Breaking Down Bandung 🇮🇩

Oh, Bandung. Where do I begin?

Planning for this trip was a real headache. There were so many places to go, too many places to see and it doesn’t help that the tourist attractions are spread so widely across the country.

With my mum’s shortlist of places (she wanted) to see and Klook’s private charter service, we divided our 6D5N trip into:

Central Bandung (1 night)
South Bandung (1 night)
North Bandung (1 night)
Central Bandung (2 nights)

Central Bandung
A: favehotel Braga (Accommodation)

South Bandung
B: Kawah Putih (Attraction)
C: Legok Kondang (Accommodation)

North Bandung
D: Dusun Bambu (Attraction)
E: Kota Mini Lembang (Attraction)
F: Rumah Stroberi (Accommodation)

Central Bandung
G: Green Batara Hotel (Accommodation)

Apparently, we chose a bad time to head to Bandung (15 – 20 August). 17 August is their Independence Day and 22 August is Idul Adha. We went right smack in between a long-weekend holiday which explained why many hotels we wanted to book were all fully occupied.

Stuck in the middle of a procession post-Independence Day.

Arriving at Husein Sastranegara International Airport (BDO).

After touching down, we were greeted by a horde of locals right outside the departure hall offering SGD4 SIM cards and taxi services.

The WiFi router from Changi Recommends.

We got our WiFi router from Changi Recommends but I wouldn’t recommend it. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever rent from them again or any other provider because I’m not a fan of carrying an additional device. A burden, I call it.

I very much prefer instant access on my phone. Also, local SIM cards are a lot more affordable. Getting the Wifi router in advance just provided us with a peace of mind.

Transport from Husein Sastranegara International Airport

We read online that the military controls the airport and limits the types of taxis which meant that Grab or Go-Jek wasn’t available. We walked across the road from the airport to attempt to get a Grab but it wasn’t successful after a couple of tries. There was also a driver lingering around us who every minute or so said “Taxi? Grab not available here. You cannot get Grab.”. So we eventually succumbed to getting a private taxi to the city which cost around SGD10, after bargaining.

The room in favehotel Braga – affordably-priced and decent. The staff were kind enough to give us connecting rooms for the 4 of us.

We chose to stay in favehotel Braga because it was conveniently located within a shopping mall but I wouldn’t recommend staying there. There isn’t much to do/see around the area although we did catch a movie to kill time. You’d be happier staying near Cihampelas Walk (CiWalk) which is a well-known shopping area selling loads of jeans and clothes.

Exploring the streets right outside Braga CityWalk shopping mall.

Walking into a random local store for a small plate of SGD1.50 delicious Indomie.

A nasi something.

In search for even more food.

A big portion of Nasi Goreng (fried rice) for about SGD2.

Crossing a must-eat off the list. Why eat expensive Magnums in Singapore when I can get it cheaper overseas?

Watching a SGD2 movie because it was too early to sleep.

Before the movie, we went grocery shopping for the next leg of the trip. We were going to South Bandung (~3-hour drive depending on traffic): Kawah Putih (White Crater), nearby attractions and glamping in Legok Kondang.

I’ll split the posts up to avoid a huge chunk of text. So next up, South Bandung!