The Singhasari Resort

Rooms and decor

Picture a large resort set up in the highland town of Batu: an airy lobby that opens onto a pool deck with hillside views, and a cool mountain breeze drifting in when you wake up. That's the appeal of The Singhasari Resort, a 5-star property that takes its name from the Singhasari kingdom, an old power in East Javanese history. Rooms are done in a warm, easy-on-the-eye contemporary resort style and run roomier than the usual standard, and many have a balcony or large window looking out to green hills and the resort's pool. Beds are soft and suited to sleeping in the cool highland air. Plenty of reviews praise the rooms as clean, spacious and genuinely holiday-like rather than just somewhere to crash. With its large scale and open grounds, the overall feel leans toward a warm, lively family resort, good for settling in several nights with family or arriving as a big group. Walk in and see kids running around the pool and you'll get the point right away: this place is built for the whole family to have fun.

Food and amenities

If this resort has a heart, it's the outdoor pool deck the kids barely want to leave. The headline feature is the pool with a slide for little ones to splash down all day in the cool mountain air, plus a kids' play area for burning off more energy on dry land, which lets parents relax with a drink poolside. There's a fitness room for a light workout, and being a large resort, it has big meeting and banquet space for conferences and events. But the part reviews praise most is the breakfast buffet, a full spread of classic Indonesian and Western dishes, varied enough that several mornings in people say they still aren't bored, served in a restaurant with easy hillside views. What warms the picture further is the friendly staff: review after review agrees on smiling welcomes, helpful service and special attention to kids. Plenty of families say that just staying in to swim, eat and relax fills a whole day with no need to head out.

Location and getting there

The location is a dream for families who want easy theme-park days in Batu. The resort sits in the Beji/Junrejo area of Batu, a highland getaway town known for cool air year-round and mountain views all around. The handiest part is the short drive to Jawa Timur Park, a popular theme and water park kids love, plus Museum Angkut, the quirky vehicle museum that's a favorite photo spot in Batu, with several other parks and sights close by, and the central square (Alun-Alun Batu) lively in the evening with food stalls. For longer trips, Batu has no train station, so most people take the train to Malang Kota Baru (Tugu) station in Malang, then drive up the mountain another 30-45 minutes. If you're planning sunrise at Mount Bromo, you can arrange a separate tour or transfer, but know that Batu sits on the opposite side from the usual Bromo routes, so it suits people who want to focus on cool air and theme parks first, then split off to Bromo another day.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide: first, this is a large resort popular with families and groups, so long weekends and high season get busy. The pool and the breakfast restaurant can be crowded in the morning, with some queuing, and service may slow when guest numbers are high, so if you like quiet and privacy, skip the peak dates or go midweek. Second is the mountain location: the resort is in Batu, about 30-45 minutes from Malang city, with no train station in Batu, so if you want to walk around old Malang or use the train often, factor in the drive up and down, and if Bromo is your main goal it's farther than staying in Malang. Third is the resort's condition: the building has been open a while and is fairly large, and some reviews feel a few details are starting to look dated compared with brand-new hotels. If you expect everything spotless and new, adjust expectations a little and focus on the pool fun and family atmosphere instead.

Our take

From reading through real guest reviews, The Singhasari Resort delivers friendly service, a generous breakfast buffet and family fun with confidence: an outdoor pool with a slide, a kids' play area, spacious grounds, roomy clean rooms, a varied Indonesian-and-Western breakfast and warm staff, plus a location near Jawa Timur Park and Museum Angkut in cool-aired Batu, so you can plan a whole family trip from one base at a friendly price. If your mental picture is bringing the kids to splash on the slide, hit the theme parks, then come back for a big breakfast in the mountain air, this is a strong fit. But if you're a couple after a stylish, quiet boutique, or you want a main base for Bromo, the mountain location and large scale may not be the best match. Overall we give it 8.9/10, best for families and groups who want to relax, do the theme parks and soak up the mountain air in Batu.