I hope this is an acceptable post

This will be my first post in the TravelFeed community and I like to explore at city level not the tourist sights. Right now I'm on vacation in Surabaya, Indonesia. Considering I'm from Canada I'm half a world away. I'm also travelling very light with just one small backpack and one small canvas bag. Now I like to think I've packed about as perfect as possible given the size constraints of such small baggage with 5 sets of clothing but since I'm on vacation for two months I have two choices.

• Start smelling pretty awful

OR

• Get my dirty laundry washed!

AND

• I really miss my laundry machine back home

_{Terrible shot is mine. Hotel is really tall and has cool bridge between the two sides}

Now I'm staying at the Fairfield Hotel in Surabaya. Mostly because a business hotel like this is pretty much guaranteed to have someone who speaks English. Yes, I know I'm not getting the full local experience but I'll do that next time. While this isn't a hotel review I can say that the room is very good and clean. The staff have been quite exceptional. The buffet breakfast is awesome and I have nothing bad to say about the hotel. Of course I could be nit picky about tiny things but I refuse to do that to these hardworking and really nice people here.

But

I really can't recommend using their laundry services.

Sure its convenient. Just fill out a form, put the laundry in a provided bag and the laundry is done by the end of the day. How awesome is that! But the price is eyewatering!

If I was to fill out the laundry request form it would look like this:

Item	Number	Price	Running Total
Shirt	1	IDR 40K	IDR 40K
T-Shirt	3	IDR 35K	IDR 145K
Undershirt	2	IDR 25K	IDR 195K
Pants	3	IDR 40K	IDR 315K
Pjama	1	IDR 30K	IDR 345K
Socks	3pr	IDR 20K ea	IDR 405K
Underwear	3pc	IDR 20K ea	IDR 465K

_{My image: Want to get fleeced by the hotel chain?}

Laundry Cost: 465,000 Indonesian Rupiah

In HBD that is $27.50 just go get some clothes washed.

To be sure, this is a business hotel and for some people they would just pay it and be done. If you are a businessman with little time and little desire to go for a walk outside the hotel? Sure it works and its pretty standard pricing for a business hotel.

However, for anyone who has even a little sense of adventure I would strongly recommend finding a local option. First: Because you will save some money. Second: Because you will support a local businessperson and not a gigantic chain.

_{Image is mine: Checking out a side street near the hotel}

There were a number of laundries around the hotel well within walking distance. Yes, its a little scary walking into a big city where I don't speak the language and as a white guy I get a fair number of stares. Yes its awkward using ChatGPT to translate what I need to say.

But with a few awkward pronunciations and checking out three different laundries I actually learned something. I learned how to chat a local business and get a service done for a much much cheaper price. I even got a smile and some well laundered clothing in the process.

Now

_{Image is mine: Great price here but 3 days to get the laundry done}

Now. Two of the laundries were going to take too long to get the clothes ready. Two to three days. I wasn't able to wait that long. Mostly because my Pajama's needed to be washed and I really wanted them back before bedtime :) However, the third was able to do it same day but only if I paid DOUBLE the regular rate. Now paying twice as much sucks, but for rush service it could be worth it.

_{Image is mine: This place had a great vibe and rush service available}

Base Price (non rush): 5KG load -- IDR 35K
RUSH Price : 5KG load -- IDR 70K

_{Image is mine: Horray! Clean laundry}

True my load was only 3.5KG so I could have waited a day and added an item or two at no additional cost but the fact remains;

The hotel is almost SEVEN times as expensive as a local laundry!

My advice?

Explore the city.
... Meet some people
...... Save some money

and unfortunately....
... learn to wash your underwear in the hotel sink. It seems Indonesian laundries don't want to do underwear. Or at least the three that I went to did not.

Guess I learned something cultural also 😂🤣