absolutravel

All Seasons Hotel Yogyakarta

This is the first time I stayed at this Accor new hotel at Yogya.

Located at Dagen Road is just across the famous shopping street Malioboro.

My 1st impression this is quite a nice, comfy yet stylish hotel for reasonable price. The price is quite similar to Ibis (the sister company from Accor) but All Season is more in to stylish trendy look.

After make a booking through agoda.com, I instantly be a member of Accor loyalty program after I checked in the hotel.

The room is cute (specially since this is girls trip) dominate with simple white colour but the details in lamp and iPod/iPhone dock quite impress me.

And first thing first for a girl is the bathroom, Thank God it has the big rain shower and they have that gimmicky see through window to the room. 

The package includes 2 breakfast. Wifi are provided free in the building, the hassle is it is log off quite often so we have to keep re log-in every time we want to use it.

They are quite famous for their first Yogya’s rooftop bar. So we decide to give it a try the Sky Bar. It is quite impressive, the bar, pool and lounge on the roof top looking at Yogya’s city and the famous Merapi Mountain. I like swimming here, nice view. Come here for sunset irt’s The Season’s Spa is also located in this floor but you can always have it in your room.

Breakfast Buffet is also good. Basic standard American & Continental Breakfast. I like their croissant. If you need any assistance the concierge will standby help you calling taxi or asking for becak/andong (horse cart) to drive you around. 

Thanks All Season for a good 1st experience here. Enjoying it much for a reasonable price.

Eat, Breathe & Surf

Last Wednesday, my friend ask me to join a sharing session at @atamerica. The session is about surfing the Bono at Riau.

Ripcurl have made a team and movie about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90sJGvU-8Z4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7RjGGizGDc&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7296eLiZwVI&feature=relmfu

Bono means True. It’s at Sungai Kampar Riau Pekanbaru Sumatra, Indonesia. Why it so special because it happens at the river specially when the full moon. It has session when the waves is big on daylight or at night.

The sharing session was moderate by Lorca Lueras, Arya Subiakto and Dede Suryana. All of them are pro surfers. They shared about how surfing are start at Hawaii. How surfboard was being made from the solid wood.

After that finally they played the movie screening ‘Water from the Moon’ another movie initiated by Indonesian with a pro surfers team from Pro body boarders, photographers, surfers, long boarder surfers, helicopter pilots to boat pilots.

It need special skills to riding Bono. Because it has never ending waves since it is a river. The footage timer can count till 20-30 minutes surf ride. Many surfers said it is the longest wave they had.

This movie is owned by the government so far so pity it is not yet available at any channels but one day they will put in on air soon. yes, everybody around the world has to know that Indonesia has the biggest and widest range of waves in the world!

Let’s eat, breathe and surf.

Day 2/3 - Shopping, more vintage trunks & One day on earth screening - Yogyakarta

Good Morning,

I start today with jogging at the hotel neighborhood. It’s at Malioboro area. I walk and run enjoying the beauty of Yogyakarta’s morning rituals. Grand Pa walking his dog, people having pecel breakfast, crowds doing morning work out aerobics at Alun-Alun (Centre of the city), Mbok opens their stall along Malioboro. I forgot to bring my wallet so I didn’t have a chance to buy all those yummy gorengan stall at Maioboro.

Then as usual we spend the afternoon shopping at Mirota Shop. This is my favorite shop at Yogya since everything is complete in one roof.

After that we went to Progo Department Store, We are so happy to find more vintage stuff here!

At night,

as we plan we are going to the world screening of One Day on Earth movie. It’s a collaboration footage from people around the world in one day. 10 - 10 - 2010.

The footage is more than 3000, compiled to 1.5 hours movie clip. It was a great experience for me since we watched it in one of Kraton’s family house at the park, under the stars.

We close the night with eating dinner at Bale Raos and one more time Sate Khlatak! 

I sleep with a smile.

and

We are going home the next day…managed to do last minute shopping at Mirota, packed some traditional snacks & gudeg then home!

Hello Jakarta!

Day 1 - Vintage & Night Safari at Yogyakarta

Yo! Yes, another trip to Yogyakarta. 

This time I go with my college buddies, they are my beasties who owned Toi Moi Store. So I can’t wait to share knicks knacks shopping with them.

We fly with Air Asia, frankly lately I kind of hassle to fly with AA since they charging system is too much hassle. We have to add baggage, meals and tax etc at the end it isn’t that cheap.

Anyway, since flying for holiday is always fun fun fun!

Arriving at Adi Sutjipto International Airport, our old friends who working at Yogya as recycled interior designer and living in Germany Ol is picking up us with his vintage VW Safari! It’s going to be a fun old friends ride.

We checking in at All Seasons Yogya hotel. It’s a brand new hotel from Accor Group. I booked from the Agoda and got reasonable price for this cozy hotel. I will review this hotel in separate piece later. It’s a cool, cozy hotel at reasonable price.

After taking dzuhur prayers we have lunch at Gudeg Bu Sri. I like this Gudeg the taste is not too sweet as the usual Gudeg By Djum. Not to mention the price of eating in Yogya is cheaper than Jakarta.

After stop by at one leather shop we decide to have a sunset swim break at the hotel. The pool is on the rooftop of the hotel. It was a nice view of sunset at Merapi with some good music playing at the lounge bar.

Now, it’s dinner time! Ol is pick up us in his VW now it’s cabriolet! :)

Its a great ride to enjoy Yogyakarta at night and watching the star shines above us. It was so beautiful. 

Take a look our hilarious ride here :) 

http://youtu.be/E62tkAd3rW0

After eating appetizer at Rumah Tembi, we decide to have an adventure Yogya Sate Khlatak! It’s a young lamb satay burn in a charcoal with salt and some recipes. No ketchup needed! it’s so delicious as it it! Hmmmmmm…..forget my diet straight away and eat eat eat like there’s no tomorrow. 

Good night Yogya. Let’s have more fun tomorrow.