Java Trip Details

Hotel Reviews

Yuan Garden, Pasar Baru, Jakarta: Stayed here for two nights in August 2022
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SM Bromo Hotel, Mt. Bromo, Probolinggo: We stayed here for one night in August 2022.
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Kampoeng Joglo Inn, Ijen: We stayed here for one night in August 2022.
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The 101 Malang: Stayed here for one night in August 2022.
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Amarelo Hotel, Solo: Stayed here for one night in August 2022.
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Jambuluwuk Malioboro, Yogyakarta: Stayed here for two nights in August 2022.
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Amata Borobudur Resort: Stayed here for one night in August 2022.
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Explore Ijen Bromo Tour: We did the three day tour of Bromo/Ijen with Edy. We picked him because of the excellent ratings on Tripadvisor and he was the most prompt in returning our Whatsapp messages. He typically replies within a few hours. The tour was very well organised and Edy always let us know what was to come ahead and we were anxious or lost. He speaks good English and is very jovial and a good company. The places he chose to accommodate us for the night were also very good. He is always prompt and never kept us waiting at any point in time. His car is in good condition and he is an excellent driver. We had such a pleasant experience that we hired him as our driver for our subsequent three days. We were vegetarians and he helped us find vegetarian food in all places. The tour itself is well paced and is not overly tiring. There was enough breaks and we were able to cover all the places in reasonable time. We thank him for a wonderful and memorable holiday.

As of 2022, the expressway/freeway coverage is only between major cities. If you are driving country roads, the going is slow. Typically it takes 10 to 20% more than the timings on the Google, thanks to the unpredictable traffic.
The roads are generally in great conditions. There are hardly any potholes and there are no stray animals. Most people follow lane discipline and there is very little honking or speeding.
Hiring a car and driving by yourself is only for real adventure seekers, Hiring a long distance taxi with a driver is the norm. Most hotels help with such bookings. The driver will have very little English knowledge. If the itinerary is simple then this is a fairly straightforward proposition. If the itinerary is complex with multiple stops, then this would be a challenge in communication.

Things close early in Indonesia. If you don't know when an attraction closes, you can safely guess that it is 3 pm. If you are driving between cities, it is hard to reach a place and do some sightseeing before the day ends. It is easier to sightsee first and then push off to the next destination in the late afternoon.

MONAS: Must see. The challenge is to find the one of the many gates that would be open. It is a lot of walking around and inside the monument.
Istiqlal Mosque: Must See. The challenge is the timing. Visitors are only allowed every hour and the coupe of times we went, it was temporarily closed due to some program or other.
Cathedral: Should See. There isn't much to see here. But it is quite close to the Mosque and if you have the time, you can peep in.
National Museum: Must See. This is the best museum in all of Indonesia. 3 hours should be sufficient. Please don't miss the top floor (treasure room) on the new building. There are two independent buildings here.
National Gallery: Should see. It is mostly contemporary art and temporary exhibition.
Jakarta History Museum: Must see. It is located in a historic period building. The collection is quite well displayed. An hour should be sufficient.
Wayang Museum: Should see. It has a good collection of Wayang puppets.
Museum Seni Rupa Dan Keramik: May see. It was only a mildly interesting museum. If you have the time, you can saunter in.

Museum Danar Hadi: Must see. This is the best Batik Museum on the planet. The visit is by tour only. So you might have to wait for your turn. The tour itself is only about 30 mins.

Sono Budoyo Museum: Should See. Small museum with decent collection. Well displayed and laid out. 30 mins to an hour should be sufficient.
Kraton: Must See. There are two parts and the one not displaying the vintage car collection is a must-see. It will take an hour or two to see both the bits.
Taman SariMust see: This is the Sultan's Royal Garden. Only the bath area is open to public. It is crowded. If you want to take the Instagram Pictures, then it is a long wait to get the perfect window. It will take only 30 mins to just saunter through if you don't plan to spend a lot of time on photography.
Verdeburg Fort: Should See. Well maintained fort exhibiting the last 100 years of Indonesian history. The diorama's are excellent and detailed. One hour should be sufficient.
Pinus Pengger: May See. It is an hour drive to get to this nature theme park. The lighting is not good in the afternoon. The photo points are a bit tacky. Instagrammers would love it. Time depends on how many people are waiting before you to take their pictures.

Trowulan: Should See. The architecture here is very unique and very photogenetic. But there are just three main points (Bajang Ratu, Tikus and Wringinglawang Gate) and it is a long detour to get here from anywhere. If you are in Trowulan, you can easily cover these three points in a couple of hours (assuming you have a transport).
Singosari: If you already in Malang or traversing the city, it is a Must See. It is well within the city limit and is not a detour. It is just one temple and you can see it from the street without having to enter the premises. If you are far away from Malang, it would not be work taking a long detour for this.
Prambanan: The main complex has four temples (Prambanan, Lumbung, Bubrah and Sewu). There are several outlying ones of which Sojiwan, Sari, Kalasan, Plaosan and Sambisari are worth visiting. The hilltop fort of Ratu Boko has very little to see, but the views from the top are fabulous. If you want to see it all, one day should be sufficient.
Borobudur: Must See. Currently, there is renovation work going on and the climb to the temple top is closed. So very little is open to public and what is open should not take more an hour to see. There are two small temples in the area - Powan and Mentup and both are worth a visit. The sunrise point (Setumbu) is worth visiting only for the sunrise. It is nearly impossible to spot Borobudur from the view point.