Tom Day 3 was actually the last day that Arif drove us around Yogyakarta. If you have been following our last couple of posts, you’d know that Arif is our driver from Yogyakarta Drivers who is great at photography and jump shots. Hence, on day 4, we decided to venture out on our own about Yogyakarta. As we stayed at Greenhost Boutique Hotel, in the central region of Yogyakarta, we were able to walk to Tamansari Water Castle (aka Sultan Palace) and from there, visit shopping malls via Grab. Unlike the Grab/Taxi Driver situation in Batam, taking Grab in Yogyakarta was a breeze.
Yogyakarta Attractions – Sultan Palace aka Tamansari Water Castle
This day, we decided to sleep in a little and enjoy the relaxing (and healthy!) breakfast at Greenhost Boutique Hotel’s in-house restaurant – Art Kitchen. Eventually, we only left our hotel at 9:30am in the morning. We took a map of the vicinity from the reception and off we went!
Along the way, there were many local drivers who wanted to take us but they were rather friendly. A smile with “tidak” (“no” in Bahasa Indonesia) was sufficient to indicate that we wanted to “jalan jalan” (walk walk) today. Most of the way was paved. Meaning there was pavement all the way. The only part which was a little risky was here…
This was because both cars/trishaws and pedestrians cross through the road of this gate. Moreover, you’ll not be able to see on-coming traffic due to the length of the gate. Hence, if you’re crossing here, be alert! Otherwise, the rest of the way was rather simple. We just followed signs that says “Taman Sari”.
Upon reaching Taman Sari, we were glad that we walked as there was a massive taxi/trishaw/bus jam right outside the ticketing area. Tickets cost 15,000 IDR per person and in order to take photos inside, you’ll have to pay for a “Photo Permit” that costs 3000 IDR. The total cost is 18,000 IDR or less than $2 SGD.
The Sultan Palace was actually built by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, the first king of Yogyakarta during the Mataram Sultanate. It was built as a resting place for the king and consists of many reflection pools that provided tranquility to the king after many years of war. This is how Sultan Palace (Taman Sari) derived its other nickname “Water Castle”…
The other beautiful part about Taman Sari is its architecture. Do take time to note its European influences and intricate carvings all around…
The price of the ticket also includes a short walk around a precinct of local shops…
Another attraction within Taman Sari is the underground mosque. To reach there, you’ll have to pass through this unique underground tunnel…
Because we left rather late that day (at 9:30am), there was already throngs of tourists and tour buses at Sultan Palace. Hence, most of our photos had tourists EVERYWHERE. Yay!
Taman Sari (Sultan Palace/Water Castle)
Price: 15,000 IDR (Entry) + 3000 IDR (Photo Permit)
Opening Hours: 9am to 3pm
To depart from Taman Sari, we found that Grab was not allowed to pick passengers there due to the one-way lanes. Hence, we took the trishaw to Pasar Beringharjo (the nearest other point that we could pronounce on Google Map). Though the distance was short, we paid 40K. However, we did notice that trishaw uncle putting in alot of effort to push the trishaw especially when it was going uphill.
Pasar Beringharjo Market is one of the oldest market in Yogyakarta, having operated since the 1700s! :O We walked along the streets outside Beringharjo Market and finally wandered into Ramayana Mall (mainly for the air-con) to have a short tea break…
Thereafter, we took another short walk over to Ibis Yogyakarta Malioboro where Grab was able to pick us up to bring us to Jogja City Mall (30K IDR). During this Grab ride, we learnt quite a few things from our Grab driver. He spoke relatively good English, which he said he learnt through conversing with overseas tourists! According to this uncle, the best hotel is Jogja is Grand Inna Malioboro and the most beautiful waterfall is the Sri Gethuk Waterfall. Gudeg is probably the best local food in Yogyakarta and that Punthik Setumbu Hill was the place to see Borobudur during sunrise!
What an informative Grab ride!
Soon, we arrived at Jogja City Mall…
We were rather surprised at how grand the entrance of Jogja City Mall was. Inside the mall, it was modern and spacious. A great place to visit if you have excess time on your hands. After we arrived in Jogja City Mall, we settled lunch at Bale Raos Fusion Restaurant…
We were quite happy that we stumbled upon this restaurant. It had great local Yogyakarta flavours yet had a spin to it. For instance, the Chicken Sofly was to be a souffle crossed with local fillings. Yummy! Even the beef tongue (yikes!) tasted great! After a satisfying lunch, we did the following at Jogja City Mall
Random Shopping for Kate – 98,000 IDR
Random Shopping by Kate for Tom – 110,000 IDR
2 Rotiboy for snack – 22,000 IDR
Green Tea Macchiato for Tom – 17,000 IDR (while waiting for Kate’s Pedicure)
Kate’s Pedicure – 160,000 IDR
Massage at De Wave (90 minutes) – 270,000 IDR
After all that, it was already dinner time! We had Burger King (80,000 IDR) while enjoying an outdoor Cuban music performance…
After dinner, we did some snacks shopping (200,000 IDR) and bought some J.Co Donuts before taking an expensive Grab ride back @ 80,000 IDR.
Note on Grab in Yogyakarta: As observed in the previous post, we noticed that Grab was rather aggressive in its march in Yogyakarta. For instance, within Jogja City Mall, we saw a Grab driver’s recruitment stand. There was a Grab stand with iPad that you could request for your Grab ride. Moreover, on the roads, we saw so many motorcyclists who wore Grab helmets and Grab jackets.
Note on De Wave Massage Jogja City Mall Review: We think that although the price was cheap for 90 minutes of massage, it pales in comparison to Tea Spa at Greenhost Boutique Hotel. For instance, there were only curtains that separated guests from each other. Hence, we were able to hear conversations from a lady when she told her masseuse where she wanted more pressure. Too much details there. Also, the masseuse were good with “acupuncture-type” massage – focusing on pressure point. The good point was the masseuse was able to squeeze in a little “Thai Massage” that loosened some joints. 🙂
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We hope you have enjoyed our review of Jogja City Mall and Sultan Palace (aka Taman Sari Water Castle). Stay tuned as we check out the poshest hotel in all of Yogyakarta – Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta!
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Click here for the recommended tours and trips in Yogyakarta!
