Bilik Bamboo - Hostel

I didn’t stay here. I was caught in the rain looking for my accommodation, stranded with my luggage, and saw a local man at this homestay. I asked if he knew how to get to my place. When he realized I wasn’t staying there, he said he wouldn’t help and turned his back on me.

I only stayed one night, and it wasn’t a good experience. The water was slow, as several reviews say. I was sad to find out that the lady shown in the pictures, who cleans the house, apparently isn’t used to changing the bed sheets.

The rooms themselves were nice, but we didn’t stay in the building shown in the pictures. They put us in another building around the corner with private rooms. The woman who checked us in and stayed around during our visit was very odd. She kept offering help, which was kind, but it felt intrusive. She peered through our door to check if we were there, wouldn’t leave us alone, and insisted my boyfriend get a massage from her or someone she knew. When I said no, she told me off. It made us really uncomfortable. Then she tried to get into our neighbor’s room to move his things because she’d put him in the wrong room. We told her she shouldn’t enter people’s rooms when they’re away. The next day we changed our padlock, and she immediately commented on it. I wouldn’t come back because of her, which is a shame.

Since our first visit in 2023, we’ve kept coming back to this humble place, at least once a year when we visit Jogja. It has become our first home base in the south of the city. We’d only stayed in hotels, relatives’ places, or 24-hour places for transit before discovering guest houses. We’ll add more photos when we visit again. The place is in Timuran, on the next street over from the well-known Prawirotaman area. There are plenty of food spots, restaurants, and cafes nearby. You can find Jogja classics like Nasi Gudeg, as well as local and international franchise food such as McDonalds, HokaBento, and Richeese Factory. They’re close enough to walk to, or you can order online. The rooms have gender-separated bunk beds, and it’s a comfortable place to rest. Chat with the admins for five minutes and you might hear stories about the local community or learn about hidden gem spots. I usually stay connected from evening until dawn on my laptop, using the well-connected wifi with decent bandwidth from the homey bench on the terrace. If you’re coming by car, online taxis are a better option than rental cars. You can get as far as the nearest street before the alley, but parking nearby isn’t recommended. If you rent bikes or motorcycles, lock them properly and put your helmets and other valuables in the lockers provided by the owner and management.