Our top 10 places to stay in and around Gorontalo
A traveller favourite
This is the backpacker crashpad in town.
It was originally the Melati Hotel, but then they added a new multi-storey building with (slightly) flasher rooms and renamed it the "New" Melati Hotel. Those on a budget will be steered to the rear rooms in the older building, which face onto a common lawn area -- these are actually better value fare. They’re, well, approximately clean (the bathrooms are pretty mediocre), simple and certainly well loved. The setting around these rooms, with tables and chairs on the shared veranda overlooking the grass, is more sociable. The newer rooms are newer, but not the best value. Those travelling with kids may be steered to them as they’re far easier to cram another bed into, but we preferred the downstairs rooms as at least the kids could easily run around outside observed. The owner Alex is very friendly, welcoming and a good source of information on both Gorontalo and the Togeans. Staff can assist with booking cabins on the Tuna Tomini, the ferry that will get you to the Togeans, as well as other onward travel arrangements. Lovely front desk staffer Gloria is especially helpful in coping with situations like a LionAir flight crashing into a cow and shutting down Gorontalo airport. Recommended.
Address: Jl Wolter Monginsidi 1
T: (0435) 822 934;
Email: vfvelberg@yahoo.com
Web: http://www.newmelatihotel.com
Room rates: Under 150,000 Rp
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
| Extra Bed | 20,000 rupiah | 20,000 rupiah |
| Standard double room | 130,000 rupiah | 130,000 rupiah |
| Superior double room 220,000 for a triple | 180,000 rupiah | 180,000 rupiah |
| Deluxe double room | 325,000 rupiah | 325,000 rupiah |
Reviewed by
Stuart McDonald
Stuart McDonald co-founded Travelfish.org with Samantha Brown in 2004. He has lived in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, where he worked as an under-paid, under-skilled language teacher, an embassy staffer, a newspaper web-site developer, freelancing and various other stuff. His favourite read is The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton.
Our top 10 places to stay in and around Gorontalo
