Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort & Spa, Indonesia 🇮🇩 – between faded glamour and the saddest spa in Indonesia

The old lady – Sheraton Musitka Yogyakarta – has lost most of its former glory, but the complex still has a certain charm. The pool is particularly nice, but the spa leaves a lot to be desired. The great staff scores points for their warmth and efforts to make your stay as pleasant as possible.

Review #42

Location

Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort & Spa is located just outside the city centre of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on the southern coast of Java Island, directly opposite the former international airport on the eastern arterial road. It is a 20 minute drive from Candi Prambanan and approximately 1:20 hours from the famous Borobudur temple. The city centre is a 20 to 30 minutes ride by car away.

Getting there

Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta is unfortunately not well connected between the two airports, Yogyakarta International Airport on the south coast and Adi Soemarmo Airport in Surakarta to the north-east of Yogyakarta. Both airports are about 1.5 hours away by car and are connected by rail, but unfortunately these do not go into the city centre. So there are no really good alternatives than being picked up by car.

Of course, you can also get into the city by bus from the centre of the country. Unfortunately, the former international airport directly opposite the hotel is now only used for military purposes.

How to get to the hotel

From our night at Kimpton Maa-Lai in Bangkok, we took two short flights on Air Asia via Kuala Lumpur to Yogyakarta airport. This is also where we entered Indonesia.

Bear in mind that you will need a visa to enter Indonesia, which you can apply for online in advance for around 30 euros. You will receive confirmation within minutes of submitting your application and will also need to complete and submit a free customs declaration online. This also takes just 2 minutes and you will receive confirmation immediately after submitting your application.

Once you have done both, entering the country at Yogyakarta airport takes only a few moments. We were two of the few foreigners on board, so there were only two other people ahead of us at the visa counter, and it took us a maximum of 3 minutes to enter the country and collect our bags.

We then had to wait a maximum of 5 minutes at the baggage carousel before we could take our bags off the conveyor belt and then had to scan the QR code for our customs declaration and put all our luggage through an X-ray machine again (for the third time on this flight!).

After a lot of research, in the end we decided to just have the hotel organise transport to pick us up which worked out really well. The driver was waiting for us at the airport exit, waving happily, and we were in the car in no time at all. The journey took a good 1.5 hours in the evening and there was some quite heavy traffic along the way. Nevertheless, we arrived at the hotel safe and sound. We paid IDR 517,000 for the trip, just under 31 euros, which we think is a pretty fair deal for such a long journey.

Check-in

Oncw we arrived at Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta, we first had to give our names at the gate by the street and say that we were checking in before we were allowed to take the very long drive up to the actual hotel.

We were greeted warmly at the entrance to Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta, our bags were unloaded and we were escorted up a flight of stairs to reception.

We were checked in at the reception in a very friendly manner, albeit with a bit of a halting English – but all the more charming for it! Our benefits were explained and our pre-arranged massage slot for the evening was confirmed. As a welcome gift, we could choose between 1000 Bonvoy points, a luggage tag or a scarf – take a wild guess to what we chose. Feel free to leave a comment. 😉 As refreshment, we were served a delicious cold tea made to a local recipe.

Sheraton Mustika at a glance

From the street, you pass through an underpass under the ballroom and up a ramp to the driveway of Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort & Spa.

The 8-storey T-shaped building has its driveway and lobby on the 7th floor. This is also where the restaurant, patisserie and wine bar are located, as well as several shops and larger function rooms. The gym is on the 4th floor and the spa is one floor below. One further floor below is the exit to the pool area. At the 8th floor right on top of the building is the Indian restaurant.

At the rear of the property is the large swimming pool, children’s area and tennis courts.

The rooms in the T-bar are all in their original condition. Those in the vertical T-line have been refurbished.

On the ground floor, to the right and left of the passageway to the pool, there are lagoons that can only be accessed from the rooms with direct access to the lagoons.

Most of the guests are locals, and only a few non-Asians, including ourselves, have found their way here.

Suite & room

As always, we booked the cheapest room category directly through the Marriott website. During our search for a hotel in Yogyakarta, we came across Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta – mainly because the hotel offered a really great package of extra services included in the price. These were:

• One massage per person per day
• High tea every day
• Breakfast

When we checked in, we were told that we had been upgraded to a junior suite because of our Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status. Suite number 501 would therefore be ours for the next few nights.

Welcome

As we arrived in our junior suite, fruit and a welcome letter were waiting for us. There was also an information letter with opening times and status benefits.

Living room

As soon as you enter the junior suite, you are in the entrance area with a sideboard and dining table. There is a small fridge behind one of the doors in the sideboard, but it was empty and switched off. There was everything on the worktop to make tea and instant coffee.

Further through to the rear is the living room, which is furnished with a sofa, two armchairs, a coffee table, sideboard and a TV.

Bedroom

The bedroom is to the left. There is a king-size bed with 4 identical pillows and a large blanket. Next to it is an armchair, a small desk, a sideboard with a television above and a built-in wardrobe.

In the wardrobe you will find bathrobes, slippers, a safe, ironing board and iron. You will also find everything you need for laundry.

Bathroom

The windowless bathroom has a vanity with washbasin, soap and body lotion on the immediate left. Straight ahead is a bath and on the right is a rain shower, with the toilet opposite. Other amenities such as toothbrushes, cotton pads, combs and the like are stored on the wall between the two.

Room change

Unfortunately, we didn’t like the junior suite at all. The view overlooking the pool was nice, but the rooms themselves were really old, smelled musty and smoky and were in desperate need of renovation. So we asked to be moved to a regular but renovated room.

After a bit of a surprise, reception handled the request very well and we were able to see the new room first and then decide. We were able to keep the key to the new room during the inspection and a short time later we received very friendly help with the move.

Living room and bedroom

Our standard room at Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta was a renovated guest room on the ground floor of the rear wing. Behind the entrance door is a small hallway with the bathroom on the left. On the right is the wardrobe with bathrobe, slippers, hairdryer and everything you need for cleaning. We could not find a safe in this room. Next to the wardrobe is a shelf for a suitcase.

Directly opposite is a small alcove with an empty, switched off fridge and everything you need to make tea and instant coffee on the shelf above.

In the actual room there is a king-size bed with 4 pillows and a blanket. There are bedside tables with power sockets to the left and right of the bed. The telephone is to the right. The TV is on the wall opposite the bed. In front of the floor-to-ceiling window is a seating area with an armchair and sofa. The sofa converts into a third bed.

Unfortunately, you could really hear everything from the next room through the connecting door, and when you’re lying in bed and see the door right in front of you, it catapulted The Shining moment into my brain, where Jack Nicholson looks through the gap in the bathroom door, gone completely insane.

Bathroom

The bathroom has a vanity with a washbasin in front of it. Water, tissues and towels are provided. To the right, the toilet is built into a niche. The usual toiletries are kept on a shelf next to the toilet. To the left is a walk-in rain shower.

Considering that the room had been recently renovated, I have to say that the bathroom was quite worn out. The shower was anything but new and some of the grouting was gone or mouldy. Some of the woodwork was also splintered or swollen.

View

In front of this room on the ground floor we had a small but lovely terrace to ourselves. On the left are the windows to the indoor spa pool, on the right the rooms of the main wing.

Lounge

On our first evening, the lounge at Sheraton Mustika Yogayakarta was moved – for reasons we don’t know – and we were able to enjoy snacks, coffee, tea and wine in the Suko Wine Lounge. But to be honest, that was rather disillusioning. The food was rather disappointing, and as we asked for a choice of drinks, the friendly waiter offered us red or white wine, somewhat desperately and with eyes wide open.

Given the temperature, we opted for white. But it had to be organised from somewhere and once it arrived it was not chilled. Fine – we’ll just put ice cubes in it. Not so bad…. But really. The wine was frighteningly undrinkable. I would like to mention again that we were sitting in a wine lounge. If I’d had to pay for that wine, I would have been very annoyed.

The soundtrack of completely inappropriate electronic music didn’t make us want to stay any longer. What’s more, a gentleman inside the lounge sitting at a nearby table was actually smoking. Probably not a problem in Indonesia. By European standards, however, this is completely unthinkable and we certainly found it quite annoying.

The second night, however, was completely different – the lounge was back at the original alternative venue, Androwino Bistro. The presentation was much nicer and the atmosphere better. But the music and the quality of the food was the same.

We simply ordered food here on the second night. The lounge is also the restaurant of the house – at least for now. As already mentioned, the actual lounge room is somehow not available at the moment.

Resort activities

Pool

The Water Castle Pool at Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta was actually mostly not used at all during our stay. Unfortunately, it was neglected accordingly. We liked the pool area very much. The tropical greenery that surrounds it provides great shade without the need for umbrellas and also acts as a screen from the outside. The pool is divided into several areas and has several planted islands. There are plenty of places to sit in the pool as well as places to lie down and relax. There is a raised heated Jacuzzi at the front of the pool.

The whole area is rather poorly maintained, but has potential. All the sun beds had no cushions and towels were nowhere to be found. The staff at the pool bar were not present as we arrived. Not really a problem either. We just stood there awkwardly looking for towels until a friendly guest happened to pass by and showed us where they were to be found. There were exactly two towels left at that morning time.

In the meantime I had found the cushions piled up in a corner. Unfortunately, they were all dirty and some were ripped open. When I asked the staff member if he could get us some, he simply stated: These are dirty. OK, I had seen that before. Ergo: there just weren’t any. But it would have been great if he had just cleaned and handed out a few cushions while standing in the bar for hours on end without doing anything else. If he had then distributed towels on the deckchairs: that would have been fantastic!

I don’t mean to complain here, but it’s a real shame when we see a resort with such potential and the staff just aren’t trained well enough to make the most of it. Good management is desperately needed here! I’m sure the staff would have done all that if someone had told them to.

Kid´s Pool

Just behind the Kid’s Club there is a small shaded pool for the little ones.

Fitness Center

The gym is a rather sad looking carpeted room. There is some cardio and fitness equipment and a free weights area. Towels and a music system are also provided.

At the rear of the property there are two surprisingly well kept tennis courts.

Spa

Unfortunately, our spa experience at Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta was rather bad. As mentioned above, our room rate included a 60-minute massage per person per day. We booked this a few days in advance and had it confirmed at check-in.

Despite all the organisation, the ladies at the spa reception seemed completely unprepared and surprised to see us. When they found our booking there was no welcome, no tea, no choice of scented oils for the massage. Everything seemed very clumsy and as if we were a nuisance.

The spa area itself is also very dated, and on the way to our cabin we passed the spa pool, which had more the charm of a communal swimming pool. The treatment room itself had been prepared, but was completely devoid of any windows and by far too cold for my taste. Fabi thought it was OK, but I was really freezing all the time. The massage tables were really hard and there was only one normal pillow, which made lying on my stomach quite uncomfortable.

During the massage itself, we both quickly got the feeling that the two ladies hadn’t really done this very often and were actually completely inexperienced as they were giving a kind of ‘petting massage’. Now it could be that this is a ‘Javanese massage’ – but to be honest I don’t think so. They both went to a corner every 5 minutes or so to get more oil. This begs the question: did they simply use far too much oil – that would be my opinion – or was the oil container far too small?

Either way, the experience wasn’t great. The massage was shallow and had now effect what so ever. Certain areas were treated extremely long on one body side and only very briefly on the other. They also giggled all the time – which gave the impression that they were making fun of us. That may sound a bit self-centred, but when you’re being massaged by a very young woman, that’s what goes through your head.

After the massage they left the room, giving us time to have a quick shower and get dressed. Sadly, they were never seen again. We had to find our own way back and were neither asked if we had enjoyed ourselves nor seen off. Only the receptionist came round the corner and said goodbye to us. Again we were not offered tea or any other drink.

All in all, the whole experience really was very disappointing. We cancelled the massage the next day without a replacement. Interestingly, we were not asked why we no longer wanted the massage.

Be sure to also check out our YouTube review as Fabi has taken some footage of the spa for you.

Kid´s Club

The Jiggle Jungle Kid’s Club is located on the side between the pool and the main building. Inside there is a ball paradise and play areas. Outside, the little ones can let off steam in the climbing park.

Touren

Most foreign visitors come to Yogyakarta for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Borobudur and the smaller temples that surround it. The hotel, of course, offers various tours, but unfortunately is located on the wrong side of the city, so the drive to the temple complex takes just under 90 minutes. Bear in mind that you have to book or buy a tour with a slot in advance in order to be able to walk onto the structure. We hadn’t realised this, so our whole plan was thrown into disarray. We only went there on the day of our departure and after that went straight on to Solo.

The concierge at Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta will of course be happy to help you plan your tour, but in our case he was a little overwhelmed as our request was unusual. As we were combining our trip to Borobudur with our departure, we simply booked the driver for a full day.

If you have already made the long journey, we would definitely recommend a visit to the Prambanan temple area. Quite different from Borobudur, it also shows a wonderful facet of past Southeast Asian cultures.

We booked an afternoon tour from the hotel and paid IDR 444,000, a good 26 Euros.

Restaurants

Ganesha Ek Sanskriti

Interestingly, the Indian restaurant on the top floor is not part of the hotel and has its own operator. We had an excellent meal here on our first evening and were able to have the cost debited to our room.

We paid just under 41 Euros for two curries with rice, drinks and starters.

Androwino Bistro

The all-day dining restaurant at Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta doubled as a lounge alternative during our stay and also serves breakfast. We had dinner here on our second night and paid a total of 10 Euros for two main courses and drinks. The gado-gado I had was excellent.

The Tasty Box Patiserie

Located on the lobby level next to the Androwino Restaurant, this small café serves cakes, desserts and ice cream with your coffee.

Suko Wine Lounge

We only stayed here on the first day as a substitute for the lounge. This outlet is actually set up as a bar for cocktails, alcoholic refreshments and snacks.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served at Androwino Bistro on the 7th floor of Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta. The extensive breakfast buffet offers mainly local specialities and a very small selection of Western dishes. A la carte dishes are not available and table service is only available in exceptional cases. There are several live cooking stations where you can order or create your own meals.

Check-out

As expected, the check-out at Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta was very well organised. The bill was already prepared and correct. We were helped with our luggage without any questions and we were never on our way to Borobudur.

Costs

For our three nights at Sheraton Mustika Yogayakarta we paid IDR 4,416,500 including service charge & tax. It is interesting to note that the first two nights cost around IDR 1.6 million. The last night, however, was a fraction of that at just under IDR 300,000. Strange, isn’t it?

Departure and onward journey

As mentioned above, as we were only able to book a slot at Borobodur on the last day, we went straight to Alila Solo after the tour. We stayed there for one night because there was only one direct flight from Solo to Bali, but it left very early in the morning and we didn’t want to drive all the way to Yogyakarta airport in the morning. We booked the full day tour through the hotel and it cost us IDR 990,000, or just under 60 Euros. A fair price for a day trip of almost 200 kilometres.

Conclusion

Well. What can I say? Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta really has seen better days. The much-needed renovation is somehow stalling, and the spa is unparalleled in its negative rating… The pool area has great potential, but also looks rather sad. The hotel is not bad per se. But far from good. The crew, however, makes up for a lot with their charm and friendliness.

Recommendation

Well. All travelers can feel at home here. Solo travelers, families, couples and business travelers are equally well catered for here.

Hotel Homepage

Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort & Spa

Rating

We’re sorry, but we can’t award Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta a score higher than 3 out of 10 possible points.

We deduct one point each for:

• The old suite, which smelt and was not in a very good condition.
• The lounge was non-existent or under renovation. The music was really bad, the offer was weak and the furnishings were really difficult.
• The Indian restaurant – the best in the hotel – is not even part of the hotel, despite being prominently located on the 8th floor.
• Even the renovated room is not modern and the bathroom is quite worn out.
• The breakfast buffet consists almost entirely of local dishes. Western alternatives are few and far between.
• The online appearance is far from the reality. Look at the picture of the pool in the green – a forest has definitely been retouched.
• There were no cushions by the pool, towels had to be found and the facilities are old.
• And last but not least, the truly disastrous massage.

However, Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta gets a bonus point for the really positive check-in experience & handling of the room change, as well as the really charming & friendly staff.

Go there?

Well. In the absence of alternatives, that’s fine. Expectation management is very important here. So don’t expect 5-star luxury at Thai level.

YouTube Review