Bad Reputation, Great Destination: Indonesia's vibrant capital offers some of the best shopping, dining, and nightlife in Southeast Asia

THE HEADLINES
Terrorist bombings at the Marriott Hotel in 2003 and the Australian embassy in 2004 frightened visitors away, and the city's epic traffic and smog have made it difficult for Jakarta to rehabilitate its image.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES
Traffic and pollution remain problems, but no more so than in many other world capitals, and security—especially at hotels and shopping centers-—is now state-of-the-art. As a global business center that caters to executives from around the world, Jakarta has dining, shopping, lodging, and nightlife offerings that rival the best in Southeast Asia. The city's contemporary arts scene is booming, with new exhibitions going up every week in a burgeoning number of galleries. There's no shortage of nightlife here in the capital of the world's most populous Muslim country, which has bars that stay open later than Bangkok's. The dollar is strong against the rupiah, making Jakarta one of the most affordable cities in Asia, where a dollar still buys a full meal on the street and ten dollars gets you across town by taxi.

The paint may be peeling and the air-conditioning practically nonexistent, but the National Museum houses Indonesia's finest collection of Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, as well as tribal art and handicrafts from all of the country's main islands (museumnasional.org).

(At the Salihara art space, you're likely to meet the country's top writers, composers, and architects (16 Jalan Salihara; salihara.org).

(In Glodok, West Jakarta, visit the Chinese temples and then take a boat tour around the Sunda Kelapa, a centuries-old trading hub and still very much a working port. There's no better place to see the uniquely Indonesian brand of organized chaos.

BED AND BOARD
Of the city's two excellent Ritz-Carlton hotels, the new one at (Pacific Place, adjacent to a swanky shopping mall, is smaller and has only suites (62-21-2550-1888; suites, $198-$288). In the city center, the three-year-old Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta is equally splashy and has a top-notch spa (62-21-2551-8888; doubles, $140-$250).

In leafy South Jakarta, Kemang Icon is a modernist retreat in the chic (Kemang district (62-21-719-7989; alilahotels.com; doubles, $300-$360), and the romantic Dharmawangsa has frangipani trees shading the large pool and expats gossiping over high tea (62-21-725-8181; doubles, $217-$247).

One of the hottest restaurants in town, the Cork & Screw has an extensive wine list, a well-priced menu, and great desserts (Wisma Kodel complex, Jalan Rasuna Said; 62-21-5290-2030; entrées, $7-$14). Set in an elegant Dutch Colonial home, Bunga Rampai, in Menteng, Central Jakarta, features twists on traditional dishes from around the archipelago (35 Jalan Cik Di Tiro; 62-21-3192-6224; entrées, $8-$16). After dinner, head to Tabac, a moodlit boîte in South Jakarta known for its caipirinhas (6 Jalan Taman Kemang; 62-21-719-0352).