HOTEL CANDI BARU

I stayed at the Candi Baru and can endorse how charming it is. It is simple but clean , historic and with the cheapest room ( with breakfast ) just US$ 6. The most expensive I was shown was a huge suite that sleeps four and thats just US$ 35 for the whole room. This includes a very simple breakfast of toast or fried rice with coffee. Its only a US$ 1 taxi ride from the town centre at Simpang Lima ( and about US$ 2.50 from the airport, bus terminal or main railway station ). There are always taxis outside the hotel if you need one. They don't do any lunches or dinners but in the grounds are two independent operations that were very useful if you want more than the hotel offers in the way of food etc (1) Black Canyon Coffee - a sort of Indonesian starbucks that has free wifi , good coffee and a wide range of meals and drinks and seems to be popular with young hip Indonesians (2) the friendly On On Pub that does a wide range of meals ( nothing more than about US$ 15 which gets you an imported US steak ) , cold beer and cocktails. They have sports TV and a free pool table and darts. This is a good place to meet Semarang expats , who are a lively and colourful bunch, as well as the Semarang Hash House Harriers if you want to hook up with them. There seems to be no fixed closing time here.

The hotel is located in Semarang's hillside area. Although it does not have all the luxurious services you'll find in most hotels nowadays, Hotel Candi Baru (was Bellevue Hotel) offers romanticism of the Dutch Collonial era. The art deco facade is still preserved as well as the furniture and the interiors. The room rates are very friendly for backpackers