Ostic House, Yogyakarta. Review. [UPDATED FOR 2026]

Heading to the historic town of Yogyakarta in Indonesia from busy Jakarta we didn’t really know too much about what this wonderful place had to offer. We initially came here as a base for climbing Mt. Bromo and Ijen but found a most beautiful and charming town we fell in love with. This was in part down to the amazing hostel we stayed in that became more like a home full of friends and family who we celebrated Eid with, learnt all about the city and had amazing adventures around town with! Here’s Ostic house, Yogyakarta!

A place where you feel like family 

Ostic House is exactly what it says, it’s a house, a home and a place that is family run to make you feel like part of the family. The hostel itself is a converted house and rather than feeling like you are in dorms you get the sense you are sharing your space with your new family in this amazing home.

Rooms are set out more like real bedrooms and downstairs there’s a huge table so everyone can eat together, couches to chill and chat on and always someone around the hang with. The staff too go the extra mile to make you welcome, introducing you to the rest of the guests and always on hand to get people talking and socialising, so whether you are a little on the quiet side or the life of the group you will never feel left out!

An opportunity to experience amazing local culture

One of the things we really loved about staying in Ostic House was how it allows you to get to know the local culture. For us staying here wasn’t so much like a hostel but more like a huge AirBnB where the family are always around to show you the real Indonesia.

They always invite guests to come out and sample local culture with group meals and restaurants and nights out in the square playing the local games, it’s so much fun and so authentic too. We also had a wonderful few days celebrating Eid with the guys here too, it was so special to be able to learn so much about life here and also amazing fun too!

Book Your Accommodation

Booking.com

Over the course of the last 10+ years of travelling, we’ve used Booking.com to book probably around 90% of our accommodation. These days you can book anything from a luxury resort to budget hotels and even hostels and rentals similar to Airbnb.

Plus, if you make an account, you get access to their ‘Genius’ loyalty program… and DISCOUNTS. Everything is laid out super easy so you know what you’re getting, and honestly, I’m just a really big fan of the platform over other major providers.

Find Your Next Hotel or Hostel Here

Unbeatable local knowledge so you can make the most of this historic city and country 

Another really wonderful thing about Ostic House is how much they help you plan out your time in Indonesia and Yogyakarta. Firstly it starts when you check in, they give you some of their hand-drawn maps and show you everything there is to do here so you don’t miss yourself. They point out both the more well-known things and also some of the more obscure places to visit, ask you what you are interested in seeing and show you the best and cheapest way!

Then they can help you plan out trips to Borobudur and organise cheap and reliable scooter rentals for you too and other things to see in the wider Yogyakarta area. But for us the information and help they gave us organising Mt. Bromo and Mt. Ijen were invaluable!

SafetyWing Travel Insurance

SafetyWing

Travel insurance is one of those annoying things that no one likes to think about, let alone pay for, when you’re planning your next trip. It can also be bloody annoying as a backpacker/long-term traveller to find affordable coverage that meets the itinerary-less lifestyle (*cough* World Nomads *cough*).

So instead of getting subpar travel insurance, now we just always go with  SafetyWing. It takes like 5-10 minutes to purchase your policy and essentially functions as a monthly subscription plan with near-global coverage!

Get a Quote Now!

It turns out doing there on your own is a little more complicated than we had anticipated, but these guys go the extra mile, ringing up hostels and guest houses for us, ringing up and booking us a train and bus and even taking us around to the station to check for tickets as it was a busy time due to Eid. If it wasn’t for them then we would have probably just had to go on an overpriced and underwhelming tour!

Did I mention the breakfast?!

You know, some hostels provide a bit of breakfast here and there and you can’t complain, the vast majority give you nothing, but at Ostic House, it’s like a hotel-level breakfast!! Here they make something different every day, from fresh fruit salads to local delicacies you’ve probably never tried before, there is a delicious treat awaiting you every morning cooked up fresh as soon as you let them know you are ready! Then there is the tea, coffee and filtered water available 24/7, these guys really do go the extra mile!

Have you ever stayed in such a welcoming and fun hostel?

Disclaimer: This post was in partnership with Ostic House. As always, all opinions are our own!