Hotel Review: JW Marriott Yogyakarta

Hey you guys!

Disclaimer before I start: this has been in my draft since um I dont know last year? HAHAHAHHA SORRY so the price etc may change. Anyway, enjoy!

Another 5-star hotel to be reviewed! Wow Kem you stayed at couple of nice hotels already, eh, perks of working I guess hahah. Yes! You’re right, I got to stay here because of work. So we had this event called “Away Day” which literally means we are away from the office hahaha. So we had this event, only my team not the whole office, on January. And since one of us was going to get married at Yogyakarta, Central Java, we decided to go there. Yeaaay

So I was staying in the same room as my former boss (she moves to Japan now leaving me all alone hiks). The room was soooo big. I was really impressed! Seems like the hotel was still brand new. Around 1 year old I guess by the time we were there. Alright let’s get to it!

Value

So I just checked the rate on the internet. Because obviously I don’t know how much did the company pay for our stay. So the rate that I checked was the room which we were staying and it was a Deluxe Twin Guest Room with City View. It costs 1.6 million IDR for one night. If you change the currency to USD, it’s 117 USD. Again guys, I won’t be able to afford it if I have to pay my own hahahaha

Is it worth it to pay this much? We will see on the final verdict!

Facility & Service

Well what do you expect from a posh hotel like Marriott? Definitely it’s top class service. The staffs were very friendly and helpful. I went back drunk and stayed in the hotel lobby until morning, blabbering stuffs (I ran away from my room after my friends tucked me in) and I am just glad they didnt throw me away hahahhaa (bet they wont though). I didnt take any picture of the hotel apart from my room but I love the facility that they have. The gym could be bigger though but the equipment is great. They have plenty. There were not many people when we were there but if there are, I dont think the gym is big enough. Oh and I love the pool. It is located at the umm forget which floor but not the ground floor. So it is like a rooftop pool which is awesomeee. The gym is also located at the same floor

Location

The location is perfect for me. I went there with my colleagues and we wanted to attend our colleague’s wedding. The location is not very far from the venue of the wedding and there is a mall just right beside the hotel. Great! Hairdresser is only couple of steps away from my room woo! Well apart from that, there are some minimarkets around and small restaurants, so it’s perfect if you wanna walk around the city. But, this part of the town is not as crowded as Malioboro so when I arrived there (it was pretty late: 11pm or so?) no one was opened. So if you want anything, you could order room service instead or food from Go-Food or Grab Food. Oooor just go out to the center which is not very far.

Atmosphere

Posh. Very posh. I mean… Marriott… The hotel was fairly new when we went there, I guess 1-2 years only? So umm no one was there? We even had the restaurant for ourselves and I must say the food taste soooo good yum! I like it but I just dont think I am the posh kind of type so yea hahaha I meant… getting drunk and just randomly called my guy friend in the hotel lobby until 4 or 5 am? Yea, nope. Definitely not posh, Kem.

Comfort and Cleanliness

The room was soooo spacious for 2 people! The bathroom was very spacious as well and so well lit. It’s nice to do your makeup there because the light was bright enough. Cleanliness? Damn 5 out of 5. Well as I have said, the room and the bathroom are so big for 2 people, I changed to another hotel because I extended my stay with my friends and the other hotel seemed so small for us hahahha

Internet

Do I need to say more? Uh 5 out of 5! Too short? Eh. I dont have other thing to say about this really hahahha

Final Verdict…

Soooo I would give it 4.3 out of 5 because I dont really fit into luxury hotel and although it is great that the room was soooo spacious, I prefer a smaller room. You know, not too small not too big. I can understand why my friend kept calling me and asking me to go back when I was out with the others. Because it could get creepy when you are alone hahahha. And I know it is not the hotel fault because most of the stores are closed at night but I would love to have some stores open. When I arrived, I had my period and didnt bring any pads. It was pretty hard for me to get one so yea, again not their fault but it’s just my preferences. Anywayyy, would I stay there again if i have the money? Probably yes (doubt that I can afford to spend that amount of money just for 1 night lol). But if someone is paying for it, then I dont see why not hahahhaa

Cheers,

Kemmy

Hotel Review: Mulia Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia

Hey you guys!

I reviewed a hostel previously in Hostel Review: Mad Monkey Backpackers Hostel Kings Cross. And now I want to review a hotel. This is a 5-star hotel and I was able to stay there because well… work. I can’t afford it, well maybe I can and then I won’t eat anything for a month hahaha

Sooo anyway, lets start the review.

Value

Guys, if I check the rate on the internet… you could definitely say that I won’t be able to afford it.

So I checked the price on Booking.com and I’m pretty sure this was the room that I got from work. It costed 3.388.000 IDR for one night or around 242 USD. Wow. But maybe my office got a different price as usually there’s a corporate rate at hotel. So? Is it expensive? You betcha. Is it worth it? Well you could find it in the final verdict!

Facility & Service

The facility was superb. There are couple of restaurants there and a lounge at the lobby. The food was great like seriously, I have stayed in many hotels and this is by far my favorite. Usually hotels’ food taste bland in my mouth but this hotel? Well 5 out of 5! The price does not lie for this one!

I do like the room that I was staying at. So the bathroom has a bathtub and a shower, so I could take a bath at night and just relax there! I mean, I just love taking a nice warm bath you know, especially when you’re soooo tired or basically before you go to sleep so all of your muscle will relax. Aaah so relaxing~

Yepp… this room is only for me.

There is also this sofa and desk in my room I think it’s for eating breakfast in the room and for people who might want to work. Well what I know is that this hotel usually used for business purposes.

What I do love the most from this hotel is actually the service. The staffs are sooooo friendly and helpful. I have had my share on unfriendly hotel staffs, so I am so happy with their services. I like that they always smile when they talk to you. It sounds simple right? But I do love people who smile back at me hehe.

Location

It’s located in the city center and you could catch MRT from here. I think it’s around 500m or less to reach the station. It’s also near shopping center and some office buildings, so it’s very convenient to stay here

Atmosphere

The atmosphere? Very. Posh. I mean… it feels sooo different with the accommodation that I used to stay during my travel. Oh well… I usually stayed at the hostel hahaha. Anyway, I just think I’m not used to it hehe

Comfort and Cleanliness

Well 5 stars for this definitely! The room was spacious, the bathroom was also spacious. It’s very clean indeed! The bed. Ooooh. Just perfect! It feels so comfortable to sleep there! (Apart from me being so tired from full day meeting!)

Internet

The internet is not disappointing either! It’s easy to access and of course every room has their own password so the connection is good as well!

Final Verdict…

5 out of 5! Not because it’s a 5 star hotel, but because I do like staying there! But since I live in Jakarta, I don’t think I will stay there for vacation nor stay-cation. I think it’s best for business trip. But if you want the best service from a hotel, then I would recommend this place! The location is just perfect if you like to shop or just to hang out at cafes or restaurants. They have many good cafes and restaurants outside of the hotel! And if you like luxury and being pampered, this is definitely the perfect place!

Cheers,

Kemmy

Hostel vs Hotel: Which one should you choose?

Hey you guys!

I’ve stayed in both hostel and hotel when I travel. Both have their upside and downside, obviously. But what makes you choose hostel or hotel anyway? For me, there are some consideration, which are:

1. Money Talks

I have never found a hostel room that is more expensive than a hotel room. I think because you will share a room with other people there. In Indonesia, I have found a hostel room in Bali for less than 10 USD. Very cheap huh? In many countries that I have been, I usually had to pay for at least 20-30 USD for female dormitory. I don’t even want to see how much will it cost me to rent a room in hotel hahaha. I meant, in Indonesia you will get a 3-Star Hotel for that price

2. Privacy

Of course that staying in a hotel gives you more privacy since you’ll have the room for yourself. While in hostel you will interact with others. Oh well if you want to of course. What I like about staying in hotel is that I could get out of the bathroom with only towel on and just lay on my bed and watch TV or something hahaha basically you could walk around naked and no one even care (since you are alone!)

3. Interaction and Cooking

Lets get real guys, during traveling it’s cheaper to cook. And that’s what I love about hostel. Kitchen. Most hostels provide a fully equipped kitchen which we can use to cook. It saves more money! Also, hostels usually offer some activities so traveler could interact with each other. Well, if not then just go to the common room and talk to someone there! Or even in the kitchen while you guys cook something and eat it together 🙂 yeay meal friend! Well during my stay in a hotel, I have never made friend with anyone really. Oh well I did not talk to anyone. If I want to eat, it’s either I order some food (which is very expensive) or just find something outside like cup noodles and I’ll boil water in my room. Well you know, to save some money hahaha

4. The Amenities

Yepp hotels will offer you more amenities than hostel, obviously. Hotel usually provides swimming pool, gym etc while hostel provide their amenities in a social kind of way like common room. Well I meant you pay more for hotel anyway.

5. Safety

I’m not saying all hotel is safe and all hostel is not. But usually in a hotel, they will provide you with a safe where you could put your valuables there and you also will hold the key to your room yourself. No one will enter your room unless you give them permission. While in hostel, well since you have to share then many will come back and forth. So you need to be careful with your belongings. Some hostels provide a locker but some are not

It depends on what you want/like and your budget

So which one wins? It depends on what you want/like and your budget. If you prefer more privacy then hotel is your best choice but if you like to mingle with others and want to make friends, then choose hostel for a place to stay. For me, personally, I choose both. I like staying in a hotel as the staffs are spoiling you and serving you well. If I want to save more money or my intention is getting more friends, then I’ll choose hostel.

Which one do you prefer? Do you find hotel or hostel better? Leave me some comments! 🙂

Cheers

Kemmy