Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta, also known as Jogja used to be more or less my second home. I used to life there for a longer period of time on two occasions and whenever I am in the region I also fly there for a brief visit. The good thing about returning to places where you used to life is that you can just come to visit friends or drive around with your motorbike. Nevertheless time is always to short to do everything you wish before for example to visit all the restaurants where you used to eat before. But for First timers coming to Jogja this is a different story as Jogja refers as the Cultural Centre of Java or even of whole Indonesia.
Places to stay:
If you are on a shoestring you might stay down town in the "Backpacker" street named Jl.Sosrowijayan. This small street is a cluster of western oriented guesthouses and restaurants and a good spot to explore everything. I do stay always in Bladok Losmen- which is the most famous guesthouse in this area. Most people in this Area know me in person so it is very convinient for me to organize daily life. Bladok runs also a restaurant which serves food in a decent quality. The rooms might be slightly more expensive than other guesthouses around, but rooms are clean and the staff is lovely. Cheapest single room with a Mandi (indonesian bathroom) and fan is around 80k IDR. They do have also a tiny pool in the backyard!
If you are seeking something more calm I would recommend to stay in the north, but keep in mind you need to organize your transport- no problem so far as taxis are cheap!
In the north there are two options- The huge Hyatt with a well done landscape pool area and a relaxed garden atmosphere or Rumah Mertua, which is a small indonesian hotel with a good restaurant.
Booth place are next to each other out of the city center- by taxi it will takes you around 20 minutes and by motorbike around 10 minutes.

Enjoy:
The most impressive Highlights within the Area of Jogja are the buddhist Tempel Borobudur and the hinduist Tempel of Prambanan. If you are short on time your should rent a car with driver or a motorbike to reach booth within one day. I would recommend to visit Borobudur in the morning, have lunch in the very impressive and expensive Amanjiwo Resort and go for Prambanan during the afternoon. If you are in Jogja during dry season, there is even a kind of nighttime show near Prambanan which is worth a visit as you will be able to see the temples at night.

Most people du visit the famous Kraton in Jogja, but to be honest I never been there and I guess its not worth a visit. You should check out the Tamansari- know as Water Castle.
For exhibitions check out Cemeti Art House. There is even a "Yogyakarta Internasional Film Festival" which is pretty interesting and of cause they do organize good parties!
If you just wanna hang out and maybe watch a movie you should look out for Kinoki, this is kind of independent place with a small coffee shop serving drinks and snacks.
Night time entertainment is limited in quality but still you will find something what might make you happy. Just check out my other reports about Jogja. I strictly recommend to start your evening in Bintang Resto in Jl.Sosrowijayan, have a couple of Bintang and a Club Sandwich. Later you should take a taxi to Embassy.
Ask some locals or expats where to go or just join them.
If you are seeking a place for your sunday roast i would recommend the all time favorite in Jogja- the Gadjah Wong, try the home made Ice cream! Or the expat choice Hanis. Gadjah Wong does have live music including Gamelan!
One of the all day favorite spots for the young expat crowd is Parsley on Jl.Kaliurang. Behind the famous bakery shop is a relaxed restaurant which offers tasty international dishes and free Wifi- sometimes slow, but it doesn't matter if you stay a couple of hours to get rid off your last night headache!