Given the excellent advice I recently received on the Thailand Forum, prior to a weekend visit to Bangkok, I thought I'd ride my luck and ask the same from those of you familiar with Jakarta.

Arriving this Friday lunchtime, and leaving on Sunday afternoon, any top tips would be gratefully received. Any do's/dont's in particular?

Looking for decent, lively bars for Friday and Saturday night (pool tables a bonus) and something touristy to do/see on Saturday. Also, any info on good places to eat/street food would be welcome.

Thanks in advance

OK I'll have a go but at my age maybe not too applicable info for a younger person.
Night life in Kemang on a weekend will provide many bars full of expats and girl followers. Eastern Promise and Murphy's are 2 I have visited.
Behind Plaza Senayan the Senayan Arcadia is located which houses many bars and good food outlets where the 'beautiful people' hang out till the wee hours. Red Square rocks noisily. http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2009/0...n-arcadia.html
My fav is Jaya Pub..this is an iconic building and hasn't been remodelled since pontius was a rookie pilot...they have the oldest pool table I've ever played but the atmosphere is great and the music, after 9pm, is superb...they do oldies but goodies and the girls do dangdut on the bar...http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2011/0...b-thamrin.html

Shopping in the Grand Hyatt Complex is a must.
Other than a city tour around the Monas I cannot help. Jakarta isn't a great touristy city...it has traffic jams and dirty streets but 5++ star hotels and malls. Most tourists visiting Indonesia come to Bali....where I live.

Traffic is shite !!! Depends where you are staying. Dont travel too far on the road otherwise your evenings entertainment with be the back of the taxi drivers head !!!!!!!!