Homestay Kota Baru

The rooms are good, and there are a few different classes to choose from. There are also two open spaces that feel great for relaxing.

The rooftop is a nice spot to unwind, take in the view, or dry clothes. The building has four floors including the ground level. Rooms sleep two or four, and there’s self-service coffee and tea, though no restaurant. It’s a clean, cosy homestay near the beach, with friendly staff and reasonable prices.

The homestay is handy for the Karimun Jawa boats, about 500 metres away, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. There aren’t many places to eat nearby, and breakfast isn’t provided. My superior twin room had two double beds, so there was hardly any space left for luggage. The mattresses were comfortable, but the pillows were bulky and very hard. I used a blanket instead, and the bolsters were a plus. The translucent glass door felt a bit unsettling, and light from the landing came through at night. Luckily, the switches were outside, so I could turn those lights off and get the room dark enough. There was only one power socket. At 325K per night, I thought it was highly overpriced. 250K would be a reasonable rate.

There isn’t much open around here at night, so you’ll need to walk or pay more than 15,000-20,000 rupiah to get into town for food. The beach tourist area gets noisy during the day, especially on weekends, and people chatting and coming and going also kept things loud inside at night. The smallish rooms don’t block much sound. We stayed one night before taking the ferry to Karimunjawa. The ferry location was convenient, the room was clean, Wi-Fi was good, and the staff were friendly.