Omah Kecebong, Yogyakarta – My Wonderful Homestay Experience

When I clicked the “book now” button and did my payment for two nights at Omah Kecebong in Agoda, I was expecting a homestay experience in an outskirt area of Yogyakarta surrounded by paddy fields and a beautiful sunset. What I got instead, was ten-folds more than what I expected and I could easily say that this place is definitely a bang for your buck!

Getting There

Located at Sleman, Yogyakarta, the easiest way to reach the place is by taking a taxi or a GoJek directly to the place. I hired a Go-Jek which drove me from Malioboro town right to the homestay, a journey of 45 minutes which only costs me IDR30,000 (USD3).

If you prefer to take the bus, take the Trans-Yogya bus to Jombor bus station and get in touch with the team from Omah Kecebong when you reach there. They will send someone to pick you up from the bus station. Here’s the Web Page: Omah Kecebong Homestay.

My Personal Experience in Omah Kecebong

I arrived at Omah Kecebong at about 7pm (it gets dark there at 6pm) after a 45 minutes motorbike ride in the pouring rain amidst the crazy traffic at Yogyakarta. I was a bit frustrated of course for various reasons which I won’t get into. When I stepped into the compounds, I was greeted by one of the member of Omah Kecebong that came to receive me with an umbrella and a big smile.

“Mr.Mike! We have been waiting for you! Have a drink! It’s our homestay’s organic fruit juice blend!”

With a welcome like that, how can you even stay frustrated? Within minutes, I was led to my room which was an old village house which was renovated internally into a BEAUTIFUL room for the guests! It looks like any other village house from the inside but I was WOW-ed when I took my first step into the room. Air-conditioned room with a super single bed, fully tiled bathroom with overhead rain shower, LED TV and hot water waiting in the flask alongside tea bags for your indulgent. Imagine a large hotel room with a wooden interior. That’s what I got myself into and I loved every second of it!

I was famished by the time I cleaned up and dried down so I decided to head to their kitchen for some food. One of the highlight of the stay was the food. In fact, locals from Yogyakarta and even Jakarta comes to this place for the food! There were featured in a lot of local publications and their food is one of the most highly commented entity of the homestay experience. That night, I was served with Kripik Lompong and Lemper, two food that I have yet to try despite being in Yogyakarta for 6 days already and it tasted marvelous.

Kripik Lompong is one of their best sellers in fact and if you need to imagine, it’s like potato chips but instead of potato, they used a plant called Lompong, sliced it up, added their own secret recipe (of course) and fried it. The result? Crunchy fragrant chip-like snacks that keeps your mouth busy for as long as it exists. Lemper on the other hand is a Indonesian traditional snack which is made from sticky rice or actually -beras ketan- with chicken or -abon- shredded inside and wrapped by banana leaves. I’ll call it a meal after these “snacks” because they are VERY filling!

The next morning, I got a better (and brighter) view of the whole homestay compound. Mr.Hasan, the owner of Omah Kecebong was nice enough to take time off his busy schedule to bring me around his area, telling me of his future plans and where he sees the whole homestay going. Omah Kecebong is termed as a “guest house & hortikultura” place in Yogykarta, guest house for obvious reasons but why hortikultura?

“See all those fruits on the tree? You can eat them directly! Go, pluck them.” 

Thinking that I am going to be trolled again, I played along and plucked a green lime-lookalike fruit from the tree. Mr.Hasan told me that you don’t even have to peel it or wash it. Eat it straight. Here we go. This is going to be bad. I put it in my mouth, took my first bite and the sweetness of the fruit engulfs the interior of my mouth. It tasted like a freshly peeled orange, juicy and sweet at the same time. It was different. I had never seen a fruit like that before, more so ate one without peeling off the skin.

“All the fruits in our farm is grown organically. They are ready to be eaten from the tree and are 100% pesticide free!”

We spent the next hour going through every single plant that they have in the homestay compound with me gobbling down a variety of fruits that I have never seen before in Malaysia. Mr.Hasan was a walking plant dictionary and knows every single one of them by heart and by function!

Omah Kecebong is one of the most perfect end you can have to a relaxing holiday. Built beside a range of paddy fields, they have equipped the place with bamboo huts and wooden verandahs, all the the right places. One could only imagine how relaxing it is to sit there and enjoy the morning sun while sipping on a cup of ginger tea prepared by the team. And I was blessed with the luxury to do just that.

They have creatively made the place an actual fun place for a family outing, with traditional games and art activities for both the young and adults. During my time there, visitors was coming in all the time for a visit and I chanced upon speaking to a few of them which was of course in their jolly holiday mood. Kids were smiling, ladies was taking pictures and men was relaxing with a cup of tea. Such is the experience that I had in Omah Kecebong. In fact, I was enjoying myself just sitting there and relaxing for the whole day!

Facilities At Omah Kecebong

• Bicycle for the guest – perfect for riding around the village
• Wifi – very good speed in fact
• Front desk
• Cafe
• Hammock (such a blessing)
• Plants for you to pick fruits from!
• Car for hire
• Tour guide for hire
• Tour packages

More pictures of the place:

If you are looking for a relaxing getaway from the city life of Yogyakarta, I have only one advice for you. Head here. You will NOT regret it and trust me, for all the above, the price will surprise you! Check your latest pricing at the link below:

Here’s a BONUS that I just received from the team at Omah Kecebong!

If you want better rates for your stay there, contact them directly! They are willing to give discounts to those who get in touch with them directly via email! Here’s their website: Omah Kecebong’s Website