Garden Palace Hotel / Garden Hotel Address: Jl Yos Sudarso 11, Surabaya, Indonesia - Hotel Location : Central of Surabaya - Stars: 4
Introduction
Surabaya, as the capital city of East Java, is one of the popular tourist destinations in Indonesia, of course, after Bali and Jakarta. The city is becoming the second largest city in Indonesia where Garden Hotel is conveniently located in the central of the city. Garden hotel was established in the year 1983 and expanding their rooms since then. In the city central, you can conveniently find other hotels nearby such as Surabaya Hotel, Tunjungan Hotel, Hyatt Hotel, Sheraton, and some of small hotels. You will have plenty of choices to stay.
Location
The hotel is very near with a shopping center called Surabaya Plaza about 5 minutes drive. Across of this Plaza in the same complex, you can find World Trade Center building that is now mostly used for cellular shops. You can find any kind of cellular phones whether it is new or secondhand one. If you want to find a bigger place for hang out, you can go to Tunjungan Plaza, which is the largest shopping center in Surabaya. It is about 15 minutes drive from the hotel. You can find many café, more than enough places to shop, restaurants, etc. The hotel is about 13 kilometers from Juanda International Airport or it’s about 45 minutes driving.
Sightseeing
If you want to find places for taking pictures, you can stop by at Taman Budaya, Balai Kota or Cheng Ho Mosque (the Mosque that has Chinese architecture), Monumen Kapal Selam, which are still in driving range from the hotel.
If you want to go further, you can try to find the House of Sampoerna by asking the taxi driver or ask the hotel for direction. The guests in this hotel are always attended with warmth of the hotel staff that caters to the varied needs of the guests. The reception of the hotel is always there to help guests in any situation. Basically, all Javanese people are friendly and welcome people, but it is better for travelers to ask the receptionist for direction since not so many people in Indonesia who can speak English.
Currency
Indonesia is using Rupiah as their currency. It is recommended to prepare some Rupiah before you are coming to Indonesia, especially for the first time travelers. If you want to exchange your currency, you can do so in the airport or any bank during business hours.
Facilities
In Garden Palace Hotel, you can use the fitness center, play billiard if you are travelling with friends or family, or swimming pool is an ideal place to sit and relax. In the room, you can have facilities same as other hotels like in-room movies (it’s cable TV), Mini Bar, etc.
Restaurants in the hotel
Kencana Coffee Shop
The Kencana Coffee Shop is open 24 hours and offers a fine selection of Asia and International cuisine for breakfast,lunch and dinner buffet plus a la carte as well as Tio Chiu porridge for supper. It’s quite nice restaurant if you want to try.
Ming Court Restaurant
Ming Court restaurant serves the authentic Cantonese food and Dim Sum. Their recommended menu is Peking Duck. Nice..
Orchid Restaurant
Enjoy the best dim sum at the famous Orchid Restaurant prepared by Hongkong chef. I said famous because they have been famous with their Dim Sum since many years ago. Many locals are coming to this restaurant just for Dim Sum. They also have expanded their Dim Sum Restaurant to shopping centers like Tunjungan Plaza and Galaxy Mall (located in Eastern Part of Surabaya).
And other Restaurants are also available like Nishiki Restaurant and Karaoke or Bill Belle, but I never try the food. When you try it, please let me know whether it’s good or not :)
Conclusion
Garden Palace hotel is a nice hotel with reasonable rate. Especially it has a convenient location in city central. You can get easy access to any places in Surabaya. Comparing to other restaurants inside the hotel, the food’s prices are quite reasonable. I am sure you can enjoy staying in this hotel. If you decided to stay in this hotel, ask the hotel to give you a room in Garden Palace, not in old building. It is much better room.
