Having been a nationwide pioneer of herbal foodstuff, the Sidomuncul group entered the hospitality segment with the opening of Hotel Tentrem Yogyakarta in 2012. Named for the Javanese word for peacefulness and tranquillity, the 274-room five-star hotel opened with much fanfare in the city. It has since been widely considered the best in Yogyakarta. beating the likes of well-established rivals like the Hyatt Regency, Sheraton Mustika, and Melia Purosani. Sidomuncul’s massive success with this property later spurred the opening of another Hotel Tentrem in Semarang and a planned opening in Jakarta.

Booking Hotel Tentrem

Due to a sudden need to go to Yogyakarta to attend an event, I was stuck when deciding on a hotel to stay in the city. I was surprised to see that most rooms have been fully booked at other hotels like Melia Purosani and the Hyatt Regency. Seeing that, I decided to check out Hotel Tentrem, a hotel I’ve heard so much about but never bothered to try. I ultimately booked this stay with Agoda, as they were offering rooms with breakfast for 10% less than the official website. For this two-night stay, I paid a nightly rate of IDR 1,500,000 (~USD95, GBP75), which I think is a steal.

Location

Starting with one of the lower points of the hotel, Hotel Tentrem is located on P. Mangkubumi Road in the village of Cokrodiningratan. Notably, there is little to nothing to see within an immediate walking distance of the hotel. The popular Malioboro Area and Yogyakarta Station are 30 minutes away by foot, whereas the royal palace, Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat is an hour away by foot. Thankfully, reliable Blue Bird taxis are cheap and plentiful around the hotel, making this not so much a problem.

Arrival and Check-in

In the morning, I flew into Yogyakarta International Airport with an interesting experience on Batik Air Business Class. Having learnt from the poor airport transfer experience with the Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, I decided to take a taxi from the airport instead. In the end, I paid about IDR300,000 (~USD19, GBP15) for the one-hour ride to the city.

We pulled up at Hotel Tentrem’s imposing porte-cochère at about 8.30 am, which is way earlier than the check-in time. After a brief security check at the entrance, we were greeted by the doorperson who graciously took care of our bags. Having given us our baggage tags, he walked us past the sprawling marble lobby to the reception area for check-in.

There, we were greeted by a warm receptionist who happily processed our check-in. After completing the check-in formality, he apologetically told us that no rooms were available yet (expectedly). Despite that, he promised to assign us a room as soon as one is ready. In the meantime, he invited us to enjoy some welcome refreshments at the Eboni Lounge. The refreshment consisted either of a choice of traditional herbal drinks or ice cream. We settled for an interesting glass of Temulawak made from Javanese ginger.

Having waited about 40 minutes, we asked about using the changing rooms at the spa to change and get ready for the event we were attending. Unexpectedly, the reception agent asked us to wait for a few more minutes before coming back with a pair of keys. Although an entry-level Deluxe Room was still not available, he upgraded us to an Executive Room as a gesture of goodwill. That was very kind of him.

Our Executive Room

Although the Executive Rooms share the same real estate and layout as the Deluxe Rooms, they have the added benefit of being on the top floors of the hotel. Both room types are sized at a generous 40 sqm (430 sqft), which is among the biggest entry-level room sizes in the city. In our case, we were assigned an Executive Twin Room on Level 7, the second-highest floor of the hotel.

Bedroom

At 40 sqm, it was no surprise that the marble-clad room felt very airy and spacious. Despite its overall contemporary, I appreciated that there are culturally-inspired touches all over the room, including the batik-motif carpeting and a locally-carved artwork adorning the wall.

As expected, the bedroom is equipped with two large queen-size beds, each with an ottoman on its end. Across the beds is the television and a large cabinet, that houses the complimentary minibar (more on this in a bit). There is also a collapsable luggage rack provisioned next to the cabinet.

Finally, by the window side, there is also a large desk with a padded chair, alongside a small daybed/sofa viewing the hotel’s pool and courtyard. Despite being over 11 years old by the point of our stay, I was happy to see that the room was very plush and well-kept. In fact, I was quite surprised to see how well the room has aged, still looking modern and comfortable.

Room refreshments

All rooms at Hotel Tentrem Yogyakarta come with a complimentary minibar provisioned as standard. Being owned by a food and beverage conglomerate, it is no surprise that it is fully stocked with herbal products made by the company. Although I can’t say these drinks are my cup of tea, I appreciate it nevertheless. In any case, I think this is an excellent move by the owners to introduce their products to a bigger audience. In addition to the minibar, we also got a box of traditional sweets, replenished daily.

Bathroom

Located by the entryway is the bathroom, across from the room’s closet and the built-in luggage rack. The marble-clad bathroom features a walk-in shower with both rain and handheld showers. The shower stall is complemented by another glass cubicle next to it, housing the toilet. There is also a sizeable sink and vanity on one end, with a decorative console table across it.

Despite its size, it is unfortunate that the hotel has elected not to install a bathtub in the bathroom. As such, I think this is the main drawback to the otherwise excellent rooms at Hotel Tentrem. Although the water pressure and temperature from the showers were mediocre, I appreciate the high-quality bath amenities offered, at the very least. For reference, Hotel Tentrem uses Upmostsense-branded amenities that come in refillable bottles fixed to the wall.

Facilities

Gaharu Fitness Centre

Located on the lower ground floor is the fitness centre, which is part of the Gaharu Spa facility. Interestingly, adorning the wall of the entrance to the fitness centre is a collection of portraits showcasing the notable guests the hotel has welcomed. This included the likes of Barack Obama, David Foster, and Mariah Carey.

Frankly, I was impressed by the fitness centre, which features a large array of modern and well-kept equipment from LifeFitness. Although there wasn’t any specialised equipment (like a rowing machine) in the air-conditioned fitness centre I appreciate that there is more than one of each equipment. Really, this fitness centre puts the Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta‘s small and dingy fitness centre to shame.

Pool

The pool is on the same level as the Gaharu Spa and Fitness Centre and is the centrepiece of the hotel’s courtyard. Being clad in emerald-green tiles, I thought that the tree-lined infinity pool looked beautiful and peaceful. Surrounding it on both sides are two rows of sun loungers lined up facing the pool, each pair shaded by interesting-looking upside-down umbrellas.

Noticeably, the pool is divided into two sections – one reserved for laps and the other for casual swimming and relaxation. Although the pool looked elegant and tranquil, I didn’t like how it was surrounded by the hotel’s imposing and looming facade on three sides. This sort of left the pool feeling a bit enclosed and confined.

In addition, there are also a few sports games on the pool deck, which include table football and a billiard table.

Sidomuncul Gallery and Shop

Located on the other side of the lobby from the reception is the Sidomuncul Gallery and Shop. In addition to selling the traditional herbal products Sidomuncul is known for, the shop also sells a variety of local handicrafts and batik textiles. Curiously, however, I found that the Sidomuncul herbal products sold here are pricier than you’d find at highstreet shops.

Dining

Breakfast

Breakfast is served each morning between 06.00 to 10.00 at the Kayumanis restaurant on the lower ground floor. This restaurant is one of the hotel’s two proper dining outlets, the other being a Chinese restaurant called Summer Palace. The spread consists of an incredible array of food divided between live cooking stations and self-service buffets. Best of all, the food was actually tasty and good-quality.

Honestly, the breakfast spread has got to be the hotel’s most impressive feature, offering nearly anything you could hope for from an upmarket breakfast restaurant. In particular, the spread included Indonesian, Asian, and Western choices, as well as all sorts of things like ice cream, steamed cakes, Caesar Salad, and more. Herbal drinks were obviously not absent, either. The star of the show, however, was the choice of Yogyakarta street food. If you’re too busy to explore the city’s food scene, as I did, make this your opportunity to get acquainted with the local cuisine. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Western and Asian choices

Indonesian choices

Yogyakarta street food

Baked goods and confections

Drinks

Service

I found the staff at Hotel Tentrem Yogyakarta to be warm, friendly, and courteous. From the doorperson to the restaurant staff, each and every staff member wasn’t short of smiles. They also weren’t shy to greet guests. More than that, they seemed to be proud to work for the hotel, given how happy they were to talk about the hotel and recommendations in the city. I suppose it’s fair to say that they fulfilled my expectations of service from a city five-star property.

Overall

After finally checking it out for myself, I finally understood the hotel’s reputation and hype. All in all, I found Hotel Tentrem to be an exceptional hotel for Yogyakarta. Despite its mediocre location, I thought that the hotel’s rooms and facilities were very good. When combined with the grand breakfast offering and the friendly and courteous service, Hotel Tentrem really shows itself as the city’s best. As such I’d wholeheartedly recommend Hotel Tentrem to anyone visiting Yogyakarta.

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