Bandung, Indonesia is a shopping paradise

Posted by samyeap on Monday, May 19th 2008   

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19
May

UPDATED:

The moment I became a millionaire in Indonesia last month, I spent most of my money in Bandung. Why Bandung and not in Jakarta?

The only reason is because Bandung is a shopping paradise. There are a lot of factory outlets in Bandung town. You will never miss it and you should not miss it.

The traveling time from Jakarta to Bandung is about 2 hours plus drive via the highway. The highway in Indonesia looks like our highway in Malaysia. It made me felt like I was in Malaysia.

As far as I know, there are two ways to go to Bandung from Jakarta. One is to travel using the train. Some people that I met in the forums mentioned about the beautiful scenery along the way to Bandung. If you have the time and love to enjoy the scenery, you can take a train from Gambir Station near to MONAS in Central Jakarta to Bandung. Secondly, you can rent a van. You may want to check out http://rental.total.or.id/. I didn’t take any of the options that I knew because we had a driver who work under my friend’s father to take us to Bandung. That definitely saved me some money.

Prior to our departure to Jakarta, I had booked 2 rooms for my friends and I in Grand Serela which is located at Jalan Martadinata or Jalan Riau. DSC_0258Along this road, you can find Termial Tas, Heritage, Men’s Wear and some few other factory outlets which I can’t remember the names. The price for one superior room is at Rp 550,000 and another deluxe room at Rp 625,000. The rate is a weekend rate and the price is inclusive of breakfast for 2. The rooms are in tip top condition and very stylish.  Actually, my first choice hotel is Hotel Cemerlang but it was fully booked during the weekend I was there hence I have to opt for for Grand Serela. A bit expensive but worth it.

Below is the itinerary when I was in Bandung.

1st May

Depart to Bandung at 7.15am from Jakarta. We visited Tangkuban Perahu followed by Ciater Hot Spring and shopping at the factory outlets. Over night at Grand Sereela Hotel.

When we arrived in Bandung town, we straight away head to Tangkuban Perahu after picked up a guy who was our tour guide in Bandung. He is my friend’s father’s friend.

DSC_0109

on the way up to Tangkuban Perahu

The crater in Tangkuban Perahu is a must see for tourist. You can even smell the sulphur.

So what can you get in the factory outlets? Is it the same as the one in Malaysia?

My answer is no. In Malaysia, you will never get a shirt of original Nike with Tiger Woods button on it for RM 25. In Malaysia, you will not get original Manchester United jacket for RM 80++. In Malaysia, you will not get a Burberry shirt for RM 30++. In Malaysia, you will not get POLO shirt for RM 70 to RM 80.

But in Bandung itself, you can get all the above for the price I mentioned. And there are other brands such as Armani, Gucci, Hugo, Giordano displayed in the factory outlets. All original.

Having said that, there are some factory outlets that sell fake one. So beware. Whenever you buy clothes or pants, please check out the label. The label is either cut across or the brand name is darken or the original price tag still intact.

Below are some of the worth mention factory outlets in Bandung.

1. Rumah Mode ( the best in Bandung and a must visit)

2. Terminal Tas ( lots of branded ladies handbag)

3. Summit

4. Heritage

5. Merdeka Outlet

6. Level FO

7. Victoria FO

One has to remember that the factory outlets in Bandung are spread all over the places. The best way to go around Bandung town is to hire a van for a day.

DSC_0033 It is the most convenience way even though there are taxi and Angkutan ( it looks like a mini-van) to fetch you from one place to another. Rent a van and you will never regret as it is too troublesome to take taxi from one place to another place and it is too cramp inside the Angkutan for tourist like us who will have lots of shopping bags to carry around.

The food in Bandung are not as good as in Penang but I love the Baso in one of the restaurant in Bandung.

DSC_0297

I don’t know how to describe it but I will post the picture in my next post about Baso. I hardly get good foods when I was in Bandung. Maybe there are, I don’t know. Anyone care to let me know?

Okay. Another thing that I need to inform my readers is the traffic jam in Bandung will cut short your shopping time during the weekend as a lot of Jakartans will spend their weekend in Bandung. Besides that, the roads in Bandung are narrow as Bandung is located in the central highlands. So plan your time and destination properly.

Stay tuned for more updates on Bandung. The next one is about Tangkuban Perahu.

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37 Comments   

37 Comments Already

commenter
donny Said,
June 7th, 2008 @1:41 pm  

hai my name donny , now i’m working in Bimex tours & Travel Bandung . need cheap hotel in bandung pls contack me , http://www.bimextravel.com
email: donnynoviar@yahoo.com
i guaranted my prices more cheaper than you book direcly to the hotel

commenter
shakila Said,
August 9th, 2008 @3:51 pm  

Hi donny,my name is sha, currently I’m looking for private investigator in bandung,perhap you could email me d contact person of course realible one.thanks looking forward 2 hear from you.

commenter
evelyn Said,
August 20th, 2008 @10:07 pm  

hi. i am going to bandung soon. can i know if grand serela hotel is walking distance to the factory outlets along jalan riau. as u mentioned, the traffics will be qutie bad during weekends, hence i wan to try to avoid getting cab if possible and walk as i shop. how did u make the booking, online or walk-in?

if not grand serela do u know of any hotel near jln riau?

thanks.

commenter
samyeap Said,
August 21st, 2008 @10:53 am  

Hi evelyn,

Yes. It is a walking distance to Heritage, Terminal Tas, Summit( if I am not mistaken) and a few other factory outlets.

But the best of all is Rumah Mode which is NOT within walking distance from Grand Serela. And it is advisable to hire a van for shopping around Bandung as factory outlets are scatter everywhere in Bandung. They are not in a centralised location.

So far, the only hotel i know along jalan riau is grand serela. Maybe you can check for more info about bandung trip, hotels at http://www.tripadvisor.com. Lots of useful info over there.

I book the hotel thru phone as it doesn’t have online booking. Make sure to call them, a day or two before your departure date to re-confirm your booking.

When are you going to bandung? I will be there in October again. :)

commenter
evelyn Said,
August 30th, 2008 @12:43 am  

Hi, samyeap. Thank you so much for replying. Actually I am going tomorrow and I hv more or less done my research on Bandung via Tripadvisor. Grand Serela is fully booked so I will be staying at Hotel Gandasari at Jln Riau. Hopefully it’s not too shabby. Too bad you are going in Oct and not now, or I will rope you in to be my guide…haha. Thanks anyway for the info. Hv fun in yr trip in Oct.

commenter
Belinda Loh Said,
October 5th, 2008 @6:25 pm  

Hi,
I am going to Bandung in Feb09. I was told that the rooms at the Grand Serela Hotel is small and the light are very dim. Is it true?
Appreciate if you could tell me if the rooms and toilets are clean and in good condition.

Thank you

commenter
samyeap Said,
October 6th, 2008 @12:00 am  

Belinda,

I’m not sure how small is consider small for you. For my previous trip, we did add another bed between the twin beds. For me, the room size is enough for me. On top of that, the toilets are clean and in good condition. It is a very nice and cosy hotel.

I will be staying in Grand Sereela again on end of this month. So stay tuned for more pics on the hotel in Nov. :)

commenter
wasmaliza Said,
October 18th, 2008 @3:29 am  

hi…i’m going to bandung very soon..i want to know whether it’s ok for me to bring my 2 kids (aged 4 and 1+) to Tangkubang Perahu as i thought it’s not so convenient.

commenter
samyeap Said,
October 18th, 2008 @10:33 am  

wasmaliza- You can visit http://www.samyeap.com/tangkuban-perahu-bandung-indonesia/ to check out further whether you are comfortable to bring the kids. The pictures might help you, alternatively you can visit tripadvisor forum to give you more info.

Do rent a van to tangkuban perahu for convenient if you decide to take your kids.

commenter
voon Said,
November 3rd, 2008 @8:59 pm  

hihi… i hope to going to bandung very soon.. i hope to know is there is it really got alot of branded?? like LV, gucci,burberry and more??

commenter
voon Said,
November 3rd, 2008 @9:00 pm  

is itz really very cheap also ???

commenter
samyeap Said,
November 5th, 2008 @10:04 pm  

Voon,

Yes, there are lot of branded stuff over there like burberry, esprit, zarra, polo, nike, tommy h and etc.

It is very cheap compared to if we buy over here. I bought a Ralph Laurey shirt cost me around RM 40 only. Burberry jeans less than RM 80.

So is it cheap? :)
But remember there are fake one though in Bandung so always go to Rumah Mode and Grande Outlet and you will not be wrong!

commenter
taty Said,
December 3rd, 2008 @5:43 pm  

hi samyeap. i intend to stay at grand serela in my nxt visit. i know the FOs around the hotel but the last time i’m there, i don’t recall seeing any restaurant/eateries outlets around there. is there any makan2 place around the hotel? how late do they open?

commenter
samyeap Said,
December 6th, 2008 @1:32 am  

taty- you hardly get restaurant or eateries outlet around the area. I advise you have your dinner somewhere near Bandung Indah shopping complex before proceed to shop at the factory outlets near Grand Serela.

commenter
Mai Said,
December 6th, 2008 @2:25 am  

dear sammy, your notes and pics on bandung really help us to plan our trip to bandung ths dec. really looking forward to see the places. How much does it costs to hire a van for day?

commenter
samyeap Said,
December 6th, 2008 @11:38 pm  

Mai – Hi, thanks for dropping by my blog. By the way, my name is Sam Yeap not Sammy. Not a female though! :)

You can check the cost of renting a van via http://rental.total.or.id/. They will gladly help you on this as I can’t remember the exact cost.

commenter
rr Said,
December 29th, 2008 @3:35 pm  

Hi… im going to bandung soon.. can i know where can i get a cheap handmade bags, purse and wallets. do u know where can i get direct from the factory or from the first hand people who make it.. ;)

commenter
samyeap Said,
December 31st, 2008 @10:15 pm  

rr,

hmm.. I can’t remember all. The best is Rumah Mode, Terminal Tas but I have there is a place where they sell all sort of bags. You may check at http://www.tripadvisor.com

commenter
voon Said,
February 10th, 2009 @2:39 pm  

hihi.. thank for information.. emm.. one person will cost around how much for a trip from kl to bandung? for 3 or 4day..exclude eat and shopping la.. hehe

commenter
samyeap Said,
February 12th, 2009 @2:18 pm  

emmm… I’m not sure how much it will cost from KL to Bandung. Last time, I fly from Penang to Jakarta then take MPV to Bandung and vice versa as well as took full transportation package within Bandung. Stay at Grand Serela for 2 days. Total cost is below RM 900.

commenter
Indonesians Said,
April 10th, 2009 @10:50 pm  

Hi samyeap.im really happy that y` allready visit indonesia.w` take the pride.thnx to say that w` were nice.i visit malaysia once.just one,they’re not to friendly.sorry for this.Well,if you ask about hotel,i say the sukajadi hotel is the best.the swimming pool is clean and the employees are friendly.anyway,its open 24 hours.its in setiabudi road.and,they located closed to the shopping center.its easy to find the hotel.anyway,im twelve.im gonna check out more time.bye

commenter
samyeap Said,
April 12th, 2009 @4:10 pm  

Indonesians, sorry to hear that you bumped into unfriendly Malaysians during your first trip to Malaysia.. It’s very unfortunately but I believe there are plenty of friendly people in Malaysia too. If you intend to visit Penang, do email me..We can come out for drink. Sukajadi hotel? I heard of that hotel before..maybe I shall stay in that hotel in my next trip to Bandung. :) Thanks.

commenter
dotts Said,
April 19th, 2009 @3:59 am  

Hi(:

recently saw some bloggers blogging bout Bandung.And it really makes me very interested to visit this place together w m bf.

1-Is it safe to travel around even at night?
2-How is the taxi rate like?based on spore’s fare it will definitely be much cheaper rite?

thanks!!

commenter
samyeap Said,
April 19th, 2009 @12:38 pm  

dotts,

I went to Bandung twice last year and found it’s safe to travel around at night. Most of the factory outlets open till 9pm.

I can’t remember the taxi rate. All I can remember is it’s better to take bluebird taxi. It’s safer and reliable.

Enjoy your trip!

commenter
SheryneTing Said,
April 26th, 2009 @3:42 pm  

Hi SamYeap, may I know is Hotel Cemerlang near to any factory outlets?…planning to stay there for 2 nites next month…preferable a budget hotel for 3 pax.
Any nice place to eat for dinner?

commenter
samyeap Said,
April 26th, 2009 @7:25 pm  

SheryneTing, hotel cemerlang is not that near to the FOs. It’s nearer to the railway station. You can check out the location at http://www.hotelcemerlang.com/

commenter
SheryneTing Said,
April 26th, 2009 @9:51 pm  

Hi Sam,
Thanks for your info….btw, I have just checked Hilton Bandung Hotel website and currently they are having this promotion “BUY ONE NIGHT GET SECOND NIGHT FOR FREE ” 2 QUEEN HILTON DELUXE at 1,080,000.00 IDR exclude tax n service chg…pretty cheap for 3 person sharing…moreover staying at 5*hotel…but it seems that there were not much review on this hotel…i wonder is this a new hotel in Bandung

commenter
tang Said,
April 27th, 2009 @4:01 pm  

Hi! sam i am going 2 bandung next mth, maybe u can advice me the nearest hotel to the factoryoutlet and also any taxi to rent (contact no)

thank and have a nice day.

commenter
samyeap Said,
May 2nd, 2009 @3:09 pm  

tang, the nearest hotel to jalan riau FOs is grand serela hotel… as for the FOs near dago, you might want to check out at http://www.tripadvisor.com. You can browse thru all my other blog post too… by simply search bandung in my blog…

Just note that, it’s best to hire a MPV to bring you around for the shopping spree…it’s worth more than using the taxi in bandung… It’ll save time and convenient

commenter
charles Said,
May 17th, 2009 @6:34 pm  

hi man… tq for the post… doin research bout bandung… goin in june…

commenter
samyeap Said,
May 17th, 2009 @9:16 pm  

Charles – great. Hope you can visit my blog again to share your Bandung trip to my readers.

commenter
ruzaini Said,
June 9th, 2009 @4:16 pm  

I’m looking for branded kids/baby apparels such as gap, osh kosh, guess, zara, calvin klein, burberry, old navy, childrenswear etc. Ranging from newborn to children age of 6. and also bby shoes such as mothers care
Wants to buying in bulk and cheap price for my new shop…if anybody here know where the place..kindly can ym:d_nk81@yahoo.com or dnicez81@hotmail.com..TQ

commenter
Kathoo Said,
June 17th, 2009 @4:55 pm  

Hi Sam

Read through your blog, good job. Thinking of bringing my kids aged 15 & 12 during the year end school hols. Do you think they will enjoy the place?

commenter
Yasmin Said,
January 4th, 2010 @4:24 pm  

Hello Sam!
i stayed in Grand Serela too (last May). about the room condition, i think GS will be considered as 3-4 stars hotel. i booked the family and superior. the rooms were clean, nice and the breakfast was superb! about the light…erm..yeah, a bit dim to my liking. then in oct, the hotel was fully booked. had to check into another hotel (very cheap2 one la)

i walked all the way to grande, terminal tas, ops..so long time ago..cannot remember! but it was fun (shopping experience!) hehehe

anyone going there for 2010?

commenter
eileen Said,
April 21st, 2010 @7:48 pm  

Hi,

I’ll be going to Jakarta next week and i intend to go to bandung. I came across your blog while trying to find info on these 2 places. May i check with you whether 4 days 3 nights will be sufficient for me to visit jakarta and bandung? in fact i will only have 3.5 days as my flight depart from jakarta in the afternoon. i m keen to shop in bandung as well as to visit tangkuban perahu

thanks

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