Hotel Jogja Bukittinggi

The staff were friendly and let me see the available rooms before choosing. The location is excellent, only a few minutes' walk from Jam Gadang, and the walk-in rate I got was much cheaper than booking online. For a solo traveler wanting privacy, the price is competitive and a pretty good deal. The hotel is said to be the first in Bukittinggi, and it feels old inside and out. My room had its own bathroom and a hot shower, but the toilet was moldy and yellowish. The walls were peeling, and the bedsheets had old stains. Breakfast was included, but my fried rice was cold, left on a tray outside the room without anyone telling me. For one night, it was okay for the affordable price. The hotel really needs a serious renovation.

The room I was given was tiny and gloomy, with a double bed, one side table, no cupboard, no TV, no kettle, no air conditioning, and not even an old electric fan. There was just one socket to charge a phone. The shared toilet and bathroom were a few metres away at the end of a dark corridor. It felt really creepy. We only washed our faces and went to bed that night. The towels looked like floor rags, so I suggest not using them. The photos online showed a large, luxurious room with a kettle, TV, air conditioning, and an ensuite bathroom with a bathtub. The price seemed reasonable for that room, so I booked and paid in full for a double room for my wife and me. On the way from Minangkabau Airport in Padang, the taxi driver warned me about a traffic jam caused by an accident between Kota Padang and Bukit Tinggi. He thought we'd arrive late, so I called Jogja Hotel and told the front desk I'd still be checking in that day, just late because of traffic. The clerk said it was fine and they'd wait, since I'd paid for the reservation. But when we arrived around 9.30 pm, the receptionist said the booking had been cancelled because we missed the scheduled check-in time. I argued that I'd called ahead, and only then did they agree to refund me and offer another room at a much lower rate, saying all the luxury standard rooms were booked. After the flight from KLIA and the long 5 hrs journey from the airport to Bkt Tinggi, I was exhausted and had little choice but to accept. I stayed only one night. Early the next morning, after a quick breakfast, I went looking for a room at another nearby hotel. We checked out and spent another 4 day/3 nights at a very nice, cozy, clean hotel. This is my experience with Jogja Hotel, and I will never recommend it to anyone. It was the first and last time in my life I'll stay there. If I visit Padang again, I swear I won't stay at or book a room from this hotel. I'd rather sleep in a mosque than stay at Jogja Hotel!

Jogja Hotel was okay for me. It’s affordable for backpackers and about a 10-minute walk from Jam Gadang, in a busy area near the city center. The hotel is outdated, and there were two beds in one small room. They don’t serve breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but there are lots of places to eat nearby with Minang food like Nasi Kapau, Itiak Lado Mudo, or Ampiang Dadiah, a dessert made from buffalo milk. My stay was alright.

I mainly picked this hotel because it’s central. It was one of the first I spotted while biking into town. The room was okay for its size and price, and reception understood what kind of room I wanted. Most importantly, I could park my bicycle securely inside the hotel. As a bicycle tourist, that matters a lot to me. Cleanliness could be better, especially the floor, which needs more regular mopping.