I could tell you things like “it’s so difficult to decide which place to visit in Indonesia – there are almost 18,000 islands to choose from!”, but of course we all know it’s not really that difficult.
Like if you are just planning your first trip to Indonesia, then of course Bali should be among one of the places to visit.
So the question really is: Which places other than Bali are worth to go, especially if you want to enjoy the nightlife and meet some nice girls? How about Jakarta, isn’t it too congested and crowded? Is there any good nightlife in neighboring Lombok? How about the Gilis? Or how about the up and rising cities in Central Java such as Bandung and Jakarta?
If you have just like one week, then I would only do one place – either Bali or Jakarta. Bali, if you want a good combination of nice beaches, good food, nightlife and girls, and Jakarta if you are mainly concerned on girls and sex (and cheap prices) and don’t care about other things too much.
If you have 2 weeks, I’d recommend you to spend a few days in Jakarta (3-4 nights), then take the train to Bandung (2-3 nights), another train to Yogyakarta (there are also cheap flights, 2-3 nights) and then fly to Bali from there for the rest of your trip.
If you have 3 or even 4 weeks, I’d recommend you to do the same route as outlined above, but also add a side trip to Lombok (2-3 nights) and possibly Gili Trawangan (2 nights).
Now let me show you what makes each of these places worth to visit:
Jakarta
It may not be the most beautiful city on earth, but oh man, Jakarta is fun. I’m personally more into dating regular girls from the dating site than paying for hookers, it’s amazing how easy it is to meet friendly and super hot chicks in this city. Jakarta is still a fairly conservative city when it comes to nightlife, so most of the girls don’t really like drinking and partying that much, but meeting them for a coffee, movie or some other fun activity is so simple.
But of course, there’s also the other side of Jakarta. Have you ever heard of the city’s infamous “One Stop Entertainments”? Well, these are basically big buildings where you can first relax in the spa (pool, sauna etc.) for some time, and then go to another area in the building where they have dozens of young women sitting on different couches who are all available for short time. Some venues (like Malio Hotel) even have strip clubs with sexy shows among all that.
Besides the sex clubs, you can also find all other sorts of hookers in Jakarta: bar girls in Jalan Falatehan 1, club freelancers (especially in X2 and Club 36), street prostitutes (especially in Blok M and Lokasari Square), happy ending massage ladies (especially in Little Tokyo in South Jakarta) and escort girls (for example on Cracker).
- More info and maps here: Nightlife & Indonesian Girls in Jakarta
Bandung
Bandung is just 3 hours by train from Jakarta, and if you have enough time to add it to your trip itinerary – do it. This town is not just known for its mild climate (it’s surrounded by green hills, check out Belle Vue Roof Top for amazing views of the city), but also for the fact that it’s a popular colleague town, means there are lots of cute girls and hip nightlife spots.
The main nightlife area in Bandung is along Jalan Braga in the city center (I stayed in the Ibis Bandung on my last trip there, very recommended, it’s 2 minutes down the street from there). There are about a dozen different bars, and among them is the infamous Klab Sentral (photo), a pool bar with about 20 hot girls – check out my video below. Shelter Club is the most popular club here at the moment, it’s crazy how many young and hot chicks there are, just the music is terribly loud.
If you are in Bandung, you should not miss a visit to the massage parlors. Pandora is the most famous one where you can get a good massage including hand job for just 300k (they also have a spa area with pool which is free to use). Other good parlors include Kumi Kumi and Pattaya Spa – similar prices.
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (usually just called Jogja) is the most conservative place on this list, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in the nightlife and with the girls here – you just need to know where to go.
There are 2 main nightlife areas in Jogja: Jalan Malioboro and its little side streets (especially Jalan Sosrowijayan, check out Lucifer Bar) in the city center, and the corner of Jalan Parangtritis and Jalan Prawirotaman (check out Rui’s Bar, it’s the only bar here with “Bule-friendly” girls) in the southern part of town.
The best night club in Yogyakarta is Boshe VVIP Club in the northern part of town. Lots of freelancers every night. There is also Liquid which is really popular and has live music too. It always reminds me of a huge Bavarian beer tent.
And well, if you look at my picture above, these are two of the most popular “massage parlors” in Jogja: Red Cliff and Mansion. Prices are from 360k including massage and HJ, full service is also available (tip has to be negotiated with the girl). Yellow River is also popular.
Bali
I probably don’t have to tell you that much about Bali – it’s by far the number 1 tourist spot in Indonesia and for good reasons a must-go on any first trip: nice beach restaurants with the best food in Indonesia, the best value for money hotels, the best foreigner oriented nightlife and lots of beautiful temples, beaches and rice terraces to explore during the day.
There are only 2 areas you should be staying in as a single guy in Bali: Kuta or Seminyak. Kuta is better if you are mainly interested in party and hookers, Seminyak is better if you prefer “normal” bars where you can meet “normal” ladies or meet your date for a nice dinner.
I won’t go through all the different entertainment options in Bali here as I’ve done it in great detail already:
- More info and maps here: Nightlife & Indonesian Girls in Bali
Lombok
Lombok is the exact opposite of Bali: smaller, quieter, cheaper. And to be honest, also a lot more boring. But for two or three nights it’s just fine, and if you are also planning to visit the Gili islands, then even better.
Make sure you book your hotel in Senggigi. This is the only area with decent nightlife on Lombok (bars, clubs, massages). There is also Kuta in the south, but that’s more for couples and older people. Not much happening there in terms of nightlife and girls.
- More info and maps here: Nightlife & Indonesian Girls in Lombok
How about the Gili Islands?
I haven’t included the Gilis in this top 5 list not because of a lack of attractions, but because I can’t really recommend it anymore. Gili Trawangan is the “party island” of the three, but when you arrive there you will be quite disappointed by seeing mainly young backpackers getting drunk and smoking weed, or some couples who want to take a break from Bali. And way too many boats ruining the beach atmosphere.
I’ve been to pretty much all the bars on the Beach Promenade on the east coast (that’s the main nightlife strip on Gili T), and the only single Indonesian ladies I saw were a group of 3 in Sama Sama, who weren’t even interested in the foreigners looking and smiling at them. So if you are planning a sex holiday in Indonesia, better give it a miss and stick to the five other places mentioned above.
Videos of Nightlife in Indonesia
Note: I’ve added a few videos of Bandung and Jogja here – check out my other Indonesian nightlife guides for videos of Jakarta, Bali and Gili.
