Experience the life of the royals at Rumah Sleman
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.