Samar Wulu Guest House Syariah Mitra RedDoorz Near Ketapang

The private room is simple, but it has its own bathroom and costs about what you’d pay at a hostel. There’s AC, WiFi, TV, a keyed closet and locker, a table and chair for working or getting ready, two decent mirrors, plus a window and natural light. Booking an Ijen tour was easy, and although the receptionist didn’t speak English, they were kind and managed to sort out what I needed. The bathroom was the main problem: no flush or sink, only cold shower water in the cheapest room, and the cleaning wasn’t great. The dark bedding was concerning too. After I left, I saw the room had been tidied, but they’d just made the bed with the same sheet. Disgusting.

A clean room with working AC made this a good place to stop near the Ketapang port. There’s self-serve coffee and tea in the shared room. Ms Ermi, the owner, was very kind and suggested places to visit based on her work experience before retirement. There are tourism books in the room too, which were handy for looking things up.

We arrived without booking ahead after a long day of travel and just needed a bed, so we accepted the price. The owner tried to charge much more than the rate we’d seen online. The room itself was okay, but the bathroom didn’t look properly cleaned after the previous guests. Noise came through both the door and window, mostly from traffic outside.

Comfortable place, nice view, and good value. I’d like every room to have a hot shower, and they should add a phone number.