The distance between Yabbiekayu and the airport is 18klms. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes from Yabbiekayu to the airport depends on the traffic.

The best transportation from the airport to Yabbiekayu is by taxi. You can catch a taxi from around $10-12 from the official Taxi counter on your right as you leave the baggage claim after the exit gate. Just tell the driver to take you to Tembi in Sewon Bantul and call ahead so our staff can meet you OR we could send you directions in Bahasa Indonesia with the google maps location prior to your arrival via email, Whatsapp messenger, or SMS to your number when you confirmed your booking.

The train station is closer to Yabbiekayu than the airport. It is about 10klms. With a taxi/car, it takes 30 minutes to drive.

Airport, railway station, or bus station pick-up can be arranged on request, and there will be an extra charge for airport or train station pick-up. The cost of airport or train station pick up from Yabbiekayu will be higher than the taxi meter rates as we work together with the local transport rental in the village as it is one of our core values to contribute to the village people and this cost they use to maintain the quality of the car and driver. The drivers we are working with are able to speak English and also could work for our guests as tour guides.

If you are traveling on a budget then a taxi meter is a good idea as in Jogja the fare is cheap, but if you love to contribute to the village community we are working with then let us know so we can arrange a pick up from the local transport provider.

Yabbiekayu is about 2 hours drive from the magical amazing Buddhist temple Borobudur and about 1-hour drive to the ancient Hindu temple Prambanan and the smaller temples surrounding it. Again, we could help you organise a private car with an English-speaking driver, or we could book a taxi meter for you. Renting a motorbike is also a good idea if you are quite adventurous and have experience riding a motorbike in Indonesia before (international license required). We’re also renting out automatic scooters/motorbikes. If you like to rent bicycles we are hiring them as well at a great rate.

To get to the center of the city, you can catch a taxi from Yabbiekayu and it takes only 15-20 minutes to drive. Taxis are always easy to book and they are very reliable. Yabbiekayu staff are always very happy to book you a taxi and happy to explain to your taxi driver where you’d like to go.

We run a small restaurant where you can order your breakfast, lunch, or dinner anytime you need. You either can have your meal in the restaurant or we can deliver it to your bungalow with a small surcharge.
If you are allergic to any kind of ingredients our staff is always happy to adjust the menu, especially for you to suit your need.
For a more detailed description of our food and restaurant, please read the link here.

In Tembi village you can find a few places to eat including international and local food. There are 3 restaurants you can try including Yabbiekayu Restaurant (we serve international and local options), D’Omah Restaurant (serves Indonesian and international food), and Tambak Segaran at Tembi House of Culture (specialise in Javanese food). If you like to eat like locals, you can try Nasi Rames at Warung Mala Kuliner (open only from 9 am to 3 pm), Fried Duck Pak Dono (open from 11,30 am to 9 pm), Javanese noodles just south of Leksa Ganesha Batik Workshop, Javanese Chicken Rice Porridge Warung, etc.
If you are interested to explore the local food in Jogjakarta and like to try some local delicacies, we are happy to give you some suggestions of where good places with good food in town.

Yes sure. We are happy to help you arrange an itinerary and book the transport to get to anywhere you feel interested to go. We are working together with a local transport provider so we could easily be arranging a private car with an English-speaking driver for you.

Here are some places worth visiting during your time in Jogja:
– Prambanan Hindu temples and surrounds: Ratu Boko, Plaosan, Ijo, Kalasan, etc.
– Borobudur temple in Magelang
– Sultan’s palace and Water Castle in the center of town
– Sunrise at Merapi area includes a lava tour (cruising around Merapi with 4WD)
– Sunrise or Sunset at Mangunan Hill fruit plantation
– Traditional markets and shopping in the city around Jalan Malioboro
– White sand beaches in Gunung Kidul area (including Ngobaran, Sepanjang, Indrayanti, Timang, Watu Kodok, Kukup, and Krakal)
– Caving and tubing at caves in Gunung Kidul
– Bird watching and exploring the forest in Merapi, Trisik Beach, and the unique bird species at the Prambanan area.
– Kotagede the silversmith’s village
– Biking pass the villages to The King’s Graveyard in Imogiri
– Old cigar factory at the center of Yogyakarta city
– Old traditional handwoven factory in Kampung Krapyak
– Strolling around Kampung Code in the city to experience the uniqueness and the beauty of its architecture
– Seeing alternative and traditional attractions such as the ladyboy cabaret show, Ramayana Ballet, shadow puppet, and wayang orang.
– Kasongan the pottery village (as well as joining the ceramic course)
– Visiting Various Museums including Sonobudoyo Museum, Horse Cart Museum, Batik Museum, Ullen Sentalu Museum, and other museums around Jogja.

Yes, there are some activities you can do in the village:

Inhouse Massage

Yabbiekayu staff are happy to arrange an in-house massage in your bungalow. We hire a local traditional masseuse who lives in the village and is well known for her incredible massage technic. She does deep-tissue massage and body scrubs, and if you are interested to try the Javanese coining therapy she will be happy to do that for you. You can order one hour to one-and-a-half-hour massage. If you like to have more options for massages and spa treatments we are happy to book you to D’Omah Spa which is only 5 minutes walk from Yabbiekayu.

Biking through villages to Imogiri King’s Graveyard

This tour is run and managed by the Tembi village youth. You will get a local person who’s happy to guide you by bike passing along the beautiful roads in the villages toward the Imogiri Royal graveyard, stopping by at a local warung to enjoy lunch, and coming back to Yabbiekayu.
The bike tour schedule is based on your request but we recommend you start this tour at 8.30 am or 2.30 pm.

Learn How to Make Batik Painting

You can join a class on how to make batik painting at Leksa Ganesha Batik Workshop just 5 minutes walk from Yabbiekayu. You can choose to be in the short course which is only 2-3 hours, or enroll in a full-day class, or if you plan to stay for a long term you can have a few days of the batik-making sessions.

Walk or Jog Around the Village

Here in Tembi village, the road is very safe and the people are very welcoming. It is suitable for you to walk or even jog. Do not be afraid to explore and be lost as it’s very difficult to be lost. People in the village will help you to find your back if you got confused about where to go.

If you like to jog, here in Yabbiekayu we have a running club. Anyone can join this club. We regularly run together after work hours (after 5 pm). The route for our run is the village road around Tembi. If you are an advanced runner, you can run for 3-5km and if you are a beginner you can run for only 1.7 km. Please bring your running shoes and join running with us at Yabbiekayu running club. You can check the Yabbiekayu running club’s schedule with our GRO on duty 🙂

Learn to Cook Indonesian Food

Yabbiekayu kitchen staff are happy to assist you to cook your Indonesian favorite dish or you can simply choose two dishes from our cooking course menu and learn step-by-step how to create them. You either can start the lesson at 11.30 am or 3.30 pm.

Tempe Making Course with the locals

If you are one of tempe’s biggest fans and would like to experience and learn how to make them, we are happy to arrange a visit to one of the local’s homes where tempe is being produced. You’ll get the chance to have interesting chat about how the local people live their life during your tempe-making lesson and get a very valuable recipe for this amazing soybean dish directly from the makers!

Joining the Fishing Competition with the locals in the Village

Here in the village, we have a unique activity every day. Usually in the afternoon or early evening men likes to gather in the community fish pond to have a fishing competition. The pond usually has grown catfish, gouramis, or gold fishes. Once a day there will be a few rounds of competition. The men will be given one hour to catch as many fish as possible with their own baits (some using pieces of bread, some putting worms, and some others using a fish pallet, basically it’s up to each person as their strategy to catch as many fish as possible). Each person has their own bucket filled up with water to place the fishes they caught. Once you caught the fish you will have to put them in. Once each round is over and the winner is announced the fishes caught will be released back into the pond.

One of the things that make us special is that we offer a sense of peace and calm, a quiet and relaxed village atmosphere. Of course, we would like you to have fun too. So if you feel like a party, especially at night, our friendly staff will gladly recommend the best venues in Jogja, and assist you in booking a taxi to get there. We would like you to consider other guests’ and the villagers’ peace and privacy. Please keep your noise down after 11 pm.

If you require a special dinner party arrangement or a small quiet party in the bungalow, it is of course very possible as long as you consider the privacy and peacefulness as per above. Please contact our management in advance and we will be more than happy to arrange this for you 🙂

Yes, indeed, we have no aircon in all of our bungalows. As an eco-villa, in our sustainability goals, we do everything we can to reduce waste, energy, and chemical consumption. We use only low-energy devices, such as low-energy-slow boiling kettles, fans instead of AC, and LED lights. We don’t supply hair dryers as standard, though hair dryers are available for rent. The average house in Tembi village has 450 watts maximum capacity so we try and ensure to use below or close to that.

Hence, to ensure your comfort, we designed our bungalows to be thermally comfortable; as it is built with tropics-specific insulation, radiant barriers, water-cooled floors, fans, shade, and ventilation so are generally quite comfortable. In every pond and water feature, we have fishes to control the population of mosquitos and we set up mosquito nets in our four poster beds that generally will ensure you from contact with mosquitos. Do not worry about having a lack of airflow inside your bed as we have small fans inside your mosquito nets that provide enough airflow to ensure a comfortable sleep. Other than that, there are always stocks of mosquito repellent lotion, mosquito coils, and electric mosquito rackets and mats in every bungalow.

There is basically no malaria in Java and you do not need to take pills for malaria. Dengue fever cases are more likely to be found. Dengue is something that can not be prevented by pills, but you will be safe from dengue mosquito bites by using mosquito repellent products and by cover-up your skin a bit. Dengue fever mosquito bites in the middle of the day, so applying mosquito repellent during the day is never a bad idea 🙂

As a city locates on the tropical island of Java the weather in Yogyakarta is generally quite warm. It generally pulls in a high amount of rainfall between January and April, will be quite humid with 90% humidity around October and November, and continue to have enough rain from November to February. Going by Yogyakarta weather patterns, the months of June and July are the best time as they remain quite cool and dry for the most part.

We are planning to build one large natural swimming pool. At the moment we have completed a smaller version of the pool (dipping pool) which locates in our newest bungalow (see the “Bungalows” page and look for 2 Bedroom Bungalows). It is a natural swimming pool where we have a natural filtration system with a biological filter that includes layers of sand, gravel, charcoal, plants, and fishes. Feel free to come and use the dipping pool at the 2 Bedroom Bungalow private yard whenever this bungalow is vacant, or you can book and stay in the 2 Bedroom Bungalow and the dipping pool will always be used at anytime you like 🙂

If you like to have a more decent swimming experience in a larger swimming pool, now there are 3 swimming pools in two neighboring hotels in Tembi that you can have access to as well as a Waterboom waterslide playground on the far edge of the village. The pools in the two nearby hotels are available for use by Yabbiekayu guests if you buy a drink or some food from their restaurants where we have also negotiated a discount.

We recommend guests wear comfortable lightweight clothing that respects local culture, covering past the knees and past the shoulders with not too much cleavage and t-shirt bras. For men, wearing pants that pass or cover knees and wearing a t-shirt is considered polite. Of course, the Javanese are famously tolerant and friendly so you don’t need to worry too much, but a bit of cultural respect always helps. Bringing a long scarf everywhere you go might be a great idea so you can cover your back if you feel needed.

As a small homestay locates in a small village on Java island where 90% of the villagers are moslem, a number of mosques can be found inside the village. Hence we are located at the edge of the village and the furthest from any mosques in the village we still can hear the call to prayer. It is not too loud generally but if you are a light sleeper feel free to use the earplugs we provide for you.

As an environmentally eco homestay on the edge of the village, near the rice fields, we proudly host a wide range of small animals such as butterflies, fireflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, moths, frogs, a few varieties of birds, squirrels, Javanese otters, voles and small reptiles as a yellow lizard, chameleons, and geckos. Mostly these animals are shy and do not disturb our guests but rather a part of the beautiful and unique experience with us.

Of course, snakes are part of any natural ecosystem and though very shy are rarely but occasionally seen near Yabbiekayu. Fortunately, most snakes in Java are harmless and due to their shy nature, they would not enter the bungalow. To further ensure the comfort of our guests we have designed the bungalows with a range of natural methods to reduce the possible disturbance to guests from pests. This includes using owls as a deterrent, plants such as lemongrass and citronella, incorporating moats and waterfalls, and keeping plants cut back from buildings.

We are though dedicated to being as ecologically as friendly as possible and hence we hope every guest will have the opportunity to encounter some wildlife during their visit. As you can see by our reviews aside from the odd annoying mosquito which we also supply repellent, fans, and mosquito nets, most of our guests enjoy this natural experience. Whether or not living in a natural setting like this suits your desire for this holiday trip to Jogja, only you can decide. We can only refer you to the positive reviews on trip advisor, Airbnb, and other websites that show living in harmony with nature has worked well for our guests.

We have hosted many families traveling with small children and so far they’re very happy with our place and service. Our garden has been a great playground for children to roam around and the village environment in fact is very child friendly. People in every community in Java and all across Indonesia basically adore children and they will consciously take care of every child. If you walk around the village you will find children playing together, riding bicycles, etc on the village streets and many of them we are sure interested to come and say hi to you. You also may expect the adult in the village to greet you and your child. Some might ask you to take pictures of them with you and your child and that’s a very common thing in Indonesia as they love to make contact and communicate with foreigners. They think your children are very cute! 🙂

If you are worried about how your child will cope with how the bungalow setup (for example ponds and steps), we are happy to set up a child protection gate in some possible areas.
We have trained our staff to be child friendly and if you need assistance in childminding we have trustworthy and skilled people you can hire as a babysitter or nannies during your stay.

Kids are really welcomed at almost all restaurants and while high chairs are not common, staff will always try to accommodate kids with meals, and play areas are common.