Kayu Arum Resort, Salatiga: Enjoy The Unique Architecture & Lush Garden

New hotel with an old European architectural design

When you enter the hotel, you will immediately think that this must be one of the oldest renovated hotels in town, built more than a century ago. The building’s architecture looks like that of the old European styles. You’ll immediately notice this from the wooden windows with many straight vertical little ‘vents’ to let sunlight enter the room, and the more than 10-meter (32 ft) tall pillars stretching from the ground to the roof. You will be surprised that this hotel was actually built in 2007, and it was intentionally built with this kind of architecture to bring back the old memories when many houses like this were built during the Dutch era in the 17th to 20th century.

Fascinating interior

The hotel’s interior, including that of the rooms, is not like what you can find in most other hotels; it is very artistic. Just like in the old days, the furniture here is Javanese (Dutch houses built in the older eras also had Javanese furniture), which is entirely made of wood and unpainted.

The interior has many antique lamps attached on the walls. These lamps surely consume some electricity, but in the olden days this type of lamp needed kerosene and a burner to light it. I also noticed that the floor is made with pieces of smaller tiles, compared to most tiles you see nowadays, styled with floral decorations. In Indonesia you can only see these kinds of tiles in older houses built more than 50 years ago.

All rooms are spacious and clean, with the rates ranging from 49 USD for a standard room on the first floor. However, if you want both the garden and mountain view, go for a Mindi room (it’s a deluxe room) on the 2nd floor for 65 USD.

Relax in the garden

Another highlight is the garden, where you’ll notice the trees here are big and shady. Go to the garden area in the morning to enjoy the sound of little chirping sparrows. Also, there are several wooden tables and chairs placed under the trees in the afternoon, and there is nothing better in the town than sitting at one of the tables while enjoying the cool breeze of the air. After sunset, there is no sound of chirping birds anymore. Instead you can hear soft ‘gamelan’ instrumental music (gamelan is a traditional music instrument where tuned metals are hit with a metal stick to produce sounds) played from a loudspeaker somewhere in the garden area.

You will also hear the croaking sound of the frogs from the pond (these sounds are heard faintly from your room too!) Since the weather in Salatiga has a relatively lower temperature, mosquitoes aren’t the issue here, as mosquitoes prefer to live in hotter and more humid areas. Hence spending time here is simply relaxing, and you know what? You can spend your time here by playing chess on the hotel’s dining table sized chessboard, and you can have your meals in the garden too!

Spicy Chicken and Black Angus Steak

Foods are normally served at the hotel’s restaurant named Ashoka Terrace, which is adjacent to the garden, and of course you can request to have your meal brought to the garden. All rates include breakfast for 2. On weekends or public holidays they serve a breakfast buffet that contains Asian and Western fusions. Don’t miss their red ‘ayam rica rica’, the Indonesian spicy chicken which is rich in natural flavoring (e.g. bay leaf, lemongrass). It’s the combination of being both sweet and spicy that will make you miss it after leaving the restaurant.

For Western cuisine, I would recommend their Black Angus steak. I’m not sure if the beef is local or imported, but it’s tender and chewy. Served with butter, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes, this is the highlight for the Western food served by the chefs. There is also a bar close to the restaurant (there is a billiard table at the bar), and surprisingly the bar also serves nice cocktails.

You can also ask for the drink to be delivered to the garden or the swimming pool area. If you bring kids with you, they will certainly love their non-alcoholic Shirley Temple (sprite, syrup, orange juice, and cherry)!

Nothing else to do in town? Go to campus

Salatiga is a small town, also known for being a student city. Unless you are an international exchange student, or a lecturer at Satya Wacana Christian University, there is nothing much to do in town. This hotel is located just a few blocks behind the university. In the mornings or afternoons if you feel like you want to do something other than just swimming in your hotel’s swimming pool, go to the campus area, which is open to the public and you can enter for free.

Take a brisk walk around and you will find this campus is huge (it stands on a few hectares of land), and full of big trees and lush greeneries. You will also see Indonesian university students going to classes or playing football in the field. Isn’t it a good, and free way to spend your day?