Javanese atmosphere in the big city

A calm and traditional atmosphere is all around at Jadul Village, a new resort in Lembang area, Bandung. JP/Triwik Kurniasari

Villas, dining spots and spas offering unique and natural ambience are familiar sights for those driving to the Lembang resort area in Bandung, West Java.

A new resort — Jadul Village — is a new addition to the popular area. 

Located on the corner of Jl. Terusan Sersan Bajuri, the place at first glance may not make much of an impression. It’s like any other place with security officers checking in arriving guests. But once you get deeper into the area, you begin to feel there is something better coming.

If you want to be pampered while enjoying a calm and traditional atmosphere, it’s a perfect getaway place.

The word jadul literally means old-fashioned. Inside, you will see traditional wooden Javanese-style buildings on the 3.5-hectare resort complex.

Up front, there is a pendopo — a large pavilion-like structure built on wooden columns, which serves as the lobby, surrounded by fish pond. 

A stroll along the paved streets is enough to explore what the resort has to offer. 

A number of rice mortars are scattered on the garden, while wood, which is usually used during karapan sapi cow racing tournament popular in the East Java town of Madura, can also be found outside. 

The resort’s 21 villas are strongly influenced by old Javanese houses with three distinctive types: gebyog (small), joglo (middle) and limasan (large). 

Those who have lived in villages, especially in Central and East Java, must be familiar with the villas’ interior designs, architectural styles and the antique-style furniture with modern touches here and there.

Inside each villa, a guest can admire gebyog wooden room partitions, large wooden seats, antique cabinets and low chairs. The houses are mostly comprised of teak wood that has been aged for hundreds of years. 

The things that differentiate each villa are their sizes, furniture and facilities. 

Most of the stuff, including the wood and ornaments, were taken from the Central Java cities of Semarang and Yogyakarta, Jadul Village’s general manager Danu Hari Kadriyanto said.

Bathtub in Villa Joglo. Courtesy of Jadul Village

The bathtubs and wash basins are made from rocks that are bisected and hollowed out to resemble half-cracked coconut shells. 

The tiles are typical of old-style ones, but specially ordered since they are no longer widely produced in the market, and feel naturally cool for our feet. 

Balinese-style gates are built in some spots to give a Balinese touch. 

For guests who want to pamper themselves in a bid to chase away stress and stiff muscles, Jadul Village has some spa treatments to choose from. 

The owner put used wooden railroad ties linking the villas to the spa. The tropical garden and ponds full of lotus flowers strengthen the calm and relaxing nuances. 

Jadul Village also has an array of cuisine to serve guests through its D’Jadul Restaurant. The restaurant offers traditional and international dishes served in beautifully scenic natural surroundings. 

The main dining area is situated on the second story, right above the lounge and bar, from which you can see beyond the Jadul Village area and the flower and vegetables plantations run by nearby residents as far as one can see. 

Here you can take a look at vintage stuff, like herbal crushers, charcoal irons, teapots, frying pans, ceramic tea sets, multiple-unit containers locally known as rantang and water containers, which date to the Dutch colonial era. 

Glass jars filled with rice and traditional spices are arranged neatly on the shelves. 

Signature dishes on offer include iga bakar samin (grilled beef spare ribs infused with soya samin oil accompanied with soya chili sauce, rice and fresh raw vegetables), iga tutug oncom (grilled ribs served with wrapped rice), nasi goreng iga bumbu rendang (fried rice with ribs and spicy sauce) and nasi campur van jadul (rice with Balinese duck, satay, grilled fish, egg and Balinese long beans served with spicy sauce and nut crackers). The iga bakar samin tastes good even though it takes more effort to chop the meaty part from the bones. 

To quench your thirst, guests can opt for hot or cold drinks. Traditional hot drinks such as wedang secang (a combination of shrub, cloves, ginger, lemongrass and cinnamon), bandrek karuhun (ginger, coconut crumb and palm sugar) and gebyok no. 2 (lemongrass and pandan leaves) are perfect in the cool surroundings. 

The restaurant also serves its very own cool exotic drinks with unique traditional names, such as limasan eyang (a blend of buttered fermented cassava, fermented glutinous rice, fresh milk, vanilla ice cream and honey) and ijo royo-royo (a mixture of veggies, apple, orange and pineapple). 

Guests don’t have to sit and enjoy their food in the main dining area because the restaurants have others spots in the form of traditional houses, which also feature old decorations and ornaments.

The plus points of having meal in the restaurant are that you can breathe fresh air, while enjoying the green scenery and traditional nuance. 

But if you think of taking your kids to this place, you’d better think twice because this place is more suitable for couples and honeymooners.

source