Short review
Value for money: 5/5
Services: 5/5
Bedroom: 5/5
Sleep quality: 5/5
Bathroom: 5/5
Facilities and amenities: 4/5
Pros
- Spacious room
- Beautiful colonial design
- Personalised service from the hotel staff
- Delicious dishes in the hotel restaurants
- Excellent massage services
Cons
- Mosquitoes
- Gym equipment needs modernisation
Long Review
Hotel Majapahit is a heritage luxury hotel in Surabaya, Indonesia. Originally named Hotel Oranje, the hotel opened in 1911. In 2014, Hotel Majapahit was officially recognised as a cultural heritage landmark by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. This hotel is very significant in the history of Indonesia because this was the place where the flag incident occurred. Most Indonesians will know that this incident is when Indonesian youths tore the blue strip of the Dutch flag to change it to the red and white Indonesian flag. My wife and I stayed in Hotel Majapahit last year and we had a great experience. Therefore, we looked forward to returning to this hotel again.
This time we stayed for 2 weeks and we also brought Josie, our 8 months old daughter. A couple of days before our stay, I sent an email to the hotel requesting for a baby chair, a baby bed, a microwave and an iron to be provided in the room if possible. My email was responded quickly, and they were happy to accommodate my unusual requests.
Check-in was smooth because they were ready for our arrival. Welcome drinks were offered as usual due to my status with Le Club AccorHotels. Happily, we were allocated in the same room where we stayed last year. This room was the Majapahit Legendary Suite, a spacious 97 sqm one-bedroom unit. I must say that I loved the furniture and the interior of the suite. This suite had 2 sections. In the first section, there were an office corner, a lounge, and a dining area.
The bedroom and bathroom were in the second section. The bedroom was again very spacious. The bathroom had a massive bathtub, while the toilet and the shower were located in separate enclosed spaces. The overall design was lovely.
There was a kind of an outdoor space, even though it had no views since the hotel compound was surrounded by high walls. However, this space was very useful for us because there was a kitchenette, a fridge, and a microwave here.
As requested, a baby chair and a baby cot were provided. I appreciated the fact that both were antique furniture. They looked adorable. A bedtime story about an Indonesian legend was provided and it was replaced with a new legend periodically. It was such a sweet touch.
Furthermore, last year during our stay, I made a comment that the room could be improved having some international power outlets. The hotel actually responded to my comment by providing some international adapters in the room. Very happy with the attention given by the staff.
There were many beautiful spots for photo-taking in the hotel. Let’s start with the lobby. Once entering the hotel, I was immediately brought back to the past. The lobby was indeed a picturesque sight. A massive chandelier was a grand centre piece here. In one corner, there was a 1930s Ford car. Paintings of the old city of Surabaya were prominently displayed around the lobby. The biggest painting was deservedly dedicated to the flag incident.
Let’s continue our journey to the lounge area in front of the ballroom. I simply loved this space. It was a great place to sit and relax or to do some work, while listening to the gramophone playing swing music. There was also a grand piano in one corner.
This hotel is also famous for its beautiful gardens. In fact, its garden is frequently used for wedding photos. It is understandable when you see the photos below.
When it comes to breakfast, we always looked forward to it. Both the indoor and outdoor spaces were beautifully designed. The variety of the food was perhaps not as varied as some contemporary five-star hotels, but it was good enough. There were also some egg dishes that we could order from the menu. The staff again was the best here. Very friendly and accommodating to our little Josie.
There were two restaurants in the hotel. The first one, Indigo, served Western and Indonesia dishes. The room service dishes also came from this restaurant. However, in my opinion, it is better to simply eat in the restaurant rather than ordering from the room service because the portion was more generous, and the price was cheaper. The second restaurant was Sarkies, a Chinese fine dining restaurant. Both restaurants served delicious dishes with reasonable prices. My family and I enjoyed many delightful meals here. The fried oxtail and soup in Indigo was excellent, while the yang chow fried rice in Sarkies was extremely yummy. More people should definitely enjoy lunch and dinner in these hidden gems in the centre of Surabaya.
There was also a cake shop called Toko Deli. I solemnly declare that it made the best ‘roti sisir’ on the planet. In fact, I brought two of them back to Sydney. There was also a bar called the Maj. I did not try it though since going to a bar is not really my thing.
Other facilities in the hotel included a swimming pool, a gym, and the Majapahit Spa by Martha Tilaar. The swimming pool was clean and big enough for doing several laps. The gym was decent, although it was rather small, and I would like to see more modern equipment there. A jacuzzi was also available in the bathroom next to the gym. The massage offered in the Majapahit Spa was remarkable. My wife and I enjoyed many sessions of relaxing and restorative massage here.
The only ‘annoyance’ that we had during our stay was mosquitoes. The hotel did mosquito fogging once a week and provided insect spray in the room. However, these measures could not eliminate the mosquito problem fully. I perfectly understand this though due to the massive gardens that the hotel had.
All in all, my family and I immensely enjoyed our stay here. The staff were excellent as always. It was great to see some familiar faces again, particularly Pak Sunarto and Mbak Eva. The colonial design of the hotel was beautiful and unique. The room was spacious and equipped with decent amenities. We also liked the restaurants, and we especially loved the massage experience. This is indeed my favourite hotel in Surabaya, and, in my view, is the best hotel in this beloved city. We’ll be back!
