Choosing Hotel Manahora Borobudur
When you travel to a new place, distance can be pretty tricky. Google Map can tell you one thing, but it doesn't let you know if you would be stuck behind a motorbike pulling a hog cage.
Plus, I hate getting up early during holidays.
Hotel Manahora Borobudur was chosen after weeks agonizing whether to pay for the pricier hotel stay. The hotel is located on the grounds of a UNESCO Heritage Site, after all. Further clicks on the web throw up words "tired looking" "shabby" etc.
We arrived around 4 p.m after Prambanan Temple and drove into a long driveway. We were all surprised at the grounds of the hotel. It was HUGE!! After our awesome driver Budi, dropped us off, I went up to the check-in counter . They guessed who I was as they were expecting me. The concierge whisked us through check-in, briefed on hotel amenities, recommended us to watch the introduction video at the AV centre/hall (you an also watch it in your room), handed our keys and asked us to enjoy our welcome drink. Whew, that was a mouthful.
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| Had shakey hands that day. This is the reception area |
The rooms at this hotel are all located on ground level with a little veranda facing into the gardens.
The room was a little old, but clean, spacious and comfortable. We could have fit another person in and still have space to walk around. The sliding door was closed but unlocked when we checked in. We locked that up immediately for safety reasons.
The beds were firm and pillows were in abundance. We almost fell asleep waiting for each other to finish showering.
The room comes with:
1. Safe
2. Coffee and tea facilities
3. 2 bottles of 500ml of water each
4. Toothbrush
5. Shower gel
6. Shampoo
7. Towels
8. Shower (no bath)
9. Free Wifi - it will log users out every 15 minutes or so. Best wifi reception at coffeehouse or reception
10. TV with international channels
After showering, we were surprised that it has turned to night. It was only 6pm! What happened to the sunset?! It was too dark to even explore the grounds, so we explored the hotel instead. After a few confusing turns and getting our bearings, we found the dining hall. However, it wasn't ready for dinner. Food..... where are you....
We walked out of the hotel, on to a very dark road and headed to the nearest warungs. Although you can rent a bicycle from the hotel, the dark road and multiple potholes would be dangerous for the rider. Dinner was a simple satisfying meal of bakso before the whole road was plunged into darkness. Every shop had no electricity. Only the street lamps were running. Something blew somewhere, I guess.
The hotel ran on a different electric transformer, so we were spared. After packing our things for the next day, we hopped into bed and waited for the introductory video to start at 9pm. We could hear the sounds from some performance that was going on at the restaurant. It wasn't very loud but the quietness of the hotel amplified everything.
The video on Borobudur temple was probably made in the late 1980s or something, based on the style. It's pretty informative for those who have not engaged a guide for the sunrise/sunset tour. Just ignore the cliche presentation style.
Halfway through the video, we had a snack attack and ordered from room service. Room service in Hotel Manohara is affordable and pretty decent. When we let the room service guy come in, the hotel cat decided that it wanted to check out the new inhabitants, It strolled right on in after the room service guy. We quickly shoo-ed it out.
With a full tummy, we ended the night.
Manohora Borobudur
Address: Jl. Badrawati Borobudur, Komplek Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Jawa Tengah 56553, Indonesia
Tel: +62 293 788131
Email: reservation@manoharaborobudur.com
Price: $$-$$$
The room was a little old, but clean, spacious and comfortable. We could have fit another person in and still have space to walk around. The sliding door was closed but unlocked when we checked in. We locked that up immediately for safety reasons.
The beds were firm and pillows were in abundance. We almost fell asleep waiting for each other to finish showering.
The room comes with:
1. Safe
2. Coffee and tea facilities
3. 2 bottles of 500ml of water each
4. Toothbrush
5. Shower gel
6. Shampoo
7. Towels
8. Shower (no bath)
9. Free Wifi - it will log users out every 15 minutes or so. Best wifi reception at coffeehouse or reception
10. TV with international channels
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| This is my depiction based on memory on the room layout. Things are not drawn to size. |
We walked out of the hotel, on to a very dark road and headed to the nearest warungs. Although you can rent a bicycle from the hotel, the dark road and multiple potholes would be dangerous for the rider. Dinner was a simple satisfying meal of bakso before the whole road was plunged into darkness. Every shop had no electricity. Only the street lamps were running. Something blew somewhere, I guess.
 |
| Simple bakso dinner. Couldn't get a good shot with the bad lighting. |
The video on Borobudur temple was probably made in the late 1980s or something, based on the style. It's pretty informative for those who have not engaged a guide for the sunrise/sunset tour. Just ignore the cliche presentation style.
Halfway through the video, we had a snack attack and ordered from room service. Room service in Hotel Manohara is affordable and pretty decent. When we let the room service guy come in, the hotel cat decided that it wanted to check out the new inhabitants, It strolled right on in after the room service guy. We quickly shoo-ed it out.
With a full tummy, we ended the night.
Manohora Borobudur
Address: Jl. Badrawati Borobudur, Komplek Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Jawa Tengah 56553, Indonesia
Tel: +62 293 788131
Email: reservation@manoharaborobudur.com
Price: $$-$$$
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