Aceh Special Region Favorites

  Green tree snake in the dining area of...
by Daihappydai
 
  • Green tree snake in the dining area of Yulia's
      Green tree snake in the dining area of...
    by Daihappydai
  • Golf driving range, Lampu'uk, Aceh
      Golf driving range, Lampu'uk, Aceh
    by Daihappydai
  • Golf driving range, Lampu'uk, Aceh
      Golf driving range, Lampu'uk, Aceh
    by Daihappydai
  • Monkey on the side of the road, Ketambe
      Monkey on the side of the road, Ketambe
    by Daihappydai
  • Jungle lined road, Ketambe
      Jungle lined road, Ketambe
    by Daihappydai
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Aceh Cultural melting pot

by meiyergani

According to the people, ACEH is a hidden abbreviation of A= ARABIC by arabic peoples first attend this region to teach Islam. C=Chinese, not too long, after arabic, the chinese migrant also come to this Region, E=Europe, by the first colonialisation, the Portuguese come to Indonesia through aceh for Spices and H=Hindia by the peoples from India, Srilanka and surround, go sailing and called on to this region. That is why, the profile of ACEH peoples are a mixing of ARABIC, CHINESE,EUROPE,and HINDIA ACEH is a MIXing ethnic group from their long history,So we can observe the peoples with their profile. ARABIC character were black skin with curl hair , CHINESE character with their yellow skin, EUROPE character,descend from portuguese with brown or white skin and their blue eyes, HINDIA character with their black skin, curl hair , almost similar with ARABIC. Years by years they built a...

How Far is it From the AirPort

by meiyergani

As we go out from Arrival lounge, see an information board in front of the Airport which inform you some destination to a certain spot in Aceh, it was very informative and we can predict how far a place from Banda Aceh city Center It was written on the board: Banda Aceh Masjid Baiturrahman 15 KM, Kherkoff 15 KM, ACEH MUSEUM (Museum Negeri Aceh) 15 KM............ So where your destination and how far is it? please go to the an information board

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Acehnese Wedding

by Rinjani

When you are around town and manage to have local friends, don’t miss invitation to attend the wedding. The wedding is a good way to know more about the local culture. The wedding ceremony depends on which part of Aceh the bride and groom come from. The ceremony of West Aceh ceremony will be different from East Aceh or Great Aceh.Yes, there is a similarity on food. Usually they serve Acehnese traditional snacks and food. But there are many differences on code and conduct for ceremony.What is the dress code??Something chic and polite. Bring your pashmina to cover the head. In recent weddings I attended, there is separate space for men and women. A bit akward at the beginning, but later you will find it useful when it comes to the que line to take the food.

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Tsunami Blues

by Rinjani

Yes, you can’t escape tsunami topic in this area. There are always people mentions about the day. If you are happen in the beach area, there are always fingers drawing in the air to describe height of the waves on the Boxing Day. You can still see damage and wreck caused by tsunami, there is also VCD sellers contained footage shot in that day. And news in the newspaper at least reported about tsunami related issue.December 24 is a day to remember. It’s also the day to remember the biggest humanitarian effort ever. There are many sad stories to tell and soon or later you can’t help to feel, thing that I call “tsunami blues”.

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Where to Find Accommodation??

by Rinjani

There are some major hotels well known in Aceh. Hotel Medan, Hotel Sultan and Hotel Cakra Donya are some of them. The location of these hotels are in the centre of the city, where shops are walking distance.But, with many visitors who come to Aceh, accommodation becomes a major issue.For temporary visitors, there are some guest houses spread out in Aceh. Many are houses-change-into-guest-house. Sometimes their charge is ridiculous. Some guest houses are not advertised on the newspaper, and it?s difficult to find. Pavilliun Seulawah and Green Paradise are pretty decent.You can also find few advertisements in local newspaper.For longer term stay worker, to find sharing house is a good option. Be careful with mixed gender in one house, since it?s still sensitive issue for local people.The best way to find accommodation is through mailing list in Aceh, also from recommendation of friends....

Surviving Buildings

by Rinjani

Around Banda Aceh, such as Lhonga, Ulee Lhee, Banda Aceh city and several other affected areas, you will be surprised to see mosques and other holy building such as church and vihara are safe. Yes, damages are everywhere, but those damages are minor ones and the buildings are standing. The mosque in Ulee Lhee, which situated just exactly near the sea is the most spoken mosque. Having seen those area are leveled and it’s rarely to see the building intact.

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Tsunami Related

by Rinjani

Tsunami topic is still a hot topic to discuss for Acehnese. Although I found some people prefer to skip the topic since it is too hurt for them to realize they lost those loved ones. But many other still recall how destructive was the water, the situation post tsunami, mountain of corpses, strange moment, spooky stories, etc. After tsunami, everybody has a story to tell, it’s hardly a good news. And many stories make your tears fall. In several areas, there are rarely one complete family left. There is always family member taken by tsunami.Until now, the damage still can be seen. The story continues, the trauma still floating in the air. One year after tsunami, in many places, people are still sticking pictures of their loved ones and still believe that they will be found alive…

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Lampu'uk: perfect escape from the city!

by Bonobo2005

Lampu’uk Beach is also a great alternative if you were planning to stay a couple of nights in Banda Aceh. It's very easy to do trips to town from here. It takes only 30 minutes by minibus from/to the city centre! While the city is hot, crowded and the accommodation expensive, here it’s cool and cheap, while the beaches, the views and the surroundings, are completely unspoilt.I didn't know about this until I got stuck for an unknown number of days in Banda when the long distance buses didn't leave due to security problems (previous buses had been stopped and set on fire). As I didn’t want to stay in town I went to this Lampu’uk village and met another traveller who told me about it. A great recommendation. I ended up staying a week…it was fantastic!After that week, the overnight buses took off again, and I finally reached Medan, although the bus had to turn around one time as we almost...

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Lampu'uk: stunning beaches to chill out!

by Bonobo2005

Not far from Banda Aceh, on the Indian Ocean East Coast, is the village of Lampu'uk, which has kilometres of wide, beautiful and mostly deserted beaches nearby, surrounded by wild limestone rock formations and lush hills covered with exotic vegetation. On this part of the East Coast, swimming carelessly can be dangerous and there’s no diving or snorkelling. The Ocean is suitable for only one thing: surfing! At Joel’s bungalows, board are for rent if you’re keen.Listen to the meditative sound of the huge waves rolling on the beach, go trekking along the coastline in the hills and find some caves or completely deserted tiny idyllic bays. Play chess, read books, and, if you like, smoke grass and socialize. And don't miss the sunset!

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Pulau Weh: Iboih Beach

by Bonobo2005

The most popular beach area is Iboih Beach, where locals and travellers are very mellow – as it should be on a tropical island-. Other beach area’s on the island are very quiet- depending on you downright boring or paradise, and extremely basic. Iboih Beach itself is rather small and the diving is, in my opinion, a little overrated since there’s a lot of damage done due to dynamite fishing, but Pulau Weh is still a legendary, and very appealing destination for a small group of traveller…There are several places to stay that don't differ much, typically wooden, thatched bungalows with shared facilities and fantastic views for around $1,50 -$3/night. From my veranda I could jump right into the crystal clear water!Usually the bungalow owners also run a restaurants. The food is rarely exciting. The best place to eat was at the home of a woman called "mama", where you could sign in daily for...

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Related Aceh Special Region Favorites Tips

Top 3 Hotels in Aceh Special Region

Hotel Medan  Banda Aceh

 2 Reviews and 10 Opinions  Rooms from Rp 175000 

 Hotels in Banda Aceh

Rasa Seni Hotel Resort  Sabang

 1 Review and 3 Opinions  We passed by and were shown around by the German owner. With prices in euro the resort was a bit... 

 Hotels in Sabang

Swiss Belhotel  Banda Aceh

 0 Opinions

 Hotels in Banda Aceh

4 Hotels in Aceh Special Region
 
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Reviews and photos of Aceh Special Region attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Aceh Special Region sightseeing.

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Favorites: Cities in Aceh Special Region
  1. Banda Aceh Favorites
  2. Takengon Favorites
  3. Ketambe Favorites
  4. Pulau We Favorites

More Cities in Aceh Special Region

 

Questions and Answers

snurt profile photo

Q:  Anyone now of anywhere self catering on Pulau weh ? or even with a fridge. Looking to make a 2 or 3 week deal and have to find... 

theo1006 profile photo

A: Don't know of self-catering on Pulau Weh. But the cheapest area to stay would be at the beach commonly referred to as Iboih (though Iboih is actually the island facing... 

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