Review: Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Hotel

Book the Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta here.

For this trip to Java I had the enviable choice between the Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta and the Sheraton Mustika. The latter is conveniently located right next to the airport in Yogyakarta and close to the historic Hindu temple of Prambanan. The Sheraton published prepaid rates of just $59/night. Given that I had a fair shot of a suite upgrade and free breakfast/lounge in a rather remote location, Sheraton won the battle against Hyatt for me. The Hyatt Regency isn't expensive either, with rates under $100 and just 5,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points per night.

Yogyakarta has long and rich history, with a collection of significant sites dotted all over the city including UNESCO World Heritage. Luckily for Sheraton Mustika guests there is a range of temples close to the airport, hence close to the hotel.

The hotel is built on a hill and the lobby is on the highest (7th) floor, where you can enjoy a wonderful view of Mount Merapi. It sits about half a mile back from the busy airport road.

Check-in was friendly but slow and cumbersome. I was upgraded to a huge Junior Suite as a Platinum guest, but there was no mention of Platinum amenity choices.

Breakfast would be served in the hotel lounge.

The suite wasn't ready at noon so I decided to have lunch before returning there later.

The staff appeared exceptionally friendly but thoroughly challenged by my questions (and language). Many standard 2-second interactions in other hotels would take 2 minutes or more here, with the staff members building a ring around me, all with blank stares, wondering what I was talking about. Again, everyone was super amiable but not being understood can get a bit too much after while.

The well-designed lobby has a number of really cozy sofas and houses Suko Wine Lounge that serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and coffee throughout the day and night. It is beautifully decorated.

I explored the tropical garden which really looks stunning. Elements from Yogykarta's heritage and a modern pool environment are combined. It's a gorgeous area indeed. However, the pool water is an odd green color, which the hotel carefully explained was caused by the natural stone used. A quick swim of mine did not detect anything unusual but I have always associated green water with algae and it's not easy to shake the idea.

After this exploration my suite was ready and it was beautiful - a large living room/bedroom and bathroom. The room itself is clearly dated but very well-kept. The bed linen was excellent and the mattress had just the right firmness.

The bathroom had a separate shower and bath tub, which is always a plus. The room itself led to a small patio where you can sit and take in the mountain views.

No complaints about the AC here - the rooms were efficiently cooled down.

Most of Java has extremely slow internet (I have found Bali to be better). The WiFi at the Sheraton Mustika clocked in about 1MBit - slightly better during early morning hours but worse during the day. It's hard to get online work done with these speeds but it's equivalent to the free basic Wifi you get at many hotels.

In conclusion, the hotel is a great place for a 'vacation run' to rack up cheap stays and have a good time. The hotel shines with its well-appointed rooms and the tropical garden area. However, the slow internet speed, mediocre food and the inability of the staff to help you out quickly can make things unpleasant.

Book the Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta here.

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