오니 호텔

If you are a connoisseur of eccentric hotels then you will enjoy this place: it has themed floors. We stayed on the Javanese floor; the Balinese, Chinese and Middle Eastern floors were shuttered, presumably a casualty of the slow post-pandemic recovery. The European floor, while open for business, is mainly meeting rooms of various sizes with some rooms for guests. The investment in design features and fittings must have been astronomical at the time and everything still looks good, almost as if only recently installed. The room we had was small but had all the usual equipment except a mini-fridge. The TV was all domestic channels, the towels somewhat worn, similar to the bedding and the upholstery on the sturdy club chairs and the AC seemingly in need of a service but it was quiet and peaceful and we found it comfortable and pleasant, so much so that a couple of nights turned into seven and we were reluctant to leave. It's walking distance to BTM and even PGB and the main gate of the Botanical Gardens, if you don't mind the roar of traffic, not to mention all the banks, McD's and a Circle K convenience store in the post office with a controlled crosswalk, although the motorists beg to differ about the "controlled" aspect; still, it's a nice touch and a sign of "progress". The room service menu at Onih is brief but the offerings well cooked, surprisingly, and there are good enough places to eat nearby, such as the New Ajieb Tea (odd name) next to the railway line serving excellent laksa Bogor (not easy to find) for a song. Plus of course the redoubtable Sunset Favela, formerly Salak, for a quiet drink in pleasant surroundings.

A nice place to get away from the humdrum of home without breaking the bank. While it bills itself as "luxury and simplicity", in reality they are not in equal proportions; rather weighted toward the latter, especially the quality of the linen and towels and the level of cleanliness of the walls in the rooms. The fittings err on the side of the former. So it seems perhaps the owners are unwilling to invest to refurbish and maintain the "luxury", preferring to let the place slowly run down , with prices reflecting the change in direction. Hence, it's nice because the rooms are quiet and larger than most, with windows that open, and the wooden fittings and design features on the variously themed floors are delightful. Plus the location is very handy for various destinations like banks, malls, shops, eateries, schools. But what's not so nice are the linen and towels and room cleanliness: not plush and not sparkling. Overall, it makes an affordable bolt hole.

Ok