Royal Ambarukmo Hotel vs Tentrem Hotel Yogyakarta

We had stayed in 2 different hotels (both a 5 stars hotel) for our holiday in Yogyakarta and I will share some of the insights based on my experience for both hotels

Let me start off with Royal Ambarukmo Hotel
Even though it's an old hotel but I will not hesitate to come back here because I love the hospitality given by the staff in Royal Ambarukmo Hotel. Immediately after we entered the place, we already felt the warm welcoming feeling from them. Thank you!

The grand entrance of Royal Ambarukmo Hotel

The view from our room

We had enjoyed our swimming session here

Another big advantages staying in Royal Ambarukmo Hotel is that it is just opposite Ambarukmo mall. So it is very convenient and accessible for us, especially with a small kido. That's always the main criteria we will be looking at when finding hotel to stay!

The breakfast was good especially on the weekend it was totally luxury.

My 4 year old had enjoyed the playground facility both indoors and outdoors. For the indoor playground, there was a ball pool, toys and also activities such as reading & coloring, and a room for gamers. While waiting for A, I had time for myself playing playstation games :)

The view from the glass window in the playroom

Last but not least, we truly appreciate the effort made by the hotel staff to surprise my little guy for his upcoming birthday. It was amazing! My son was very happy indeed. 

A memorable upcoming birthday celebration for A

Next we had moved to another hotel, Tentrem Hotel Yogyakarta

It's a mix feeling to leave Royal Ambarukmo Hotel that felt so close to heart, but in the same time we were excited to find out what the new place can offer us. 

When I reached Tentrem Hotel, my first impression wasn't the same as Royal Ambarukmo Hotel. The hotel is very luxurious but for me it's lacking of intimacy/friendliness compared to the previous hotel

The hotel reception already made an appearance

It is a new hotel with a very luxury appearance and of course the facilities is all new. So it is an advantage for those who is looking for a luxurious stay. The room that we stayed was super duper cozy and nice! And of course the room is much better than the first hotel we stayed

The room connected to the bathroom glass window

The view from our hotel room

Had our lunch here

The hotel food was a bit expensive but still affordable. Since there was nothing outside (no malls or nearby restaurants) so we have no other choice but to dine in. Thank goodness, the food was very tasty, I had to order the same menu again for dinner! 

Another add-on point is the playground. It was huge! Swimming and playground already made my little guy happy! It was for his celebration anyway! 

The concept is like an indoor park

A had so much fun playing here!

We had also requested for birthday celebration here. We received the cake but nothing more. Maybe my expectation was a bit high since we had experience better treatment in the first hotel. But that's fine, we still appreciate it anyway

Both hotel has it high and low values. If you ask me, I would prefer a hotel that is near to the city that accessible to everything - that would make my life easier. But if it is just for a short trip it is ok to stay somewhere a bit far just to relax and dine-in in the hotel

Borobudur Temple, Jawa Tengah

Another miles stone for us, we have reached to another UNESCO World Heritage, Borobudur Temple in Central Jawa, Indonesia. I was told that it is the world largest Buddhist temple. This is another Must-Go-To place in Jogjakarta. The entree fee is USD25 for adult and USD17 for kids (foreigners rate). That includes the train ride getting to the temple.

We were lucky to be part of Payung Festival 2018 in Borobudur. The umbrella decorations were absolutely stunning. It was fascinating! 

Some highlights & tips here;

-The weather was scorching hot so equipped yourself with all necessaries. Don't forget to wear your UV protection, caps/umbrellas do help, It's important to stay dehydrated with a bottle of water
-They provided a renting serving for umbrellas outside the entrance, but you'll get a cheaper price if you rent inside
-There was a public toilet outside the entrance with a small fee of Rp2000. I didn't realised that there was also a free public toilet inside

-There will be local people selling stuff, bargain only if you're interested. Sometime it can be a little intimidating because they will be following you around / pushing you to buy 

Top Attractions in Jogjakarta, Indonesia

September 2018

We had an amazing holiday in Jogjakarta Indonesia. It is simply beautiful, rich with culture, very nice friendly people and a luxurious stay. We had spent 6 days enjoying Jogjakarta. Here is some of the suggestions for those who are planning to make a trip here;

[5 attractions in a day]
We really had make the most of our journey on the first day of tour. The schedule was quite tight to have had been to 5 different places in a day but it was definitely worth the journey.
Our first stop was in Kejurang Tembelan. The view on top was just spectacular and for me this is a must go place! There was a small amount of fee to enter this place.

Kejurang Tembelan

The view from top was just amazing

The next pit stop was Rumah Hobbit. We thought that our 4 year old might enjoy this place and we were absolutely right. Inspired from the fairy story, the small house was just fascinating. 

Rumah Hobbit was not too far from Kejurang Tembelan. The entree fee to Rumah Hobbit is Rp2000 per person and free for the children. 

Rumah Hobbit

After we were done with Rumah Hobbit, we went to Hutan Pinus Pengger. It's actually in the same area not far from each other. Pinus stands for pines, we were at pines forest. The famous decoration was the giant hand, made from woods on top of the hill.

The famous giant hand in Pinus Pengger

After we had our lunch break, we continued our journey to Pantai Parangtritis. It was about an hour journey from Pinus Pengger. The ride was cozy, my little guy and me took a nap along the way!
In Pantai Parangtritis, we experienced a horse ride with a pay amount of Rp100k. It was totally worth it! My little guy always love beaches and its a bonus he got to ride on a horse!

Happy kid! 

Pantai Parangpritis horse ride

The fun didn't end here, last but not least we went to Pasir Gumuk. It's a place that looks like a desert. It's interesting how in the same day we were experiencing different things. First we were up on the hill enjoying the view, then we were in a forest, suddenly we were at a beach, and finally we were at a desert!

Gumuk Pasir Jogja 2018

Phew, that was just a day tour! We had much more fun on the second and third day of our tour! More adventure coming! I will write more on the next post.

This tour had been easy for us because we hired a supir (driver) to drive us around.
If any of you looking for one, I recommend using this travel guide
Mhibjogjatour Travel
Contact Pak Agus +62819627065

What I love about this travel tour;
-They are respectful, polite and punctual
-The parking fee is paid by them, we only pay for the entrance fee
-Mineral water is included
-Pak Agus is a very easy going person to deal with
-The driver knows the great spot to shop (bonus!!)

The journey begin

Paris, March 2012

Paris the city of love has a very significant meaning to our lives.
We met for the first time and he had proposed to marry him. I said yes and we got married few months later. Isn't love the strangest thing?
We started our lives journey in Paris and we went exploring the world together. We then had our first born here and continue to travel with the little one.

"...and I woke up one day and I found myself living a dream..." 
-lourvetravel

Paris is indeed very symbolic to our love story and this is where it all started.....