Tetebatu Indah Homestay

This was honestly one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I came to Tete Batu with a friend whilst travelling around Indonesia. We booked Tete Batu Indah homestay for two nights as it was the only one available within our price range, and ended up staying an extra night because we loved it so much! The homestay is run by Ron and Bramm, two lovely guys who made us feel at home instantly. Our room was very cosy, with a double bed, bathroom with shower and toilet including towels, and an outdoor seating area overlooking the beautiful forest. The communal area contained wifi, unlimited tea, coffee and filtered water, and too overlooked the gorgeous forest and mountain views. Ron advised us of the available trips, and we decided to do most of the them. Ron and Bramm took us via scooter to a nearby village called Loyok, where we saw the local women carry out traditional sarong making and bamboo weaving. This was amazing to see, especially as Loyok does not contain many tourists and so we felt we got a real view of a traditional Indonesian lifestyle. The following day Ron took us on a walk through the rice fields, monkey forest and to a waterfall where we could swim (please see pictures). The views were out of this world, and seeing the monkeys in their natural habitat was so worth it. Ron is a great tour guide with extensive knowledge of the whole village, continuously pointing things out to us and answering any questions we had. On our final day, we decided to learn the coconut oil making process and do a cooking class with the lovely women who help run the homestay. It was so good to see how coconut oil is traditionally made and to try making it; both me and my friend got a small bottle to take home with us after the process. The cooking class was truly authentic, we sat in the small kitchen where the women prepare all the food, and they taught us step by step how to make the Indonesian meals gado gado, olah olah and tofu curry. All of these activities were very reasonably priced and highly recommended, this goes for the food there aswell. Food is available both at the homestay and Ron's restaurant 5 mins aways - it is all so tasty, especially the vegetable lumpia, gado gado and fried banana! I am vegan and did not struggle to eat at all, as many dishes are prepared with coconut oil and do not contain meat or eggs. Overall our stay was refreshing, calming and just what we needed to get away from the tourist bustle of some other Indonesian areas, we didn't want to leave!