Experience the life of the royals at Rumah Sleman
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
As you open the window, the sound of chirping birds and mooing cows can be heard in the distance. The green rice paddies and tiny homes in the far away kampong are visible on the horizon.
Fresh air and the warm morning-sunshine are a delightful atmosphere to partake in various traditional snacks and hot tea served in antique cups.
Welcome to the lifestyle of the Javanese royal family. Just outside your door a number of friendly waiters are ready to take your order. Just mention your favorite breakfast and they will immediately bring it to you. And what could be a nicer start to day than traditional Javanese dishes, like sayur lodeh (vegetable soup with coconut milk), brongkos (black soup with beans and cubed tofu), gudeg (young jackfruit cooked with brown sugar) or rawon (black soup with stewed beef)?
The pleasures of the royal Javanese family are many. Rumah Sleman, (literary meaning Sleman house) is a Javanese royal house which has been converted into a homestay for the better-off.
"It's been operating for a year," says Inggrid Meiske Manthovani, the homestay's general manager in her interview with The Jakarta Post, "our customers are mostly from Jakarta like cabinet ministers, high-ranking officials and ambassadors."
Rumah Sleman is ajoglo (traditional Javanese) style house, located in Warak Kidul village, Sleman regency, some 10 kilometers north of Yogyakarta.
The building, founded in 1998 on a six-hectare plot of land, is still in its original state. Although, the frame of the house was actually appropriated from an old house located in Kampung Sewu in Surakarta, Central Java.
Rumah Sleman has two wings, one Javanese-style, the other with a western interior.
In each wing, there are only two bedrooms and a living room. It is no wonder that the homestay can not accommodate many guests.
"We deliberately limit the number of guests so that they can have privacy and feel at home, like there aren't any other people. Therefore they are free (to do whatever they want). From the pendhapa (porch) at the front to the verandah at the back, for the duration of their stay, it all belongs to them," Inggrid said.
The guests are charged US$1,200 per night for the Javanese wing, while the rate for the other wing is $800. Both rates include the breakfast of the guest's choice, Andong (horse and cart) tour, airport pick-up service and a live kroncong (traditional Javanese) music show.
By horse and cart, guests are taken for a one-hour tour of the nearby villages, which still have a strong rural or traditional- Javanese atmosphere.
"Guests can visit the traditional market and watch how the emping melinjo (chips made from melinjo or Gnetum gnemon pounded flat and dried) is made, and bamboo handicrafts. Some of our guests want to experience shopping at the traditional market, buying food and cooking it themselves upon their arrival here," said Inggrid, who also manages Rumah Kertanegara in Jakarta.
All in all, Rumah Sleman is for the better-off, who want to experience the luxury of living just like the royal Javanese family. For those who can't afford the privilege, that means: sleeping well and eating well in a beautiful place, with servants available 24-hours to provide a cup of coffee, or whatever else take's your fancy.