Ramadhan at top hotels

YOGYAKARTA: Since the start of Ramadhan, top hotels in this ancient city have began offering attractive packages that suit the spirit of Islam's holy month.

The programs range from dinner packages to entertainment and talk shows.

The 5-star Yogyakarta Hyatt Regency Hotel on Jl. Palagan Tentara Pelajar, for example, offers dinner packages at its Paseban Lounge and Bogey's Teras restaurant, which includes assorted traditional and modern snacks, cakes and drinks. The package costs just Rp 30,000 (US$3.50) per person.

In cooperation with Trijaya FM radio station, the hotel has also prepared a Ramadhan Live Talk Show every Sunday around dinner time, when Muslims who are fasting are allowed to eat.

The hotel also works with the city's Swaragama radio station and the Yogyakarta office of the Association of Indonesian Marketing (IMA) to hold talk shows every Tuesday at the same time.

"We will also have an Islamic Song Festival from Nov. 6 to Nov. 8 at Bogey's Teras," Yogyakarta Hyatt Regency's Public Relations Officer Jeni Handayani Ratnasari said.

The 4-star Yogyakarta Novotel Hotel on Jl. Sudirman is also offering Ramadhan specials with their special Ta'jil Menu at the Gula Jawa Bar every day from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and a dinner buffet package at the Kedaton Restaurant every Friday and Saturday.

The Ta'jil Menu offers a wide variety of food that local Muslims have come to enjoy during Ramadhan, including kolak pisang (banana in ginger and coconut sauce), es campur (iced mixed with fruit and syrup), lumpia (spring rolls), bubur cha cha (sweet potato and sago in coconut milk), dates and chicken wings. The package costs only Rp 15,000.

The buffet package offers Javanese cuisine, according to Yogyakarta Novotel's Assistant Public Relations Manager Dyah Retno Wikan. It will be available from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday.

"You can also have the dinner package with a choice of menus for Rp 45,000 net per person for a package of 30 persons or Rp 40,000 net per person for a package of over 30 persons," she said. -- JP