Bandung
The capital of Western Java sits up in the mountains which line the island of Java's spine, about two hours' drive from the national capital of Jakarta. The cool mountain air makes Bandung a very popular weekend destination for Indonesians who live in Jakarta. Adding to the attraction is the presence of numerous factory outlet style stores, making Bandung something of a shoppers paradise for Indonesians. Completing the picture are many good restaurants.
Bandung was established by the Dutch late in the nineteenth century, and it quickly became a commercial hub. In 1955, the city hosted the first Asia-Africa conference, which gave birth to the Non-Aligned Movement. Bandung's fortunes faded somewhat after that, but in some ways that's been a good thing, since many of the city's fine art deco buildings remain. Many have been restored in recent years, making Bandung architecturally interesting to those of the right bent.
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Getting to Bandung, Indonesia Although a very popular destination for Indonesians, Bandung can be a little tricky to get to for international travelers. While the city does have a small airport, the only regular service at the time of writing was between Bandung and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, offered by Air Asia. With air travel pretty much out of the picture, the viable options to get to Bandung are by road or rail.
Here's a short list of suggested hotels in Bandung available from our on-line hotel booking partners. I've stayed in all of them except the Savoy, which I've included because of its historic surroundings. It's on my short list for a future stay. All of these are 'central' but you will end up needing transportation no matter where you stay in the city. You can also use the search box on this page to find the best rates from dozens of booking sites for the Bandung hotel that's just right for you.
Shopping is one of the primary attractions for Indonesians visiting Bandung. The other is eating. The main item on sale is clothing. There are a number of outlet style shops in and around Bandung. The shops are mainly found along the streets of Juanda (Dago), Cipaganti, Martadinata (Riau) and Cihampelas. Cihampelas street is best known for jeans. The shops here boast huge fantastical statues of comic book or movie characters on their roofs and shop fronts.
Bandung has a quite temperate climate, with high temperatures rarely exceeding 30°C and cool nights all year around. Current conditions in Bandung are shown in the box on this page. While high temperatures are relatively constant all year around, nights in the dry season from June to September get much cooler.
Historical Weather Patterns for Bandung Average Monthly Highs & Lows (°C) The rainy season runs from around around October to March, when the monsoons arrive from the north.
15 April 2007
Opened in December 2006, the Novotel is one of the newest hotels in Bandung. The design of the hotel echoes the Art Deco period architecture for which Bandung is known, but with some distinctly modern touches, such as the "grass" wall of the coffee shop. The relatively small hotel has a quite small swimming pool, fitness center and full service spa. At the time of my stay, there was only one restaurant, but it appears a second fine dining venue is planed.
