Hotel 88 Embong Kenongo

The staff were friendly and caring, and there was free drinking water on every floor. The location seemed fairly strategic too, but I still can’t recommend this for a relaxed family holiday. We booked three nights in Surabaya and moved to another hotel after one horrible night. The room was clean and the AC worked, but there were no windows or daylight, which made it feel depressing. It was tiny, noisy, and only suitable for sleeping. We booked a “Superior King” expecting a king bed, but it was queen size and too small for a family. The internet photos were VERY misleading. Cigarette smoke often drifted into our non-smoking room at night, and we woke up coughing. We also heard music on every floor until late, then doors slamming and people running and talking in the hallway until midnight. Breakfast tasted good, but it was so crowded we waited an hour to eat. There wasn’t room to eat in the room as a family. When we finally got a table, our child sat in a baby chair whose table suddenly fell off, almost making our child fall. A small plate broke in the accident, and staff asked us to pay 50k IDR for it, which was ridiculous. I wanted to give one star, but the staff were genuinely kind, and the free water and location were positives. The room size, noise, smoke, and breakfast crowd made the stay unsuitable for a relaxed holiday.

We used this as our base for three nights, and the location was convenient and easy to reach. The bed was big and very comfortable, with two pillows per person, and our room was clean and spacious enough. We especially liked the glass shower partition, which we don’t often see in Indonesia. Reception was available 24/7, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. Their English wasn’t very fluent, but communication was no problem. Noise was the biggest problem. At 2 a.m. on the first night we called reception about loud neighbors. Staff said they’d check, but never followed up. The room also had a strong tobacco smell, and as non-smokers we woke up coughing every morning. It’s surprising that smoking is still allowed in rooms and corridors in 2025. Breakfast was all Indonesian food, which may work for local guests but could be hard for Western travelers. Vegetarians have very limited options. On the plus side, cold drinking water is free in the hallways and reception, so we could refill our own thermoses instead of using plastic bottles. The stay was good but not outstanding, with cleanliness and location as positives and the noise, breakfast, and cigarette smell as real downsides. We’d give it 8-10.

A decent place to stay between flights if you’re traveling through Juanda Airport. The room is small and has no facilities, but breakfast is very good, with a range of dishes, including items made fresh.

The main downside is that there aren’t many food places around. There’s delicious siomay Bandung just a couple of steps from the hotel, but not much else. Still, I loved staying here. The rooms were clean, the food was good, and the service was good too.