We took a chance on this place without having much information. I am so glad we did. It is not on the main tourist drag but close enough for a cheap taxi or trishaw ride there. Honestly, it was a relief to be away from Malioboro where there were too many tourists and too much hustle and bustle. And unless you are keen on shopping, there's no reason to stay on the strip.

There are cheaper local eateries around the hotel and you will see more of the local life. In particular, there is a very good joint (too casual to be called a restaurant) near the Water Castle (on Jalan Kadipaten, I think, but it's on the corner of one of the side streets to the left of the Castle) with cheap but tasty local dishes. The proprietor is married to a Brit and speaks very good English.

And if you're up for it, there is a hair-dresser shack right across the street from the hotel that offers cheap but very relaxing head/shoulder massage called a creambath. It most certainly is not a fancy place but the woman is very friendly and the massage first rate -- an interesting experience for the adventurous.

Back to the hotel -- it is surprisingly grand and beautiful, sort of like a Roman palace or museum. Were it not for the oddly out of place cheap-looking red sign in front, it could pass for a four or five star property. The lobby is similarly impressive and opens up to a beautiful pool, which was very refreshing after a hot day out. The gardeners also do a wonderful job of keeping the small grounds look tidy and lush.

There is even a spa on site with reasonable prices.

The rooms are nice with marble floors, quality linens and tasteful furnishings. But the windows (at least on the ground floor) do not open. It would not bother me except that as part of housekeeping, the spray some kind of insect spray, perhaps to keep mosquitoes at bay, after cleaning the rooms. And you will notice it when you first walk in to your assigned room. So it would have helped to have the windows open for ventilation. But it's a minor point.

The one thing that may bother some is the bathrooms which are quite small. The shower and the sink are arranged so that when the former is occupied, the latter is enclosed within it.

What we enjoyed the most was the very friendly staff who were very indulgent of our two children and always willing to go the extra mile to please us. One young woman at the restaurant, Opie, was so sweet to our two-year old daughter, my little girl asked for her for months after we left the hotel. We really miss the hospitality.

One thing the hotel might attend to is the consistency of the restaurant. For the most part, the food was good, but the same dish will taste different depending on the chef who cooks it. It was disappointing to my son to have great spaghetti Bolognese one day then something which seemed completely different the next.

And although the hotel is supposed to offer a buffet breakfast, it wasn't sufficiently occupied during our stay so we had a la carte breakfast which was fine. They had a good variety of fresh fruit, pastries, breads and cereal to supplement and our children enjoyed them. A plus was the complimentary afternoon tea.

All in all, the hotel was an excellent value for the money and a nice and friendly place to which to return at the end of a day. I highly recommend it.