A weekend getaway to Novotel Bogor

Last weekend we decided to take another break from Jakarta and head back to our new favourite retreat, Novotel Bogor. We first stayed at the hotel in October last year very spontaneously after doing some recce for a commercial shoot, and instantly fell in love with the place.. and have been wanting to return ever since.

As traffic was and is always completely horrendous on a Friday night after work, we didn’t leave the house until almost 10pm so we would miss most of the traffic escaping the city. We ended up staying in a very cheap hotel for the night in Bogor city as we would be arriving so late and leaving first thing in the morning, but at least we would be waking up early and already be so close to our destination.

A super early morning obligatory and fun trip to Kuntum Nurseries (more about that in my next post) first and then we headed to Novotel to bliss out. As soon as we passed through the security gates and into the shade of the trees and the lush green grass, I felt like I could breathe again. It felt awesome and refreshing to be back!

This hidden away hotel is so gorgeous and the grounds are amazing. There is so much open space for kids to run around and bridges over the little flowing river for kids to have fun adventures in, as well as a lovely swimming pool, kids playground, play room, gym, and more. Samudra’s favourite was the free horse riding we had last time we went and this was his highlight as he kept asking for more rides, but during our weekend visit for some reason he was terrified of the calm horse and didn’t want to go anywhere near it. Very unusual for him as horses have been his favourite since he was a baby.

Putra and I took turns to have an hour to ourselves and booked in massages in the spa. The massage itself was pretty amazing but the masseuse would not stop talking once she realised I was married to an Indonesian and had a million questions to ask, despite me closing my eyes as a message to please stop talking and let me relax in peace.. ha!

As it usually does, the rain decided to pour down in the late afternoon for an hour or so which was so peaceful so we played in the kids toy room to keep Samudra amused and then retreated back to our room to order some food and wine and just relax.

Last time we visited we booked a room with a gorgeous garden view and jacuzzi on the balcony which we wished we had ordered again this time and will probably order if we return there again soon, although it’s way more expensive than any accommodation we usually choose to stay in. It just gave that extra bit of space to relax in and beautiful atmosphere and we loved all just sitting in the jacuzzi watching the rain fall amongst the trees.

I highly recommend the Novotel Bogor if you want to get away for the weekend and just relax, not rushing about to go sightseeing, but to actually unwind and enjoy the tranquility of the place. The staff are so lovely, the food delicious and the property is just perfect for a weekend getaway. Best thing is it only takes 45 minutes to get back to our house on a Sunday if we leave before the mad traffic rush back to Jakarta in the afternoon.

Happy adventures!