One of the brave moves from AirAsia Group is the plan to operate Tune Hotel in Central London, UK. Scheduled to open its door in August 2010, this Tune Hotel will operate just like its chain in Malaysia and Indonesia: compete in low price.

Just like low-cost airlines, room rates are offered in different price levels. If we book well ahead, we may get cheapest rate compared to last-minute booking. Hotel amenities are basic, room only. Air con is optional and can be purchased in slot of 12 or 24 hours. Towels are optional, too, if you bring your own towel (which I don’t prefer) then you don’t have to pay for towel rental fee.

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After writing the articles for 3 weeks, finally I can now officially publish my latest travel guide: Panduan Jalan ke Thailand.

As you might know from my previous post, I went to Bangkok, Krabi, Phi Phi Islands, and Phuket on late March 2010. So this is my pleasure to write and share my experience and journey.

Why Thailand? In 2009, Thailand attracts more than 14 million tourists to the country, that’s a huge number of visitors and competing with neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. And for Indonesian, going to Thailand is like a new destination after boring with weekend escape to Singapore or KL (do you feel that?).

Okay, just continue reading on Panduan Jalan Jalan ke Thailand for more pleasure.

Like a thunder in the bright sky, that’s how I felt when reading a news about Viva Macau Airlines (ZG). Government has suspended Viva Macau operation due to several issues.

Viva Macau cancelled all flights from March 28, 2010 because unable to pay fuel bill to their supplier. Crisis has hit hard on airlines industry, and Viva Macau is one of them although it has support from Macau Government. This will hit Macau Tourism pretty hard because Viva Macau brings a lot of tourists to Macau by its budget flights.
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Surprise for me when I was selected and invited to go to Thailand by TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) Jakarta Office (www.wisatathailand.com). Invitation to attend TAT’s Golden Jubilee Grand Reception as well as to join tour exploring Bangkok, Phuket, and the Phi Phi Island. As this is my first time to Thailand, this should be a great opportunity to explore this country.

Updated on 10 April 2010 : Now let’s enjoy reading my newest articles Panduan Jalan ke Thailand

Considering too many times of spending weekend in Bandung, I decided to try a different route and city. Then Lampung came into my option.

Lampung, with Bandar Lampung as its capital, is the most southern province of Sumatera Island. From Jakarta, the quickest way to Lampung is by car for 7-8 hours ride. Flight to Lampung’s Raden Inten Airport is definitely a waste of time from Jakarta, considering effort to CGK airport and 2 hour prior check-in time.

To visit Lampung, you need to spare at least 2 full days. Day trip is not recommended, just calculate your travel time (7 hours each way).

The Journey

How is the route to Lampung? You don’t need a map for this, but for your peace of mind, grab one as your guide. First, take toll-road from Jakarta to Merak. Then ferry cross Sunda Strait to Bakauheni, and continue by car to Bandar Lampung.

Jakarta-Merak toll fee is IDR 38,500 for private car, journey time is 1 hour and 20 minutes from Tomang for average speed of 90 km/h. Be caution on several section of the road that may have some cracks and road works.
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Choosing hotel to stay in Barcelona is practically not a big problem. There are a lot of good hotels to choose at your preferred location.

Eurostars has many hotels in Spain, at many big cities like Madrid and Barcelona. This time, I am writing one of them, Eurostars Gaudi.

Located not far from Gaudi’s masterpiece: La Sagrada Familia, Eurostars Gaudi offers great view to it. Choose a standard room, we’ll get view to the in-progress church. Get an upgrade to junior suite, with a balcony, at the highest floor, the view will get better. The location is very convenience, at the corner of Consell de Cent street, just only 50 meter outside Monumental Metro station exit.
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As advertised by Indonesia TV channels, as well as Euronews TV across Europe and TV cables, Java Jazz is getting bigger this year.

Java Jazz Festival is an annual event in Jakarta to attract and satisfy jazz lovers with so many International Artists in the line up. This year in 2010, sponsored by Axis GSM, we’ll have Eric Benet, Babyface, Jason Mraz, and also previous years performer such as Chaka Kan. One of the highlight is The Manhattan Transfer and John Legend. Local jazz artists will also satisfy local flavour, from veterans like Barry Likumahuwa and Bubi Chen to younger generations like Ecoutez. Check daily schedule on their official website for artist line-up and those special performances.

This year, Java Jazz Festival venue is moved to Jakarta International Expo at Kemayoran. From 5-7 March 2010, we’ll have biggest names in Jazz world come and play at Jakarta with a special theme: tribute to Michael Jackson.

Entrance ticket is referred as daily pass since you can hop on and off any playing stages at any time during a day, priced IDR 300,000 (~USD 33) per day, or IDR 800,000 for 3-day pass. Online purchase will be cheaper, only IDR 220,000. For special performance like The Manhattan Transfer, you need to buy additional special show ticket, ranging from IDR 220,000 to 1,500,000 for John Legend’s best seat. Tickets are sold at several ticket boxes across Jakarta, but if you are foreigner, ticket purchase can be done using money transfer or online credit card payment (see official website here).

Where to stay

As it is moved to JIExpo at Kemayoran, staying at Semanggi The Sultan Hotel like previous years will not be the best spot. The nearest hotel to venue is Sheraton Media Hotel at Jalan Gunung Sahari. It is a bit old but still offer luxury.

Your best bet and also great location should be Novotel Mangga Dua (Agoda link or Accor official website). It is located in Mangga Dua Square, shopping and dining should not be a problem. The other one is 4-star Le Grandeur Hotel at Mangga Dua shopping complex. Both hotel offers affordable luxury from around USD 50-80. Java Jazz venue is 5-10 minutes taxi drive from Mangga Dua.

Transportation

One of the drawback of holding event at Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran is its location and access. Although it is still categorized as city center at North Jakarta, as an ex-airfield, only few public transportation passes this large complex. The only reliable solution is by taking taxi or private car to the area. While going to Kemayoran is easy since you can hail any taxis near your location, getting back to home or hotel was a bit problem. Taxi queue is long but supply is rare, but I don’t know if there will be improvement for this.