Escaping Jakarta for the weekend: Portibi Farms (Sukabumi)

With little days off to travel far, we’ve been trying to find weekend escapes close to Jakarta. Driving up to Portibi Farm takes about 2h30 and is a wonderful break from the city.

Portibi Farms

What we love

  • This place has a soul: the owners are there, they care about the place, their staff, their guests and it shows. It’s not a hotel and feels like staying at a friend’s home
  • The beautiful grounds, lush and green, perfect for bug hunters and budding botanists
  • The houses, each uniquely designed and built with beautiful local material
  • The food prepared with the farm’s harvest : fusion tacos, Vietnamese pho… instead of the usual nasi goreng (amazing range of dishes for vegetarians too)
  • Its commitment to low energy consumption
  • How everyone sits together for meals, including Portibi’s staff
Portibi Farm

Room types

We’ve been a few times and tried different rooms each time. In the end, we prefer the campground of Leuit:

  • The kids love it because they feel like camping
  • It’s the cheapest accommodation, which makes my wallet and me happy ?

We spend all of our time outdoors anyway and only go back to the room to sleep so it doesn’t make sense for us to book a more expensive room.

Portibi Farm

What else you need to know

  • The guided walk around the farm was beautiful and kid friendly. The waterfall was too far for our kids, there were quite a bit of people too. A new road was built since our last visit creating easier access, but it probably means more visitors too.
  • Remember this is the countryside and farm inhabitants may include bugs and rodents
  • Morning prayers and kampung parties are loud
  • There is no wifi 
  • The bedrooms are spread quite far apart from each other and most people hang out in the common area
  • Fixed meals are served at fixed times, which can be a bit late for small kids
  • To avoid weekend traffic, it’s best to leave Jakarta early on Saturday morning or Friday afternoon before 3pm (it then takes about 2h30)
Portibi Farm

What to bring

  • Your wine if you are specific (corkage fee will apply, they also have great wines there)
  • Bugs spray, headlights, earplugs
Portibi Farm

Are you looking to get away from Jakarta for the weekend? Here are a few ideas:

Next on my bucket list: SukaSantai, Schitzo Hill and Tana Kita

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