Candisari Apartments

Book Aruss Hotel just for 1 night, only for transit so my hubby can rest and have a shorter drive back home (to Jakarta). Surprisingly, we really love our stay, the staffs are amazingly nice & helpful. The check in process was fast & smooth, they offered us welcome drinks on the rooftop on 11th floor, it was really nice. For 4 star hotel the room is nice and clean, have nothing to complain about. They also offered large varieties of breakfast, includes with the kids corner area which serves kids friendly meals. Really enjoy our stay in Aruss Hotel & will definitely come back again.

We had requested a non-smoking area but instead we were given a smoking floor area above a full music lounge and we brought a toddler. Luckily I immediately complained and changed rooms. Even though the new room hadn't been sprayed with perfume yet, we asked for more fragrance. The rest is ok and there is a fairly large paid children's playground, only 30 thousand

Wimarion Hotel is always my choice every time I visit Semarang. It’s strategic located just 1 kilometre away from Simpang Lima and a few steps from St. Elisabeth hospital. This makes the hotel a perfect place in the middle between the downtown and the upper part of Semarang. The breakfast is good, the bed size is awesome (the biggest bed that’s big enough for 4 people to sleep in). The rooftop has a comfortable size swimming pool. The staffs are friendly and always ready to help. Ms. Firda was very helpful and and I was so grateful to have her helped me and my mom. Make sure you ask for the city view room so you can enjoy the lights of Semarang city on your balcony. I have stayed here many times and will be definitely back again.

Grand Candi is an unpretentious hotel catering mainly to Indonesian population. The hotel looks tired, with faded decor and a strong smell of air freshener to disguise the old and scruffy furniture. The room I stayed in was clean and the bed comfortable. The drain in the bathroom overflowed every morning, spreading dirty water across the floor but this was a plumbing issue rather than one of routine maintenance. The food caters to Asian tastes and Westerners would be disappointed if they expected to see familiar options at breakfast. The poolside was horrendous - 3 heavy wooden sun loungers without cushions, one parasol rusted into a concrete stand, an abundance of ants and a 'poolside bar' which amounted to a hole in the wall with no service. Furniture outside was very uncomfortable. Inside was the gym which was basic, to say the least, but both pool and gym tend to be poorly attended so maybe not enough to be worth the cost of refurb. There was an excellent sauna and a spa that offered very good and accommodating massage, although the environment was not very conducive. But shining through all of this like a beacon was the hotel staff. Indonesian people are, by nature, friendly and eager to please and I cannot fault their attempts to make my (2-week) stay as comfortable as possible. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble; perhaps it was the novelty of having a Brit in the house, who knows? Fiy An, Augustin and Billy on the concierge desk shuttled me daily to my workplace in the car and back. In the bar, Anastasia and her trainee sidekick (Diane) together with YahYaha and Wayou were particularly delightful, as was Nanik. It was unfortunate that the bar area was almost permanently clouded in cigarette smoke. The Reception staff were fiercely professional and accurate, as well as eager to please. All in all my 2-week stay was made more than tolerable by the wonderful and friendly hotel staff. My room was clean and comfortable and the facilities were perfectly useable, if a little tired. My recommendation would be to have a smoking area in the hotel that did not mean having to wade through acrid smoke to enjoy a drink. It would also save the health of the bar staff who cannot escape.

For the overall slightness, the facilities are already very the best, but it is a pity, when the order does not match the room I have booked. I should have booked a Grand deluxe room with a pool view, when I got there, I got a deluxe room after I entered his room. The hotel didn't want to know, because it wasn't a mistake from him but from the third party.

good j