Ana Bicanic

A bit rustic as our first stop but better this way than starting in luxury and going down.

This was our first night in Indonesia. It was very basic but absolutely fine. Bring earplugs though-the night sounds of frogs, geckos, cats, and birds are very loud all night long!

A fantastic experience but so crowded with tourists. There were at least 40 other tourists with only 3 basic toilets to share. You sleep on mattresses on the floor with no mosquito nets side by side with 25 other people. The meals are very basic-one egg and rice and some watery greens. I advise taking some snacks along. It was a great experience, but just be aware that it’s an experience, not a relaxing vacation!

Great hotel with gorgeous views! And they bring breakfast to your room!

The highlights of the Komodo trip for me were seeing the fruit bats fly out of the mangroves at night, seeing the Komodo dragons and other wildlife on the island, and snorkeling. Our boat, the Mutiara Flores, was average. There were comfortable accommodations and a place to sit at a table out of the sun. The cook made so much food that we felt guilty we had so much left over. Overall a good experience, despite me getting sick with diarrhea on the trip.

The Artini 2 was well located and comfortable. The breakfast was not great but it was a very interesting hotel. The rooms, however, are SO dark. Where there should we windows, there are intricate wooden carvings!

Fantastic little oasis in crowded Yogyakarta! Loved the pool, the room, the hotel staff!

The views from the Lava Lodge are great, but the rooms are dank and the bathroom was very stinky with a sewage smell permeating the room. The cleanliness of the restaurant is atrocious as well with stains all over the tablecloth and the dinner gave my daughter food poisoning so that she was vomiting all night and had to miss the Bromo hike the next morning. The staff was friendly and the beds were comfortable though and we survived the night. If you go, just be prepared with a good jacket (the nights are very cold) and keep the bathroom door closed!

This was a blast! It was fun to see the countryside and my daughter and I stood up in the back of the car for a long time holding on to the roll bar. Very fun and perhaps not so safe to stand up but the driver was careful.

This was one of my favorite activities of the trip. We rode through rice paddies and villages and our guides were so knowledgeable and informative. I learned so much about Bali culture on this trip!

So amazing! We made 6 different dishes and ate them all! I can’t wait to try out my new cookbook when I get home! Truly a stellar experience.

They say the hike takes about 4 hours but anyone with any athleticism at all can get there in 1 1/2-2 hrs even with stopping for photos. It’s a beautiful hike and quite muddy so wear some sturdy shoes. I also recommend not starting out too early. We got there by 11am and really had nothing to do all day except wander around and talk to the other tourists. Some of the young people played soccer with the local kids, which looked fun. So start your journey later in the day-and bring snacks because every meal is the same-one egg, rice, shrimp crackers, and a watery vegetable. It’s fine for a day, but we were rather hungry for nearly 24 hours and wished we had some snacks.

Great location, loved the decor, comfortable.

The staff at Plataran were nothing short of exceptional! I cannot overstate how superlative the customer service was. Every person, every day, went out of their way to make sure we had an unforgettable experience. I wish we could have stayed longer.

Basic and gets the job done. Closer to the airport would be better.

Very basic but can't beat the location!

Get up early and go go go to sunrise! You'll see the light change on Mt Bromo, exposing the layered look of the ridges, etc. Gorgeous!

Do not miss Prambanan! Rent bikes or walk to all the other smaller temples as well. Worth it! Reminiscent of Angkor WAt.

Must experience. But be sure to visit Prambanan.