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Indonesia
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This Indonesian city with a big Chinatown was voted Asia’s best cheap holiday

Surabaya is Indonesia’s affordable gem with rich culture and nearby adventures, offers budget-friendly stays

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Despite having the volcanic spectacle of Mount Bromo nearby, Indonesia’s affordable city of Surabaya is mostly ignored by tourists. Photo: dpa
dpa

It might be the second-biggest city in the world’s fourth-biggest country by population, but the malls, Dutch colonial history and massive Chinatown of Surabaya in Java’s east do not usually make for a first or even second choice stop for tourists.

A few hours’ drive west from Surabaya in East Java is Borobudur, an imposing and ornate 9th century Buddhist temple, and its popular gateway city Yogyakarta.

A few hours farther west on Java - home to 156 million of Indonesia’s 280 million people and the world’s most populous island - lies the sprawling asphalt vastness of Jakarta, one of the world’s biggest metropolises.
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Meanwhile, a short hop to the east from Surabaya sits Bali, where beaches and bars draw millions of tourists each year and from where another couple of island-hops takes a visitor to Komodo, the island home of the fearsome eponymous lizards.

But according to travel booking website Agoda, an average room rate of “just US$35 per night” makes Surabaya “a top choice” not only for holidaymakers hoping to save a few dollars, but “for those eager to embrace culture and adventure this summer”.

A dragon dance in the Chinatown night market in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. Photo: Johannes Nugroho
A dragon dance in the Chinatown night market in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. Photo: Johannes Nugroho
One of Surabaya’s nearby attractions is Mount Bromo, one of dozens of active “Ring of fire” volcanoes dotting the 5,000km (3,1000-mile) wide Indonesian archipelago, popular for its nighttime hikes for thrill seekers hoping to catch a spectacular sunrise.
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