Road trip day! We hit the road at 8 a.m., thirty minutes later than planned. But honestly, who cares? There was no deadline, no race to win. As long as everyone was accounted for and nothing important was left behind, we were good. Bonus point: I actually slept well the night before, which meant as the navigator of this journey, wasn’t half-asleep behind the wheel feels like small but crucial victory.
Our first stop was at 9:30 a.m. at KM 57 rest area. The reason was simple and non-negotiable: coffee. My husband also needed to stop to do some office transfers, because work apparently travels with you now. While he was busy, I took Coffee Kenangan promo: buy two Toffee Nut Lattes, get one Americano free. Perfect timing, because my mom had specifically requested an Americano. Total damage: 50k. Cheap joy is still joy.
While my husband was still glued to his phone, I dragged my mom to participate at Jasa Marga survey. The prize? An umbrella. She was ridiculously happy because, surprise, she hadn’t brought one. The survey was easy, just a few questions, and suddenly my mom was walking around proudly with her new umbrella like she’d won a lucky draw. Small wins matter.
We continued on, with a few more pit stops for bathroom breaks and one slowdown due to an accident. Looked like a car had flipped, but thankfully it had been moved aside. Along the way, the weather couldn’t make up its mind. Rain, heat, rain again, heat again. We just took it as part of the ride, chatting, rotating stories, letting the road do its thing.
At 4:30 p.m. (yes, that late) we finally stopped for our first proper meal at Istana Mie & Es, Rest Area A 456 Salatiga. Someone had tipped me off that the ice portions here were massive. They were not lying. We ordered one portion of Es Istana, and five people attacked it, and still couldn’t finish. Total food and drinks for five: 195k. Not bad.
An hour later, we were back on the road. And here’s the fun part: this was a road trip with almost zero planning. The only fixed destinations were Kediri and Pacitan. Everything else? Go with the flow. No detailed itinerary, no hotel bookings in advance. Just packing done a few days earlier and a strong belief that we’d figure things out along the way.
The hesitation was real, though. Until the night before, I was still in wait-and-see mode because BMKG had been issuing extreme weather warnings. Landslides, flash floods... those words don’t exactly scream “holiday vibes.” After some research and asking around, I finally felt confident enough to go. The show must go on, right?
Somewhere on the road, I started looking for a place to stay. Very last minute. Initially, we thought of transiting in Salatiga, but every hotel was fully booked. Of course, Jakarta people everywhere. So we took a random turn and ended up choosing… Boyolali. Completely unplanned, totally random. But hey, still on the way, still counts as traveling.
At 6 p.m., we checked in at Hotel Pondok Asri Boyolali. My mom and the kids took the family room on the third floor with spacious balcony, while my husband and I stayed in a deluxe room on the ground floor. I deliberately chose a room where we could park right in front of it, because convenience is a love language.
The hotel itself was… okay. So-so. There were some flaws here and there, like slightly dull bedsheets. So dull that one of my kids refused to sleep on the bed (which hurt a little, considering we paid extra for that very bed). But the hospitality? Top-notch. Friendly, responsive staff who genuinely tried their best, and that deserves appreciation.
Peak season means double price, of course. The family room was 1 million, the deluxe around 600k. To make things more exciting, I had accidentally booked the wrong date on tiket.com; non-reschedule, non-refundable. But the hotel kindly adjusted the date anyway. Bless kind people.
We also got complimentary snacks: Pop Mie, bottled Savana tea, Garuda Pilus, Taro, and biscuits, all neatly matched to each room’s capacity. Breakfast was included too. Not bad at all.
At 7:30 p.m., we went out again for dinner. The original plan was Warung Iga Pak Pri, but no one answered the phone and when we got there, it was closed. Plan B was Bakso Malang Pak Slamet, but as we were on the way, it looked dark and unpromising.
Then, by sheer accident, we found Sono Pawon Boyolali. Bright lights, new place. Turns out it only opened on December 2. And oh my goodness, the food was amazing. The grilled ribs were a must! Rich seasoning, fully absorbed. The tengkleng rib soup was fresh and comforting, and insanely cheap: 15k for two huge pieces of rib. Crispy broccoli? 13k. Mendoan, five pieces, only 7k. Madness, in the best way.
The place was decent, semi–open air, with plenty of parking. Downside: it was all smoking area. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded, so the smoke wasn’t overwhelming. Total dinner for five: 132k. I smiled all the way back to the car.
This is why eating in small cities is so satisfying. Cheap, delicious, and full of pleasant surprises.
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