Hotel Santika Premiere Jogja Review

After all the hustle and bustle of a big city tour (Osaka, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong) in less than a few weeks, I was exhausted by the time I reached Indonesia.

Upon reaching Hotel Santika in Yogyakarta, I was greeted with warm faces at the entrance.  It was comforting being able to experience the warmth of the hotel staff especially after some less friendly interactions with the Chinese a few days earlier.

I booked the room through www.agoda.com.  This site is quite popular in Asia and can be compared to Expedia.com in the West.

I paid a little less than $100, which I found quite expensive considering this pricing is in line with Western prices.  Once I arrived into my room, I was quite impressed with the amount of space in the room.  A couple days prior, I was in Hong Kong and sleeping in literally a closet sized room.  So clearly there was some contrast between the two. 

Hotel Santika has a well kept swimming pool and a decent pool side to relax and soak up some sun.

In the morning, you will hear music blazing while the cleaners begin their work.  On the first night, I was surprised to see frequent knocks on the door asking whether I needed additional toileteries.  I found that a bit odd considering it was my first night.  I then realized that the hotel staff were likely looking for some additional income beyond their hourly wage.

The room was actually supposed to be two beds, but they somehow put them together to make a super king size mattress. 

The bathroom is quite outdated and the shower head literally poured water out.  Ironically, there was a sticker in the bathroom requesting to ``be efficient with water usage.``  The water also had a musty smell to it.  Almost as if the pipes were old.

You will find that there are few decorative touches of the washroom which was surprising considering the room was pretty decent.  Afterall, I paid $100 a night.

There was a breakfast buffet included in this cost which was nice.  The buffet included some traditional Indonesian and Western food.  There was also dessert such as cakes and fruit.  There were quite a few options and I would say the food quality was above average.  There were some dishes which I found a little heavy for the early morning (7AM-10AM) such as chicken wings, curry, and noodles.  But to each their own.  If you have a big morning appetite, then this may suit you!

All in all, this hotel was decent.  It would be nicer if the cost was a bit lower, but it seems Indonesian prices are quite inflated in comparison to other South East Asian countries.