PUSHING FRONTIERS Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is considered the cultural heart of Java, Indonesia's largest island. The 300-year-old city offers a rich abundance of Javanese art, painting, silverwork, batik handcraft, traditional music and dance, wayang shadow puppetry, as well as contemporary art Situated in central Java, Yogyakarta is surrounded by towering volcanoes, lush rice terraces, with many ancient temples and royal palaces within easy reach On the outskirts of the city are two world-renowned heritage sites, the temples of Borobodur — the world's largest Buddhist monument — and the equally stunning ancient Hindu temple of Prambanan. Yogyakarta also boasts Indonesia's oldest palace, The Kraton, which is still the home of the Sultan of Yogyakarta. Most areas of interest centre around Jalan Malioboro, whose wide, canopied pavements offer shelter from the daytime heat. In the evening, it turns into a colourful street market with vendors of leather goods, textiles, multi-coloured batiks, wayang puppets and much more. Close to the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan are the silversmiths' village of Kota Gede, many woodwork craft centres and the rolling beaches at Parangtritis. The Hyatt Regency's ballroom seats up to 500 classroom-style for conferences. The 300-room Melia Purosani has meeting and convention halls and one Grand Ballroom with a pre-function area, with capacities ranging from 20 to 650 people. The Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort and Spa has the most extensive conference facilities in the city. These include 11 meeting rooms, and the ballroom can hold a maximum of 1,800 people depending on configuration. Yogyakarta has many regular air services with the Indonesian capital Jakarta less than an hour away.