I am not a big fan of Mie Ayam (chicken noodle). Yes, that common Indonesian dish with seasoned yellow wheat noodles completed with boiled vegetables and sweet stir-fried chunks of chicken breast. But when I savour it in a place where I can view the mountain right in front of me and breath the cold windy air, it's totally a game changer. *wink 

In an attempt to spend more quality time with my family, my daughter and I joined my husband at his company's training and seminar event at the the Aston Lake Sentul ("Aston"). I spent my work from home moments on Thursday and Friday working and managing my team at this 4+ star hotel and resort. 

Situated just a few hours from Jakarta, Aston offers a sublime and undulating mountain view. It nestled on a hilly part of Sentul, standing tall next to an amusement park called Taman Budaya, and surrounded by many local artistic eating joints. This include the famous Kopi Oey where millennials love to go. 

The hotel is huge and equipped with many facilities ranging from spa, kids playground, mini gym to outdoor swimming pools. They offer plenty of activities too for adults and kids. These include animal feeding, canoeing, jogging, and many others. As I mostly work, I did not have the chance to try one of those, but I did accompany my daughter swimming and she loved it very much. She always cried when it's time to take a bath. 

We stayed at a standard 32 sqm room. The room is spacious enough, completed with a small refrigerator, tv, wardrobe and en-suite bathroom. We were lucky because the committee for the seminar provide us a standard room with direct access to swimming pool. This way we don't need to take the elevator up and down and can avoid the crowds, big time!

The hotel provides a wide variety of breakfast, but they focus mainly on Indonesian dish. From lontong sayur, bubur ayam, mie ayam, to nasi goreng one will never feel bored at breakfast time. They also taste delicious. I gained 0.6 kg after devouring different dish everyday during our stay. Oh, well! 😆😅

"Excuse Mam, sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but would you mind telling us your personal experience staying at our hotel?" I was surprised that the hotel takes a really pro-active approach in ensuring the delivery of service quality. I told them that generally, I did enjoy my stay at Aston, but I must admit at times it took a while for me to reach out their reception or housekeeping staff. Not sure if they are lack of staff. I know that the pandemic hits hospitality sector very bad and it is understandable if inadequate staffing exits.

The two dapper front office lady and gentleman took my feedback very openly. They even apologised for the not-so-good experience I had. They said they would ensure that phone calls will be answered quickly. Let's hope that the next time I stay here, I will see rapid improvement. 

The hotel has several villas that are located in a small man-made lake. I love the view of little white ducks swimming around the lake or just sunbathing on the shore. It feels so relaxing. 

the villa

mie ayam

swimming pool