17 Reviews
Grand Candi Hotel
Semarang|2.21km from Warung Mbah Ngat
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.
91 Reviews