Kunstkring Paleis

Top choice in Jakarta


High tea or cocktails? You can have both, plus a divine Indonesian dinner in between at this alluring re-imagined Dutch colonial mansion, once Batavia's fine arts centre (it showed works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Chagall and Gauguin after it opened in 1914). Exhibitions continue today.

The main Pangeran Diponegoro Room, with its wall-sized canvases, is where you'll have traditional tea service with an Indonesian twist. Cultural dances sometimes take place here during dinner service (ask your wait staff). Or come a bit later and enjoy a drink in the red-lit Susie Wong lounge, named after and inspired by the infamous Hong Kong madame. There's also a wine shop on site.