I am based in Thailand for my work but my girlfriend comes over from Europe and I set aside some quality time to spend with her. We always try to escape the noise of Bangkok and opt for a change of scenery. We have done many short stay trips all over the region enjoying many of the sights that this part of the world has to offer while always on the lookout for something diverse. Mina, my girlfriend, told me a couple of her friends had visited Tangerang in Indonesia on what had been essentially a shopping holiday. Having lived and worked in some of the major cities I didn’t fancy the crowds of Jakarta so therefore we decided we would try out her friends recommendation. I did some research and found that Tangerang intrigued me and appeared to be the perfect compromise for my partner and me. Wherever I go there has to be some kind of water feature and Mina always has shopping at the top of her list.
Perfect
Tangerang has what is said to be the largest water park in the region, Ocean Park. This vast complex features a wave pool, swimming the currents in the Caribbean river pool, a four-lane race slide, spiral slides into a lagoon and an impressive waterfall. As transport is very efficient in this satellite city it has become very popular and can get very crowded so for me a good hotel is very important to me, more of that a little later.
Tangerang is a shopaholics dream and Mina was in her element. Home to the Lippo Supermall, one Indonesia’s largest, it caters to all tastes with a Hypermarket, a Supermarket and a massive electronics outlet (good for me in my line of work). Her favourite was Living World with numerous fashion and accessory outlets. I didn’t mind being dragged around this behemoth as it has a food town with so many tantalizing dishes on offer.
The Hotel we settled upon was the Grand Zuri BSD City and we were not disappointed. The en-suite rooms were designed to a very high standard with a balcony overlooking the city. The hotel has a great outdoor swimming pool in which I could relax when Mina was out shopping; a superb restaurant that provides Indonesian and Western cuisine, and it was very central so travel was very easy. So if you wish to avoid the mad whirl of Jakarta think seriously about making Tangerang your choice of destination and enjoy it’s comparative slower pace of life.