Hotels offer special packages during Ramadhan

Abdul Khalik The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Muslims need not worry about being stuck on the road or away from home at meal times during the fasting month of Ramadhan as most hotels offer both sahur (pre-dawn meal) and breaking-of-the-fast menus.

The five-star Hilton Hotel International in Central Jakarta, for instance, offers a menu tempting enough to encourage residents of the city to dine out, rather than at home, which is usually preferred in Ramadhan.

"We have long prepared packages for this Ramadhan. We offer a selection of Indonesian dishes, such as opor ayam (chicken cooked in coconut milk), during Ramadhan. We provide dinner to break the fast and pre-dawn meals for guests and visitors," Hilton public relations manager Emeraldo Parengkuan told The Jakarta Post.

The hotel will also offer various contemporary and traditional Egyptian dishes from Oct. 24 to Oct. 29.

A special buffet for Ramadhan is also being laid on by the Dharmawangsa Hotel in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

A buffet of Indonesian and Middle Eastern dishes is available for Rp 155,000 per guest at the five-star hotel.

"We even provide free (ta'jil) snacks for breaking the fast for people passing the hotel," Dharmawangsa's public relations officer Erni Kusumaningrum told the Post.

The JW Marriott in South Jakarta offers a Ramadhan business meeting package.

Public relations officer Mellani Solagratia said the hotel had decorated meeting rooms for the holy month.

"We have decorated two rooms in a Middle Eastern style. We also offer special food for the meeting. We charge Rp 175,000 per person for the meeting, which includes ta'jil," she told the Post.

Mellani said Syailendra, the hotel's buffet restaurant, was a popular place to break the fast.

She said that a traditional rampak gendang (percussion ensemble) from West Java performed for diners in the evenings.

Starting from Oct. 3 through Nov. 2, the hotel is also offering Middle Eastern cuisine. Chef Mustapha Hallal was flown in from Lebanon to ensure the authenticity of the dishes.

However, for people, who prefer Chinese and oriental food during Ramadhan, the hotel also provides such food free from pork.

Mellani said the hotel provided dishes for sahur only in guests' rooms as the hotel believed most Jakartans preferred to eat sahur at home.