Set in a beautiful old building, I had been eyeing up the exterior of this hotel with its grand mansion look for a while, and I was pleased that the interior did not disappoint. Set in what appears to have been a large house, with massive double doors and a spacious hallway, it is hard to believe that this is merely a budget hotel.
There are two types of rooms, standard rooms which are in a separate modern two-storey building at the back of the hotel, cleverly designed with rooms looking out to a pond area and space to relax outside, and more expensive rooms which are in the original part of the building.
We took a cheaper standard room, with twin beds (none of the standard rooms have a double bed), and were pleasantly surprised by the facilities: hot water, air conditioning, TV and breakfast, for only Rp. 150,000 or about $15. I took a sneaky peek at the more expensive rooms which were very large, with king size and single beds, and a seating area.
There were clean towels and blankets in our room and soap was provided. I was pleased with the overall cleanliness which was of a very high standard. The air conditioning kept the temperature perfectly cool, but not too cold, and there was very little noise from other guests. The rooms were far enough back from the main road to be free from traffic noise. We watched TV, which was set on a bracket above the door, in the perfect position to be watched in bed. The bathroom featured a sit-down toilet, a traditional Javanese style water trough but with hot water as well as cold. There was also a sink and mirror outside the bathroom.
Service at the hotel was polite, efficient and friendly. Breakfast was a choice of fried rice, noodles or bread, with tea or coffee.
Overall Hotel Trio is amazing value for money compared to other hotels and even hostels in Solo. Mainly catering to Indonesian guests, it’s time that foreigners considered Hotel Trio for great facilities and a good night’s sleep at the same price as a hostel.
Hotel Trio is located right in the centre of town, just north of Pasar Gedhe, at Jalan Jen. Urip Sumoharjo No. 25, Surakarta. Telephone 0271 632847 or 0271 656240.