Overview
Everyone should experience a city for themselves, because preferences vary from person to person. My overall experience in Bandung was okay, but I personally prefer Jakarta. I stayed at Sudirman Suites, which is in a good location; however, my gym membership was at Celebrity Fitness in PVJ Mall. The daily commute was exhausting—usually around 30 minutes, but often stretching to an hour.
Traffic in Bandung is a nightmare, ranging from bad to completely gridlocked depending on the day, and it’s especially terrible on weekends. On the positive side, Bandung has many great restaurants at incredibly cheap prices, and the cooler climate is a nice change.
That said, I wouldn’t return. For me, the only real advantage Bandung has over Jakarta is the cooler temperature. Jakarta offers far more food delivery options and a wider variety of restaurants. It’s also much easier to structure your life around convenience there—living next to a mall with a gym and grocery store—so you can avoid spending hours stuck in traffic every day.
Traffic in Bandung is a nightmare, ranging from bad to completely gridlocked depending on the day, and it’s especially terrible on weekends. On the positive side, Bandung has many great restaurants at incredibly cheap prices, and the cooler climate is a nice change.
That said, I wouldn’t return. For me, the only real advantage Bandung has over Jakarta is the cooler temperature. Jakarta offers far more food delivery options and a wider variety of restaurants. It’s also much easier to structure your life around convenience there—living next to a mall with a gym and grocery store—so you can avoid spending hours stuck in traffic every day.