In Reply to: Jayakarta posted by Kezz on Saturday, 3. February 2007 at 09:28 Bali Time:
I've stayed at the Jayakarta 10 times and I'm not the type of person who'd continue to bash their head against a brick wall if it hurt. Like you, we are 'average' Australians with kids (who, by the way, love the Jayakarta) who want a clean, comfortable room for a good price.
Our kids were your kids' ages when they first started going to Bali with us. We have stayed in the 400 and 500 blocks on the ground floor in two interconnecting rooms. It was great because the rooms had a grass area directly in front of them for the kids to play on and the rooms looked out onto a large grass and garden area so you never felt like you were enclosed.
Also, the 400 and 500 blocks do not get noise from the pool and it would take 30 - 45 seconds to walk back to the rooms. But being pretty organised parents, we had very few reasons to keep going back to the rooms if we were at one of the pools (there are toilets close to the pools).
By having two interconnecting rooms, we had two bathrooms, two toilets, two fridges and two TV's (the one in the kids' room was connected to a dvd player we bought in Bali so at night or when outside was too hot they could watch the dvd's we'd bought).
The Jayakarta is not a 5 star hotel. I think some people go there expecting it to be and come away disappointed.
It is 3 - 4 star. Sure the rooms are not brand spanking new but the beds are comfortable, the rooms are a good size and are cleaned daily as well as the sheets changed (you have a choice whether you want your towels cleaned every day). The rooms have bar fridges, coffee/tea making facilities and a good amount of storage area.
If there is a problem all you do is ring Housekeeping and they'll look after you. There is also a Guest Relations Manager should you have any special requests or concerns. The staff will do everything possible to make your stay enjoyable.
The Jayakarta is good value for parents with children. The facilities for kids are fantastic (3 pools, playground, tennis court, table tennis, pool table, big open grass areas), the hotel grounds are well kept, the rooms are comfortable, the staff friendly and helpful and the hotel is in a great location ie beachfront with a huge selection of restaurants, supermarkets, laundries, money changers and internet access places.