Yogyakarta Part 1 - Sheraton, Gudeg, Gadjah Wong

A while back, DH decided that March would be a good time for him to take vacation time and go somewhere. So I've been searching our travel options, from New Zealand, Australia, Lombok, Bali, etc. Finally, we decided to go to Yogyakarta with our friends (though in the end something came up and we went by ourselves anyway).

Yogyakarta (read as Jogjakarta) is a special region in the Java island of Indonesia that is like a province by itself but is ruled by their own Sultan, acting as the Governor. Miss Kiki asked me before we left whether Yogyakarta was part of Jakarta or if it is far away, because Jakarta is part of the name... Jog-Jakarta! :D

We took Citilink from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta in the morning. This airport used to be THE airport a long time ago, but had been closed for public when the Soekarno Hatta Airport opened. Very recently, they reopened this airport for small carriers. We arrived at the airport quite early, and stayed at the waiting area before the second security check point because we didn't want to be stuck inside for too long. Little did we know, the waiting area by the boarding gate was actually much nicer than the one outside, complete with Periplus and Starbucks. 

The Starbucks at this airport does not have the BCA Platinum Promotion that gives you a tall drink for Rp. 1,- but lucky for me they do have the ANZ Travel card promo that gave me a grande beverage as well as a free food item. Why of course I took advantage of that!

Free food!

There was something that made an impression on me at that time, it was Miss Kiki who asked of she could go to Periplus while we were waiting for boarding time. Since it would be in our vision, we let her go. A little while later, I decided to check on her and found her reading a novel! It was a My Little Pony novel but nevertheless it took me by surprise!

Periplus

Reading My Little Pony

The flight to Yogyakarta was pretty smooth and uneventful, which was a relief considering the news of the Germanwings crash the day prior.

Upon arrival at Adi Sucipto International Airport Yogyakarta, we were greeted by a Sheraton staff member carrying my name on display. I had arranged a free pick up by the hotel, which was wonderful so we do not have to find a different means of transport. That alone could be overwhelming in Indonesia, if you don't know the city. The Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta was recommended by our friend, and it was literally 5 minutes away from the airport, door to door.

1. Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta
   
   The hotel had an interesting setup, with Javanese influence architecture. Past the main entrance to the compound, we had to take an underpass to reach the main building. The hotel ballroom was a separate building above the underpass. The main hotel building was built on a hill and its lobby is found on the 7th floor. Almost at the top. The rooms and suites care on the lower levels. We checked in without much hassle and got a room on the 4th floor. From our room, we were able to see the swimming pool and the top of the Merapi Volcano.
   
   The room it self was not bad, spacious, and they were not stingy with the water bottles. While some hotels only provide 2 water bottles per day, this hotel provided not 2, not 4, but 6 bottles of water every day! I did find that pleasantly surprising. The bathroom, however, were not very impressive. It was old with stains here and there. And what bothered DH the most was the high humidity that made even the pillows and blankets felt moist, with some mildew smell to it. Also, during our stay, we saw 4 tomcats in our room! They need to do better pest control.
   
   During our stay, the front end service (concierge, lobby, other staff) were quite good. They offer free shuttle services from the Lobby to the front gate and vice versa for easy access. They also offer free shuttle services to and from Malioboro Street, and also from the hotel to Prambanan Temple. There were some instances though, that could be improved: bathrobes were missing from our room, tea and sugar stock not refilled and towels missing.
   
   Their breakfast was acceptable, but nothing special. They had an egg station which was good, but their pastries were pretty bad I could not finish what I took. Other options were chicken porridge, soto ayam, and some other food. Lets just say I've had better.
   
   

   Check out this insect we spotted!
   
   

   Road to the main building

   
   
   
   
   

   

   Pinecone found on the sidewalk. 

   
   
   
   
   

   

   Main building

   
   
   
   

   

   Fun water time after lunch

   

   Painting activity at the hotel

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Gudeg Yu Djum
   Gudeg is the specialty food of Yogyakarta. It is a slow cooked young Jackfruit dish, usually served with boiled egg, steamed rice, chicken, and sambal krecek (chilli sauce with beef rind). Prior to our trip, I've done some reading and two names always came up. The first one was Gudeg Yu Djum for sweet tasting gudeg, and Gudeg Bu Ahmad for savoury gudeg. On the way from the airport to the hotel I spotted a Gudeg Yu Djum location so that's where we went for lunch on the first day. It was good, as far as gudeg goes, but it's just not my kind of food. The price ranges between Rp. 15.000,- to Rp. 28.000,- per portion. The place was fairly clean, and neither of us got a stomach ache after. Booyeah!
   
   

   

   Miss Kiki and I shared a portion, we requested that they separated the sambal.

   
   

   

   Gudeg Yu Djum with egg and chicken thigh

   
   
3. Gadjah WongThat evening, we went to Gadjah Wong restaurant for dinner. It was a large open air (with roof) restaurant with three sections. The Javanese section with Gamelan live show, the Country section with a live band singing oldies, and another section called the Classic section. The whole restaurant was decorated with Gajah (elephant) statues. DH ordered something from the Indian menu, I ordered orange duck, based on reviews. Miss Kiki ordered her to go dish: pasta. I also ordered seafood bisque as a starter. DH liked his dish, but my orange duck was just not fit four our tastebuds. I shared my bisque with Miss Kiki and as a result she barely ate her pasta. Most people say that this restaurant was expensive, though coming from Jakarta, their prices seem lower than what we are used to. After a few days though, we realized that food in Yogyakarta is generally considerably cheaper than in Jakarta.

   

   Complimentary breadsticks

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Seafood Bisque

   
   
   
   
   

   

   Orange Duck

   
   

   

   Cute bill

   So that was our first day in Yogyakarta.... Part 2 coming right up!