Cuisine Wat Damnak: "Value for Money"
"One of the most important thing for us when traveling is to have a nice dinner that feature the local cuisine and fresh produce. This restaurant did just that. Local cuisine done right with modern techniques. I believe some reviewers gave a lower rating because they did not take the full 6-course menu, of which the missing course is one of the best. USD31 for 6-course degustation menu that is executed to perfection, is definitely value for money. Thumbs up and we will definitely come again. Remember to make reservation."Tugu Lombok: "Still dreaming of Hotel Tugu"
"We spent a wonderful week in Hotel Tugu during our first visit to Lombok. We went as a family (with our young son and my parents visiting from UK). The staff provided some of the best service we've had since we moved to Indonesia and they were so welcoming, sincere, attentive and helpful (especially with our son!). The rooms are beautifully rustic but have everything you might need. Some of our most memorable experiences included doing a couple of day trips snorkelling with sea turtles next to the Gilis (with the hotel's own boatman who was very experienced and a great guide). We also borrowed sea canoes for a couple of evening paddles in the bay and spent long afternoons playing on the beach and in the swimming pools with our son. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner were all delicious... and best of all the staff can serve dinner virtually anywhere you want on the beach, on the grass under the stars, on your balcony or in one of the 2 restaurants. I would highly recommend booking the 'Royal Cultural Dining' experience for one evening when you go."Bassac Cruises: "Not too big, not too small, just right for couples – highly recommend"
My wife & I were running out of time and only did a 2 day/1 night but we were glad we did the Bassac Mekong Cruise (we were on Bassac II) . BestPriceTravel organised a lovely guide Annie and we were so very pleased with the boat quality, the crew service and Annie's informative talks (Annie spent college years in Melbourne - so a good english speaker). The boat looks older but inside it is very modern and although the rooms are small, these are more than enough for a 1 or 2 day cruise as ideally, you will be up on deck watching the interesting Mekong river activities, waiting for an excellent dinner. We stopped of in a village, did a floating markets and a land market and a couple of candy factories. I'd taken several pens and paper 'packs' in ziplock waterproof bags to distribute to young ones and Annie help pick a some candidates that were less fortunate and even convinced the guy driving the boat to pull alongside a floating market trader - the smiles from the children and their mums were worth all the effort of taking and giving. We had based ourselves in Saigon and although the drive to and from the Mekong was a few hours each way the journey was worth it. Great food, educational, and some really interesting sights.David’s Kitchen: "Excellent food, reasonable prices"
"I went on a date here with my (now) fiancee. I have to applaud David's kitchen for its flexibility in food and service - the clientele is a mix of thai nationals, Americans, Australians, Europeans, etc - yet the wait staff seem to be experts at responding to every inquiry. I had a food allergy (can't eat oats), and the wait staff was fast to swap out the bread for us. My fiancee was not a fan of her first soup order, and the staff exchanged it at no cost for another soup, which she liked much more. The actual food I would place at slightly above average. I ordered the strip steak. I can say I've had better steaks in America or Japan, but they were also more expensive. One dish doesn't make a restaurant, though - everything else was five stars: The truffle sauce was perfect. The appetizers were perfect. The chocolate lava cake was absolutely amazing. The cocktails were flawless. A mix of Thai friendliness and western elegance, this is a must for any traveler in Chiang Mai."Kenanga Hotel: "Beautiful tranquil oasis in the rice fields"
"The Kenanga in Ubud is a perfect place to stay. We had a room overlooking the beautiful rice fields of the hotel. The gardens are very lovely and the infinity pool is awesome. Breakfast is served a la carte and is delicious (the fruit jam is very tasty...). To get to Ubud Centre there is a free shuttle every hour until 5pm. Afterwards you have to take a taxi for around 40000 Rupiah. An alternative (by daylight) is to walk through the lush rice fields and arrive in the city centre after 1 hour. Carine, the owner is extremely helpful and organized a small private trekking tour with a local guide for us to a remote waterfall. All in all we had a wonderful time in Kenanga and will be back for sure next time we are in Ubud."Inle Princess Resort: "Paradise on Water"
"I spent in family one of our best New Year eve's celebrations at Princess Inle. Rooms are gorgeous, really luxurious with all amenities and on built on pillars. Breakfast is varied, generous and fresh. The bar is cosy and romantic. Motorboats are even asked to mute their engine a 100 meters before reaching the dock, so guests are not annoyed by the noise. Guests are truly at the center of management's attention."Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: "Magical stay!"
"We spent 2 nights at Tiger Mountain but it could have been much more. Superb stay from our first pick up and welcome to our goodbye. From Pokhara it is about 40 min drive up the mountain on a typical Nepali road but then you arrive in an tranquil oasis where you will only hear the birds. Lodge is located on a mountain with sweeping views over Pokhara valley on both sides. Rooms have amazing views towards the Himalayas, perfect for sunrise watching (they will serve coffee/tea and cookies at about 5.30 in your room to accompany the sunrise) Upon our arrival, the lunch table was set on the terrace with a view to the Himalayas and we were served delicious Nepali dishes. Tea was served in the afternoon with home made snacks. Followed by happy hour at 6 and diner around 7.30. Again with delicious Nepali dishes. Had amazing jackfruit curry, some sort of stir fried ferns, spinach dish, home made chutneys, water buffalo curries. I think I would have exploded after a week at the lodge as I had to finish everything. Quality of the food is fantastic, all organic, grown in the area, fresh and everything home made. Even the herbal tea came from their own garden. In the morning there was home made yoghurt with homemade muesli, homemade jams & preserves, honey from Pokhara, homemade bread. Yummy. The lodge offers guides to take you for walks according to your liking. We did a village walk around the hotel and the next day a ridge walk where we had beautiful views over the rice terraces, villages and Himalayas. The guide took us through villages and explained about village life. Staff at the lodge is fantastic: friendly, helpful and offering great service. There is a swimming pool with again magical views, certainly in the early morning you can see the Himalayas reflected in the water. It is a shame it is so far away from Hong Kong otherwise I would be back for a relaxing long weekend. And there is only wifi in the lobby (if it is working, this is Nepal) so relaxing is really good as you can't connect to the outside world! Show less Room Tip: Room 11, a triple room, at the end of the resort with uninterrupted views. Room 10, double room, abo... Stayed: April 2017, traveled with family"Tugu Lombok: "peaceful, wonderful, memorable"
"I was very lucky, because I won Tugu Raffle ticket in 2015, and we could stay for free for 2 nights at any Tugu Properties, and we choose Tugu Lombok. And we couldn't be happier. Even though we stayed there for free, the Tugu People didnt treat us any less than their high standard of service. I ve stayed at Tugu Malang few times,been to all their restaurants in Jakarta, so I have experienced of how good their services were, but tugu lombok service was exceptionally great! from the moment we arrived, we were greeted by lovely Sharron, their GM, mba Hani, the manager, and pak Hendri.. all of them were calling us by first name during our stayed, and Pak Faisal from the restaurant too... they were such a nice people..I was traveling with my husband and my 4 yo boy. and even my boy commented on how nice the people in Tugu lombok. they were very attentive and they made sure that we enjoyed our stay by always asked us whether we need any assistance, without being annoying. we stayed at ampenan 6, and in front of the room, there was a big field of grass garden, and at the end there was a swimming pool and the beach. my boy loves to swim at the swimming pool, as well as swimming at the ocean next to the swimming pool, with the local kids (he kept talking about that experience). The beach is nice, with its long white sand. it was lovely walking around the beach (the have the swing and hammock too at the beach, under the big trees). the Ampenan room itself was very cozy, big, with a high ceiling, and not creepy at all. very clean and beautiful. they have a semi outdoor bathroom with a small green garden next to the bath room. for the food : I always love Tugu's restaurant, anywhere I go, i never disappoint with the quality of their food. and we were very happy that Tugu Lombok restaurant matched our expectation. we had the best ayam taliwang in tugu lombok's restaurant ( a must try!!). on a second night, we wanted to have dinner on the beach, but when we try to to book to have diner at the beach in the morning, the reservation was full. when we came to the restaurant later that night for dinner, we met Pak Faisal and Pak Faisal said : let me try to get you guys a place on the beach, and apparently Pak Faisal set up the gazebo next to the beach, right at that moment, with all the candles, so we can have our dinner at the beach. very impressive service!! .. and on saturday morning, my boy got to witness baby turtles being release on the beach next to the restaurant ..a rare occasion ... we also had a pleasant experience riding the bicycle around Tugu lombok. We really enjoy our stayed at Tugu Lombok. and we look forward to come back!!"Inle Princess Resort: "Beautiful hotel on a beautiful lake"
"Out canoe took us from the pier at Inle to our hotel. As we neared the hotel and passed a small hut, our boat slowed down and one of the hotel employees jumped onto the front with an oar. He steered the boat slowly and then started using his right leg to maneuver the oar while balancing on the edge of the boat with his left leg. He would use his hands to put the oar in the air, then use the heel of his foot to bring the oar back in and around through the water. It was amazing. I thought they were doing this especially for the tourists, but later we saw many, many fishermen doing the same thing. This is the way of the inhabitants of Inle. The boys learn this skill as soon as they begin to walk. What balance! The resort is owned by a local Shan family. And of course it is right on the lake. Inle Princess Hotel is in the midst of nature surrounded by tropical gardens and lily ponds. The rooms themselves are traditional pyinkado (a Myanmar hardwood), teak and bamboo thatched houses. The dining room overlooks a large deck which overlooks the water. What a perfect place to sit in the evening, have a drink and watch the sun set. We checked in, were greeted with a warm towel (this was the custom at all the hotels), served some tea, were escorted to our room. Each room is a hut with tall ceilings, a large bed with a canopy (later, when we returned from dinner, the entire bed was surrounded by the canopy for warmth and to keep the bugs out. It was like sleeping in a cocoon). There is a sitting area and a big fireplace. Our view is of the mountains as the lake view rooms were not available. But still beautiful. After spending the day on the lake, we got back to the hotel just in time to go the bar, order a fancy Mandalay Rum drink and watch the magnificent sunset. The sky burst into flames of red, orange, pink, purple. And all that color reflected into the water. A beautiful way to end the beautiful day. Dinner had to be at the hotel as obviously you can’t get anywhere. It got cold once the sun the down and we were glad to have our fleece sweaters. A light down jacket would have been great. The locals all wear them! The food was delicious, the menu with beautiful paintings, the room surrounded by ovens. After dinner, back in our room, the fireplace had been lit with coals, the room was toasty, the minibar was free, our bed was surrounded by the cocoon and all was well. This is an absolutely beautiful place to stay."Sandat Glamping Tents: "Serene start to honeymoon"
"We spent the first three nights of our honeymoon here and it was perfect. From the moment we arrived to our personal tent with the plunge pool filled with petals, to the beautiful candles lit to guide your way to dinner and the incredible food! It is very much off grid, and of course there are the occasional jungle sounds and a few lizards to keep you company, but that is what makes it such an unusual place. We have glamped in other parts of the world and this definitely had the edge on luxury, and the least bugs!! The site is nestled unobtrusively among rice fields and feels very blended wth the local area. Although slightly out of the hustle and bustle of ubud, the free shuttle is excellent and the staff couldn't be more helpful. Thank you for a lovely Stay!"
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