When I went to Yogyakarta, I was lucky enough to visit with a friend who is Indonesian, and whose family have visited a number of times. Therefore when I went, she had planned an itinerary for us which included a number of tried and tested places! I figured it would be a great idea to share some of the things that we did so that you can potentially incorporate in future plans to visit!
Since this blog didn’t exist at the time of my trip, photos are a little limited, but hopefully the post is helpful nonetheless!
Despite how the name is spelled, the correct pronunciation of the city is ‘Jogjakarta’. When you visit you’ll find it’s not uncommon to see it written on signs like this. It’s a bustling town and the most popular tourist destination in Java as it houses two major temples in close proximity: Borobudur and Prambanan. More on both below.
Details
Where I went: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
How long did I go for: Friday – Monday 3 days, 3 nights
Getting there
Direct flights are somewhat infrequent, however both AirAsia and SilkAir operate the route. We went via Air Asia which has only 1 flight a day. So to do a weekend trip, you need to be prepared to take leave (unless you go over a public holiday, like we did).
For flights from Singapore, check here and for flights from Yogyakarta back to Singapore, check here.
Travel time: 6 hours door to door
Flight time is just over 2 hours so allowing time for immigration given the queue means you’re looking at around 4 hours transit time. My suggestion would be to purchase seats, on this occasion, at the front of the place so that you can get right to the front of the visa-on-arrival queue and get through immigration quickly.
Visa: Yes (For British Passport holders)
Not sure if you need a visa? Click the link under ‘useful information’ to confirm.
Where did I stay
This is probably one of the more luxurious hotels I’ve stayed at since moving to Asia and in actual fact, if you’re looking for luxury and 5 star service, this hotel is definitely up there. It ranks #5 in all the hotels in Yogyakarta and scores around 9/10 consistently across all comparison sites.
The hotel pool is one of the most attractive points about the hotel. We spent a lot of time relaxing around the pool, sipping glasses of wine. And in fact, we bought wine from duty free (I know, kind of cheap, but who cares when it’s cheaper than the exorbitant prices you would otherwise have to pay!) and we were charged a nominal corkage fee to drink our own alcohol around the pool.
But the BEST part of the hotel has to be the breakfast. It’s literally a banquet hall full of different cuisines, including, to name just a few, American, English, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese. Essentially, you name it, and they probably had it. Each morning, we forwent our lie in to make the most of the breakfast. I’m not much of an early riser on holidays, but honestly, the breakfast was definitely worth it.
They also had a very impressive gym which was probably the most comprehensive hotel gym I’ve ever seen. It would rival my regular gym that I use in Singapore, as well as the one I was a member of in London. If you are keen to still keep on the gym trips whilst on holidays, this place will certainly enable you to do that.
For 3 nights, our stay was just under SGD340, coming to SGD113 per night. If you are willing and the price is within budget, it’s definitely worth it!
Photo credit: TripAdvisor
Things to do
Borobudur
Built in the 9th century, the temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world as well as one of the greatest. It consists of several platforms topped with a cental dome. The real site to behold is the 72 life size Buddha statues seated in a meditative pose inside of perforated stupas.
The temple has influences from both Buddhism and Hindusim with stories of the Ramayan depicted on the walls (as you can also see in Siem Reap) which reflects the Hindu / Indian influence across Indonesia. The monument serves as both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a pilgrimage site for Buddhists.
The temple is genuinely one of the most impressive temples I’ve visited in Asia. The architecture and the intricacies in the stone work are incredible and you can get lost in it as you walk around the site. The management of the temple are working as hard as possible to preserve the site, but sadly there are a number of cases where thieves have come and stolen heads / hands of the Buddha statues to be cold on the black market. So many have been stolen that there are only a few complete Buddhas left. Nonethless, it doesn’t take away from the remarkable shrine.
You can buy a package ticket for both Prambanan and Borobudur for USD32 (adult foreigner price).
The temple is a UNESCO heritage site, and you can read more about it here.
Prambanan
Also built in the 9th century, Prambanan is the largest Hindu site in Indonesia and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. It is dedicated to the Trimurti, God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva).
One of the defining points of the temple is the large central tower, in which there are 4 cavities. Housed in these four cavities, are statues of Shiva (Destroyer), Durga (Female Creator and Destroyer) and Ganesha (Remover of Obstacles).
Again, the temple is one of the most impressive I’ve seen. With its imposing structure and ornate architecture it’s certainly a sight to behold. We were lucky to time our visit just as the sun was setting behind the temple, check out my photos below!
After our visit to the temple, we went to watch an Indonesian ballet performance of the Ramayana, with the backdrop of the show being Prambanan Temple. If you get the opportunity, I would strongly suggest doing it. Follow this link for more information.
As mentioned above, you can buy a package ticket for both Prambanan and Borobudur for USD32 (adult foreigner price).
The temple is a UNESCO heritage site, and you can read more about it here.
Alun-Alun Selatan (Southern City Square)
The park within the square is the popular sight attracting tourists by the droves. In the middle of the park are Twin Banyan trees around which there is a popular myth: whoever can walk in a straight line between the trees, whilst blindfolded, will have good luck and a good life in the future.
Naturally, we tried it, and I can happily say I managed to successfully do it! Raja on the other hand, veered off completely off course. So much so that he actually ended up walking back on himself in a circle!
It’s a bit of fun and not to be taken seriously, however if you don’t fancy taking part yourself, it’s definitely worth visiting just to watch other people attempt to make it through!
Another thing, or things, in the square which you’ll find hard to miss are the bling cars. It’s quite a sight: peddle cars which are about the same size as smart cars or VW Beetles are pimped out with hundreds of luminescent lights and playing loud music. It’s quite the assault on your senses to be honest! Definitely worth a try though if you like the look of them and can handle the pounding music!
Photo credit: antonietravel90.blogspot.com / TripAdvisor
Foodie Highlights
Like I mentioned above, I went with a lovely Indonesian friend who is a mega foodie, so she sorted us out with where to eat during our entire stay. The list below is largely local places, where locals themselves go (not restaurants serving local food but are really for tourists).
Ayam Goreng Suhati
So if you’ve been making any effort to learn (or maybe you already know some) any Bahasa, you’ll know that ‘ayam’ is chicken and ‘goreng’ means fried. Have you guessed it yet? This is an Indonesian Fried Chicken restaurant. If you’re non-vegetarian, go here, the food is excellent. The chicken here is so good that people actually fly to Yogya just for it, and often take some back home with them depending on where they’ve come from!
The fried chicken is topped with fried chicken floss and served with rice. When preparing a mouthful, you take a little piece of chicken, with the floss and rice, and top with the deliciously spicy and fragrant sambal. It’s a flavour explosion of salty, tangy and chilli.
Given it’s a local restaurant, prices are seriously low. We’re talking as little as SGD5 per person depending on what you order!
Just note that the restaurant is pretty basic, so if you’re squeamish with toilets or anything like that, come prepared with tissue etc. People tuck in with their hands to eat the wonderful morsels of fried chicken, so the restaurant is helpfully fitted out with sinks to wash your hands dotted all around the restaurant.
Photo credit: santeaja.com
Gudeg Yu Djum
Gudeg is a traditional Javanese dish originating in Java, Indonesia. It’s made from young unripe jack fruit which is boiled for several hours in palm sugar, and coconut milk. Additional spices are then added to give it flavor, such as garlic, shallot, candlenut, coriander seed, galangal, bay leaves and teak leaves. The teak leaves is what gives the dish a reddish brown color.
The resulting dish comes out sweet and can be served dry or wet. It’s usually accompanied with rice and sometimes served alongside chicken. It can also be served with tofu and tempeh (vegetarian).
I personally wasn’t a huge fan (I don’t really do sweet mains, I’m more of a savoury gal!) but the rest of the group that I was with did enjoy it. Definitely worth checking out, at the very least to get a traditional Yogyakarta experience!
This place also happens to be conveniently located across the road from Hotel Tentrem, so if you stay there, it’s no hassle to get to at all!
Photo credit: jogjestour.com
Bale Raos
This restaurant is a bit of a treat as it serves the ‘Royal Cuisine’ i.e. literally the food the Javanese Royal Family eats. It’s a special restaurant and worth a visit to experience authentic Javanese / Yogya culture. The restaurant is a little dated, however the food and service is good. Prices are probably a little higher than what you would expect to pay for local food (due to the novelty factor), however the setting is regal and majestic (think lots of ornate golden structures) and it’s an opportunity to try unique dishes which you may not get to try otherwise!
Best time to visit: Yogyakarta experiences tropical climate and has two distinct seasons – dry and wet. The best time to visit Yogyakarta is during the dry season, from July to September.
Photo credit: kuliner.panduanwisata.id / www.baleraos.co.id
Website links and useful information:
Accomodation
Hotel Tentrem: Jl. AM Sangaji No. 72 A, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55233, Indonesia
Restaurants
Ayam Goreng Suhati: Jalan Adi Sucipto No.208, Kabupaten Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
Gudeg Yu Djum: Jalan Wijilan No.167, Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55131, Indonesia
Bale Raos: Jl. Magangan Kulon No.1, Kota Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55283, Indonesia