonesia, but only a few ways that are cheap, easy and safe.

This article will be very useful to you if you are:
- A foreigner living abroad who supports his Indonesian girlfriend financially
- An Indonesian working abroad who needs to remit his salary in his Indonesian bank account
- An expat who wants to transfer funds to Indonesia to make a purchase (car, home) or an investment
- A traveler who lost his wallet and urgently needs money

I've written it based on my experience living in Indonesia for the past 12 years (first in Jakarta, then in Bali). I'm sure you have your own stories as well so please do not hesitate to leave a comment with your own tips.

TransferWiseCheapest and Easiest Way to Send Money to Indonesia
You can make your own transfer simulation in just one click here
Created in 2011 by one of Skype's founders, TransferWise is a fin-tech startup that was recently declared a unicorn (more than $1 billion valuation). It is a game changer when it comes to international money transfers.

Compared with traditional banks, TransferWise does not actually transfers any money. It maintains banks accounts in key currencies in various countries. When you make a transfer request, for instance from USD to IDR, they will debit your US bank account from their US bank account and credit your Indonesian bank account from their Indonesian bank account.

Using TransferWise, the cost of sending money from abroad to Indonesia is only 1,5% of the transferred amount (minimum charge IDR14,500).

If you transfer USD1,000, it means you will only pay USD15 (+ a credit card charge depending on your bank). There are no hidden fees and they use the official exchange rate. That's at least 8 times less than what you would pay with traditional banks.

Pros:
➝ Cheapest way to send money from abroad to Indonesia
➝ As simple as it can be, just like booking a hotel room or buying stuff from any e-commerce site
➝ Less than 10 minutes needed to make the request
➝ They do not take commission on currency exchange rate (they use the official rate)
➝ You can make an accurate simulation of the cost of the transfer in a few seconds on their website
➝ They will tell you in advance when the money will be transferred and you can follow your money in real time through their app
➝ 100% transparent: They let you know how much commission they took and the exchange rate they used

Cons:
➝ Available for transfer from USD to IDR but not yet from IDR to USD
➝ Limited number of currencies you can transfer from: EUR, USD, Pound, AUD, JPY, SGD. You can check here if your home currency is accepted.
➝ You need an Indonesian bank account to transfer the money (You must know your IBAN and your SWIFT/BIC number)
➝ The transfer is not automatic and it may take from 1 to 2 days to be completed (for an Indonesian transfer)

Western Union: Only for Urgent Money Transfer to Indonesia
Unlike TransferWise, Western Union charges a fee but also takes a commission on the exchange rate
Western Union is facing tough competition but it can still be a useful way to send money to Indonesia. In particular, if you are a traveler who lost his personal belongings and need fast money, there are no better alternatives (actually, there is also MoneyGram which is similar).

I was using Western Union a lot when I didn't have an Indonesian bank account. You can pick up the money sent in cash in any of their agents locations (for instance in post offices - there are thousands in Indonesia).

The problem with Western Union is that it is expensive. If you want to transfer 1,000USD to IDR (instant transfer from an agent to an agent), it will cost you over USD80 + an hidden exchange rate fee of around IDR500,000 (as a reminder, it costs only USD15 with TransferWise).

If you transfer the money to an Indonesian bank account, it is cheaper yet still over 40$ and it takes a few days.

Pros:
➝ You can send money to Indonesia within minutes
➝ Money can be sent even if both the sender and the receiver do not have a bank account
➝ Works for virtually every country
➝ You can pay directly on Western Union's website using your credit/debit card

Cons:
➝ Very pricey if you choose fast service and to send/receive money in agent's location
➝ Hidden commission on the currency exchange rate
➝ If you send money to an agent location, you can only use the service during operation hours (close on weekends)

Skrill iT: An Alternative to Western Union For Small Amounts
Skrill iT is a mix between Western Union and TransferWise
Skrill is a great way to make international money transfers. It is fast, yet much cheaper than Western Union (about 3% from total amount while Western Union takes up to 15%). The other advantage is that the person who receives the money does not need to have an Indonesian bank account. He can just take the money in any Alfamart in Indonesia. All he needs is an Indonesian phone number and a valid ID.

For a normal transfer of money, I don't recommend it over TransferWise as it is still more expensive and you can't send more than the equivalent of Rp5,000,000 at once.

As an alternative to Western Union (meaning for an urgent transfer or to send to someone who does not have a local bank account), it is perfect as long as you don't need to send too much money.

Pros:
➝ Instant money transfer, just like Western Union
➝ Fees and commission on exchange rate relatively low (around 3% of total amount)
➝ You can pay online on their website: https://www.skrill.com/skrillit/
➝ You only need an Indonesian phone number to receive the money
➝ It's very easy to find an Alfamart in Indonesia and they have long opening hours

Cons:
➝ Only works for small amounts under Rp5,000,000 (though you can make multiple transfers)
➝ Still more expensive than TransferWise
➝ The staff in some Alfamart may be confused as they are not trained properly to handle the cash disbursement (just be patient!)

Other Ways to Send Money To Indonesia
Some online currency exchange companies are starting to offer international money transfer now with competitive rates. They will always be more expensive than TransferWise though. They can be useful only if you intend to send a lot of money to Indonesia (over 10,000$). The most famous companies are TorFXHiFX or OFX. I would advise you to try the latter as it has an online simulation tool.

PayPal is cheap when you send money in the same currency to another PayPal accounts holder but for international transfer it is not worth it (when you add up the fee and the commission on exchange rate, it costs about 80$ for 1,000$ sent).

A transfer from a foreign bank to an Indonesian bank with SWIFT is out of the question. You shouldn't even consider it. I did it once to send 200$ and I paid 40$ in fees (that's a 20% commission!).

If you know a cheaper and more convenient way than TransferWise to send money to Indonesia, please leave me a comment below. I wouldn't mind saving even more on my transfers. I'm also interested if you have tips about how to send money from Indonesia to another country.

8 Best Bars in Mega Kuningan (Jakarta)

$
0
0
Home to 5-star hotels (Ritz-CarltonRafflesMarriott), foreign embassies, luxury apartments and prestigious offices, Mega Kuningan is easily one of the most exclusive areas in Jakarta.

As it was recently built from scratch, it is very different from the rest of the city. There are no warungs, no street sellers, no poverty and barely any traffic jams. Instead, you will see large streets lined with palm trees and a dozen of skyscrapers (with a few more still under construction).

Though Mega Kuningan does not have a proper nightclub yet (apart from the gay club Apollo), it has a vibrant nightlife almost any day of the week. You can walk in any towers and you are almost guaranteed to find a restaurant, a lounge or a bar. While each of them is unique, they generally target the same clientele: Expats, upper class Indonesians and businessmen.

The following article will give you a quick overview of my 8 favorite bars in Mega Kuningan. They aren't far from each other and it's easy to walk around so don't hesitate to do some bar-hopping! If you think I forgot a bar worth mentioning, don't hesitate to leave a comment below.

Basque
Saturday night in Basque
Opened just last year, it hasn't taken long for Basque to become the most happening bar/restaurant in Mega Kuningan. A great spot for pre-party drinks if you plan on going clubbing later in the night.


Loewy
For almost 10 years, Loewy has been one of the favorite hangouts of younger expats in Jakarta. It serves French and International food from breakfast to dinner. The bar area is busy almost every night. DJs on Wednesdays and weekend nights.

More information: Loewy

J. Sparrows
On the ground floor of Noble House, the trendy J. Sparrows is halfway between Basque (in the same building) and Loewy (one block further). Its restaurant serves seafood dishes and the bar has a large choice of imported rums from all over Latin America. It is owned by the same people behind Bluegrass in Epicentrum.

More information: J. Sparrows

Masters Sports Bar
Expat-owned, this friendly bar inside Bellagio Mall is great for watching any sports on huge screens, drinking affordable beer and playing pool. A much cheaper alternative to any of the bars listed here.

More information: Masters Sports Bar

Flow
Flow is a new intimate lounge with daily music events (DJ or Live Bands). Ladies night on Wednesdays: Free cocktails for girls.

More information: Flow Jakarta

E&O
One of the most upmarket venues in Mega Kuningan (excluding the hotel bars), E&O is a fusion cuisine restaurant that also serves excellent cocktails. Ideal for those who are looking for quiet place for a date.

More information: E&O

Bauhaus
This small, hipster speakeasy bar gets crowded on Friday and Saturday night with trendy Indonesians and expats.

More information: Bauhaus

Cazbar
Part of the Bugil group (also behind Eastern Promise, De Hooi, Frank's, etc), Cazbar is a well-established watering hole that has good pub fare and friendly waitresses.

More information: Cazbar

10 Best Bars to Meet Expats in Jakarta

$
0
0
The expat population in Jakarta has always been limited, both because of government regulations and because of the lack of attractiveness of the city. My guess is that if it wasn't for Indonesian girls, there would probably be close to zero foreigners around.

The upside of this situation is that the expat community is compact and rather friendly. It is easy to meet people as long as you are willing to socialize in the right places.

To help you with that, the following article will give you a list of the best bars in Jakarta to meet other expats.

Note: If you are single, you may want to meet Indonesian girls instead. Check my article Best Dating Websites in Indonesia for that.

Eastern Promise (Kemang)
Live music in EP Kemang
Also called EP, Eastern Promise is certainly the most famous expat bar in Jakarta. It has 4 distinct rooms: A small bar, a restaurant (serving Indian and British dishes), a sports café and a beer garden with live music. Weekends are packed with expats of any age, gender and nationality. Based on my observations, it is also a hunting ground for Indonesian cougars.

Eastern Promise is part of the Bugil's group that also owns Frank's (Kemang), De Burse (SCBD), Cazbar (Mega Kuningan), Double Doors (Puri Indah) and De Hooi (Pondok Indah). Each of these bars has a similar concept and I would recommend to try the nearest from your home.
Double Doors
De Hooi
De Burse
Molly Mallone's (Senayan) and Murphy's (Kemang)
Live music in Murphy's Irish Pub
Both of these Irish pubs were created by an Indonesian-Irish couple. They feature live music every day, live sports on every screens, International pub food (including Irish dishes) and various kinds of draught beers (Bintang, Heineken, San Miguel, Kilkenny, Guinness). Their prices are about 10% cheaper compared to the venues of the Bugil's group. I would say the crowd is more Indonesian as well (but I might be wrong).

Murphy's has a ladies night on Thursday with 50% off every cocktails for ladies

More information: Murphy's and Molly Malone's.

BATS (Sudirman - Hotel Shangri-La)
Before 10pm, BATS is a great American restaurant with some of the best steaks you can eat in Jakarta. After that, a live band (imported) starts playing Top 40 songs to an enthusiast crowd of expats, businessmen and Indonesian girls (many of whom may be interested by the size of your wallet).

More information: B.A.T.S.

Masters Sports Bars (Mega Kuningan)
This bar is still new but it is probably one of the best venues in Jakarta to watch sports, thanks to their massive projector screens. It is owned by a group of long-term expats (with also an Indonesian partner) who can often be seen talking with customers or playing pool. Very affordable prices and laid-back atmosphere.

More information: Masters Sports Bar

Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the first restaurant of the eponymous group (which is also behind Fez, Dungeon, Kinara and Liquid Exchange). It has always been popular thanks to the proximity of the Taman Rasuna towers that provide a never-ending supply of expats. Its restaurant is much-recommended if you are looking for affordable Western food, especially their lunch specials. They also have pool tables, live music and live sports.

More information: Aphrodite

Blok M
Though Blok M (and more precisely Jalan Falatehan) is long past its heydays, it is still a friendly area where you can meet other expats easily. You will find there a few hostess bars, a bit like those in Thailand or the Philippines, with plenty of working girls. It is rather cheap but not so clean.

More information: Blok M - Jalan Falatehan Bars

Basque and Loewy (Mega Kuningan)
Those two restaurants are under different management but they are both within 300 meters of each other in Mega Kuningan. The expats you'll meet there are usually in their 30s or 40s, single, and looking for girls. If that does not match with your profile, you can still enjoy their food: Casual French for Loewy and Spanish for Basque.

More information: Basque and Loewy

Paulaner Brauhaus
With its perfect location in Grand Indonesia, Paulaner Brauhaus attracts a mix of expats, travelers and many Indonesian Chinese as well (they are drawn by the non-halal pork menu). As it is part of the 5-star Kempinski Hotel, you can expect high standards for both the food and the service (but also rather expensive prices). Live music every night.

More information: Paulaner Brauhaus

Lucy In The Sky (Bar & Restaurant)

$
0
0
Update Dec 2016: Lucy has been renovated due to noise complaints from neighbors. It is now covered by a large glass building (as in the first photo above). It looks more upmarket than before but it is still popular with the same crowd (young, trendy Jakartans).

Located near Jalan Sudirman, in Fairgrounds (ex-Bengkel), Lucy In The Sky  is a rooftop restaurant/bar with an open-air garden terrace and a laid-back, close-to-nature atmosphere. It is probably partially owned by Tommy Winata, the ex owner of Bengkel and owner of the land of SCBD.

The location of LITS is probably its best assets as it gives the feeling of escaping the city. Though in the heart of Jakarta's business district, it is surrounded with plants and flowers, which makes it relaxing, and a perfect spot to look at the skyscrapers around. Similar ambiance than SHY Rooftop but less expensive (80k for main dish) and with a better view.

Regarding the taste of the food though, there is still large room for improvement. For now, I advise you to stick with the drinks.

Lucy is one of the most crowded bars in Jakarta, even on week days (starting Wednesday). Most customers are young and chic. You have about 5-10% of foreigners as well. Every 1st Thursday of the month, they have a great hip hop party called In Effect. You can see more information about it here: In Effect Jakarta.

Surprisingly, there is a karaoke ++ attached to Lucy in the Sky with sexy lady companions. It is called Roxy.
Opening hours:
Everyday from 3.30pm to 1am (2am during the weekend)

Lucy in the Sky
Kawasan Central Business District
 Kav 52-53
Jakarta Selatan 
Indonesia, 12190

Phone: +62-21 515 2308 / 09
E-Mail: info@lucyinthesky.co.id
Website: http://lucyinthesky.co.id/
Facebook: Lucy In The Sky Jakarta
Instagram: Lucy Jakarta

The Pallas (Lounge, Restaurant and Event Space)

$
0
0
The Pallas is a new restaurant, lounge and event space that opened in Fairground in SCBD. It is owned by the All In Group which is also behind Fable (in the same building), Odysseia and Mirror Nightclub in Bali.

It overtook the lease of Potato Head Garage that closed down a few months ago. They've freshened up the place and added their own gothic touch (owls, stained glass, alcoves), but it still look similar as before. It is more upmarket and clean though, it might be sign that the hipster trend is fading.

My understanding is that the name Pallas is an Indonesian play on the word "Palace". It makes sense as it is a rather luxurious venue that specializes on Indonesian food.

The food is not the most interesting aspect of the Pallas. You can get it for much cheaper in any food court actually. Instead, you should visit it when they have special events. They've had a good start so far by bringing 2 "famous" international DJs within their first month of opening (Tay James, Aly & Fila).

They also have regular events: Live band on Monday, Live Harpist on Tuesday, Soul Rn'B on Wednesday, Live Piano on Thursday. You can see the updated schedule on their social media accounts below.

The Pallas Jakarta
Fairgrounds Building
Lot 14 SCBD, Jalan Sudirman Kav. 52-53, South Jakarta

Phone number/Reservation: +62 (0) 21 51 51 501 or +62 (0) 21 514 00 10
HP: 08 11 11 32 888

Instagram: The Pallas SCBD

Opening Hours:
Every day from 11am to 10pm for the restaurant, until 2am for the lounge. During special events, the operating hours will be extended until early morning.

Best VPNs in Vietnam: How to Access Blocked Websites?

$
0
0

The Vietnamese government has a troubling history of blocking websites and invading the privacy of internet users.

Reporters without Borders considers the country as an "Enemy of the Internet" for censoring and arresting bloggers/netizens. The latest case was the arrest of Ho Van Hai in November 2016 for an anti-government Facebook post.

The list of blocked websites in Vietnam varies depending on your internet provider. Some famous sites like Twitter, Facebook and even the BBC have been blocked in recent years. You have certainly noticed that many porn websites are banned as well, for instance YouPorn, XVideos, PornHub, XHamster and many more. Some readers have also mentioned they had troubles connecting to betting and casino websites.

There is one very easy solution to protect your identity and to access any websites you want in Vietnam, including porn: A Virtual Private Network (or VPN).

A VPN is a software you can download on your phone or your computer. Once you've launched it, you can choose to connect from another country (each VPN provider has its own list of countries). If you choose France for instance, you will access the internet as if you were located in France instead of Vietnam.

This can also be very helpful to bypass content restrictions in Vietnam. For instance, if you want to watch a TV replay or a sporting event which is only available in a specific country, you just need to connect to this particular country with your VPN.

Another popular use of VPN is for watching Netflix USA from Vietnam. In this case, you should use Nord VPN as it hasn't been blocked by Netflix.

Last but not least, using a VPN means that no one will know what websites you visit, including your employer or your landlord. You are certainly aware that the incognito mode on your internet browser only protects you from your wife!

There are some Free VPNs on the market, for instance Ola VPN. None of them offers the same speed and the same anonymity compared to paid VPNs. You should consider those only if you cannot afford paying 5$ per month.

The price of a VPN is indeed very reasonable, especially with a yearly plan. There are three services that I have tried and that I can recommend for Vietnam: 

VyprVPN by Golden Frog - Overall Best VPN for Vietnam: 3 Month Free, Fast, Secure

I can't think of a better VPN for Vietnam at the time of writing (if you know a best one, please leave a comment below).

Golden Frog was founded in 1994 and it is based in Switzerland, one of the most open countries in the world. It is more than a successful business as they have been a constant advocate of Internet freedom for over 30 years now.

Their VPN client is called VyprVPN and it is my first choice for the following reasons:

1) Golden Frog owns and maintains its own servers with their own engineers. Consequently, there are no third parties involved in VyprVPN that may have access to your personal data. At the time of writing, this is an advantage they have over all of their competitors.

2) VyprVPN is fast and they have unlimited bandwidth. If you love to download movies or if you keep watching porn (nothing wrong with that), you will see no difference whether your VPN is turned on or turned off.

3) They have over 700 servers in 70 locations, including 5 in Southeast Asia (1 in Hanoi, 1 in Singapore, 1 in Bangkok, 1 in Jakarta, 1 in Kuala Lumpur). They are also in Taiwan, Hong-Kong, Macau, Korean and Japan.

4) VyprVPN can help you bypass bandwidth throttling. This practice, common in Vietnam, consists for an internet provider or a government to limit the speed of certain websites. It is a subtle form of censorship.

5) Their Chameleon encryption technology allows you to beat VPN blocking in some countries (like China). It also guarantees you can access Netflix USA.

6) You can use VyprVPN on multiple devices such as Iphones (IOS), Android phones, PCs, MacBook, Blackberry and Linux.

In spite of being the best VPN for Vietnam, it is not more expensive than the competition if you stick to their basic plan (5$ per month with a yearly subscription). If you want to benefit from the Chameleon technology though, you'll need to spend 6.25$ per month (yearly plan).

Here is a summary of their prices (for more details, click Pricing - VyprVPN):

Basic Plan (2 devices at the same time)
→ 1-Month Plan: 9.99$ per month
→ 12-Month Plan: 5$ per month

Pro Plan (Chameleon Technology to Bypass Netflix ban, 3 devices at the same time)
→ 1-Month Plan: 14.99$ per month
→ 12-Month Plan: 6.25$ per month

Premier Plan (Chameleon Technology, 5 devices at the same time)
→ 1-Month Plan: 19.99$ per month
→ 12-Month Plan: 7.50$ per month

They are so confident about their product that they are currently offering a 3-month free trial until end of December 2016. After that, you will still benefit from a 30-day money back guarantee.

Hide My Ass - Best Value For Money
HideMyAss.com
In spite of its funny name, Hide My Ass is one of the most reputed VPNs in the world. It has an impressive list of servers in a record 190 countries. Basically, this means you can access the internet from any location on the planet. This can be very helpful if you travel a lot elsewhere than Vietnam.

Hide My Ass was recommended by prestigious publications like Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and the Guardian (among other). It is regularly ranked as one of the best VPNs by more specialist tech websites as well.

Apart from its huge list of servers (among which one in Vietnam), the general consensus about Hide My Ass is that it is budget-friendly, easy to use (1-click installation) and trust-worthy (it is owned by AVG Corporation).

They have a 30-day money back guarantee which means you can try Hide My Ass for free at no risk. Read the fine print first though to avoid bad surprises: How to Apply for A Refund?

The current prices are the following:
→ 1-Month Plan: 9.99$ per month
→ 6-Month Plan: 6.66$ per month
→ 12-Month Plan: 4.99$ per month - Best Choice

You can click on this link to register: Hide My Ass - Pricing.

NordVPN - Great for Netflix
NordVPN is an excellent VPN which is particularly recommended if you plan on watching Netflix USA in Vietnam (or any other local version of Netflix for that matter).

It was the editor's choice for best VPN by PC Mag for several years in a row. They run a double encryption on your data (unique among the competition) and they do not keep any log of your connection, meaning your privacy is 100% guaranteed.

It allows for peer to peer download (P2P) which is great if you like to connect to torrent sites like The Pirate Bay or Kick Ass Torrent. You will get maximum speed from one of their 726 servers in 57 countries (including 5 in Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand). See the complete list of servers here.

Their support is really fast: You can contact them directly on their website if you have any questions and they'll reply within seconds 24/7.

You can try Nord VPN for free during 30 days by registering though this link Nord VPN - Special Offer. Just don't forget to unsubscribe at the end of your trial!

The current prices are the following:
→ 1-Month Plan: 11.95$ per month
→ 6-Month Plan: 7$ per month
→ 12-Month Plan: 5.75$ per month

Do you recommend other VPNs for Vietnam? Or do you have any tips for accessing forbidden websites in the country (while keeping your privacy safe? 

Phuket Nightlife: 9 Best Nightclubs in Patong (Updated Dec 16)

$
0
0
I just spent a few days days in Patong beach (Phuket) and I am currently writing a detailed nightlife guide about the city (to be published soon).

This smaller article is a ranking of the 9 best nightclubs in Patong. All of them are located along Bangla street (also referred to as Walking Street), which makes club-hopping very easy and fun. If you start early and finish late, you can do all of them in one night easily (and you'll still have time for a few gogo bars and live music pubs).

At the end of the review, I give more general advice about clubbing in Patong: Prices, dress code, safety, where to meet girls, the best hotels near the nightlife, etc...

Top Nightclubs in Patong

Illuzion
Illuzion is without any doubts the best nightclub in Phuket at the moment. It beats the other ones in every category: Music, ambiance, design, events and crowd.

It was ranked 93 on DJ Mag's Top 100 Nightclubs in the World 2016 (the only Thai nightclub on the list).

Music and shows: 8 resident DJs, including 4 international ones, playing commercial EDM, Rn'B and Old School. The playlists are not very original unless there is a guest DJ. Their "secret VIP room" in the back has more underground/tech house music.

To complement the DJs, Russian sexy dancers and acrobats perform every night from the elevated stage. You also have foreign singers (hip-hop performer on Fridays for instance).

Design and Facilities: 5,000m2, Ibiza-style mega-club with 10 bars and countless VIP and VVIP areas. Fantastic lighting and special effects (pyro, lasers, a 100m2 HD LCD display, etc).

Ambiance and Crowd: Mostly foreigners (expats and tourists) with much less prostitutes than elsewhere. The club is the busiest in Patong, every night of the week. Even though clubbers are segregated between "normal", VIP, VVIP and VVVIP, it is so packed that you'll still manage to mix with (almost) everyone.

Events:
Illuzion has a weekly schedule that includes:
Tuesday: Master D (Hip Hop - R'nB)
Wednesday: DJ Kraiz (EDM)
Friday: Live Hip Hop and Swag Party

They may welcome a more famous DJ on Saturdays (once every month) such as Sven Vath, Danny Avila, Tom Swoon, Kura or Nakadia.

Prices:
Free entrance
800THB for free flow alcohol from 10PM until 1AM (avoid it - it is better to go to Illuzion after 2AM)
Table/bottle service available with minimum purchase of 5,000THB

Contact Them:
Instagram: Illuzion Patong
Facebook: Illuzion Phuket

☝ Insiders Tip:
Illuzion closes at 4am, but the party continues for 2 more hours in a smaller club behind the stage. The door policy is stricter so you only have a VIP crowd, including many expats and some of the most beautiful girls I've seen in Patong (not sure if they were freelancers or normal girls). The music is also nicer, more underground. I paid 310THB for a Rum Coke there.

Seduction
The best nightclub in Patong before Illuzion opened, Seduction is a huge complex with at least 5 separate areas. They are always crowded and happening, having recently welcomed DJs like Skrillex, Calvin Harris and (soon) Diplo. It reminds me of SkyGarden in Bali (though not as fun).

Ground Floor
Outside the main building, on the left, the Seduction Beer Garden can be avoided as there isn't anything special about it.

Second Floor:
The main club is on the 2nd floor with a free entrance all night long. It is a large rectangle room with a VIP zone behind the DJ and tables occupying most of the dance floor. The DJs play your usual commercial songs (Hip Hop, EDM, Top 40). It is full every night of the week with a younger and lower-end crowd compared to Illuzion. Many Europeans, Americans, Russians, Arabs and Indians. There is also a fair share of prostitutes (let's say 60%), including Russians (I presume as I saw a hot blond girl mingling with an old Chinese guy). Like elsewhere, beers costs 200-250THB and there is a 800-THB free flow promo from 10pm until 1am. You can get a table as long as you purchase one bottle of spirits (minimum 3,500THB). A bottle of Black Label costs 3,900THB.

You cannot smoke inside but it is allowed on their balcony (with a view on Walking Street). It's the best place to meet girls actually.

Third Floor:
On the 3rd floor, there is a VIP club called Blow. It is a relatively small space with a low ceiling and a window overlooking the main disco. You normally have a dress code to enter but I saw several guys wearing only shorts. I didn't pay anything to get in, which is surprising for a VIP club.

It was not very crowded but I liked the music (deep house) and the ambiance. It seems to be popular with expats and residents of Phuket. Recent events include performances by DJs Sebastien Leger, Chocolate Puma, Dillon Francis, A-Trak or James Zabiela. You can check their upcoming schedule of events on their Facebook page: Blow VIP.

Fourth Floor
On the 4th floor is VIBZ by Seduction. It is a bottle club with hip-hop and Rn'B music. You don't really have a dance floor but instead around 20 white sofas with low tables. I only had a peek for a few minutes then left as it wasn't really crowded. More information: VIBZ by Seduction.

Fifth Floor
Finally, there is also a rooftop restaurant called Higher that I did not visit.

☝ Insiders Tip:
I met two girls inside who were drinking for free after they were given a bracelet by the manager downstairs. Obviously it only works if you are really hot.

Contact them:
Facebook: Seduction Disco
Instagram: Seduction Nightclub Bangla Patong

Tiger Night Club
This is also a mega complex, built on three floors. It is the most peculiar building on Bangla Street and the easiest to recognize with its 3 massive tigers statues in a fake jungle backdrop. It is a good alternative to Seduction and Illuzion if you are looking for a more "Thai" nightlife experience.
On the first floor, there are around 40 small beer bars that are each owned by different individuals (sometimes by foreigners). Each of them has its own name (the most famous are Pussy's Penitentiary and Pink Paradise). They start to get crowded early in the afternoon until close. They look similar to those you can find elsewhere in Patong: A circular bar, a few stools, TV screens, a 1,000THB bell (to give free drinks to every one) and a handful of bargirls entertaining customers. 1 or 2 girls will do sexy dancing or pole dancing. It is quite noisy and messy, but it is certainly fun. The prices are low: 100-120THB for a local beer.
On the second floor, you have the actual Tiger Disco. There are signs saying it is the "biggest nightclub in the world". It's probably not true, but it is still a huge and for sure the biggest in Phuket.

Most of the space is occupied by tables and high chairs, with a large podium in the middle, some private VIP areas on the side, and a VVIP zone behind the DJ. You also have two more quiet rooms where you can play pool.

The crowd is mixed and quite representative of Patong:
- Arabs and Russians are renting most VIP rooms and stay by themselves (with hookers) on the edges.
- Europeans, Australians and Americans are wild on the podium.
- All around, in darker corners, Thai bar girls are actively making eye contacts with anyone possessing a heartbeat.

While prostitutes make up at least 80% of the girl's population in Tiger, there are still plenty of opportunities with foreign girls. They seem less stuck up than in Illuzion and Seduction.

The music is commercial EDM and hip hop with some Arab songs from time to time. When I visited, they had two pairs of Russian sexy dancers next to the DJ. I found that staring at the Tiger statue with laser eyes just behind them was even more captivating though!
Free entrance. The prices on the second floor are on par with other nightclubs (200THB for a beer).

Contact them:
Facebook: Tiger Club Patong

Stars (After Hour Nightclub in Patong)
As I was walking aimlessly on Bangla street at 5AM, I noticed there were many people entering this nightclub on the basement of Illuzion. I went to have a look and discovered it is the current go-to after-hour spot in Patong.

From late afternoon until 4AM, Stars is a cabaret show featuring Russian strippers. After that, it becomes a late-night hip hop club. It is small but it looks quite fancy with velvet sofas and tapestries. 

It is actually part of a pool lounge that also stays open late (called Tazmania). It was surprisingly very busy and there were plenty of pretty girls (many of whom where accompanying foreigners). A Russian girl was pole dancing frenetically but I imagine she was an employee.

You can only fit 20 people on the dance floor and I didn't see a bar so it's best to book a table. If not, you can still order from the pool bar and it's rather affordable (250THB for a Whisky Coke, 100THB for a beer).

Contact them: 
Facebook: Stars Phuket

White Room
This club has a similar setup to the second floor of Seduction: A big rectangle room with 600-pax capacity, lots of tables and a VIP area in the back. It is the only club in Patong where I paid an entrance fee (200THB). Before 1AM, they also have a free flow for 800THB. It was crowded with tourists and only around 20% of Thai prostitutes. The music was a mix of hip-hop/EDM/Top 40.

Contact them:
Facebook: White Room

Cocoon Club
Located next to Seduction, Cocoon is a small bar-lounge built on two floors. It was opened just a few months ago and it is already one of the popular venues among young expats and long-term residents of Phuket. A reason for that is their focus on alternative electronic music (Deep House, Deep Tech, Lounge).

The main action is on the open-air second floor. It features a large central bar and sofas on the side. You can go there around 11pm for some pre-clubbing drinks. They have dancers and acrobats to keep you entertained.

Contact them:

Tai Pan Disco
One of Patong nightlife's oldest venues, Tai Pan is more suitable for guys who are looking for prostitutes. There is one main room packed with young gogo dancers, strippers and freelancers. In contrast, most customers are old Western guys. That might explain why they are so cheerful and laid-back.

The music, mostly top 40 remixes, is much louder than elsewhere (to the point that my ears were hurting). A beer costs 180THB with a free shooter if you come early enough (the security guard will give you a coupon). Open bar until 1AM for 800THB. The club closes at 4.30AM.

Contact them:
Facebook: TaiPan

Ecstasy
Ecstasy is a brand new boutique nightclub that does not have a large crowd yet. The only people inside looked desperate as if they had been smuggled by force from the street.

It is relatively small, with a 300-pax capacity and only 2 VIP corners. There is also a mezzanine but it was closed (probably because empty). It has a modern look, mainly due to its large LCD display behind the DJ. The dance floor area is well lit and slightly elevated, but the rest of the club is darker with a low ceiling.

To attract more people, they are having a really interesting open-bar promo at 599THB until 3AM. If you are both poor and an alcoholic, that's a deal you can't beat.

The DJs in Ecstasy play EDM/Rn'B, like almost everywhere else in Patong. You can buy a bottle of Red Label for 3,500THB, a bottle of Black Label for 4,000THB, a beer for 180THB and a standard glass of alcohol for 240THB.

Contact them:
Facebook: Ecstasy Patong

Hollywood
This club was called Hollywood a few years ago, then it changed its name to VIP room, and it's called Hollywood again since December 2016. You can access it by walking up some stairs covered in red carpet and bordered by two giant Oscar's statues.

They have live music from 9pm to 11pm, then a DJ until 3am and, finally, a Thai band until close. In between, foreign gogo dancers (female and male) will perform various shows. Monday is a hip-hop night.

It wasn't very crowded when I went there, especially compared to any of the venues above. A few tourists, some Thai groups and girls who seemed to be freelancers. The design and the setup of the club is decent though, especially the LED rain effect on the ceiling.

The prices are reasonable, around 100THB for a beer and 280THB for a cocktail.

Contact them:

Meeting Girls in Patong Nightclubs
To summarize, I would say that there are four types of girls you might meet in a Patong club:

→ Thai working girls: Depending on the clubs, they make up from 95% to 20% of the women crowd in Patong. They are straight-forward: They are looking for a guy who will pay to have sex with them. You'll generally see them sitting down or standing in a corner with short skirts and high heels, trying to make high contact with guys who pass by. Some are bargirls trying to earn extra cash while other are 100% freelance prostitutes.

→ Thai party girls & professional girlfriends: These girls, usually more pretty than average, live a good life having multiple boyfriends and sugar daddies. They have charming and fun personalities, ideal for spending a good night out. They often sleep around, sometimes asking money, sometimes not. For sure, they are your best bet for a free one night stand. They often sit at a table with a bottle of alcohol (courtesy of the boyfriend who thought he was paying for school) and you'll notice they call the waiters by their names.

→ The Thai tourist: Usually from Bangkok, she is on holiday with her friends. If there are guys in her group, she will be quite hard to approach. If she is with girls, it won't be difficult. She might be reluctant to go home with you because she does not want to leave her friends alone or to look bad in front of them. Get at least her number. This is the best type of girls if you are looking for a more serious relationship. Most often, they can be seen on Walking street stopping every 2 minutes to take selfies. Inside the clubs, they stay in quiet areas when they are sober, then after 2 drinks they loose control and hit the podium.

→ Western tourist girls: Most are within a group of guys or with their boyfriends. Some are alone but they will be chased by 50 other guys (if they are pretty). Russian and eastern European girls are a special sub-category: Cold as ice, the most pretty are either prostitutes or impossible to talk to. I did manage to meet several though after befriending a Russian guy.

Using Dating Sites to Meet Girls
Chatting with girls on dating sites and inviting them for a drink is an excellent strategy for scoring with non-prostitutes.

You should start chatting before you arrive in Patong by connecting to either one of the two most popular Thai dating websites: Thai Friendly or Thai Cupid. Thai Friendly has more girls in Thailand but it does not have an international database (especially Vietnamese and Filipino girls). Either way, you can sign up on both for free, see if there are girls you like, then upgrade to a 25$ paid membership to improve your success rate. You can cancel it after you leave Thailand.

Tinder and Badoo (which I normally recommend because they are free) do not work well at all in Phuket. There are just too many guys and not enough girls.

Girl-Friendly Hotels Near Patong Nightclubs
I slept in the 4-star Swisshotel Resort which is 300 meters from Bangla street and rated 8.1/10 on Agoda. I paid 75$ per night (you might find a cheaper price here) for their most basic room which I found a bit expensive. The upside is that it shares the same building with Hard Rock Café and Hooters. There is also a street full of cheap beer bars just in front of the hotel (most of them are owned by foreigners). It is a girl-friendly hotel, but you have many families and children.

If you plan on partying hard and getting naughty, I advise you to stay in other hotels with a more open-minded customer base (note that you may be asked to pay a joiner fee of about 300THB if a girl comes with you at night). I didn't stay in the following hotels but they are the most recommended in specialized forums:

Budget Guest-Friendly Hotel in Patong:
Summer Breeze (1 minute walk from the first clubs), rated 8.3/10 and 35$ per night (or find a cheaper rate here)

If you want to spend less than 10$ for a cheap place to stay, there are dormitories just above the nightclub Illuzion. The name of the guesthouse is Kool Backpacker (but beware, they are not girl-friendly).

Best 3-Star Girl-Friendly Hotel
Yorkshire (2 minutes from the nightclubs), rated 8.2/10 and 50$ per night on Agoda (a few dollars less on HotelsCombined).

Best 4-Star Girl-Friendly Hotel
Sleep with Me (4 minutes walk from the clubs, 2 minutes from Jungceylon Mall), rated 8.5 with prices starting at 80$ per night (compare rates here).

Best 5-Star Girl-Friendly Hotel
Millenium Resort is a great choice for high-end clubbers (though popular with families as well). It is within Jungceylon Mall and next to Walking street. Rated 8.3/10 with prices starting at 80$ on Agoda (or try to find cheaper prices here).

Choosing a hotel near the nightlife also allows you to avoid the tuk-tuk mafia (200THB minimum to go anywhere).

General Advice about Nightclubs in Patong
Dress Code
You can enter any nightclub in Patong wearing just sandals, short pants and a T-shirt. That said, it is not a bad idea to try to look better than other guys, especially if you want to meet non-prostitutes. Wearing a buttoned shirt can help you with that.

Prices
Every nightclub I've been to was free (except White Room = 200THB). I was surprised as I read on other websites about people being charged up to 300THB in most clubs. I was in Patong early December and maybe it wasn't high season yet. Please leave a comment if you had to pay.

The drinks usually cost around 200THB for a local beer, 250THB for spirits, 300THB for cocktails. A cheap bottle of Smirnoff, Absolut or Red Label cost around 3,500THB (100$).

If you are on a budget, you can get drunk outside the clubs for twice less. Margarita bar in front of Illuzion is one of the cheapest bars I've seen and the owner is friendly (though probably poisoning me with fake booze).

Many touts on the streets (sometimes foreigners) sell open-bar promotions. The new Ecstasy club has the cheapest and most interesting one (THB599 until 3AM). In other venues, it costs THB800 and runs from 10pm to 1AM.

Safety
According to the weird (but fascinating) website farang-deaths.com, at least 274 foreigners died in Thailand in 2016. Among them, 111 died in Phuket. I let you imagine how many additional non-lethal accidents there were.

Party-related deaths are unfortunately too common, from the drunk-driving accident to the fight with security guards.

To reduce the risks, you should follow these rules:
- Do not drink and drive (choose a hotel close from the nightclubs I suggested earlier).
- Do not ride a motorbike at night.
- Do not use drugs (it's much safer to do it in Europe, Australia or the US).
- Do not provoke Thais or get into fights with Thai people, especially those working for nightclubs (they are recruited among the local mafia).
- If you bring a girl back to your hotel, remember to keep all your valuables locked in your safe.
- Make sure you have a travel insurance that covers medical evacuation (WorldNomads for instance which is recommended by both Lonely Planet and Rough Guides).
- Once you leave Bangla Street, try not to behave as a drunkards and please keep your clothes on.

If I forgot a nightclub or if there is a new opening, please leave a message in the comment section below!

Patong Nightlife (Phuket) - Best Bars and Nightclubs

$
0
0
Phuket is one of the most renowned nightlife destinations in Thailand. It has a huge party scene, yet most of its bars and nightclubs are concentrated in the 1-km long street of Bangla (or Walking Street) in the beach town of Patong.

Nightlife in Patong is rather male-oriented with your typical a-gogo dancers, bar fines, freelance prostitutes, naughty massage parlors and ladyboys. It is a (paid) sex paradise that acts like a magnet for single males from all over the World. While Russians are the main nationality, you also have hordes of Northern Europeans (UK, Germany, Scandinavia), Asians, Australians, Americans, Indians and Arabs. There are also thousands of foreigners who retired in Phuket or started their own businesses (restaurants, bars, tours, etc).

But Patong also attracts "normal" tourists, including families, couples and backpackers. They come mostly for the beach, but you can see them walking on Bangla street at night. They are just curious and not particularly interested in the sex trade. They might have a few wild night outs during their stay though for the sake of being on holidays. They make Patong nightlife a lot less creepy than it could be and I thank them for that.

My most recent trip to Patong was in December 2016. During 3 nights straight, I went to every nightclubs and bars I could find until they were all closed. This review is a summary of my findings. Please leave a comment below if you need more information.

Best Hotels Near Patong Nightlife
Hookers don't seem to bother families in Patong
If you are in Patong for party, I advise you to stay within walking distance from Bangla Road. By doing so, you will avoid the tuk-tuk mafias (charging ridiculous prices even for a 100-meter ride) and even better, you will avoid the temptation of driving back home while drunk. It is also better to be surrounded by like-minded people and not families/couples.

Agoda has created a great list of hotels located within a short distance from Bangla Road. Among them, the following are considered girl-friendly:

4-star and 5 star Hotels:
Sleep with Me (4-star): It is 200 meters from the nightlife and 100 meters from the mall JungCeylon. Price starting at 80$ on Agoda (check for better rates on HotelsCombined). Rated 8.5/10

Swisshotel Resort (4-star): This is where I was staying. It is in the same building as Hard Rock Café and Hooters Patong. The price was 75$ during high season but you can get a cheaper deal on hotelscombined.com. Rated 8.1/10.

Millenium Resort (5-star): The closest 5-star from Patong Beach. It is inside Jungceylon Mall. The first bars and clubs of Bangla street are just across the street. Prices starting at 85$ on Agoda (or compare on hotelscombined.com). Rated 8.3/10.

Kee Hotel is a family resort but it is connected to the infamous gogo bar strip of Soi Sea Dragon.

3-Star Hotels:
Yorkshire is a popular choice among regulars of Patong. It is both girl-friendly and a 200-m walk from nightclubs. Their basic room is comfortable and costs 50$ per night (compare prices now: HotelsCombined). Rated 8.2/10.

Summer Breeze is another favorite: 1-minute walk from the nightlife and quite cheap (less than 35$ per night if you book here). Rated 8.3/10.

Hostel/Backpacker (Not girl-friendly)
Just one floor above the nightclub Illuzion, there is a hostel called Kool Backpacker. They have dormitories for less than 10$ and all the guests there are party-people. Rated 8.1/10.

Note: Even the girl-friendly hotels in Patong may ask you for a "joiner" fee (around 300THB) if you bring someone who wasn't part of your initial booking.

Meeting Girls in Phuket/Patong
You shouldn't be too naive about the kind of girls you'll meet in Patong. As it turns out, even Western girls may end up being eastern European prostitutes.

If you are OK with paying for sex, then you won't need to make a lot of effort to be happy (but you should know that prices are higher than in Bangkok or Pattaya).

If you are not into prostitution, your best chance is to connect to popular dating websites like Thai Cupid or Thai Friendly. You can create an account a few weeks before arriving to make sure you already have some contacts on your first day.

Forget about Tinder. It is 20% lady boys, 30% prostitutes, 30% average looking, 10% Russian girls who don't reply messages.

Nightlife Areas in Patong
Patong - Bangla Street Nightlife Map

90% of Patong nightlife is within Bangla and the adjacent small streets (called Soi).

Bangla Street Nightlife
Forbidden to non-authorized cars and motorbikes, it is lined up with cheap restaurants, bars, huge nightclub complexes and strip clubs. You can also find ATMs, money changers, convenience stores, banks, souvenir shops, fast foods and pharmacies.

Touts and girls will approach you ever few meters with various offers. Most often, they'll try to sell you a ping pong show or an all-you-can-drink promotion. For the latter, the touts are often foreigners.

Adjacent Streets (Soi) from East to West:
→ Soi Vegas: The two dirtiest bars in Patong are on this street (Belvedere and Money City). You can also find some local food.
→  Soi Tiger (or Soi Crocodile): Thai food and a ladyboy cabaret bar (Cocktail and Dreams).
→  Soi Viking: You have a very crowded Scandinavian bar (Grabbarna Grus) and a massage parlor.
→  Soi Sea Dragon: The highest concentration of gogo bars (Suzie Wong I & II, Harem, Lover Club, Upstairs, Exotica, No. 1)
→  Soi Freedom (ex-Soi Eric): A fun and crowded street full of beer bars and prostitutes.
→  Soi Gonzo: Nothing special, the alley leads to the nightclub White Rooms

Elsewhere in Patong:
→ OTOP market's bars: This market is located about 100 meters across from the Swisshotel Resort (10 minutes walk from Bangla Street). There are bout 20 tiny beer bars which all seem to be foreign-owned (especially by Australians and Germans). They are very laid-back and popular with expat residents to watch sports. You can get beer from 60-70THB.
Fat Mama's Beer Bar in OTOP
→  Paradise Complex (Soi Paradise): This is where most of Patong's gay nightlife is located. In this area, a recommended hotel is the foreign-owned, gay-friendly Connect Guesthouse.

Best Nightclubs in Patong
Party in Illuzion Nightclub Phuket
I wrote a detailed review about it called 9 Best Nightclubs in Patong. If you don't have time to read it, below is a quick summary.

Nightclubs in Patong are almost all free except White Room (200THB entrance). They are easy to get into as there are no queues and no dress code. If you are a small group, you should consider purchasing a bottle of alcohol as it will give you access to a table (minimum price 3,500 THB/100$).

All the nightclubs below run the same open bar promo: All-you-can-drink for 800THB from 10pm to 1am (the recently-opened Ecstasy has a deal for 599THB until 3AM but it won't last long I guess).

DJs will usually alternate between commercial EDM (Electronic Dance Music), Hip-Hop, Rn'B and Top 40. The only places where I listened to more original playlists were in the VIP rooms of Illuzion and Seduction.

The most recommended nightclubs in Patong are the following:

→  Illuzion is my favorite party place in Patong. Ranked 93rd best nightclub in the world by DJ Mag, it is brand-new and modern, with a huge stage where sexy dancers, acrobats, DJs and singers perform all night long. You have less prostitutes than elsewhere and most of the customers are young Westerners. It closes at 4AM but a smaller VIP club with tech house music stays open until 6AM.

Seduction is a huge nightlife complex with a beer garden, a regular club, a VIP club (Blow), a hip-hop bottle club and a rooftop restaurant. The regular club normally gets full every night with a mixed crowd a bit younger and lower-class than Illuzion. The VIP club has great music but it is happening only for special events.

Tiger Nightclub is also a multi-story complex, perhaps the most famous on Bangla street due to its enormous tigers statues above the entrance. On the ground floor, there are dozens of cheap beer bars with each a staff of bargirls and gogo dancers. On the second floor, there is the largest disco in Patong. It looks weird but it can be fun, especially if you party from the podium. It attracts less Westerners and more Indians/Arabs/Asians. Almost all girls in Tiger are prostitutes.

→ Stars Phuket is a Russian strip club until 4AM, but after that it becomes one of two after-hour clubs in Patong. It is quite small (100 pax capacity), but you can also hang out in the next-door Pool Club. The music is hip hop and Rn'B.

Tai Pan is an old nightclub popular with long-term Phuket residents. It is just one low-ceiling room with plenty of tables and dancing poles. There is always a show on stage: Dancers, live bands, DJs. At least 90% of the girls are prostitutes.

Some other nightclubs you may be interested to try in Patong are White Room (similar to Seduction), Hollywood and Ecstasy. You can read a complete review about them here: 9 Best Nightclubs in Patong.

Best Gogo Bars and Erotic Clubs
Girlie bars are everywhere in Patong and they make take several forms:

→ The cheapest are the ubiquitous beer bars that can be found every 20 meters (and especially in Soi Freedom or Soi Tiger). They can accommodate around 15-20 customers with a staff of 10 bar girls. You can sit down only for drinking beer (from 70THB), or ask for a girl's company. In that case, you should buy her lady drinks (200-240THB each) on which she gets a commission. To bring the girl back home with you, you must compensate the bar owner with a "bar fine" (short term - 1,000THB, long Term 2,000 THB), and then pay money directly to the girl (short term - 2,000 THB, long term 3,000 THB). That's a lot of efforts and money to end up with a prostitute!
Dirty Angel in Soi Tiger
Gogo bars are larger and more expensive. They have a podium with girls dancing in lingerie/bikini/uniforms, topless or naked (depending on the bar). Customers can seat all around and enjoy the show. Like in beer bars, you may ask a girl to join you. The prices for ladies drinks and bar fine are 25% higher.

Most of the famous Patong gogo bars are located in Soi Sea Dragon. The group Suzie Wong manages at least four gogo bars there (Suzie Wong I & II, Harem, Exotica) and another one on Bangla (Rock Hard). They are the best ones (hottest girls, great atmosphere, good music, first drink for 99THB).

You can also try the new Upstairs Gogo Bar (nude and topless girls, first beer 99THB then 200THB), No1 A GogoDiablo A Gogo and Club Lover.
Suzie Wong's Gogo Bar (without the girls)
Erotic clubs or Ping Pong Shows. Those clubs are a trashier version of gogo bars. They usually have older, less attractive girls who will do some kind of sexual performances. Most often, it involves inserting something in their pussies.

Honestly, it is pretty gross. With my own two eyes, I've seen a girl removing an actual frog from her vagina (and it wasn't a small one) then trowing it on a customer. The staff looked depressed and tourists were rather uncomfortable. The bar is called Money Night and you'll be asked to buy a 900-THB beer to enter (I paid 300THB after negotiating).

Another sex joint is Belvedere Luxury Club (next to Money Night on Soi Vegas). This place also charges 900THB for a beer but I wasn't able to negotiate the price down. They told me that the reason they were so expensive was because they were the only place in Patong with live sex performance on stage. As I didn't want to pay, they only let me inside for a few minutes. All I saw was a half-empty room with a mix of Russian and Thai hookers.

Note: Many tourists get scammed in ping pong shows. They get inside because they are promised a 99THB beer, but they ignore that it only applies to the first drink. After that, they get charged between between 500THB and 1,000THB per drink.
Sensual milk bath in Belvedere Club
→  There are a few Russian strip joints in Patong. More luxurious than Thai ones, they also cost more and have a bad reputation for scamming customers. I tried Moulin Rouge where I paid 330THB for a beer. It was rather quiet with just 2 Russian girls dancing, one of whom was topless. You can also go to L'Amour Club and Stars.
Best Bars and Live Music Pubs
Live Music in Patong
The number of pubs with live music on Bangla street is impressive. The most famous ones are crowded every night and they have great bands (Thai or Filipino). They are cheaper than nightclubs (around 120THB for a beer) and they have a more diverse crowd (more women, more couples).

The only thing I don't like about them is that the songs played are pretty much always the same: Adele, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, etc. After 3 nights out it gets boring.

The recommended venues are in this order: New York Bar (in front of Illuzion nightclub), Tao (belongs to Suzie Wong Group), Red Hot, Molly Malone's Irish Pub, Hard Rock Cafe (expensive), Rock City (classic rock), Heroes, Monsoon and Smiley. You can hear the bands from outside actually so just walk around and pick the one you like.

Best Bars on Bangla
Something that surprised me about Patong nightlife (compared to Bali nightlife for instance) is the lack of sophisticated bars. There are luxury beach clubs and lounges elsewhere on the island, but not many in Patong.

If you are looking for a nicer setup, you can go to the Patong Beach Club, about 300 meters from Bangla Road. They have a more upmarket Russian and Asian clientele, plus a few expats. It does not get so crowded though unless they have an event. It is just above Wine Connection an expensive wine shop and restaurant part of a Singaporean chain.

I also liked the new restaurant/lounge Cocoon. The upper floor has a laid-back setting overlooking Walking Street with Russian dancers and foreign DJs mixing chill/deep house tunes.

If you are Scandinavian, and more particularly Swedish, you will probably end up in Grabbarna Grus. I have always seen it packed with young, somewhat chubby blond girls and guys.
Grabbarna Grus Swedish Bar
More Tips About Patong Nightlife
Best time to enjoy Patong nightlife
All the information you've just read mostly applies to the high season which runs from December to February (with a peak during the Christmas holidays and Chinese New Year). More tourists choose to visit the island during this period because the weather is always sunny, the sea is quiet and the water is clear blue.

The rest of the year, and particularly in July or August, you will have considerably less people visiting Phuket. In Patong, the occupancy during the low season may not even reach 50%.

While you will get cheaper deals on hotels, you can't expect that all bars and nightclubs will be crowded.

Travel Insurance
One foreigner dies every three days in Phuket. The most frequent causes of death are drunk driving, drowning and strangely, suicide. There are thousands of non-lethal accidents every month and the worst ones may end up costing you a lot of money (a medical evacuation from Phuket to Australia = 100,000$). Other common problems like dog bites, malaria, dengue fever, food poisoning, flu, etc... can be treated in Thailand but you will get charged a highly inflated tourist price.

Before or during your trip, you should subscribe to a comprehensive travel insurance online, for instance on World Nomads (recommended by Lonely Planet). It costs a few dollars per day and it can save you a lot of trouble if something happens to you.

If you have any additional questions about Patong (Phuket) nightlife, do not hesitate to leave a message below. I'm also interested to know about your favorite bars and nightclubs if I missed them.

Abortion in Indonesia: My Personal Experience

$
0
0
Note from Jakarta100bars: One of my readers sent me the following email regarding abortion in Indonesia. I'm publishing it because it might interest some people. This is NOT a professional medical advice. Please consult a doctor if you need to perform an abortion. You can also get support from Indonesian women's group such as Samsara (email: samsara.indonesia@gmail.com) or Misocare.

"Hi Thibaud,

As you know, abortion is officially forbidden in Indonesia. My girlfriend got pregnant a few weeks ago and since we didn't want to keep the baby, we had to find a solution.

We considered several options, including going to Vietnam where abortion is legal. Finally, we met an expat who told us it could be done in Jakarta because my girlfriend had been pregnant for just a couple weeks.

In my home country in Europe, chemical abortion follow this procedure:

→ 1st step: The girl takes one pill of Mifepristone (Mifegyne) to stop the pregnancy to develop further
→ 2nd step: After two days, she must take Cytotek (Misoprostol). This is to make the bleedings start (and therefore the flushing of the fetus).

You can read on the net about details, possible side effects, etc.

However, it seems like in Indonesia, the focus is only on the Cytotek if doing abortion by pills.

A friend of mine (who is a doctor) said Cytotek is enough if pregnancy is in early stage (but if later, better to take both pills like described before, for better chance of success).

It was surprisingly easy to get Cytotec in Jakarta. The reason is that this drug is primarily used for healing ulcers in the stomach, but the “side effects” is making cramps in the uterus and if 4 pills are taken, it will make heavy bleeding – making abortion happen as a “side effect”.

One would think that Cytotek was forbidden in countries where abortion is forbidden, but because Cytotek has another purpose, it seems easy to get.  

My girl called a “pramuka” (a grocery store for apoteks - pharmacies) and bought it online, also ordered home delivery. Very easy. Maybe you can get it in ordinary apotek also, I don’t know. There are also many illegal reseller on internet, for instance on Instagram (you can check the tag Cytotek for instance). The price depends on the number of pills you need, which depends on how long your girl was pregnant. You can expect to pay IDR1M for 1 month pregnancy and double that for 4 month pregnancy. I can't vouch for them as I didn't try.

Also remember, if taking Cytotek for abortion, the girl should also take Ibuprofen (ibux) as painkillers as the possibility for big pain is very high. Ibuprofen does not influence the effects of the Cytotek. One can also buy Ibuprofen from the pramuka together with the Cytotek, of course.

Remember also, the pain and bleeding can be very strong (as my girl experienced), so one should be able to contact doctor or hospital as a security if pain / bleeding is very heavy. It is for your own safety.

It is better to be looked upon as a “bad girl” than to bleed to death. My girl experienced heavy pain and bleeding so she had to go to hospital. There, she got painkillers and treatment, but she said the doctors looked at her with an attitude (did not believe her because she would not tell about abortion). So this is big stigma in Indonesia. To be pregnant if not married – very bad.

Okay, hope you can use this information in Jakarta100bars."

If you have had a similar experience, please don't hesitate to share with readers below in the comments.

There seems to be a private clinic in Cikini that performs abortion as well but I don't have more details. You can see their Instagram profile here: Klinik Aborsi Cikini.

OPIUM Nightclub Bali - Seminyak (Also Spelled OPIVM)

$
0
0
Opened in December 2016, OPIUM (officially named OPIVM Bali Obsession) is the newest nightclub in Seminyak, South Bali. It is managed and owned by Mac Pedari (creator of Pyramid) with Mark Baker from Townhouse as a partner. Both are figures of the Bali expat and nightlife community so I guess OPIUM will create a buzz for at least several months.

The club is located on the "gay" street Jalan Camplung Tanduk (ex Dhyana Pura) and features two floors. The total capacity is not more than 400 pax. It is rather dark, with a sexy, almost underground vibe. The best part are the sexy pole dancers and acrobats that perform all night long.

The music is similar to that of other expat-oriented nightclubs in Bali (Jenja, Shanghai Baby, ex-Mint) which is not surprising considering the DJs are the same: Ben Burgess, Pyrope, Shammui. You can expect progressive house, deep house and tech house.

There is not entrance fee at the moment as it is still new and the prices are reasonable (Rp100,000 for spirits + mixers, Rp1,000,000 for a bottle of Champagne). Note that there is normally a dress code that applies: They aren't so strict with it but avoid looking like a bogan.

Opening Hours:
From 10PM to 5AM on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday

OPIVM Bali Obsession (OPIUM)
Jalan Camplung Tanduk No. 7, 
Seminyak, South Bali

Phone number: +62 (0) 8 56 209 1665
Email: opivm.rsvp@gmail.com or sia.mac.pedari@gmail.com (owner)

Facebook: OPIVM BALI

Where to Party in Jakarta - Nightlife Areas + Hotels

$
0
0
If you are wondering where you can party in Jakarta, this review will guide you through all the most famous nightlife areas in the city. You can also read 10 Best Nightclubs in Jakarta and Where to Stay in Jakarta for more detailed information.

I've circled in blue two main areas: South Jakarta and North Jakarta. Each has its own characteristics:

• South Jakarta is the most modern part of the city, with plenty of skyscrapers, luxury malls and upmarket houses. Naturally, this is where you will find the most high-end nightclubs and bars in Jakarta. Expats and rich Indonesians will normally party there.

• North Jakarta, or Kota Tua (Old Town) is the historical part of town. Most of the buildings are only a few floors high, and they may look shabby. The nightlife is often within large one-stop entertainment complexes comprising of a club, a massage parlor and a karaoke.  Drugs and prostitution are common. The party crowd is local and you'll only spot a random tourist once in a while. It is not as safe as in the South, particularly for the taxis, but it is still OK compared to any other world capitals.

South Jakarta Nightlife
Where to Party in South Jakarta?
SCBD
SCBD, which stands for Sudirman Central Business District, is a mixed-use development with many prestigious offices, a luxury mall and high-end residences. It has been the most happening party area in Jakarta for a few years already, especially among hip Jakartans and younger expats.

The best location for party in SCBD is the Fairgrounds complex where Lucy In The Sky, Fable Nightclub, The Pallas and Hide & Seek are located. Other popular nearby venues include Empirica, Beer Garden and the restaurants on the Ground Floor of Pacific Place Mall (Potato Head, Cork & Screw).

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 4-star: Harris FX Sudirman

Senopati
Just a kilometer South of SCBD, Senopati is the most expensive residential area in Jakarta. There, you'll find smaller clubs, lounges and restaurants catering to the elite. The trendy places change every year, but currently you can go to Monty's, Pao Pao, Lola, Branché and H Gourmet & Vibes.

Best Hotel Nearby:
→ 4-star: The Gunawarman (Boutique hotel, 120$/night)

Mega Kuningan
It is also a mixed-use development, similar to SCBD, but with more residences and hotels. This is where many single expats in their 30s choose to live.

There are no nightclubs but several busy bars and restaurants like Loewy, Basque, E&O or Bauhaus. All of these are walking distance from each other and they are great for meeting expats and Indonesian girls.

Mega Kuningan is bordered to the South by Jalan Gatot Subroto on which two famous nightclubs (Dragonfly and Blowfish) are located.

Read also: Best Bars in Mega Kuningan

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 5-star: Ritz Carlton Mega Kuningan or Oakwood (near Loewy)

→ 2-star: Favehotel Gatot Subroto or Amaris Satrio (35$/night both)

Senayan
Between Senopati and SCBD, Senayan is a popular shopping hub with 3 major malls: Plaza Senayan, Senayan City and FX. 

Each of them has bars, restaurants and nightclubs. X2, the largest and most crowded nightclub in Jakarta, is located inside Plaza Senayan. Domain Club is within Senayan City.

Some other recommended venues are Union Lounge (for a date/drinks), CJs (for live music if you don't mind freelance prostitutes) and Prohibition (jazz bar).

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 5-star: Mulia Hotel (with CJ's bar) and Fairmont (connected to Plaza Senayan)
→ 4-star: Harris FX Sudirman

Sudirman-Thamrin
Bunderan HI: Grand Indonesia + Plaza Indonesia
The axis Jalan Sudirman-Jalan Thamrin is the most important thoroughfare in Jakarta as it connects the South and the North of the city. It is lined up with skyscrapers, most of which have a lounge, a rooftop or a restaurant.

Around the iconic Bunderan HI (or Hotel Indonesia roundabout - see photo above), you have some of the most exciting nightlife venues in Jakarta (most of which are within the malls Plaza Indonesia or Grand Indonesia): Immigrant nightclub, the rooftops SKYE and Cloud, and plenty of bars like Cork&Screw, Social House and Paulaner Brauhaus.

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 5-star: Kempinski (Grand Indonesia) or Grand Hyatt (Plaza Indonesia)

→ 4-star: Pullman Thamrin


Jalan Jaksa
300 meters from Sarinah, Jalan Jaksa is the backpacker street of Jakarta. There are some cheap, friendly, open-air cafés where you can easily meet travelers and young Indonesians. You can also go to the nearby Wahid Hasyim street to visit popular bars like Beer Garden Menteng or to the B.A.R.T. rooftop in Artotel.

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 4-star: Morrissey Hotel
→ 3-star: A One (New property)
→ 1-star/backpacker hostels: It is better to go to Jalan Jaksa directly and ask around. You can get a room with a fan for 10$.

Kemang:
Kemang is a residential expat area with many of the best-value Western restaurants in Jakarta. The bars and nightclubs are affordable, some catering to foreigners (Eastern Promise) and some to Indonesian teenagers (Tipsy, 999, Venue, Nu China).

Read more: Kemang Nightlife

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 4-star: Grand Kemang Hotel
→ 3-star: Amaris La Codefin

Blok M, Wijaya, Melawai (Little Tokyo)
Those 3 red-light districts are located near from each other but they have their own characteristics:

Blok M (Jalan Falatehan) is a small street with 4-5 bars that have freelance prostitutes. They are popular with older expats.

Wijaya is a complex with small massage parlours and karaokes. It is popular with Koreans, Japanese and Indonesians.

Melawai (or Little Tokyo) is made of a few streets with authentic Japanese restaurants, Izakayas and karaokes.

Best Hotels Nearby:
Since the area is considered low class (due to all the prostitution activity), you can find rather good-value accommodation. The hotels are girl-friendly and they sometimes offer short-time.

Pondok Indah
Pondok Indah is an upmarket residential area in South Jakarta. You have a few bars in Pondok Indah Mall (Street Gallery) and a few more outside (like the expat bar De Hooi).

→ Don't sleep there unless you live in Jakarta.

Cilandak
Cilandak is a growing residential and business area (oil & gas). For the moment, its nightlife is limited to a few laid-back bars and Jenja nightclub in CITOS mall.

→ Don't sleep there.

North Jakarta Nightlife:
Where to Party in North Jakarta?
Gajah Mada - Hayam Wuruk
Gajah Mada and Hayam Wuruk are actually the same street but bizarrely, the left side is called Gajah Mada and the right side Hayam Wuruk.

On this 2 kilometer road, you will find almost all the high-end prostitution venues in Jakarta (Malioboro, Malio Club, V2, Sun City, Illigals, Paragon, Club 36).

Best Hotels Nearby:
There are affordable mid-range hotels in this area, only 15-30 minutes from Grand Indonesia.

Pecenongan
Pecenongan is just a few streets away from Hayam Wuruk. It is famous for just two properties: Emporium Spa (with Tease Strip Club) and the gigantic Classic Hotel bordello.

Best Hotels Nearby:
Note that you can actually book a room inside Classic Hotel. If sleeping inside a brothel is not what you are looking after, you can go instead to the Alila Pecenongan.

Kota Tua, Mangga Besar, Glodok
This is also a red light area, but more middle class compared to Hayam Wuruk. Dozens of brothels, lady bars, karaokes, discos and massage parlours are spread around. You will find most of them in the Lokasari complex, on Jalan Mangga Besar Raya, or on the smaller street Mangga Besar VIII.

Glodok and Kota nightclubs have a high number of drug users (ectasy, crystal meth). Since Stadium and Mille's closed down, the go-to venues are Exotis, Puja Sera, Golden Crown and Old City.

Best Hotels Nearby:
This area has a bad reputation so you can get cheap prices for budget hotels. I once lived there and it was not as bad as it seems. I really enjoyed the authenticity and the hundred of street food stalls around.

Ancol Beach
Ancol has two sides. A "clean" one with laid-back live music cafés by the sea, and a more dirty one with dangdut bars and a naughty one-stop entertainment complex (the infamous Alexis).

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 4-star: Discovery Ancol

Mangga Dua
Mangga Dua is a cheap shopping destination with several budget hotels. There are some massage parlours and some karaokes as well.

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 5-star: Le Grandeur (maybe the cheapest 5-star hotel in Jakarta)
→ 4-star: Novotel
→ 3-star: D'Prima

Kota Indah/Pang-Jay
Sometimes referred to as the Blok M of North Jakarta, Kota Indah is a small street with 5-6 "massage bars", a euphemism for brothels. It is local and cheap.


Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 3-star: Zuri Express or Orchardz (with a spa ++)

Kelapa Gading
This is a residential area for middle to upper class Indonesians. You have several bars and coffee shops in and around Mall Kelapa Gading, Mall of Indonesia and La Piazza. There is also a red light district with 5-6 massage parlours and strip clubs (Sumo, King Cross).

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 4-star: Grand Whiz or All Sedayu
→ 3-star: Whiz Prime

Pantai Indah Kapuk
The trendiest area in North Jakarta, PIK (for Pantai Indah Kapuk) is made of two roads with 30-40 restaurants, bars, cafés and nightclubs. It is popular with rich Indonesian-Chinese living in the upmarket neighborhood of Pluit.

If you are an Asian tourist craving for Taiwanese desserts and soju, you may enjoy it.


Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 3-star: Ozone

Grogol
Grogol is a middle class area strategically located between Jakarta and Tangerang (the airport). There are normal bars and clubs inside the malls Taman Anggrek/Central Park, but also many brothels, massage parlors and dirty discos (Bandara, Top 1, etc) in smaller nearby streets.

Best Hotels Nearby:
→ 4-star: Ciputra
→ 3-star: Grand Tjokro
→ 2-star: Hotel 88

Tanjung Priok
Near the busiest port in Jakarta, there are at least 30 small, low-end prostitute bars catering to seamen (many of whom are from Sulawesi). I wrote a full review here: The Far Away Nightlife of Tanjung Priok.

→ Don't sleep there.

Hotels Near Jakarta Nightlife
For those looking for the best hotel near the nightlife, you should consider the following rules:

 If you are interested in South Jakarta nightlife only   Stay between Plaza Senayan and Plaza Indonesia not too far from Sudirman street.

• If you are interested in North Jakarta nightlife only  Stay in Hayam Wuruk (3-star and 4-star) or stay in Mangga Besar (budget)

 If you are interested in both South and North Jakarta nightlife  Stay near Sarinah (2-star to 4-star) or near Grand Indonesia (5-star)

Jakarta Nightlife: Top 10 Nightclubs (Updated 2017)

$
0
0
"What are the best nightclubs in Jakarta?" is one of the questions I get asked the most by readers of Jakarta100bars.

The following list should answer this question though I imagine some of you may disagree with my rankings. If you do, please leave a comment below about your favorite clubs in the city.

Surprisingly, there has not been so many changes in the past few year in the city's clubbing scene. All the venues listed below already existed in 2014. 

As I mentioned in my review Jakarta Nightlife 2015, almost all nightclubs in Jakarta are expensive. If you are a heavy alcohol drinker and if you are with a small group, I would advise to always buy a bottle. That way you can get a table or a sofa close from the dance-floor and also avoid the First Drink Charge, FDC (usually amounting to Rp100,000 - Rp200,000). On weekends, it is essential to book in advance.

Bouncers in Jakarta take their jobs very seriously. If you are not dressed appropriately, you will be refused no matter how much money you are about to spend. Girls should always wear high-heels. Men should not wear a t-shirt or a torn jean.

Unfortunately, the quality of the music is not the focus in Jakarta. In most clubs below except Mille's, the playlist is similar and consists of a mix of mostly famous, mainstream international hits. You have an international DJ playing almost every weekend in Jakarta though. In this case, the music is more likely to be original.

If those 10 clubs are not enough, I invite you to read my list of Jakarta's Best Bars. Most of these have a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays.

Quick introduction to Jakarta nightlife: Read my article Jakarta Nightlife 2016 Explained in 500 Words.

Advertising: About Dating Indonesian Women
Foreigners can be very successful with Indonesian girls, especially within nightclubs. If you are a tourist or if you are over 40 years old, you may have more difficulties though. You should also realize that 90% of Indonesian girls will never go to a nightclub.

The best way to meet normal Indonesian girls, with a good education and a salary is to use dating websites. Tinder can work well as well but it is difficult to maintain long discussion on a mobile phone I think.

I recommend you to can try Indonesian Cupid, which is owned by Match.com. You can browse the girls' profile for free and show that you are interested. If you can afford 25$ (the price of two cocktails in Jakarta), you can send an unlimited number of messages and use their chat feature.

The site has 1,000,000 members already, meaning you always have hundreds of girls in Jakarta online at any time. 

Register for free using this link: Sign Up - Indonesian Cupid.

Jenja
Jenja is the newest and currently most happening nightclub in Jakarta. It is the second Jenja to open in Indonesia following the success of the Seminyak branch. Well-designed yet not overly luxurious, it is the first nightclub in the city to specialize in non-commercial techno music. Their first guest DJs were Oliver Huntemann, MANDY and Marc Romboy. The crowd in Jenja is quite eclectic, mixing expats, students and socialites. There aren't that many girls, at least not as much as in Immigrant or X2.

Note that Jenja is located in South Jakarta (Cilandak), a 30-minute drive from the city center. If you need a cheap hotel nearby, I recommend you Midtown Residence.

Immigrant
Even though Immigrant is not as good as it used to be before its renovation, it is still one of Jakarta's top party places. It has a small dance floor usually full of expats and sexy local girls. Prices are slightly above Dragonfly for individual drinks, but they give you a drink with the entrance fee. Music is hip hop, EDM, Top 40, Rn'B depending on the night. Great for pick-up.

It is located inside the Mall Plaza Indonesia, which is the best area for staying in Jakarta.


Dragonfly
Dragonfly has the nicest interior design of any nightclubs in Jakarta (and even Indonesia). It has a good crowd, though almost half of the girls are hookers or semi-pros hunting rich expats. The entrance fee is stupidly expensive, Rp200,000 without a drink. Book a table to avoid this if you come with a group. Their best night is on Wednesday. They have strict door policy: Dress well and if you look young, don't forget to bring an ID.

Jakarta's SCBD is the best area in the city for a fun night out. The massive Empirica is always as fun and popular, I love their 50m long bar, the chic crowd and the great sound-system. More than half the crowd is Indo-Chinese. Entrance is usually around Rp100,000 with a drink.

Mille's (CLOSED)
Mille's is an unusual choice and most people I know don't like it. Still, it is the only decent underground club in the city, and the best place to visit after hour. Be warned that for most people partying in Mille's, the only cocktail they need is ecstasy and water. The best time to visit is after 7am. Entrance is between Rp50,000 and Rp100,000 (with soft drink).

Update October 2016: Mille's has been shut down, guess for which reason? Drugs.

Colosseum is the best nightclub in Jakarta on the paper: The best layout, the best sound and lighting system and some of the best events. Yet, the crowd is mostly static and not very fun to hang out with. Many girls are probably escorts from the karaoke. It is also quite far from the City center. First drink charge around Rp200,000.

X2 is the favorite nightclub of many clubbers in Jakarta. If you are a 20-something foreigner looking to meet an Indonesian girl (and vice versa), it is certainly your best choice. The entrance and the drinks are expensive (FDC Rp200,000). One room has hip-hop/Rn'B and one is for Trance/EDM lovers.


If you are between 18 and 22, Fable could be your hottest party spot. You have all the cool kids from high school getting drunk with dad's money, which is even nicer when you get invited to a table. It is just below Lucy in the Sky. Entrance: Rp150,000 (FDC).

Blowfish was just renovated in 2014 during Ramadan. Since it reopened, it has managed to attract Jakarta's best crowd (particularly Indochinese in their early 20s). Recent guest DJs include Dirty South, Fat Boy Slim or Richie Hawtin.

5-year old Domain Club can have some great nights, but it is inconsistent. It is cheaper than most clubs mentioned above so you will find more relaxed people. Few expats. Recent events included a performance by the porn star Sasha Grey.

Golden Crown is a typical North Jakarta nightclub with a high level of drugs and prostitution. It is almost always crowded, mostly with Indonesians. It is a sure bet if you want to go clubbing during weekdays and if you don't mind its seedy side. Huge karaoke.

Illigals (Voyeur Club)
Illigals is very rarely crowded. Forget it during the week unless they have a big name coming. Still, it deserves to be in the Top 10 because they have a decent list of events. Many DJs from Stadium are now playing in Illigals too. The karaoke is very popular after hour because it is protected from the police.

Need more clubbing ideas? Check Exodus, Nebula , Foundry 8 (similar with Fable but more easy going), Potato Head Garage (only good if they have events). All of them are usually busy on Friday and Saturday nights and they have special events on a regular basis.

Photo credit: Main photo Chris Seward - Other Photos from Facebook.

Omnia Nightclub (Jakarta) - Alila SCBD

$
0
0
Omnia is a nightclub that will open in Jakarta at the end of 2016/early 2017 inside the new Alila Hotel SCBD (in front of Pacific Place).

It is part of the group Hakkasan which already operates two Omnia nightclubs in Las Vegas and San Diego. The one in Las Vegas is one the largest and most luxurious nightclubs in the world. Located inside the Caesar's Palace Hotel, Calvin Harris is one of its resident DJs and it is where Justin Bieber celebrated his 21st birthday.

It is unlikely that Omnia Jakarta will attracts such VIPs, but it will certainly be a game-changer for the nightlife of the city. They will also open an Omnia day club in Bali in Alila Uluwatu.

The group Hakkasan is a bit mysterious and it has been making the headlines recently. Based in London but owned by members of Abu Dhabi's royal family, it has been accused of being financed by money from Malaysia's development fund 1MDB.

The group Alila is not new to the nightlife scene: It is presumably the owner of Illigals and Sparks, two famous venues in North Jakarta. Another person probably involved in Omnia is Tomy Winata who does not need any introduction. First, he is the owner of the land in SCBD. Second, he is connected to Hakkasan through the casino group MGM: Hakkasan is a shareholder of MGM Hospitality, which is a potential candidate to manage the Signature tower of Tomy Winata.

More information: You can check their website Omnia Nightclub.
Viewing all 1118 articles
Browse latest View live