Hi, guys! Are you planning to have an extra day for your solo trip in Banyuwangi? This time, let me take you on a relaxing, one day city tour 😊
In the previous blog post, I mentioned that it was fate that I couldn’t visit the Baluran National Park, one of the main destinations in Banyuwangi.
Yes, a few weeks before my Banyuwangi solo trip, there was an incident where a ferry that carried logistics drowned in the sea. So, the officials took action by checking all the ferries.
It turned out that many ferries were no longer fit to operate. Of around 17 ferries, only 4 were deemed good to go 👀 👀 👀
So, there was an extremely long line of trucks and cars queuing on the way the Ketapang Port (the same route as Baluran National Park).
Even if I could go, I may not be able to return to the hotel due to a heavy traffic jam. Actually, I wasn’t disappointed, because I honestly felt the park wasn’t interesting.
If you feel the same, there are many beach and water activities in Banyuwangi, such as:
- Red Island for its beautiful sunset
- Snorkeling in Menjangan Island and Tabuhan Island
- Visit Meru Betiri National Park for sea turtle sanctuary
- Surfing in G-Land aka Plengkung Beach (one of the world’s best places to surf)
But I don’t like water activities, so I made my own itinerary. Oh ya, talking about fate. Apparently, My Chemical Romance’s 2nd day concert ticket sale happened during my solo trip.
Since I travelled alone and booked a private tour, I could alter my itinerary as I wanted. I intentionally set the city tour on the same day as the ticket sale, so I could join the ticket war 🔥 🖤 🔥
I told Rudi, my driver cum tour guide, to pick me up at 11 am. That would be 12pm in Malaysia, and I figured if I didn’t get the category that I wanted, I would stop.
My friend had promised to help me buy the ticket. But I saw he was on a business trip, so I thought I should also join the ticket war, just in case.
Before I went for breakfast, I turned on my laptop and logged into the ticket account. Then I went down for breakfast. The ticket will be sold at 10am.
In the middle of breakfast, I saw the tour operator’s FB post that they had opened the queue for buying the ticket!! I rushed to my hotel room and joined the queue from my laptop + phone 🔥 😤 🔥
Did I get the MCR’s 2nd day ticket? HELL YEAAAHHHH!!! 🤘 🤘 🤘 🖤 🖤 🖤
Actually, it was a bittersweet memory as I used a part of my travel budget to buy the concert ticket. Since I’m very short, I bought the VVIP ticket so I could see their expressions close up.
It was quite a big dent in my travel budget… But luckily, a few weeks later, I suddenly had a business trip to Cyprus!!
So, I packed enough clothes (no laundry) and gave myself a low daily budget (much lower than the daily allowance given by my company) to cover my concert ticket. I’m so happy 😁 😁 😁
Alright, enough with the intermezzo! So, here’s my itinerary for a relaxing, Banyuwangi solo trip city tour:
- Visit Osing Bamboo Resort and Teras Hotel Ijen – for architecture and photography
- Eat Banyuwangi’s traditional dish – for my case, rujak soto
- Snacks and souvenir shopping at Ratu Osing
- Visit Omang Osing Banyuwangi – beautiful traditional house, perfect for a photo shoot
- Watch traditional Gandrung dance show & dinner at Waroeng Kemarang (Saturdays only)
Osing Bamboo Resort, Banyuwangi: Stopping By for the Au Naturel Design
Alright, after filling up my stomach, it’s time to move my body a bit. First stop: Osing Bamboo Resort, Banyuwangi!
This resort is on the same way as Teras Hotel Ijen and located right in front of Waroeng Kemarang. My car passed by this resort a few times, and I was always curious what it looked like inside.
Soon we reached Osing Bamboo Resort, Banyuwangi, and got out of the car. I asked the hotel staff for permission to look around and take some photos.
By now, Rudi has gotten used to taking photos with my Canon DSLR 📸 📸 📸
CLARA10
At first, I wanted to order a drink from the restaurant, but I was very full. I asked Rudi if he wanted to order anything, but he had already taken his coffee and breakfast.
Then, a family came and ordered some food, making the waiters and waitresses busy. So I thanked them and headed off 🚗 🚗 🚗
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Admiring the Architecture of Teras Hotel Ijen, Banyuwangi
Next stop: Teras Hotel Ijen, Banyuwangi! This hotel had a modern, minimalist design. I especially liked the contemporary exterior design that looked like a super long container hotel, infused with a paddy field.
If you have enough budget for your Banyuwangi solo trip, you can stay in different hotels to have different experiences.
Actually, Teras Hotel Ijen Banyuwangi is very near the Ijen Crater, so you can get more sleep before the blue fire hike. However, the price is much higher than El Hotel Banyuwangi.
I found the architecture and interior design of Teras Hotel Ijen Banyuwangi interesting. The hotel staff were also friendly, they let me took some photos in the lobby area too.
However, from the reviews, I read that the hotel breakfast was just okay. Also, there were no gym and spa there.
CLARA10
If you ask me, I would choose El Hotel Banyuwangi for its price, comfort, breakfast, and facilities.
However, staying one night at Teras Hotel Ijen Banyuwangi before your Ijen hike will give you a different experience. Especially the rooms here have a balcony that overlooks the paddy field 😊
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Lunch at the Famous Rujak Soto Losari, Banyuwangi
It was around 1:30pm and I finally felt hungry. Hmm, what should I have for lunch today? I picked up my phone and searched for “Banyuwangi traditional food”.
Besides sego tempong and kue cucur, you should also try rujak soto when in Banyuwangi.
Rujak soto is a combination of rujak (vegetable salad with peanut sauce) and soto (soup with spiced herbs and chicken/beef).
In some places, they will separate the soto so you can have it like a soup. But it’s common in Banyuwangi to have the dish served on one plate.
Driving from Teras Hotel Ijen Banyuwangi to Rujak Soto Losari, it was quite far. Luckily, we managed to reach there before it closed at 3pm!
It wasn’t my favourite food, but it tasted okay. Besides rujak soto, I also ordered a refreshing dessert. Yummy~ 😋 😋 😋
Me: “Have you been here, Rudi?”
Rudi: “No.”
Me: “So, what do you think of Rujak Soto Losari? Is it nice?”
Rudi: “For me, I like mine with separate soup. Sometimes the ones that I ate at small road stalls taste better than this one.”
Me: 😮
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Souvenir Shopping at Ratu Osing, Banyuwangi
Since I had nothing to do until the Gandrung Dance show at 7pm, I asked Rudi to send me to a souvenir shop. When we were on the way, I googled where I could see osing, a traditional Banyuwangi house.
The one that I wanted to visit actually had a cafe and was famous for its coffee. However, it only took reservations and there was a minimum number of people required.
So, I went to Instagram and found a very beautiful osing. It said I had to make a reservation a few days before, but I tried my luck and – yaaay!
Luckily, nobody booked the house for a photo shoot that day, so the owner agreed to meet me there at 4pm.
Ratu Osing turned out to be more than just a souvenir shop, but also a popular bakery and restaurant. There were many international travellers there, eating Indonesian food for lunch.
I didn’t try the breads at Ratu Osing, but they looked good. Oh, I softly poked the breads, they were soft and looked yummy, hehe!
So, what did I buy there? I bought an elegant zebra long dress. The material was very soft and cooling, I thought it would be good to wear it when I go to Egypt.
Alright, it was 3:30pm. It’s time to make a move to Omah Osing Banyuwangi! 🚗 🚗 🚗
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Visit a Beautiful Traditional House, Omah Osing Banyuwangi
We arrived at Omah Osing Banyuwangi just before 4pm. The owner was just finished work and were on the way.
Even the gate itself was beautiful! I could peek a little bit inside; it had a lush garden and peaceful design, built and decorated with mostly wood.
Finally, a couple on a motorbike arrived.
Amalia (owner): “Hello, are you Clara?”
Me: “Yes! Hello, nice to meet you. Thank you so much for responding to my last-minute request 😊”
Amalia: “It’s okay… Sorry to keep you waiting, I just finished work.”
Me: “Oh, no worries!”
Amalia: “Ok, let’s go inside!”
Amalia’s husband opened the gate for us and we walked into the house. Rudi and I were instantly amazed with the architecture and interior design – but before that, the garden!
The garden was so lush and neat! And there was a sculpted bush, adding an artistic touch to the beautiful osing, traditional Banyuwangi house.
Since I used my own mobile phone and DSLR (unprofessional photo shoot), the entrance fee was Rp.100.000,00 (around RM26 / 6 USD), valid for 3 people.
Honestly, I didn’t know where to start. Every corner of the house looked so beautiful. I loved the traditional touch!
For my own photos, I gave Rudi my mobile phone as he felt more comfortable using it than my DSLR. The results were nice. Luckily I wore a green shirt, it matched well with Omah Osing Banyuwangi’s vibe!
After taking photos and videos, I sat down beside Amalia to know more about Omah Osing Banyuwangi.
CLARA10
Amalia: “Actually, my dad wanted to buy my mom a car. But she didn’t want, so he bought this house and renovated it for a weekend house.”
Me: “Wow…! How nice of him!”
Amalia: “Yes. Before that, it wasn’t like this. We started building Omah Osing Banyuwangi in 2018. My dad, who loves art, is the one who designed and decorated this house.”
Me: “Really? That’s amazing…! It’s so artistic and I love the Javanese feel!”
Amalia: “Thank you ☺️ This house isn’t 100% pure Banyuwangi traditional house. He mixes the Osing and Madura tribes into the architecture.”
Me: “What about the interior design? Like, the furniture, the carving, etc…?”
Amalia: “My dad bought the furniture from various places. For example, this hanging lamp was bought in Semarang.”
“And then, one day in 2020, a family member asked our permission to borrow the house for a pre-wedding photo shoot. As we seldom stay in this house, so, why not?
“Since then, I started marketing this house as Omah Osing Banyuwangi, where people can rent it for pre-wedding, wedding, graduation, or family photo shoot.”
Me: “I see… yes, that’s a wonderful idea! It’s such a waste to let this house be empty.”
Amalia: “Exactly. And if the clients want, we can recommend some photographers, costume rental, and makeup artists.”
Me: “Woah… that’s a complete package! Thank you so much for sharing the story with me 😊 🙏”
Amalia: “You’re welcome, thank you too for coming 😊 🙏”
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Watch Free Gandrung Dance Performance Every Saturday at Waroeng Kemarang, Banyuwangi
Pheew, we were at Omah Osing Banyuwangi for almost around 1.5 hours! Time flew so fast~~
Now, let’s head to the last destination of my Banyuwangi city tour: Waroeng Kemarang! At this restaurant, there’s a free Gandrung dance performance every Saturday at 7pm – 10pm.
The distance from Omah Osing Banyuwangi to Waroeng Kemarang was quite far, but luckily, we managed to reach there on time.
Even before the dance started, the seats were almost full. Again, lucky me, there was an empty seat in the front row, left side. It wasn’t in the middle, but that’s ok 🙏
I ordered my food and enjoyed the dance. Suddenly, a stranger (man) came and sat beside me 👀
This uncle was sitting at the back. I thought, oh, maybe he wanted to watch the Gandrung dance performance closer. So I didn’t mind.
But then he started playing some videos from TikTok! So I told him, “I’m sorry, I can’t listen to what the emcee’s saying.”
Then he reluctantly stopped. #mytablemyrule 😏
I had a wonderful time having dinner while watching the Gandrung dance performance at Waroeng Kemarang. Although it was free, people could leave tips for the dancers and musicians 😊
I wished I could stay longer to enjoy the performance, but I had to get ready at midnight for the creme de la creme of my Banyuwangi solo trip… The blue fire Ijen!
Since my hotel was quite far from Ijen, I had to depart at midnight. I hoped I could get a deep sleep for few hours… also, luckily, Rudi helped me book “human taxis” for the Ijen hike 😄 😄 😄
Clara, why did you book human taxis for the Ijen hike? Won’t it be more memorable if you hike yourself?
I had valid reasons, guys… which I will share with you in the next blog post, hehe! Ok, thank you for reading this blog. Have a great weekend! 🌼 🌼 🌼
CLARA10
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