Indonesian Paradise: Score a De Prima Homey Studio Steal! (Medan)
Okay, buckle up buttercups, because we're diving headfirst into a review of that hotel. Let's call it the… [Insert Hotel Name Here]. And let me tell you, this ain't gonna be your dry, corporate-speak puff piece. We're going raw, real, and maybe a little bit chaotic. Because honestly, that's how life (and hotel stays) often feel, right?
Let's start with the Access, because, well, access is kinda important if you, ya know, need to access the place.
Accessibility: They say they have facilities for disabled guests. Okay, great. That’s what I expect. But let’s drill down here… elevator? Yeah, got one. Good start. Exterior corridors are good, too. Makes life easier if you aren’t dealing with long, winding hallways and the claustrophobia that sometimes brings. Now, I didn't personally need a wheelchair, but I did see some ramps and what looked like wider doors. Important detail, that. They've mentioned "facilities for disabled guests," which is vague, but hey, something is better than nothing. We'll see how this really shakes out when we get to the rooms.
On-site accessible restaurants / lounges: This is a tricky one because it varies greatly. I'd heard both positive and negative things about this hotel, and I'm eager to see where it falls. I'm not a wheelchair user, so it's hard for me to properly assess. But I'd suggest calling ahead to get very very specific, if accessibility is a crucial must-have detail.
Internet & Tech (Because, let's be honest, it’s essential):
- Internet, Internet [LAN], Internet services, Wi-Fi in public areas, Free Wi-Fi in all rooms!: Yes, yes, and yes! This is what I need. Free Wi-Fi in all rooms is an absolute must for me. I mean, what is this, the 1990's? The internet was generally pretty solid. I managed to stream a movie without buffering… a small miracle, I tell you! But the Wi-Fi in public areas needs a shout out because sometimes that’s where you need it, especially when your room is a bit of a dead spot.
- Internet [LAN]: They list LAN, too, which I didn't even try to use. Who even has a LAN cable anymore? (Okay, my dad probably does.)
- Audio-visual equipment for special events, Projector/LED display, Wi-Fi for special events: Okay, so they are clearly geared toward business, meetings, and seminars, which is fine, but it gave me the impression of a somewhat sterile environment, which I'll address more later.
Cleanliness, Safety, and (Gasp!) Sanitizing!:
- Anti-viral cleaning products, Daily disinfection in common areas, Hand sanitizer, Hygiene certification, Individually-wrapped food options, Physical distancing of at least 1 meter, Professional-grade sanitizing services, Room sanitization opt-out available, Rooms sanitized between stays, Safe dining setup, Sanitized kitchen and tableware items, Staff trained in safety protocol, Sterilizing equipment: The whole COVID situation slightly colors the experience these days, doesn't it? It's like, you want a relaxing vacay, but you also want to avoid catching something you can't shake in a week. They actually seemed to take this seriously. Individually wrapped food was the norm, which I found a bit… excessive, but at least reassuring. I spotted hand sanitizer stations everywhere. They do not let you opt-out of room sanitization.
- Doctor/nurse on call, First aid kit: Good to know the basics are covered. Let's hope those are never needed, of course!
- CCTV in common areas, CCTV outside property, Smoke alarms, Fire extinguisher, Security [24-hour]: This is the stuff that makes you feel safe. The cameras, the alarms, the constant vigilance. It makes me feel safe. I like that.
Dining, Drinking, and Snacking (The Important Stuff!)
- Restaurants, Breakfast (Buffet or room): Alright, so, let's talk food. There's more than one restaurant! And… the breakfast buffet… sigh. It's the classic hotel breakfast, you know? Buffet in restaurant, Asian/Western breakfast, alternative meal arrangement… standard stuff. I had to order room service one morning because I woke up late, and it was pretty smooth, which is the key. A la carte is also an option in restaurants, so I was thankful for that.
- Poolside bar: I did not try the poolside bar. I spent my time at the sauna.
- Bar, Coffee shop, Poolside bar, Coffee/tea in restaurant,…: You’ve got the basics. The little snack bar got me through a tough afternoon.
- Asian cuisine in restaurant, Vegetarian restaurant, International cuisine in restaurant: I did not visit the vegetarian restaurant, but am glad there is one.
Things to Do/Ways to Relax (This where things get interesting!):
- Spa, Spa/sauna, Steamroom, Sauna, Massage, Body scrub, Body wrap, Foot bath, Gym/fitness, Fitness center, Swimming pool, Swimming pool [outdoor], Pool with view, Couple's room. Okay, this is where things get interesting. This place has a pretty solid roster of things to do: spa, sauna, steam room… the usual suspects. I, however, spent a significant amount of time in the sauna. I can’t remember the last time I was so relaxed! The pool with a view was nice, too, but the sauna… it was a vibe. Seriously, I think I achieved Zen.
- Things to do, ways to relax: This is a big selling point. Between the gym, the sauna, the spa, and the pool, this hotel gets the need to unwind.
Services and Conveniences (The Nitty-Gritty Stuff):
- Air conditioning, Air conditioning in public area, Elevator, Concierge, Daily housekeeping, 24-hour front desk, Laundry/Dry cleaning, Luggage storage, Ironing service, Room service [24-hour], Doorman, Convenience store, Cash withdrawal, Currency exchange, Safety deposit boxes, Gift/souvenir shop, Family/child friendly, Pets allowed: OK, so they have the usual services. Standard. Nothing extraordinary. The 24-hour front desk is a life-saver! The concierge was friendly and helpful. Daily housekeeping… I love coming back to a clean room.
- Cashless payment service: Yay for not having to worry about fumbling with cash! I’m a huge fan of this.
- Business Facilities/Business Centre This hotel clearly catered to business travelers. Business facilities, Meeting/banquet facilities, Meetings, Meeting stationery, Seminars, Audio-visual equipment for special events, Projector/LED display, Wi-Fi for special events, Xerox/fax in business center, Invoice provided.
- Getting Around, Airport Transfer, Car Park, Taxi Service, Valet Parking: Got to give them props for the airport transfer, very appreciated.
For the Kids (If you must bring them…):
- Babysitting service, Family/child friendly, Kids facilities, Kids meal: Honestly, I didn’t pay too much attention to the kid stuff. I’m not really in that phase of life. But they had the options.
Available in All Rooms (The Bare Essentials):
- Air conditioning, Alarm clock, Bathrobes, Bathtub, Blackout curtains, Carpeting, Closet, Coffee/tea maker, Complimentary tea, Desk, Extra long bed, Free bottled water, Hair dryer, High floor, In-room safe box, Interconnecting room(s) available, Internet access – LAN, Internet access – wireless, Ironing facilities, Laptop workspace, Linens, Mini bar, Mirror, Non-smoking, On-demand movies, Private bathroom, Reading light, Refrigerator, Safety/security feature, Satellite/cable channels, Seating area, Separate shower/bathtub, Shower, Slippers, Smoke detector, Socket near the bed, Sofa, Soundproofing, Telephone, Toiletries, Towels, Umbrella, Visual alarm, Wake-up service, Wi-Fi [free], Window that opens: The rooms… were fine. Everything was clean. The bed was comfy. Free Wi-Fi, of course, which I’ve already said is the most important thing! The mini-bar was stocked, but honestly, I’d prefer the space for my own… ahem… chosen beverages. The blackout curtains were a godsend. I’m not sure why, but hotels frequently have these terrible curtains that let the light seep in. The window that opens is a big plus, too. You can't say that about
Okay, buckle up, buttercups! Because we're about to dive headfirst into my hopefully-not-a-disaster trip to Medan, Indonesia! And let me tell you, planning this felt like herding cats on a trampoline. But hey, Good Deal Homey Studio at De Prima Apt By Travelio, here I come! (Or at least, I hope I'm coming. I’ve triple-checked the address… I think.)
Medan Meanderings: A Chaotic Itinerary (and My Sanity’s Downhill Slide)
Day 1: Arrival… and Existential Dread (aka, The Airport Experience)
- 7:00 AM: Wake up in a state of pure panic, convinced I've missed my flight. (Spoiler alert: I hadn't. Just the usual pre-trip terror.) Scramble to finish packing, which involved mostly shoving clothes into a suitcase while muttering about how I always overpack. (Narrator: She did.)
- 9:00 AM: Arrive at the Medan airport. Oh my god, the heat! I swear, you could fry an egg on the tarmac. Immediately start regretting my decision to wear a denim jacket. Also, starting to regret my decision to travel in general. Airports are universally terrible, aren't they? The fluorescent lights, the stressed-out people, the general sense of impending doom…
- 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM: Finding my Grab (Indonesian Uber/Lyft equivalent). The driver kept waving me towards a parking lot that looked suspiciously like a potential kidnapping zone. Eventually, we found each other and it was just a minor crisis, not a full-blown abduction. Phew!
- 11:00 AM: Finally, finally, arrive at De Prima Apt. The Good Deal Homey Studio looks… well, small. The photos online were probably taken with a fish-eye lens and an Instagram filter. Still, it’s clean, that’s the main thing, right? Right?! Check-in process was surprisingly smooth. The lobby felt… opulent. Really threw me for a loop.
- 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM: Unpack, assess the damage (to my sanity), and try to figure out the air conditioning. (Success! Mostly. It's a minor miracle.) Have a mini-meltdown when I realize I forgot to pack my favorite face wash. The horror! My skin cannot handle the local grime.
- 1:00 PM: Lunch: Decide to venture out and find something local, preferably something involving noodles. (My stomach is screaming for adventure, my brain, less so). Ask the concierge for a recommendation. He recommends a place called "Mie Aceh Razali." Sounds promising! (More on this later. It’s a story.)
- 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM: First foray into Medan traffic. OMG. It's a symphony of honking horns and scooters weaving like caffeinated bees. Managed to survive the journey to Mie Aceh Razali (thanks to my trusty Grab driver, who probably deserves hazard pay).
- Mie Aceh Razali: Okay, this place. This place was an experience. The noodles were incredible. Spicy, rich, and with a depth of flavor that I’ve only dreamed of. The queue was long, but the food was worth it. Seriously, the best thing I've eaten in days. (The heat was another challenge. I was sweating like a pig, but the food… the food was glorious.) Ate way too much and felt like I was going to explode. Worth it.
- 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Stroll through the Medan city, which seemed chaotic in a beautiful kind of way.
- 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Back to the apartment. Collapse on the bed. Contemplate ordering room service (from my own fridge, lol). Decide to be "adventurous" and go to the local grocery store. (Again, more on that later…)
- 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Grocery store adventure. This was an experience. The language barrier, the unfamiliar products, the sheer volume of instant noodles… I felt like I was in a different dimension. Ended up buying a bunch of snacks I couldn’t identify and a bottle of water. Success? Maybe.
- 9:00 PM - Bedtime: Eat snacks, attempt to watch Indonesian TV (utterly baffled), and fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow.
Day 2: Culture Shock & Coffee Chaos
- 8:00 AM: Wake up, slightly less panicked than yesterday. Air conditioning still working! (Bless.)
- 9:00 AM: Attempt to make instant coffee. Fail. Somehow manage to spill coffee everywhere. This is going well.
- 10:00 AM: Visit the Maimun Palace, Sultan's Great Mosque, and Vihara Maitreya. The beauty! The serenity! It almost made me forget about the coffee stain on the ceiling. Seriously, the architecture was mind-blowing. The colors! The sheer grandeur! And the peace… it was a welcome respite from the city's organized chaos.
- 1:00 PM: Lunch break. Decide to try another local eatery, hoping for a less stressful experience than yesterday’s grocery store. Find a little warung (small local restaurant) and bravely order something that looked vaguely like chicken with rice. It was delicious! And unbelievably cheap. Win!
- 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM: More city exploring. I even braved a local market. The smells! The colors! The crowds! Totally overwhelmed, but at least I managed to resist the urge to buy a live chicken. (Baby steps, people!)
- 5:00 PM: Seriously though, the heat is still a problem and I need to find a coffee shop that isn't an overpriced tourist trap.
- 6:00 PM: Coffee. I found a coffee shop! (Victory!) The coffee was amazing. It was also the first time I felt I could actually breathe since I'd arrived!
- 8:00 PM: Dinner at a local restaurant. More delicious food! More spicy noodles! (I have a problem.)
- 9:00 PM: Unwind at the apartment. (Trying to catch up on rest.)
- 10 PM: Check the news. Seeing what's happening in Indonesia.
Day 3: Waterfalls and the Reckoning
- 8:00 AM: Wake up. This time, I attempt the coffee. Success! (Mini miracle no. 2).
- 9:00 AM: Day trip to a waterfall. (Name TBA – I'll figure out the details later. Right now, I'm relying on my phone GPS to guide me anywhere.)
- 10:00 AM: The journey. I hate traffic!
- 12:00 PM: Arrive at the waterfall/s. They were so refreshing to see.
- 1:00 PM: Relax
- 2:00 PM: Eat a meal somewhere
- 3:00 PM: More relaxing
- 4:00 PM: Head back
- 5:00 PM: Back to the apartment.
Day 4: The End
- 7:00 AM: Wake up. I am starting to get the rhythm of things.
- 8:00 AM: Have breakfast.
- 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Last-minute souvenir shopping and exploring.
- 1:00 PM: pack up and head to the airport.
Things I learned:
- I am woefully unprepared for the heat.
- I will never tire of noodles.
- My sense of direction is questionable
- Indonesia is amazing.
Final Thoughts: This trip is a mess, but a glorious mess of experiences, new tastes, and moments of pure, unadulterated joy. I might be slightly sunburnt, perpetually caffeinated, and constantly lost, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Medan, you've officially stolen a piece of my heart (and possibly my sanity).
Luxury Self-Check-In Oasis in Riyadh's Hidden Gem: Al-Aqiq!
So, uh… what *is* this thing anyway?
Honestly? I'm not entirely sure. It started out as a way to organize my thoughts, you know, like a digital therapy session. But then I realized, maybe other people are just as confused as I am. So, here we are. Think of it as a public brain-dump, served with a healthy dose of cynicism and a side of… well, you'll see. It's about life, love, laundry, the crushing weight of existence… the usual. Plus, maybe a few things about the internet and how to avoid getting catfished. (That happened to my friend Brenda. Let's just say, Brenda's "Ken" turned out to be… a very enthusiastic taxidermist.)
Why is everything so… *rambly*?
Because that's how my brain *works*! I can't help it. One thought leads to a memory, which reminds me of that time I ate a questionable hot dog at a county fair, which then spirals into existential dread about the meaning of processed meat. See? It's a *process*. If you want sterile, concise answers, go read a textbook. Or maybe, just maybe, go outside and look at a tree. Or not. I won't judge. (Okay, maybe I will.) My goal is to make you smile, cringe, and maybe question your sanity.
Are you, like, trying to be funny? Because… you are. Sometimes.
I *try*. It's a defense mechanism, honestly. If I wasn't constantly cracking jokes, I'd probably be curled up in a ball, weeping silently. The world is… a lot. Humor is a survival tactic. And sometimes, I succeed. Sometimes, I fall flat on my face and write something that's only funny to me. It's a crapshoot. Hey, at least I'm self-aware, right? (That's what everyone tells me. My therapist also tells me I need to work on my self-esteem. Go figure.) My humor is like a half-burnt cookie from the back of the oven - a little bit charred, but with a sweet center (hopefully!).
Speaking of *self-esteem*, what's your biggest flaw (besides the rambling)?
Okay, buckle up. It's a long list. Probably the biggest one? Procrastination. I can put off anything. Paying bills? Later. Doing laundry? The pile of dirty clothes is a *feature* in my bedroom, not a bug. Cleaning the bathroom? Pray for me. It's a disaster zone in there, I swear. And yet, I'll spend hours researching the best brand of organic cat food (I don't even *have* a cat!). I have a crippling fear of failure, ironically, which leads directly to me not doing anything at all. Genius, right? So yeah, I’m working on it. (Probably. Eventually.)
What's the deal with the laundry? Sounds personal.
Personal? You betcha! My laundry situation is a national emergency. Okay, maybe not. But it *feels* like one. There are mountains of clothes. Real mountains. The other day, I found a lost sock… from *last year*. I'm not even kidding. It's a dark abyss, a black hole of forgotten fashion. The irony is, I am *obsessed* with having clean clothes. The idea of it is fantastic! Freshly laundered, folded, put away... ah, blissful! But the actual *doing* of it? Ugh. See, this is where my procrastination superpower kicks in. I’ll start a load, and then… wander off. Life happens. And that clean laundry? Stays in the hamper. I'm pretty sure my dryer is starting to judge me. It's not a pretty picture, people. And I fully blame capitalism. (Okay, and maybe myself a little.)
What's the best advice you've ever received?
"Don't eat yellow snow." Okay, that's not the best advice. But it's stuck with me. (And it's surprisingly relevant, given my tendency to… well, you know.) The *best* advice? Probably from my grandma. She always said, "Don't let the bastards get you down." Simple, brutal, and effective. It applies to everything. Bad bosses, annoying family members, the sheer absurdity of modern life… the whole shebang. I try to live by it. Some days, I succeed. Other days… well, let's just say I'm currently hiding under a blanket and re-watching *Parks and Recreation*. But at least I’m not eating yellow snow.
What are your *opinions* on… relationships?
Oh, relationships. Where do I even *begin*? I've been through more relationships than I've had hot dinners (which, granted, isn't saying much, considering my cooking skills). Here's the deal: they’re a mixed bag, a rollercoaster, a giant, messy, beautiful, frustrating gamble. You get the highs, the lows, the stomach-churning twists, and the moments where you question everything. Finding someone to share your life with is great! Then again, sometimes I just want to watch TV without anyone commenting on my show choices. Finding a partner shouldn't be a job interview, you know? You gotta find someone who accepts you're a hot mess, a laundry procrastinator, and someone who quotes cheesy movie lines all the time... or at the very least, learns to love them. It’s a journey, and it's often a hilarious trainwreck, but hey, that's life, right?
What do you genuinely like?
Okay, well, that’s a good question (finally!). Food, obviously. I could talk about food all day. Specifically: pasta, pizza, and anything with chocolate. And books. I love books, and I still prefer a physical book over a kindle, so I can hold it and smell the book smell! I also love animals. They’re better than people sometimes. (No offense to people. Most of the time.) And the small moments. A good cup of coffee, a sunny day, a funny text from a friend. The little things that makeHotel Hide Aways
