The article equates “great coastal city” with “city that has a nice seafront for tourists”, and finds Surabaya lacking in that respect.

FTA: “One of the factors that makes Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Vung Tau great is that they have embraced the seafront with long coastal promenades and unimpeded views. The problem with Indonesian coastal cities is that the cities are cut off from the coast. Surabaya is a classic example.

Surabaya is a great city, and it’s a coastal city, but it’s not a great coastal city. Surabaya has an interesting old town area that would be more famous if it were renovated and promoted. When you are in Surabaya, you don’t have the impression that you are in a port city.”