Jakarta has always been pretty high on our list of places to visit (I must admit that list seems to keep getting longer the more we travel). Kenin and I have found ourselves dreaming of sunshine and beaches after our colder winters spent in Canada. While there are definitely some lovely beaches to visit while in Jakarta there are also many exciting and interesting cultural attractions that will make for a well rounded getaway.

One of the events I would love to attend in Indonesia is the Java Jazz. No, this event has nothing to do with coffee (though the name does excite us greatly) but it does have everything to do with the sweet sounds of Jazz.

In early March, Jakarta holds the International Java Jazz Festival which normally runs for 3-days and draws about 50,000 visitors annually. It is one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world. The event runs in the earl March each year, so you know the weather will be great.  After doing some research, we decided that this would be a perfect getaway for a romantic weekend.

Finding the best hotels in Jakarta took quite a bit of online work, but we could stay somewhere wonderful like the Merlynn Park Hotel. The hotel features an elegant yet modern decor and has all the amenities you’d expect to find in a luxury hotel in the city center. They even have something called a coffee hut!

The hotel’s pool seems like a lovely place to relax in the morning, then we can indulge in a nice couples massage before heading out to see some of the amazing acts at Jazz Fest. Some of the past acts for Java Jazz have included fantastic musicians like James Brown, Kool & the Gang, and Chaka Khan.

Held every year since 2005, this festival grows bigger every year and draws in more artists and musicians. Also the international venue attracts musicians and groups from all across the globe, so we’d get to hear a ton of new music along side some of our old favorites. I would love to be in an exotic place such as Jarkarta swaying to the beat of some amazing jazz with my husband at my side.

If attending Java Jazz wasn’t enough of a reason to visit Jakarta, there are many other activities to take in on our trip. We could even spend a few extra days, as long as our timetable permits, and check out some cultural sites like the National Museum of Indonesia. The museum was officially opened in 1868 and has a collection of 61,600 prehistoric and anthropological artifacts, and 5,000 archeological artifacts from all over Indonesia and Asia.

Museums are another of our favorite ways to spend a day as they give you a deep insight into a culture’s past and present. This might have to make it onto our Jakarta agenda, along with a few other “must see” sites like the Indonesian National Monument, the Ragunan Zoo, and a trip out to Kepulauan Seribu (a.k.a Thousand Islands) to take in some of the countries most beautiful beaches.

 

Have you ever been to Jakarta? If so, what would you suggest we add to our list?