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.