A day at Taman Impian Jaya Ancol with Korean friends

by Roseline Tinz - May 07, 2021

Hey, everyone! As most of you already know, I was born in Indonesia. In April 2018, my husband, his friend and I embarked on a crazy adventure to Jakarta, Indonesia. As you know planning a trip to Jakarta can be challenging, especially when it comes to finding a place to go. I don't want to take them to the mall, to be honest, I feel sick of the crowd at the mall.

So this time I brought them to The Taman Impian Jaya Ancol. Taman Impian Jaya Ancol otherwise known as Ancol Dreamland is an integral part of Ancol Bay City, a resort destination located along Jakarta's waterfront, in Ancol Kelurahan, Pademangan, Indonesia. In my opinion, a trip to Jakarta wouldn’t be complete without taking a day to explore Ancol Dreamland.

Taman Impian Jaya Ancol (Ancol Dreamland) it contains everything that anyone can need to have a good time such as beaches, SeaWorld adventures, and the biggest entertainment park in Indonesia, Dunia Fantasy/Dufan (the world of fantasy), where exciting rides and attractions are waiting for you to have great fun all day.

We arrived in Ancol Dreamland in the afternoon, so on that day, we had no chance to go to the fantasy world and seaworld because our schedule was very tight.

I'm not trying to be dramatic, but growing up in Indonesia I am kinda used of the slow-paced, relaxed life that sometimes makes me really miss my past life in Indonesia, that was the reason why I decided to travel to Indonesia for a while with my husband and his friend. I want to gain back some of my soul and sanity that I lost in Korea.

Since I moved to Korea, pali-pali (fast-fast) always appears in all aspects of Korean culture and lifestyle. It applies everywhere, from the smallest daily routines to the country’s growth and its infrastructure development, everything is organized and fast-moving. Their culture changed me to become a person who always wants to do something quickly and sometimes I couldn't be patient if I see the people who work too slow.

Anyway finally, I had time to relax and take care of my almost lost soul and sanity back! They said if want to relax is staying at home, but nope for me, relax is going to travel. I was happy to be able to bring my husband to come here. Hey Oppa, do you think I should stop being silly? ƪ(˘⌣˘)┐

To enter this beach you have to pay the entrance ticket and also for the vehicle you bring. The entrance fee is quite expensive for me, but it is worth it since you will get a new experience and you could feel peace whenever you see the sea and the sky at the same time. Be aware that when you use Grab-car, Go-car or Taxi that you will be charged for parking as you enter so it is better to be dropped off before the gates.

Do take a walk around the beach though, as you will be able to take some nice photos that capture both the architecture and the park. It’s a peddle boat in the shape of a swan and whale. One of the fun activities you can do on the beach when the weather is a little nicer. If you’re looking for something fun to do this may be a great option. This how the Ancol Dreamland looks like! The beach not too clean and the water is dirty but we enjoy the experience. If only the beach is cleaner and well maintained I believe this place deserves the higher star.

Cute dolphin statues.

We came on weekdays, but this place was pretty crowded. There were many families, couples, and friend groups of all ages in every corner of the Ancol Dreamland.

Swings were probably everyone's favorite features at any playground.

Even though I left Indonesia for almost 7 years, I still love my lovely hometown. Indonesia still holds a special place in my heart, it feels comfortable and happy whenever I come to Indonesia. If you feel the same with me, and need a quick, near escape in Jakarta, Ancol Dreamland can be a good choice.

Standing under the shade of trees.

You can’t go wrong with being near water, even though it was crowded, but it was very relaxing to walk along the beach and enjoy the breeze and the view of Ancol Dreamland. There are many things to do near Ancol Dreamland such as swimming, jet ski, flying board, cable car, riding a bike, and so on.

No matter where in the world are you, Ancol Dreamland is always a nice place to walking during sunset and shoot some photos. Ancol dreamland has plenty of fancy restaurants, cafe, bars, and shops.

We also visited the beach with it's a famous bridge, the bridge was the lack of lighting. Besides being able to play water at a beach pool, visitors can take a maritime tour of the Ancol coast by taking a tour boat. The tour boat fishermen are happy to take visitors around Ancol beach.

Overall, Ancol Dreamland is, without a doubt, a must-see place sight in Jakarta and there is always something fantastic to experience. We found it interesting to walk around and take a look but didn't really want to stay here very long. Taman Impian Jaya Ancol is a great place that can never disappoint.

Would I return to Taman Impian Jaya Ancol? Absolutely YES! There are still many things we haven’t seen and done and we definitely loved the atmosphere.

Taman Impian Jaya Ancol

Website:

https://www.ancol.com/id

Address:

Jalan Lodan Timur No.7 RW.10, Kota Tua, Ancol, Pademangan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 14430, Indonesia.

After half a day we spend our time at Ancol Dreamland, we decided to have dinner at the Taman Santap Rumah Kayu restaurant around Ancol. The restaurant is located around Ancol Dreamland so if you're not sure whether you're at the right place, take a look of it's a big sign as the photo shown below.

Actually, I discovered this restaurant via Instagram. So many locals have marked their journey on Instagram that I feel like a visit is much needed. I told my husband's about this place and I hope I can pay a visit when I'm in Jakarta. I'm not sure whether he will agree with me or not to dine here because he's not that kind of person who fancies for the high restaurant, but I'm happy because eventually, he agrees with me and we had dinner here.

One unit of Sriwijaya's Boeing 737 400 Aircraft unused water is used for dining, rearranged and designed to be a place to eat. In the plane, the waiters and waitresses wear stewardess uniforms. Once you enter the restaurant, I was shocked by the interior design. I've never seen anything restaurant like this before in Indonesia. What a brilliant idea to dine inside a plane! Although the plane is too old however the place is clean and hygiene. There was AC on the plane, but I would have preferred it be a bit cooler because it was too stuffy and hot when the plane really crowded.

You can visit the cockpit to take some pictures.

You can also dine in the restaurant outdoor area. There' s live music makes the place so happening.

For dinner inside the plane, you need to make the reservation at least one week ahead. We made reservations to eat in the aircraft. It was nicely different and I am glad we ate there.

Their service was a little bit slow so while we wait for the food we took a photo. I'm pretty sure you will take a lot of photos here especially if you came with your partner, family or friends.

Taman Santap Rumah Kayu offers seafood, Chinese food and Indonesian food which allows the customer to choose what they like. We ordered Stir-fried morning glory with seafood. One of my favorites menu. It tastes good but the amount of seafood very small.

Chinese Green Bean Stir-Fry. They deep fried it but had some other tricks with it and it came out so fresh and crunchy - we all loved it!

Kerang Hijau Saus Padang (Green Shell with Padang Sauce). The amount of green shell very small and it is a bit salty.

The crabs were not fresh. Crabs were cold when we picked them up, not even warm, and bone cold. We were highly disappointed because the price was expensive.

This beef rendang taste was a little sweet for my taste and I don't like it.

The deep fried prawns were tiny and tasteless. We got the worst deep fried prawns we ever had. Too expensive and not worth the money!

The chicken satay was okay for me but I do love the peanut sauce. The portions were small for the high price.

Watermelon juice is fresh but too sweet for my taste.

My husband said the drinks were good and fresh, but for me, it was too sweet for my liking and they were so stingy to give coconut meat.

Overall, the dining experience is for sure worth a try if you’re looking for where to eat in Ancol Dreamland but go for the uniqueness of the place, not for crave-worthy food!

The atmosphere and view of the restaurant were amazing and what is cool is that there's a plane inside the restaurant where you can actually eat your food there but you need to make a reservation before visiting.

The only complaint I had was the food was a bit lacking in quality, and a little more expensive than you would normally pay. The room is also too hot so it can be difficult to get comfortable.

I know there isn’t much information on the internet when you trying to find reviews Taman Santap Rumah Kayu restaurant in English so hopefully, this will give you a better understanding about the Taman Santap Rumah Kayu restaurant.

Taman Santap Rumah Kayu, Ancol, Jakarta

Website:

http://www.rumah-kayu.co.id/

Phone:

+62 21 64716395

Hours:

Monday-Friday: 10AM-10PM

Saturday-Sunday: 10AM-11PM

Address:

Jalan Lodan Timur II No.7 RW.10, RW.10, Kota Tua, Ancol, Pademangan, North Jakarta City, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia

Have you been to Ancol? Tell me your experiences on the comment section!

Don’t forget to check out my previous post on Indonesia if you haven’t!