Jakarta Love Hotels

The term has sleazy ring to it, and to be sure, most of what goes on in Jakarta's love hotels can hardly be labeled a family holiday or a corporate retreat. But these dens of lust actually meet a widespread social demand : In a society that officially shuns pre-marital sex, the existence of these hotels is testimony to how frequently it is practiced. Known locally by the euphemism Hotel Enam Jam-an (six-hour hotels) or Pondok Wisata ('tourism spot'), love hotels actually began quitei nnocently as roadside transit motels for inter-city travelers. Today they are the refuge of choice for randy young things who live at home until marriage and earn for private moments away from mom and dad's watchful gaze. Extra-marital flings are also frequently used for what's locally known as BBS(Bobok-Bobok Siang or 'afternoon naps'). In fact, rooms are most likely to be fully booked on weekday afternoons at around two or three o'clock. All of this means that occupancy rates at these love nests far exceed those at the city's luxury tourist hotels - no doubt to the dismay of the Jakarta Tourism Promotion Board.

Privacy is taken seriously at love hotels. For starters, the nondescript rows of single-story blocks look nothing like ordinary hotels and are usually set back from the main road, concealed by long rows of tall shrubs. Anonymity guarded from the start : Your car is escorted into one of many personal parking bays with doors that slide shut behind you so that nobody will recognize your battered old red Kijang jeep and spread vicious tales around the office the next day. The garage leads straight into the bedroom. Check-in is done on the spot and with little fuss: A trusty clerk appears at your door with clean towerls, a fresh bar of soap and receipt for the Rp 200.000 (around $20) you'll be paying for a six-hour time block. Rooms are generally clean, simple affairs. They are air-conditioned and equipped with a TV, an mini-bar and a room service menu offering 24-hours meals and snacks. The en-suite bathrooms usually boast see-through doors (if you've ended up in a love hotel, feigning shyness would seem besides the point). Deluxe rooms even include waterbeds, jacuzzi tubs, in-house TV porn and ornate ceiling mirrors. True palaces of good old-fashion romance.