The Island Lodge: "Great Place to stay in the Mekong"

Review by: NickNewbury | Source: Trip Advisor
Spacious and attractive bungalow room with views over the lovely garden. Great swimming pool overlooking the river and attractive open restaurant and bar. Food is good and reasonably priced with a range of French and Vietnamese dishes. Staff and proprietor are welcoming and friendly

SEEDS Restaurant & Lounge: "Lake view"

Review by: edouardgalisson | Source: Trip Advisor
Relaxing atmosphere in front of the lake and very service.... Enjoyed a great dinner alfresco with high quality food

Tugu Bali: "Super excellent"

Review by: Annafi S | Source: Trip Advisor
"That was so awesome to stay there with the warm atmosphere The staff so friendly and very helpfull I can feel comfort with the music, food and about the colection I'll be back next time and i'll tell to all of my friends if they visiting bali they must to try stay at hotel tugu bali"

SEEDS Restaurant & Lounge: "Amazing food, exceptional service!"

Review by: JaimeHiga | Source: Trip Advisor
Best restaurant in Yangon! The truffle ravioli is amazing. Great atmosphere. The staff delivers top notch, excellent service. You can tell they've really put a lot of love into this place. Highly recommend!

Manda De Laos: "Mesmerizing setting at night, great cuisine"

Review by: MMFoucher | Source: Trip Advisor
Manda de Laos sits on the sides of a beautiful pond, with lilies and fairy lights, that give a close to magical atmosphere to your dinner. Lovely (and delicious).

Slow Villas and Spa: "THE PLACE TO BE"

Review by: Zeina A | Source: Trip Advisor
Our stay was intensely amazing, the team at Slow is extremely professional and friendly and helpful. We felt at home from the minute we stepped in. I will be back to Gili Air just to stay at Slow. Thank you to all the team!

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Enchantingly Memorable"

Review by: BdG-Scarsdale | Source: Trip Advisor
"We (family of 4 with kids 8 and 11) spent 2 nights at Noel's camp. This included 4 Safaris. Both Noel and Cecile were our hosts, a lucky thing as they are not always present at the camp. Tent - we are not campers and had just come from several days in Amanwella, so ""glamping"" was the intention. We got the aircon tent, a semi-permanent structure that runs on solar power. Very comfortable, and the AC was a key feature during the stifling dry heat of the day, and also made it a lot easier to fall asleep at night. There were a few quirks here and there but when glamping, you factor that into the mix. Overall the tent delivered beyond expectations. The one observation I will make is on security - nothing happened and there is a safe in the room, but the tents are zipper operated (no locks). The camp site is not that far from village areas. I would advise to bring 2 padlocks to lock the zipper clasps together at the 2 entrances (front flap and back flap leading to the bathroom). Your valuables will be secure enough in the safe but I didn't like the idea that someone could unzip and enter while we are asleep at night. To be clear, none of the camp staff are an issue, but it's outsiders who know the price of staying at this camp who could get ideas. Food - spectacular. They source organic and fresh from the farmers in the area, and their talented chef put together very flavorful breakfasts, lunches and dinners. It was all local cuisine, and there was always spicy plus non spicy varieties to ensure the kids would be fine. Your taste buds will be in for a real treat. Camp ambience - charming. The volunteers (especially Christina from Spain) entertained the kids with games. They also organized the building of an insect hotel which the kids loved, and also had them participate in tree planting to show the importance of giving back to nature when you leave a carbon footprint. Both entertaining and educational. Meals were communal style and made for enjoyable conversation. Breakfast and lunch under a thatched roof, dinner under the stars. Yes you will now and then see a small lizard or mantis or other creature on your armrest or the table... to be expected in a wildlife park. Safaris - prime time to see stuff is at dusk and dawn, so the AM departure is before 6AM and the PM outing is from 3pm to 6:30pm. On our first two outings, we saw numerous spotted and barking deer; eagles, kingfishers, peacocks, many other birds; mongoose; crocs; elephants. Watching 2 alpha deer bucks clash was neat but we still had not seen what we came for - leopards. The third outing was the charm, and we watched a large leopard lounging in the grass. I don't quite know how to describe the feeling of watching a beautiful and free animal in its natural habitat. All I can say is: a zoo ain't the same. My iphone camera shots won't do it justice. Fortunately, Noel was our guide and when you combine a passion for wildlife with an 8kg-supersonic-Nat Geo-caliber camera lens, the results are amazing. Attached are 2 of his pics of our leopard. As a bonus, we also spotted a young sloth bear. Noel is very knowledgeable and gave us valuable insight and commentary during the rides. His Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles were properly decked out, and I noticed in the park many other outfits carrying tourists in rickety vehicles (one was even lopsided due to different sized tires). Also must credit Noel for truly trying hard on safari #3 to spot a leopard. He badly wanted for us to spot one before we depart, and made it his mission. There are no guarantees but it helps when your guide badly wants you to leave happy. We did the 2 night package and I highly recommend it. Had we done 1 night, we would have missed out on safari #3 which was the highlight. After safari #4, we had our fill and were ready to head off so the format was just right. I guess you could get lucky on a 1 night stay but your chances go up much more on the 2 nighter. There are some who do a day excursion from their beach resort, and this would be a mistake as you would arrive past dawn and leave before dusk, i.e. be on safari while the animals are asleep in a hidden shade. This is an eco-minded camp run by owners who are passionate about wildlife and conservation, and keen to impassion others by delivering on client experience. If you visit a big city like London or Manhattan, the hotel you choose plays a part but the city itself largely makes the experience. At a wildlife park, the hosts who run your camp and guide your safaris largely make for good vs bad experience. Is this value for money? I will answer same as when someone asks me that about my Porsche: I won't describe it as value for money but will just say, it's worth every penny."

Rachamankha: "Tranquility"

Review by: DJWakitup | Source: tripadvisor.com
Thank you so much to Paul and his fabulous team for 5 wonderful days at the Rachamankha. Tranquil,serene,relaxing, and a great way to re-charge your life batteries ! Nothing was ever too much trouble and we felt very at home. Quality F&B too at the restaurant. Trying to work out when I can get back there soon.

Bassac Cruises: "Relaxing Mekong Delta cruise"

Review by: Marie B | Source: Trip Advisor
"Unfortunately, we only did a one night cruise on the Bassac 3. We really liked the cabins, the food, the staff - all was very harmonious. Our guide Annie came from the Mekong Delta and when you walk through a local village you pass her auntie's house. We had a great relaxing trip and would definitely recommend a cruise with a Bassac boat."

Satri House: "Excellent, charming, classy"

Review by: Rupert M | Source: Trip Advisor
Satri House is a tranquil, beautiful boutique hotel that oozes the charm of a property with a place in history - it has texture and character in a way that many other luxury hotel chain offerings at several times the price tag don't get close to. The staff are very friendly and the food had some real hits, as well. It is the rare breed that hits a sweet spot between price and feel, and so comes highly recommended from this humble traveler. (Protip - go across the street out back and eat at Manda de Laos, a fantastic new restaurant no one seems to know about)
instagram youtube linkedin blog tiktok

Travel Asia with Secret Retreats

Secret Retreats is a curated community of independent boutique hotel, villas, yachts and river boats keen to share their Asian Homes with travelers, sustainably and responsibly. Conservation of the environment, culture and traditions of Asia is of paramount importance to all in Secret Retreats. A community of like-minded hospitality professionals, we offer our guests authentic travel experiences that go beyond typical offerings to unveil the essence of Asia. Supporting the Asia based hoteliers and hospitality professionals and providing incredible holidays in Asia and tailor-made Asia travel itineraries direct to public ad travel agents.
Get inspired and make savings!
By booking direct with Secret Retreats and enjoy peace of mind from our full on the ground support. Contact our concierge and plan then book your Asia holiday now!