u/OrganicSecurity5211

Salam all. Posting for my husband, he's European and reverted as an adult, and we moved to Bandung with our two little ones this year. Being Muslim here is easy, there's a masjid on every corner, but he'd love to know a few fellow reverts, ideally with kids. Anyone living in Indonesia or passing through Bandung?

Moved from Singapore to Bandung, Indonesia a few weeks ago and I'm still working remotely (SAP consultant). Sharing the practical stuff I couldn't find before coming, in case it helps someone weighing a similar base:

• Internet: came bundled with the house, and it's handled work calls fine so far.
• Electricity: the incoming supply is low — only 4,400 — so a family-sized place may need a capacity upgrade.
• Rent: a proper family house in a good area runs around Rp100 million a year — a fraction of Singapore.
• Workspace: 1994 Coffee in Dago has been my spot — it opens late, which is rare here.
• Trade-offs: weekend traffic is real, rentals often need your own cleaning sorted, and contracts tend to be Indonesian-only.

Two questions for anyone who's based here: where's the actual remote-work / nomad community in Bandung (coworking spaces, meetups)? And how are you handling long-stay visas as a working nomad?

Coming from Singapore (and Hong Kong before that), the culture shock has been a lovely one: you can start a conversation with a complete stranger at a coffee bar here and nobody finds it odd. 1994 Coffee in Dago has quietly become our anchor for exactly that — good coffee, genuinely affordable, and a really chill place to just talk to people.

A couple of other happy surprises: the service quality for the price is unreal — somewhere like Zen, where you sip ginger tea while they do the massage, and Henrik got a haircut with a facial for about Rp150k. And we somehow fell in with a group of bikers who then took us on an impromptu tour around the rest of Bandung on their bikes — still can't quite believe that one.

So partly a thank-you post to this city — but also: where are your favourite chill spots to meet people, and are there any regular meetups a newcomer family could just turn up to?

A little while ago I posted here asking what we should know before moving to Dago with a 3-year-old and an 11-month-old. We've now actually landed, so I wanted to come back with an honest first-week update in case it's useful for the next family doing this — and to say thank you, because the advice in that thread has genuinely been our starting map.

A few honest notes from week one:

• Most of the rental places we looked at were not in move-in condition, so budget for your own cleaning from day one rather than assuming it's handled. If you're considering somewhere with a pool — and they're often not much more expensive to rent — go in with eyes open: more than one we saw had the pool in a genuinely rough state (algae, debris, a few mystery organisms), so you'll want your own service to deep-clean and get it running properly.
• The rental contract we were given, like most foreigner rentals here, was only in Indonesian. If you don't read the language, line up a translator or be ready to Google Translate your way through it clause by clause before signing — don't just sign on trust.
• The helper side has been the trickiest part to plan. Roles tend to be quite specialised — one person for cooking, another for cleaning — so a single reliable all-rounder is hard to find, and the ones with overseas experience who'll do everything come at a noticeably higher salary. Worth budgeting for two, or paying more for one experienced person, rather than expecting a single hire to cover it all.
• The weekend-traffic warnings were not exaggerated. Everyone who said "macet" was right, and we're already learning to just not fight it on a Saturday.
• Groceries and food have been the easy part, exactly like people promised — Borma, Superindo and GoFood have basically kept us going while we find our feet.
• The kids join us next month, so this first stretch is really us getting the place ready for them and learning the daily rhythms first.

Two things I'm still trying to figure out, if anyone has been through it:

1. Paediatrician / kids' clinic recommendations around Dago or north Bandung? Someone here kindly pointed us to the children's clinic at St. Borromeus — but I'd love to hear where families actually take a baby and a toddler day to day.

2. Where do families here actually meet people? Not anything formal — more the honest version: playgroups, weekend spots, small communities where a newcomer parent can slowly get to know people. Coming without a local network, that's the one piece I still have no map for.

Thank you again to everyone who replied last time — genuinely, the Dago Pakar vs lower Dago breakdown and the hospital and grocery notes made landing far less overwhelming than it could have been.

Halo warga Bandung. Saya akan menempati rumah sewa di area Dago yang sudah lama kosong dan kondisinya cukup berat. Saya mencari rekomendasi teknisi/crew lokal Bandung—boleh perorangan atau tim kecil, tidak harus perusahaan besar—yang benar-benar punya alat, chemical, pengalaman, serta referensi atau foto before/after. Budget ingin masuk akal karena rumah sewa, tetapi bukan mencari pekerjaan asal murah.

1. Kolam renang indoor kira-kira 4 × 2 × 1,2 m. Air sudah hijau pekat, penuh algae/lumut, endapan/lumpur dan terlihat jentik/organisme. Saya memerlukan pengurasan 100% melalui pembuangan yang benar, pengangkatan lumpur, pembersihan mekanis dinding/dasar/nat/fitting dengan chemical yang sesuai, sanitasi jalur sirkulasi yang dapat dijangkau, isi air baru, penyesuaian pH/free chlorine, dan tes air. Pompa serta sand filter harus diperiksa dulu (backwash, tekanan, aliran, kebocoran, media, valve, lateral/seal). Tidak mau hanya buang separuh air dan isi ulang. Jangan mengganti pompa/filter tanpa bukti kerusakan dan persetujuan harga. Pool cover boleh ditawarkan terpisah; tidak perlu heater.

2. Deep cleaning rumah 2 lantai, 4 kamar, 3 kamar mandi dan balkon. Masalahnya meliputi algae/lumut di toilet dan area lembap, mould/jamur pada nat/silikon/dinding/kaca, kerak air berat pada bathtub/shower glass/keran, serta noda karat. Toilet bowl perlu deep cleaning tanpa bongkar kloset. Dibutuhkan chemical yang aman untuk material dan alat mekanis yang sesuai (misalnya steam, rotary/polisher, atau pressure cleaning hanya bila aman), bukan sekadar sapu, pel, vacuum dan lap biasa. Rumah sewa, jadi tidak boleh bongkar/renovasi tanpa izin pemilik.

Mohon rekomendasi Bandung/Dago saja. Kalau ada, sertakan nama/kontak, area layanan, foto portofolio, cara kerja, kisaran biaya, biaya survei, dan apakah ada garansi/kunjungan ulang. Jika merekomendasikan jasa sendiri, tidak masalah—mohon jujur dan sertakan portofolio serta penjelasan alat/chemical yang digunakan. Terima kasih.

Halo, maaf Bahasa Indonesia saya masih belajar. Keluarga kami akan pindah dari Malaysia ke Bandung, dan anak saya akan berusia sekitar 11 bulan.

Kami sedang mencari nanny live-in yang fokus ke childcare. Saya tidak mencari orang yang jawabannya sempurna saat interview. Saya justru ingin tahu cara membedakan pengalaman nyata dengan jawaban yang sudah dihafal.

Saat paid trial, hal kecil apa yang biasanya paling terlihat: cara memberi makan, bermain dan stimulasi, menangani tangisan, atau komunikasi dengan orang tua? Untuk anak usia hampir satu tahun, skill apa yang menurut parent benar-benar wajib?

Hi! We are moving from Malaysia to Dago next month with an 11-month-old and a 3-year-old.

I have been buried in house and helper planning, but I am sure I am missing the ordinary things that only locals notice. What surprised you most about living around Dago: traffic and rain, healthcare, groceries, neighbourhood routines, or childcare?

For parents, where did you find the people and places you actually came to trust after moving? We arrive without a local network, so honest warnings are very welcome. I would rather know now than learn everything the hard way.

Hello! My family will be relocating from Malaysia to Dago, Bandung in August.

We have two young children, aged approximately 11 months and 3 years. I would really appreciate advice on where families in Bandung normally look for:

1. A live-in nanny focused primarily on infant/toddler care.
2. A separate live-in housekeeper for cleaning and laundry.
3. Later, an experienced family cook - I am also curious whether anyone has successfully found one locally.

We are new to Bandung and do not yet have a local referral network. For families who have hired reliable, long-term household staff in Bandung, which communities, channels or agencies actually worked well for you? Are there any that you would avoid?

Our current helper in Malaysia recently passed away, which has made preparing for this move much harder, so practical guidance would genuinely mean a lot to us. Please do not post anyone's private phone number publicly; names of channels, communities or agencies are enough, and personal recommendations can be sent privately.

Thank you very much. Any local advice would be greatly appreciated.