Last September 28, 2018, Palu, Indonesia was struck by a disastrous earthquake and tsunami.

To support the victims of the said tragedy, AirAsia, the world’s best low cost carrier, launched the #ToIDwithLove Relief Fund on October 12, 2018.

Donations may be done online via the AirAsia Foundation, the airline’s philanthropic arm. Click here to donate. The #ToIDwithLove fund will be collecting donations until October 31, 2018 channeled to Yayasan Arkom Indonesia to help rebuild homes and improve disaster resilience in affected areas.

Further, AirAsia will also carry out phased onboard cash collections, beginning with AirAsia Malaysia (carried code AK), AirAsia Thailand (FD), AirAsia Indonesia (QZ), AirAsia X Malaysia (D7), AirAsia X Thailand (XJ) and AirAsia X Indonesia (XT) flights until the end of October 2018, with more airlines in AirAsia Group to follow.

AirAsia will match the total public collection, which will be announced in January 2019.

AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said, “It’s been an incredibly tough year for Indonesia, which has been beset by one deadly disaster after another. Our hearts go out to all those who have suffered unimaginable losses as a result.”

“As an ASEAN airline, we share a close bond with the communities we serve, and we want to do our part to help those in need. Through this donation drive, we hope to raise enough money to make a positive contribution to rebuilding efforts, so please give freely. Every dollar counts”, Fernandes added.

For more information about the #ToIDwithLove campaign, visit AirAsia’s Facebook Page and Twitter.

The post AIR ASIA LAUNCHES RELIEF FUND FOR INDONESIA #ToIDwithLove appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.

After booking a budget ticket to Jakarta via Air Asia, I thought that the next best thing to do was to book a hotel that would be easy on the pocket as well. I was going to Jakarta to attend two meetings. The venue of the first meeting was located at the client’s office in South Jakarta. I opened Google maps and typed my client’s office address. After the location pin showed up, I typed “hotels nearby”. A number of hotels showed up in an instant with their corresponding room rates per night. I was easily intrigued by the room rates of ZEN Rooms SCBD at P 553.49 per night.

Wow! What a bargain! I clicked their icon and was directed to their website. At those budget-friendly rates, they offer the following amenities:

• 20 Sq m Room
• 24-hour Front Desk
• Common Kitchen
• Flat Screen TV
• Non Smoking Room
• Parking
• Smoking Room
• Study Desk

Their online customer service was also very helpful. I chatted with Dayne and she was accommodating with my inquiries. I did not book my stay immediately because I was a little bit wary quite frankly. How can a hotel charge so low and be able to provide the amenities that they claim? So, I gave it a thought for a week. Well, honestly, I did not really have time to think about it since I was too busy. A week before my date of departure, I finally decided to take the risk and booked my stay at ZEN Rooms SCBD anyway. I mean, what was there to lose? I am not picky. I just needed a place to sleep in.

Can you believe this? I only paid P 1,660.46 for a three-night stay in Jakarta, Indonesia!

Upon arrival at the CGK or Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, I grabbed my mobile, clicked the GRAB icon, inputted ZEN Rooms SCBD and requested for a GRAB driver. I paid IDR 128,000 or PHP 486 for GRAB and IDR 35,000 or PHP 133.00 for toll fees.

Here is ZEN Rooms SCBD on Google Maps:

[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3966.215046030436!2d106.80340631476919!3d-6.235359995486437!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x2e69f1432e9472d9%3A0xc3ce40bd70c024e3!2sZEN+Rooms+SCBD!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sid!4v1521734796771&w=600&h=450]

Arriving at the hotel, it almost felt like I was coming home to my former apartment in Project 8, Quezon City. It was homey and I was welcomed by Echo, the receptionist aka caretaker. I received a ZEN Rooms Toiletries Bag containing a bottle of shampoo, bath gel, soap and a dental kit.

The room was tidy and smelled clean. Of course, it was not a five-star hotel accommodation but it was decent and just right for my budget. It had good air-conditioning, LCD TV with basic cable channels, personal refrigerator, safety deposit box, closet and two bottles of complimentary mineral water.

The room had a wall clock but no battery. LOL.

Unfortunately, there was no hot shower. But who needs one anyway when in tropical Jakarta? There was also no adapter available. Good thing I brought my Air Asia Travel Adapter.

So if you are a smart traveler, you might want to choose ZEN Rooms in Jakarta, Indonesia.

ZEN Rooms operates in Southeast Asia’s top destinations offering quality and affordable accommodation. They have 5,000 rooms across 50 cities in 7 countries.

With ZEN Rooms, I was able to spend less on accommodation and got extra money to go around Jakarta and spend on good food.

DISCOUNT COUPON CODE

By the way, I have a discount coupon code  that you can use valid until June 27, 2018. Just click here. Avail of $20 discount* at ZEN Rooms Hotels when you travel to Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong.

*$50 Minimum booking value. 

Signing out for now. Peace!

The post SERIOUSLY? 3-NIGHT STAY IN JAKARTA AT ZENROOMS SCBD FOR LESS THAN P2000! appeared first on JOEL JAWS ANDRADA.