A tale of three hotels

One vacation, three hotels- yeah we get around.   We only intended on staying in two hotels during our stay in Yogyakarta (also called Jogja)- one night at the posh Phoenix Hotel and then three nights at the hip, but cost effective Greenhost Hotel.  But even after our four nights we still wanted more Jogja so we found yet another hotel so we could stay through Christmas.  It was actually the only room we could find on Christmas Eve and Christmas day!

For our first night we went big and splurged on the Phoenix Hotel.  After a lifetime in the US it’s hard to believe that $67 is a splurge but in Indonesia  it gets you some pretty classy digs.  The Phoenix is so grand!  Its opulent, colonial style is a majestic mix of the Indonesian and Dutch cultures.  Also their breakfast buffet was stellar, the best we’ve seen so far at any hotel.  They had French toast, pancakes and Belgian waffles!  I ate so much Joel called it my five course breakfast and he wasn’t far off.

As you can see, we loved the balcony.  I special requested a balcony with a pool view and we ended up getting an upgraded room- score!

Next up was the Greenhost Hotel which has only been around for a little over a year.  Greenhost is also quite grand but with a decidedly modern look, a stark contrast to the Phoenix.  With the gray, concrete walls Joel called the look ‘prison chic’.  The ground floor is open air and has the lobby, restaurant, gift shop surrounding the pool.  There are three floors of rooms above all overlooking the pool and lined with layer after layer of tubes growing hydroponic herbs that cascade down creating the jungle look.  On the top floor is a restaurant and a garden where they grow produce for the hotel. I love that the garden is open so guests can go up and see the tube system up close.  

Our room at Greenhost was definitely smaller than our previous spot, but it made up for it in charm.  The lights on either side of the bed were made from recycled propane tanks.  The combo desk, wet bar and closet was stylish and functional.   And there is a bed to bathroom window- who doesn’t love to share their bathroom time?!

When we first saw the bed made up with two comforters it looked a little strange like two twin beds pushed together, but after sleeping with it for a couple nights we’re sold.  No more fighting over the blanket, we both got our own!  We’re totally stealing this idea for home.

We love the neighborhood where Greenhost is located.  With rows of restaurants, boutiques, art and antique shops, it’s definitely more our style than the Phoenix Hotel area.  After three nights at Greenhost we still weren’t ready to go home so we rescheduled our return ride and booked three more nights at yet another hotel.  We had a tough time finding a room as adding more time meant we would be staying over Christmas, but we ended up finding a room one street over at Prambanan Guest House for $25 per night.

The room was simple but clean with a beautiful woven ikat bedspread.  We had only two requirements on our must have list- pool and AC- and PGH checked both of those boxes and at $25 per night you can’t beat the price.

Though they didn’t have an expansive breakfast buffet, we did have a lovely Christmas breakfast of scrambled eggs and delicious, fresh made banana pancakes.  The tables in the garden area were kind of a mosquito playground, but with a little bug spray they were a great place to have a beer and edit some photos.

It’s been a great Christmas week in Jogja and we’ve both really fallen in love with the rich culture of this eclectic city.  We will definitely be back again and I still have tons and tons of photos to share so more to come soon!   Hope everyone back home is having a radical Christmas as well!