Swissôtel PIK Avenue: making Jakarta family mini-breaks great

Last updated 20th April 2025

Swissôtel PIK Avenue is the answer to all your accommodation prayers when it comes to enjoying a hassle-free Jakarta mini break or stopover, says Family Traveller CEO Andrew Dent

Swissotel PIK Avenue, Jakarta

Stay in Jakarta’s most exclusive neighbourhood that caters perfectly for families

Jakarta is well known as an enormous city with notorious traffic problems. So how best to get a flavour of the city without having to go too deep into the central chaos? The answer is a mini break at the Swissôtel PIK Avenue.

The PIK area is one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods of Jakarta. The PIK area is predominately set up for leisure. It is greener (two golf courses), more spacious, has multiple dining and entertainment options, and has a selection of manmade beach clubs. Indeed, it is said Jakarta locals come here for a ‘staycation’.

The area is expanding rapidly as the PIK 2 and 3 areas are sprouting out of the sea in Northern Jakarta as part of a huge land reclamation project. But the key secret is that the international airport is a mere 20 minutes away, which in Jakarta terms is like popping to the corner store.

The Swissôtel is the flagship hotel of the area. It is a premium hotel which is part of the Accor network. Whilst it clearly works for business clientele, it is also a great option for families. The short transfer from the airport obviously helps with tired kids. At the hotel there is lots of space to run around and the rooms are overly spacious.

Summers at the Pool, Swissôtel PIK Avenue

Summers at the Pool: Swissôtel PIK Avenue is fun for kids

A favourite spot for the kids will no doubt be the Summers at the Pool area on the 8^th Floor. The first thing you will want to do is get into the beautiful swimming pool. It’s a sleek, design forward, rectangle surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. There is a collection of floats for the older kids, and a children’s pool for the younger ones. Grab one of the loungers and enjoy an hour or two. The restaurant has a good selection of casual dining options and there is a gelato stand that will be a hit with the kids for sure.

I also had the opportunity to visit the Pürovel Spa. I can’t recommend this highly enough. There is an extensive list of treatment options, all of which are well-priced. I chose the 90-minute ‘Mountain Stone Massage’. This is an East-meets-West therapy using Swiss mountain stones – a tip of the cap to the hotel’s Swiss heritage. All in all a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable experience.

St Gallen Bedroom

The Swissôtel PIK Avenue prides itself on its food offering. In particular, the city-wide famous, China National Restaurant. The space doubles up for both breakfast and for dinner. Let’s keep it chronological (Swiss after all) and start with breakfast. Frankly, it is one of the finest breakfasts you will find in Asia. Start with smoothie selection: twelve different options to get your day going. Plenty of fruit and yogurts to follow. Then there are a multitude of western and eastern mains to work your way through. It is particularly nice to take a seat by the windows and watch the hustle and bustle of the city going on below you. Make sure you allocate an hour, you will not want to rush it.

Easy days out from Swissôtel PIK Avenue

After breakfast I would recommend taking a taxi over to the PIK 2 area and head for the Land’s End Beach area. It is only about a 20-minute drive from the hotel. Here you will find a wide array of dining, coffee, retail and beach bars to chill out in. It is a very cool area, and the kids will be completely safe to run around and explore. There are no swimming options though, which is a shame as the heat can be quite intense during the day. You can easily spend a couple of hours here before heading back to the hotel for a dip in the pool there.

Another great feature of the Swissôtel is that it is directly connected to the PIK Avenue Mall. Again, safe and fun to walk around with the kids. The mall has all the big western brands as well as some local stores and a cinema.

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Chinese National Restaurant, Swissötel PIK Avenue

The Chinese National: raising the bar on buffets

After a quick rest it is time to head back to The Chinese National on the seventh floor of the hotel for their famous evening buffet. This experience is a total sensory overload. It looks fabulous, the staff are engaging and energetic and the smells come at you from all directions and this is all before you have even tasted anything. There is quite literally everything on offer across multiple stations throughout the restaurant. My favourites were the prawns (two visits to this station), the crispy duck and the Wagyu Beef in black truffle sauce. 90 minutes later I finished off my meal with some Taiwanese Shaved Ice. This is a truly must-do experience, and I was very happy that I merely had to get into the elevator for a quick ride back up to my room to collapse completely satisfied.

If you are planning a visit to Jakarta, then Swissotel PIK Avenue is the perfect base. Equally if you are transiting through Jakarta, it is well worth adding a night or two on to your trip and having your very own mini break at the Swissôtel.