Guest Reviews

Hotel Tugu Bali: "hidden gem in plain sight"

"i am a vintage girl when it come to property, and i already known tugu as one of the heritage hotels in Indonesia. Never visit the other site tho, but the brand is all about antique and vintage Javanese set up in my mind. And the one in Bali for sure was stunning set up. With all old Javanese furniture in lashes green surrounding. As now, the area is becoming upscale and trendy and hip area, Tugu hotel is seriously get away from modern and chic neighborhood in just steps away. If you like vintage hotel, this is THE one."

Blackitch Artisan Kitchen: "Thai Degustation"

"We stumbled across this diamond in the rough after dodging a restaurant with a sick (coughing/sneezing) waitress and another with no fan or a/c working. After dodging these first world problems we wandered past the nightlife at the surrounding bars and noticed Blackitch. Artisan kitchens can be rather hit and miss but this location is quaint coupled with enticing reviews welcomed us in. Obviously we didn't reserve a spot prior to dining and after a brief discussion with the kitchen hands the sous chef encouraged us to dine. We were unsure what to expect with no menu or information about the experience other than a drinks list. The house made plum wine was superb over ice and my partner enjoyed the root beer (sarsparilla for those playing in Aus). We were delighted from the first dish of the degustation through to the dessert. The chef showed pride and pleasure with our dining experience adding to the evening. Yes the price is significantly more than what you may pay elsewhere however the quality and personalised service for both of us including drinks for circa 4,500BHT is reasonable in comparison to other degustation dinings. Our favourite dish was the duck blood sausage followed by the banana fritter dessert. Unfortunately the only pic I managed was that of an empty bowl as I devoured the bouquet of flavours shortly after each serving. Recommended for a couples night of fine dining."

SEEDS Restaurant & Lounge: "Excellent"

We were a bit reluctant to go as it was 40 minutes from the hotel in the awful Yangon traffic, but it was superb and well worth it - despite the restaurant having a party of 100 Swiss pensioners there as well! The food and service were terrific.

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Go for the guided tour"

"There are 3 guided tours everyday (11am, 2pm & 3:30pm) in Mandarin and English. The entrance fee is RM17 (approx $4) for adult and RM 8.50 for child (approx $2). If you wanted to go for the owner guided tour, it's on Friday at 11am and 2pm. Don't miss it ! Definitely a must visit destination if you are down in Penang. Stayed April 2017, traveled with friends"

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "THE highlight of our trip and one of the most unique experiences we have had to date"

"We recently spent a night at Noel Rodrigo's Leopard Safaris, and the entire experience left us awestruck and amazed. To place things in context, this is an actual campsite that is located next to a national park full of leopards, elephants, crocodiles, deer, wild boar and other forms of wildlife. If you're looking for a sanitised, 5-star luxury resort with all the modern conveniences that accompany such indulgences, this is not for you. If you have a sense of adventure and wish to be close to nature, however, you will find that Noel Rodrigo's has everything you will ever need. Our host and wildlife guide for our stay was Pradeeth. He is extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the wildlife in the park. He was also responsible for ensuring that our stay was comfortable and that all our needs were being met. From the moment we set foot in the camp until we left, we were made to feel like royalty. Pradeeth was supported by a team of discreet but attentive staff. We didn't manage to catch their names or speak very much to them, but this team of employees are the ones responsible for ensuring that everything in the camp runs like clockwork, and a big shout out goes to them. We were also introduced to Sajith who, much to his chagrin, has been promoted to management and no longer takes drives into the park as often as he used to. He did manage to sneak a drive in with us in the afternoon, thankfully. Sajith and Pradeeth are extremely knowledgeable about the park and it was awesome having them by our side during the drives, pointing out things we would otherwise miss. From the distinct call of a distressed deer sensing the presence of a leopard (those calls gave us an indication of where to head towards) to the paw tracks left by a passing porcupine, they made the park come alive to us, and made us attentive to even the smallest of things. Despite being a campsite, and sleeping in actual tents (think: glamping), Noel Rodrigo's had everything we needed. The accommodation was comfortable and the tents came fully equipped with safe deposit boxes, cupboards, flushing toilets and hot showers (on demand)! There is no air-conditioning, but all rooms are equipped with fans, and it does get cool in the evenings. Besides the wildlife and game drives (more on that later), the other highlight of the stay was the food. We were treated to scrumptious spreads every single meal. Beer, wine and gin & tonics were also readily available at NO extra cost. Everything was covered and there were no hidden costs. We dined al fresco every meal - literally out in the open, under the spreading canopy of a huge tree. Dinner was served under the stars, and the dining area was lit by hurricane lamps and candles. It was really special. The game drives were awesome. It could be because we were there during the off-season, but we mostly felt that we had the entire park to ourselves. We were fortunate enough to see 2 leopards during our first, afternoon drive. Pradeeth insisted that we woke up at 4:45am for our second, morning drive so that we could be the first to enter the park. This sacrifice paid off as we spotted another leopard that morning, and it was no further than 10 metres from us! Besides leopards, we also spotted elephants, deer, wild boars, peacocks, jungle fowl, mongoose (mongeese?), hares, kingfishers, crocodiles, hornbills, storks.... I could go on and on. The other thing that set Noel Rodrigo's apart was its emphasis on eco-tourism. We had the honour of being the first two visitors to take part in their new tree planting campaign (ask them about it). We were invited to plant a tree at the camp at the end of our visit in order to reduce our carbon footprint. It was a special gesture, and made us feel that we had invested a part of ourselves at the camp. We promised to return to see our wood apple tree. It also shows how the folks at Noel Rodrigo's genuinely care about the environment and nature. For this reason alone, you should consider Noel Rodrigo's over all the other safari options at Yala. We will be back soon. And until then, we sincerely hope that Noel Rodrigo's continues the good work it is doing over in Yala."

Cuca: "Worth the hype. Great lunch – next time dinner"

"We went here after getting a recommendation from someone staying at our hotel in Nusa Dua. We went for lunch and it was. Wet quiet on the midweek day that we went. I think the place would be buzzing for dinner. We sat inside in the Air-conditioning and we were served by great staff who explore menu very well and gave recommendations on how to get the best out of our experience. Drinks and cocktails were awesome and the food was perfect. My 8 year old was well catered for and we had ample food, cocktails and a couple of beers, kids meal which came to about $130. We will definitely go back but for dinner next time."

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Warm and welcoming"

Very friendly staff who provided excellent service! We would recommend this place to everyone! We received a free tour as part of the guest package. We then got a privet tour by the manager. The restaurant is excellent if you want a nice meal.

Cuisine Wat Damnak: "First Class Food"

Great restaurant in Siem Reap. World class food. just excellent. highly recommended. if you are in SR you should def go here.

Tugu Lombok: "Seriously Stunning"

Truly. If you love architecture and antiques, this place is for you. Around every corner is something beautiful or interesting. We stayed in one of the pool villas and it was gorgeous. The only slight negative was the tiling in the pool could use refurbishment as we were getting a bit of rust coming off them while swimming. The beach is incredible. Clear blue and calm. Perfect for snorkeling.Take the resort's boat to the Gilli Islands. You will not be disappointed. Hearing the call to prayer coming from the many different mosques in the area was unreal. Hearing several muezzin's singing (if that's the right word?) you to early morning prayers is my idea of heaven. Food in the restaurant was great. The resort is so large that we didn't know about the second bar/restaurant until our second night there. There was only one tiny thing that went wrong but I think it needs to be addressed. I came down with some sort of a nasty upper respiratory infection. A doctor was called in and I was given antibiotics. Only problem was, they were the completely wrong drugs. Turns out I had a double ear infection. Had the doctor diagnosed me properly my trip home wouldn't have been so uncomfortable. That being said, I knew something was wrong and on our way to the airport our driver took me to a hospital where I was given heavy duty decongestants that probably saved my ear drums. Huge kudos to him and the lovely doctors and nurses for getting me in and out of there so quickly! Even with this problem it was pretty much a perfect resort experience. We will be back!

kenanga ubud: "“Beautiful hotel and surroundings. The staff is charming, the rooms are very confortable and the pool is great."

"The hotel is 15 minutes from the center of Ubud, surrounded by rice fields. It has a wonderful swimming pool, a great restaurant and the staff is very friendly. The attention to detail is impressive. The rooms are large, the beds very confortable, great linen, very good air conditioning ( an important item in this warm and humid climate), fast WiFi We stayed for some days at the beginning of our trip to Indonesia, and returned for more before going home. Highly recommended"