I came to Sumatra on the spur of the moment for 6 days. I stayed here for 2 days and then Trijaya (the tour company operated by the owners of the hotel) organised me a trip to the highlands although these were very busy with the holidays. The I came back to Medan for the last day.

It is a small hotel (12 cabins) set in a lovely garden. On the other side of the garden is the restaurant. All is absolutely spotless and the staff are very friendly. Very good for the start or finish of a holiday or just from some days of get-away-from-it-all.

I spent 3 weeks in Medan and also in the Deli River Hotel. I can warmly recommend this Deli River Hotel, extra after my personal experiences with others Medan hotels. Hotel offers very clean, rarely quiet place in the middle of small private „botanic garden“, air-conditioned rooms with TV, C+W water, beautiful clean swimming pool, tasty cusine (I can honestly recommend to try a chicken sote) and very experienced owners in indonesian sights and history, conductive to their guests with advice. Every time in Deli River Hotel I could be sure that everithing will be perfect. This is in Indonesia still very uncommon.
...and don´t forgot order to breakfast a noodle menu! :-)

My wife and I stayed a couple of days in Hotel Deli River before starting our nostalgic trip to Padang. Deli River is a high standard, pretty, beautifully situated, colonial style hotel, providing excellent services. It is a pleasant spot to recover from all travel stress before getting on wheels again.

As I was born in North Sumatra before WW-2 and never returned to this area, this trip intended to put faces to names, such as Pangkalan Brandan (my place of birth), Brastagi, Prapat, Lake Toba, etc.
Who else better that Dirk Buiskool, historian and owner of the hotel, could act as sounding board and reliable source of information.
A two day trip to the Orangutan reserve in Bukit Lawang was an exciting and interesting addition to all nostalgic considerations and experiences

The tour itself, organized by Tri Jaya Travel, also managed and owned by Dirk Buiskool and his wife Diana, was a great success and fully met our touristic and nostalgic expectations.
Timing of distances (no driving after sunset), excursions, hotels and our personal wishes were well considered. We got a high standard car and our driver, Youl, contributed highly to this enjoyable trip, not just by his safe driving (as traffic can be quite erratic), but also by his pleasant company and good advice.

We can highly recommend services of both Hotel Deli River and Tri Jaya Travel

I stayed at Hotel Deli River from April 25 - 30 and May 3 - 5, 2011. My trip to Sumatra was mostly about digging into my mother's family history. The fact that hotel owner Dirk Buiskool is a Dutch historian with extensive knowledge of Medan's colonial past certainly helped me in chosing this hotel but it was especially the favourable reviews on this website.
And I was not disappointed!
The beautiful garden is a feast for the eye as well as the spirit. The rooms are charming and clean. The staff are friendly and efficient. Unlike some reviewers I thought the food was excellent but I only had the Indonesian / Chinese dishes. Frankly, I don't understand the logic behind eating European food when travelling in Asia. Try Deli River's egg roll and you will be hooked for life!
You can describe every single aspect of this hotel and judge it, but for me it all comes down to one thing: atmosphere. The owners have managed to create a combination of professionalism and homeliness. Quite unique in my view. Hotel Deli River is a home away from home.