Java and its three houses
Java is the heart of Indonesia: the capital on the north coast and, in the hills of the center, the seat of Javanese tradition.
Java is the heart of Indonesia: the capital on the north coast and, in the hills of the center, the seat of Javanese tradition. The capital is a city of glass towers, a Golden Triangle of offices and malls and the Sudirman business district; in the hills of the center near Yogyakarta stands Borobudur, the thirteen-hundred-year-old Buddhist sanctuary whose stone terraces tell the life of the Buddha, with the volcanoes behind it — and the luxury follows that map, from an Aman above Borobudur to the towers of Jakarta's business districts. The Aman's every window and terrace looks over a wooded valley to the monument, with suites in a crescent joined by stone walkways, many with private pools, and the guests-only privilege of visiting Borobudur at dawn; in Jakarta, the Four Seasons of colonial look and business-class trappings and the first Langham in Southeast Asia, inside District 8. Amanjiwo holds the island's strict five-star standing; the two Jakarta houses are listed at four. The dry season from May to September is the travel season; the rains run from November to March.
Luxury hotels in Java
3 hotels
The neighborhoods
Jakarta
The capital on the north coast, a city of malls and towers about an hour from the airport by road. Here lie the Golden Triangle of Sudirman, Thamrin and Kuningan, the Sudirman Central Business District and District 8.
Yogyakarta & Borobudur
The hills of central Java, with Borobudur and the court city of Yogyakarta, the seat of Javanese tradition. Borobudur, the Buddhist monument of the eighth century, stands with the volcanoes behind it; Yogyakarta airport is about an hour and a quarter away.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Java?
One, above Borobudur. The five-star house we list in Java is Amanjiwo, the Aman in the hills of central Java whose suites, joined by stone walkways in a crescent, look over a wooded valley to the Buddhist monument, and whose guests alone may visit it at dawn. Beside it we keep two four-star addresses in the capital, each listed exactly at the standing it holds: Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta, the colonial-look house of marble baths and private balconies in the city center; and The Langham, Jakarta, the first Langham in Southeast Asia, inside District 8 in the Sudirman business district.
Where should I stay in Java: Jakarta or Yogyakarta and Borobudur?
Jakarta for the capital — the Four Seasons stands in the city center and the Langham inside District 8 in the Sudirman business district, with the Golden Triangle's offices, malls and restaurants around them and the airport about an hour away by road; Yogyakarta and Borobudur, in the hills of the center, for the monument, the temples of the plain, the court city of Yogyakarta and the volcanoes — Amanjiwo stands above Borobudur, about an hour and a quarter from Yogyakarta airport, and its guests visit the monument at dawn, before the gates open to the public.
When is the best time for Java?
The dry season, from May to September: clear mornings for Borobudur at dawn, the volcanoes visible behind it and the roads of the center at their easiest; the rains run from November to March, heaviest in January and February, when Jakarta floods in the wettest weeks. Jakarta is hot and humid all year and quietest in the Ramadan and Eid weeks, when the city empties and the roads clear. Each house keeps its own calendar on its page.
How do I get around Java?
Jakarta's airport is the door to the island, about an hour from the city center by road; from there Yogyakarta is an hour's flight, or by the fast train across the island. Amanjiwo is about an hour and a quarter from Yogyakarta airport and about two hours from Solo's, both with flights from Jakarta, Bali, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. In Jakarta a car with driver suits — the traffic sets the pace — and the houses of District 8 and the center are minutes apart; in the center of the island the houses arrange the transfers and the dawn visit to the monument. The houses arrange airport transfers on request.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
