Guest Reviews

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Lovely"

"This is our second visit to Golden Buddha, the first was 4 years. I would say that many things have improved since then, First and foremost,the new manager, Massi, is truly wonderful - what a change! The restaurant have been rebuilt and now looks more smart, a new shop has been added and a pizza bar near the beach has been built. The staff is extremely friendly and smiley - many thanks to Nin, who works at the restaurant - she is a gem. The massages, we had one every day for 11 days are great too. We loved the food, but I think guests would welcome a slightly wider selection of dishes. The villas are truly well kept and very comfortable - I would recommend staying in a beachfront one and away from the restaurant. You also may want to check how close your particular cottage is to the neighbouring one. the island, with its long, deserted beaches is unique. the fact that there are truly just 3 resorts, of which Golden Buddha is the smartest, remains a big plus to us. There are a couple of things we were not too keen on. I should say that we decided to return to Golden Buddha to relax, enjoy the peace and quietness and pick up yoga again. Since our last visit the resort seems to have become popular with families with young children. Whilst some kids were well behaved, others where not and it made dinner and breakfast at the clubhouse less enjoyable that it might have been. The biggest disappointment were the yoga classes. Alex, the so called teaches ranted at each lesson about, what he called, new age yoga. Basically everything but the pure original yoga. He therefore stated that he was tracking Indian gymnastic instead. What was most annoying was his lack of interest and the fact that he did not want to correct people, hence, in my view, did not teach at all. Lastly, prices for food and massages were a tini bit high I thought and I would recommend that the resort buys lounge chairs for all its guests. In any case, I would still highly recommend Golden Buddha,. Stayed February 2017, traveled as a couple"

The Village House: "Quiet and secluded"

"The a Village House is well positioned on the Santubong for accessing local attractions. It is also only 100 metres from a windswept beach which is lovely for early morning walks. The bird watching is great. The accommodation is really very nice. The design of the place, with all rooms facing inward, overlooking the pool, creates an intimate and friendly environment where you can simply forget every single worry in the world. (...) I went twice whilst living Malaysia and it provided much needed respite from the stresses of living in KL. A magical place."

Villa Song Saigon: "Beautiful colonial boutique hotel"

Stayed here for business and then my husband joined. In district 2 away from the hub bub but still close to everything. Walking distance to great food and a short ride to the center. The hotel is on the river and you will start your day with a lovely made to order breakfast outside with a view. The hotel anticipates your every need and is beautiful inside and out. Would definitely stay again.

Rahai’i Pangun: "Amazing wildlife experience"

"Seeing orangutans in the wild has to be one of the great sights in nature and Wow are a great company with whom to do it. I suspect that there are cheaper options as the 3 day 2 night experience is quite pricey, but I felt that I got value for money. Communications were good and I was met at the airport by my guide. The vast majority of boats on the river require you to sleep on the deck on a mattress under a mosquito net, but my boat had proper bedrooms, with ensuite bathrooms and air conditioning, which was most welcome in the jungle heat. The boat could easily take 6 in comfort, though I had it all to myself. My guide Faisal was excellent and beyond seeing the orangutans at the feeding stations we spotted them several times in the trees along the river, plus saw crocodiles, proboscis monkeys and various birds etc and pointed out the fauna along the way. He was very knowledgeable. The crew were also good, the food was possibly the best I had in Indonesia and they cooked for 6 so there was no chance of going hungry. Seeing orangutans swinging through the trees is incredible and I recommend everyone who visits Indonesia to experience it with wow"

Villa Song: "Wonderful Christmas break"

We stayed 4 days at the end of December at the hotel. It was a very pleasant experience. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the free boat shuttle to district one. A nice way to avoid traffic and a great view on the skyline.

Sukoon Houseboat: "Perfect luxurious houseboat, great service, food and location"

We booked the suite at the back of the boat which was very quiet. Babu the waiter was fantastic. The food was really great, had the best momos (even in Nepal/Tibet they are soggy and poor quality). The little motor boat to take us to and from the shore was perfect. Definitely take a little Shikara for an hour's boat ride. Take time to relax and enjoy the houseboat though. Good book and some Kashmiri tea, perfect.

Tugu Bali: "Beauty in Bali"

"We had a lovely stay here in September, sadly of only 2 nights... We were greeted and welcomed so well when we arrived after a long journey and nothing was too much for the staff. This area of Canggu is near to Echo Beach and a part of Bali that we see has not been spoilt yet... We were told that Seminyak was the place to go but I disagee and would strongly advise this area as it is more pure and real Bali than Seminyak. Our Dedari suite room at the hotel was truly beautiful and an outdoor/indoor bathroom with fish pond! Only downside was that we thought the hotel was on the beach but it isn't although just a few steps away..."

Jings-residence: "Feeling Welcome In Beauttiful Surroundings"

Jing's Residence in the charming old town of Pingyao is one of a kind. It has all the attributes one wishes a hotel would possess, but rarely encounters in real life. For one thing, I was struck by the extremely appealing aesthetics of the compound, with its inner courtyards, its beautiful rooms/suites with all the amenities one would desire, its upstairs library with computers, its excellent restaurant... It is, however, the atmosphere of the place, the way you feel welcome and the sense that the staff cares about your well-being that really makes Jing's Residence such a unique and pleasing experience. My only regret is that, because of our tight schedule, we could not stay a few extra days and imbibe more of this relaxing, yet invigorating atmosphere.

Reverie Siam: "Wonderful hotel"

"I'm still dreaming of going back here. We had an absolutely fabulous time; the space was beautiful, service impeccable and couldn't have asked for anything more. We stayed in one of the separate houses and it was lovely; everything decorated nicely, well maintained and spacious. The breakfast was the best in Thailand. All of the staff were so kind and helpful. We ate several times in the restaurant and had great food every time. Honestly, this was the best hotel we stayed at during our trip and we would go back to Pai just to visit again."

NOEL RODRIGO’S LEOPARD SAFARIS: "Grrrreat"

"Went with our friends who had been three years ago and they couldn't get over how much the camp had improved. We were there for two nights and everything worked like clockwork. There is a learning curve relating to keeping the tent free of mozzies but that seemed to largely work. There is an outside flush toilet for each tent together with a separate shower room. You will need to let the staff know if you want a warm or cold shower and they will fill the container appropriately! Worked OK. The vehicles take 6 people together with driver and ranger and there is a cold box with beers, soft drinks and water. When we arrived, we had lunch and then headed off to the relevant section of Yala NP. On our return, shower, change, drinks and dinner. Early morning call at 4:15am and there's time for tea or coffee plus biscuit or fruit before heading off for the morning safari and then have breakfast/lunch on the return. We really enjoyed the safari experience. Very efficient with each element having been carefully considered and the process operated seamlessly. Other than not seeing a leopard (my wife did although she had the benefit of binoculars and Saj had informed her where to aim them!) we all had a great experience. Saj took us to the reservoir in Zone 5 and we had some fun at the fish feeding frenzy with simple biscuits! Our other guide was Praneeth and he, like Saj, was very knowledgable and interesting. Saj is multi talented — not only relating to wildlife and nature but photography and astronomy! The night we were there was when Jupiter was close to earth and Saj set up his BIG telephoto lens on his camera and took a picture which showed the four moons! Something I hadn't expected! "