Arabica Homestay, Ijen, Surabaya

 

It was a pleasant surprise when we arrived at Arabica Homestay. The place looks so homey. It was quite quiet and peaceful and the weather was cooling. The check in was smooth and they do have free wifi here but the signal is very weak.

 



 

 

This is the living room upon entering the homestay. It is very spacious and at a glance looks just like a home (I know, that's why it's called Arabica Homestay right?). The rooms are located at either side of the hall and we were allocated the first room to the right as you enter.

The room is basic and simple. If you just need a reasonable clean place to rest, this should be fine. The room is also quite big and spacious.

You will see some yellow stains here and there but it was fine for us. We just need a place to sleep for the night here before we leave early the next day for Ijen at 5am. The bathroom was also very spacious and basic. The heater was not working well though and it was cold, so we have to take a quick cold bath for the night.



 

 

  

Once you come out from the living room, it is the dining area. On the night that we were there, they were not cooking any ala carte dishes, only a "so called" buffet dinner which consist of some fixed dishes and you can't top up for more. It is more like set dinner but they called it "buffet". We had no other meal choices as there are no restaurants around the area so it's either we skipped dinner or we take their buffet. We had a quick dinner and quickly went to bed after that as the night was getting colder. 

There are some additional rooms towards the back of the building as you walk further in after the dining place.

Breakfast was packed for us as we left the next morning. It was a hard boiled egg and two pieces of bread with jam. Overall, we were quite satisfied with a night stay in this place but it could have been better if the heater is working and more choices of food is provided. The entire place is very quiet. If you are travelling alone, it can be very boring if you stay here. There is practically nothing to do and no whatever sort of entertainment is available. I guess most people just stayed here a night for their transit between Bromo and Ijen.

Bromo Permai Hotel, Bromo, Surabaya

Oh well, this not really a hostel but a budget hotel in Bromo, Surabaya. If you approach any tour agency for a trip to Mount Bromo, this will be one of the options given to you. There are not many choices there. From the photos that we found online, this place does not look desirable but because we will only be there for half a day, we do not really mind the basic facilities here.


We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. The location is very near to Mount Bromo. In fact you can see Mount Penanjakan and Bromo from the hotel. It's just opposite.


This is the entrance to Bromo Permai Hotel.

These are rows of the rooms.

This is our room. As you can see it is very basic. There is no fan or air con and it is not necessary as the area is very cooling. It has an attached bathroom too but no heater and it was really freezing cold to bathe at night. There are yellow stains on the pillow sheets and on the floor.

 

This is the restaurant. They serve very basic buffet breakfast and choices are limited as well.

This is the view from outside the hotel.

This is the Mt. Penanjakan that I mentioned above which can be seen from opposite the hotel.

Beary Best Hostel, Singapore

Beary Best Hostel.

Just two weeks ago, I was in Singapore and staying at a nearby hostel. Since Beary Best was newly opened and I have heard of the many good reviews on the Beary Good group of hostels, I decided to give it a try this trip. I arrived at midnight and when the taxi stopped outside the hostel, I was a little sceptical and regret over my decision as I saw the newspaper coverings on the front door. The condition doesn't really look so "pleasing" to the eyes but then I was reminded that they are still undergoing renovation.





I was greeted by name when I stepped in and that feels good! The staff was expecting me. He was very welcoming and friendly. If I am not mistaken, his name was Salimi (sorry, if I spelt it wrongly). Well, it was comforting to know that the interior was not what I pictured in my mind when I was standing outside. It looks clean and cozy.





They do sell drinking water at the reception and it costs S$0.60 per bottle. That's very reasonable.





That's the lounge area cum breakfast place. It is crowded in the morning because the breakfast table was so tiny.





The corner table is the breakfast area. It's so tiny and cramp.





The kitchen / pantry. A small table is provided at the corner to make drinks.






The laundry area.





My bed was at the downstairs room and this is the walkway to my room. It has an attached bathroom and there is an additional bathroom outside the room.





This is the 8 beds female room. There was no window and the room has a strong damp smell. Lockers are provided but you need to bring your own padlock. The attached bathroom is big but then again, it is always wet and not so comfortable to use.






There is no bed lamp, just two power points on each bed.





The bathroom upstairs are cleaner as they have separate toilets and bathrooms. There is also a ceiling fan in the bathrooms so it makes the place windy and dry all the time. The bathrooms are basic and very small.






There is also a small patio upstairs.





Every hostel has its plus points and minus points so likewise here. Although the reviews of Beary Good hostel was excellent but I find Beary Best not as fantastic as it seems to be. The staffs here are excellent. Their service is great and they are all very friendly and helpful. Location wise, we had to take Exit A from the Chinatown MRT as Exit D which is nearer is closed for renovation. Exit A to the hostel is about 3 minutes walk.

Facilities are basic. The condition is just ok, not as clean as I expected it to be. The upper rooms seemed to be cleaner as there are enough ventilation upstairs but not the downstairs rooms.

There was a bus load of tourists checking in on my last day. I was glad I have already checked out as the moment the group of them came in, the whole place seemed like a market. It was so crowded and they were walking around with their shoes on! Anyway, whether you have a comfortable stay or not depends also on your luck - the types of room mates and hostel mates that you will get/meet during your stay. Personally I find this place not so cozy for the price that it is charging but overall it should be a satisfactory place if it is not so crowded and if you are lucky to have considerate and clean room mates.

5 Foot Way Inn, Singapore

I chose 5 Foot Way Inn hostel after reading all the good reviews on them. This is one of the newest hostels in Singapore and the location is right at the Chinatown MRT Station Exit A.

The end to end train ride from Changi airport to Chinatown station took about 45 minutes. Prior to that, I had written to them to confirm my booking and let them know that I may be very late
which they replied promptly to tell me that they have taken note and their reception is open 24 hours.

From exit A of Chinatown MRT, the hostel is just a few steps away on your right.





For those who have not heard of 5 Foot Way Inn but have heard and been to the popular Beary group of hostels, 5 Foot Way Inn is opposite Beary Good Hostel. If you can find Beary Good, you can find 5 Foot Way Inn. They are at Pagoda Street. The blue signboard in the picture below is Beary Good Hostel.

I arrived at the hostel about 11pm. It was good to know that the main door to the hostel was locked. That is good security. I pressed the bell and was asked to identify myself before the door was opened for me. I was given an entry card upon check in as the main door is always locked.

The amount of shoes greeted me as I stepped into the reception. Hmm...business looks good.





My first impression as I stepped in. Reception is to the right. Clean, bright and looks cozy.





Checking in was brief and quick. The staff brought me around to show me the common areas and to my room. I booked a 6 bedded female room which is two doors away from the reception and faces the main street. The room is clean and the lower beds have curtains for privacy. It was clean and at a glance, it was comfy. However the room is also very cramp as you can see. As I was there just one week before the chinese new year, you can hear the chinese new year songs blasting away on the street. That was a little noisy but then the noise began to ease slowly after 12am.





Each bed has its own bed lights, power point and a small space to put your phone. The bed was a little hard and feels different from the rest of the hostels that I have stayed before. The blanket was a small one too....a single bed sized kind of blanket, so when I turned I need to pull the blanket properly to cover myself again. Not quite what I like but it's a small matter.





Each bed has its own locker assigned. The locker is very spacious, enough for a lot of my stuffs and they provided locker keys as well so I do not need to use my own padlock.





Now this is the part that puts me off and I don't think I want to stay here again. Room 1 which is right next to reception is separated from Room 2 (which is my room) with a frosted glass. On my first night there, the people staying in Room 1 was chatting away so loudly even after 1 am. They talked, they laughed and they even sang. No staff bothered to ask them to lower their volume even though the hostel has a policy of lowering noise after 11pm. In fact there were a couple of times when some loud talking and laughter at the reception area could be heard clearly from my room. I can feel that some of my room mates were equally disturbed by the noises but we were so tired and nobody bothers to knock on the door at Room 1 and asked them to shut up.

They have other rooms at the back and upstairs too so perhaps you can stay away from Room 1 & 2 and request that they put you somewhere further away from the reception area.

The second night was more peaceful as the people in Room 1 had checked out. Just when I thought that I would have a good rest till the morning, suddenly the door bell rang. It rang once, twice, thrice and a few more times. Suddenly the person started banging the hostel door. Someone must have arrived at odd hours and it was quite obvious that no one opened the door for that poor soul despite so many rings. Hmm...what happened to the staff? Not long after, I heard some conversations. Ok, someone, probably the staff had "rescued" the poor soul outside. Well, in case you are wondering why I didn't offer to open the door instead, it is simply because of security reasons. I can't verify whoever is outside and I don't think I want to simply let someone in without knowing whether this is an expected visit.





The morning and night view from my room.





This is the washroom for the ladies. There are only two toilets and two bathrooms so sometimes I have to wait if there is a queue.





The toilets and bathrooms are simple. They do have hair dryer if you need. Just ask from the reception.





The dining area. It's open 24 hours and the coffee machine is just great! They have free breakfast which is the usual stuffs - toast, coffee/tea/milo/milk. Oh yes, they provide free fruits too which is a bonus.






Here's the lounge at the attic. They have two Mac machines for our use too.





Well, the hostel staffs are indeed great, friendly and helpful and the hostel is also clean as mentioned by other travelers. Location is great too, only the noise if you stay at the rooms close to reception area. So if you are not so fussy like me over the noise, this is a good place to stay if you are on a budget.