Brief Encounters | A weekend break in Surabaya – Indonesia’s second city has first place promise
- The City of Heroes is a thriving port with a vibrant past and an encouraging future
- Weekenders can eat their way around Surabaya’s beef-heavy signature dishes or shop for antique teak
Smack on the Indonesian island of Java’s northeast coast, Surabaya has sometimes been called “second-city, second-rate”, although that might be being a bit generous to the capital. In truth, the City of Heroes does a lot of things better than anywhere else in Indonesia. It’s a thriving port, with not just dreary old containers but pukka Conradian wharfs whose stevedores lug cargo on and off sailing ships that still ply the archipelago. The Dutch left some gorgeous art deco buildings, nowhere will you find more fanatical football fans, and Surabaya’s plethora of public parks and fountains and general eco-ness saw it receive a special mention in the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize last year.
Since 2016, the metropolis has hosted the Surabaya Cross Culture International Folk and Art Festival, running from July 21 to 25 with the sort of programme that title might lead you to expect. Got a prior engagement? No worries, Surabaya’s fun all the other months of the year, too.
Where to stay
With rates running at US$80 or so per night (including a joust at the breakfast buffet), this is a supremely sexy heritage bargain.
What to buy
Happy the HNW individual who sets out in search of what are sometimes called therapeutic retail experiences: and with US$70 clocking in at a million rupiah, Surabaya shopping should be non-stop merriment.