Being born and raised in Bandung (even if only for 7 years of my life), I’ve grown to call this city my home. But like many other people who have grown too accustomed to their city, I never really feel the urge to explore Bandung through a tourist’s eyes. My knowledge of the up-and-coming restaurants or the most Instagram-worthy hotels was close to zero. Whenever I come to Bandung, I’d stay at my home and eat at familiar places, like Ayam Goreng Nikmat Panaitan (my dad’s favorite) or whatever is open near my old high school because my friends and I can’t be bothered to spend more time in the traffic than necessary.
Since I was turning 25 last February, I decided to give myself a little treat. I was not planning to splurge, so a girly staycation in Bandung sounded just perfect! My friend and I knew we wanted to stay somewhere chilly, and it didn’t take long until we fell in love with this new hotel in Lembang: Blackbird Hotel.
We arrived at Blackbird Hotel at around 3 pm on Friday and was greeted by a friendly receptionist. Upon checking in, we were asked to fill out a form regarding our breakfast preference. The form basically let us choose where we wanted to have our breakfast (in bed or at the hotel’s restaurant), what time we would like to have it, and most importantly, the food itself. I like the concept because it can minimize food waste as they only cook what you will actually eat.
A hotel attendant then took us to our room. I was so delighted to find that the room was not only neat and tidy, but also smelled like a spa. The interior was a mix of traditional and modern styles with terrazzo tiles that reminded me of my grandparents’ house. It didn’t take long until we felt at home, and since it was raining, we just spent the rest of the afternoon snuggling and watching movies on HBO.
At that time, Blackbird Hotel had just opened Sea Como Sea restaurant where guests can enjoy al fresco dining. But since we were having breakfast at that restaurant, we decided to have dinner outside. Maja House, which belongs to the same group as Blackbird Hotel, is located only a short walk from the hotel. I loved their philly cheese steak pizza and the city view from this restaurant was just spectacular.
The next day, I went to Sea Como Sea at 7:20 am and informed my room number to the staff right away. This is where Blackbird Hotel disappointed me. I waited and waited, but my food didn’t arrive. It was very disappointing, considering I had specifically written that I wanted to have my breakfast at 7-7:30 am, not to mention that it was a very simple meal: scrambled egg, waffles, sausage, salad, and carrot cake with guava juice and tea. After complaining about this issue, my tea was finally served, but it took 45 minutes for the food to be served. The taste of every single element was good, but I knew it shouldn’t have taken them that long to serve it. By the way, I noticed that the same thing happened to other guests.
The area is generally quiet, the weather is refreshing, and the greenery at the property compound was pleasant to look at. Since it was raining most of my stay, I didn’t get to swim or hang out by the pool, but the hotel was equipped with cute floaties for sunnier days. I would recommend Blackbird Hotel for weekend getaways, especially if you live in a busy city like Jakarta!
This article is written by Halida Aisyah, a friend of mine who have so much passion on travel. She loves to ride a bike everywhere. She had lived in Indonesia and Japan but considered the world as her home.
Halida A.
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