Guest Reviews

Jing’s Residence: "Incredible service and attention to detail"

Pingyao is amazing and so is Jing's residence…a wonderful experience with great care taken by the management and staff to make it a very personal stay. The converted property is something of a rabbit warren but the the rooms are sumptuous with stunning architecture and interior design. To top it off they food and service were simply superb….the dinner was terrific and the breakfast beat anything we had during 2 weeks in China.

Labyrinth: "Very beautiful food"

The food was tasty and presented beautifully! My friend and I loved the five course lunch menu and had a lovely time.

Locavore: "Long, Drawn-Out Food Mystery Tour"

"I have had two lunches here and although I liked almost all of the dishes, there are a few that were borderline disgusting. The whole showmanship aspect, lengthy affair of eating each morsel as its own chapter of your life, starts to feel more like some sort of culinary striptease rather than a joyous gifting. I know they want to give each taste its due, but the timing never felt quite right, and sometimes I would anticipate when the next dish would arrive, eating ridiculously slowly, only to be surprised by the sudden arrival of the next amazing thing. This place aims to create a tour de force dining experience, with discs of some mashed-together vegetable, or a deep fried leaf of something you never thought of eating. Exquisite sauces, pleasing texture combinations, and clever reinventions of some silly thing like a mushroom... these are what are in store for you at Locavore. But every once in a while, you get some taste of something straight out of American Psycho, the novel where young investment bankers vie for tables at NYC's latest culinary palaces, with such bizarre dishes as ""Shad Roe Omelet"" are on the menu. By the way, I want to thank Locavore for never serving me anything with sea foam on it. There's a gimmick you will see at Mosaic, but, thankfully, never encountered that fad at Locavore. The chef is into invention, rather than riding trends set by others. That said, there were a couple of memorable dishes (for the wrong reasons) which were just too weird to finish. I mean, I could eat around this one that had some sort of oatmeal-type grain... it wasn't polenta or oats, either. It was just too cold and mushy, though, and I went for the sauce and crispy bits next to the gruel. When I asked for a custom cocktail, describing to the waiter that I liked bitters and dry flavors, he came back from the bartender with a suggestion for something described as using sugar. I had to kind of back-and-forth it for several minutes with the waiter and bartender before he arrived at something without sugar or fruit, and it was tasty and original, but I was surprised by the amount of discussion we had to have. I do appreciate the precision concern for my tastes in alcohol and seasoning, but be forewarned that if you ask the bartender to invent something for you, it may mean starting a conference. I still give these guys a high score because there is nothing else like it in Bali, and the cooks take such pride in their work. But be aware that not every exquisite little dish will be a firecracker of pleasure. Hard surfaces throughout the restaurant make for awful acoustics. Sound bounces everywhere and I prefer softer atmospheres for fine dining."

Maison Polanka: "Haven in a garden"

"We had a blissful stay for three nights. Staff was very friendly, helpful and made us feel at home. We stayed in the Yellow room which we thought was the best room in the main house as it was private, located right next to the shared coffee/tea making facilty and had a big, light bathroom. We arranged for two temple tours through the hotel and the guide allocated was informative and a terrific photographer. Choose this place if you want a quiet place off the touristy area but close enough to hop on a tuk tuk to Pub St in approximately 10mins!"

Rachamankha: "The best place to stay in Chiangmai"

"This must be my 8 or 9th visit to rachamnkha. It is such a great place to stay. The manager, Paul, is without doubt one of the best hoteliers I have ever met. And the praise doesn't stop with him. The staff are 2nd to none. The rooms are excellent, and the garden setting that the hotel is situated in is an oasis in the city. The breakfast is the best I have ever encountered in many years of travelling, and the lunch and dinner do not disappoint. If you are staying in Chang Mai, stay here. If you are not staying in Chiang Mai , then change your plans and stay here. It's worth the trip. Without doubt, and pound for pound, is the best place you will ever stay in Thailand. "

Yandabo Home: "wonderful facility"

Located along the river we were lucky only d.etre overnight. Serenities a bubble in the middle of nowhere. The bungalow is new, spacious beautifully decorated with a large bathroom. The staff is on hand to make this place unique. The restaurant is very good with traditional cuisine. Breakfast is served at the table and croissants come from afar to satisfy customers. Do not miss .

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Awesome experience"

"I have to say they have an exceptional stuff that makes this safari a great experience. They are very professional and they will do the best for your comfort. The tents are GREAT, its a very nice enviroment and eventhought you are in the middle of the jungle (right next to Yala National Park) the accommodation its very clean, safe and comfy. The shower is A MA ZInG... You can shower looking at the starts. The food is very varied and includes many options of Sri Lankan food. Spending the night itself is a great experience. In my case, i did two safaris, one at 3pm and otherone at 5am the next morning, i saw among others animals: Elephants, a Leopard, Buffalos, Deers, Eagles (Grey-headed fish eagle and White-bellied sea-eagle that i can remember of), Ceylon jinglefowl, Indian peafowl Cocodrile, tons of birds (Common kingfisher, Rose-ringed parakeet, among others), oh and of course diverse monkeys. Awesome experience, highly recommended."

Rachamankha: "Tranquil and elegant oasis"

This is an aesthetically pleasing, extremely quiet and comfortable hotel with luxurious accommodations and a welcoming friendly staff. Our family of four (two grown children) stayed in a two bedroom suite connected by a spacious living room with a kitchen stocked with place settings to allow an evening in with delicious take out food from the neighboring chicken (Thai) place. The beds are wonderfully comfortable and the pool and included breakfast were lovely. Very special and highly recommended!

Rahai’i Pangun: "Absolutely fantastic!"

"We took the two night cruise to see the orangutans and visit the local Dayak river villages. Wow Borneo responded promptly to every question we had. Making reservations was very simple. Top deck of the boat allows a lot of space to walk about and to sit in comfortable deck chairs to enjoy the river cruise. The dining area was at the back on the top deck as well. They have a great cook who prepared wonderful, tasty, local foods. I would say it’s some of the best food we’ve had in the two years we’ve lived in Indonesia. The rooms were basic and the bed was very comfortable. We splurged on a room with air conditioning, which was well worth the added cost after an active hot day in Borneo. While there is no hot water for the showers, that’s not a real problem given that the water temperature was about 28 to 32 Celsius…It felt good to cool off a bit. The visits to the Dayak villages were enjoyable. We took motorized canoes up the tributaries to access the villages, which added to the adventure. The villagers were very welcoming and you could tell that they were proud of their communities. They had a local group of dancers and performers come right onto the ship in the afternoon. They were very proud of the dances that they performed. In fact, there are spirited competitions that the local community group had won several times. They were all wonderful. The orangutans were a blast! We went to the orangutan rehabilitation center to learn about their initiative to return orangutans back into the wild. We took small motorized canoes up the tributaries to access the islands that the orangutans live on. They would come down by the river to watch us as we passed by. It was amazing to watch them as they would swing through the trees. Truly amazing creatures. It was nice to get away from Jakarta to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this still wild area of Indonesia. It was great to stand out on the deck at night and watch all the stars. Ah, and what beautiful sunsets! We had several hours between when the cruise ended and when our flight departed. We asked the crew if they could recommend places to visit in Palangkaraya. They called ahead to their friends and relatives and spontaneously made arrangements to tour the city for a nominal fee. They brought us to the old part of the city, which was fascinating to walk through. This trip was great value for the money. It was an incredible memorable experience. One of the highlights of our stay in Indonesia."

Tugu Lombok: "Stunning property with good surprises everywhere"

"I find myself at a loss for words to describe Tugu. It is such an amazing place with lovely people that I really don’t know where to start! We stayed during the end of rainy season and were amazed to find we were almost the only guests there at the time. Sure it rained a couple of times in the afternoon, but there is plenty enough sun in the mornings so this really should not keep you from going there then. The hotel is on the northern side of Lombok, a path much less trodden by tourists there so definitely a bonus for us as we prefer to steer clear of mass tourism. It is a great place to stay in a peaceful surrounding while also being a good base to see other parts of the island. It is also only 30 minutes from here to the Gili islands and the hotel offers rides there on its own dragon boat. The wow factor started for us the minute the car entered the driveway, the grounds on which the hotel sits encompass 6 hectares and all the buildings are well spaced apart. The entrance/reception is beautiful with antique wood carvings and a cooling carp pool where you sit while being registered with a lovely cool drink astound and soothe you after your journey there. We had booked a Svarga villa, but we were also shown the Aloon-Aloon villa and took this instead as the bathrooms are indoor (but not air-conditioned) whereas in the Svarga they are partially outside and we were worried about mosquito bites when using the bathroom at night. Both villa types were stunning and each villa, even of the same type, has slightly different compositions (e.g. different styles of beds) making each a very individual experience. The Aloon-Aloon villas are stand-alone, each with a private walled in garden and all the lights are controlled from what can only be described as a James Bond style control box on the bed side table. They are also close to the main restaurant and bar in a garden area with large coconut and other trees offering lovely shade and cool. The villas are huge, our own flat at home now seems so much smaller and cramped we wish we were back there! You have almost absolute privacy and the only thing we heard in our time there was the Muezin call to prayer that you hear anywhere on the island. The hotel has two restaurants, the main one with a T-shaped pool in front not far from the Aloon-Aloon villas and reception area was the one we mainly used as the other (wedding) hall is only open three times a week if enough guests are there. This other hall was stunning, huge and high ceilinged with a range of captivating statues and antique art pieces and included a number of ceiling fans that were great for cooling you while you ate. We did not use the adjoining bar, but did take a look and it was just like a vision out of colonial and historic buildings from all over Asia. The main restaurant was smaller and had no ceiling fans, however, you have the opportunity to eat at various places on the property if it was not raining. We ate on a raised dais just in front of the beach a couple of times as there was a nice breeze there. Regardless of where you choose to eat the service is fantastic and the food is amazing. I am allergic to cucumber, Zucchini and related food stuffs while my wife is allergic to onion and garlic, quite a challenge for the kitchen who were amazing about it all and the staff were very good with us. We also did a cooking course with Sukma, which we thoroughly enjoyed and I learned an awful lot about Indonesian cooking in the process. I can only highly recommend this course. The hotel also offers a number of activities and outings that we found very useful and excellently delivered. While the tours are pre-defined they are always very accommodating in changing the parameters of these if this is required. There are two pools on the property all can use, some of the villas also heave their own private pools. The largest pool is around 2 minutes’ walk from the main reception and has it’s own bar on site. A small children’s pool leads into the main pool, which has a deep centre with sides you can walk on. There are several sun loungers around the pool and it is a great area for families. We mainly used the pool at the front of the main restaurant that is built in a T-shape. It is perfect for cooling off while staying close to the main restaurant and bar areas, I would say it could do with a little clean as some of the inside surfaces including lights did have a build-up of algae on them, but this in no way stopped us from swimming there. Please do not get the wrong idea from my last comment, I have to say the staff are amazing and spend a huge amount of time cleaning in all areas of the hotel. The staff are wonderful and very attentive while also keeping a level of distance in order to provide the guests with a level of privacy. We got on really well with everyone and all staff made a huge effort to make our stay as fantastic as possible, I have to give particular thanks here to Ruslan who took the time to teach me a number of Indonesian phrases I found very useful while there. The beach is amazing here with lovely white sand and direct access to the sea. The corals near to shore are a little bleached and covered in sea weed, but there are still amazing fish to see not far from shore. It might have been the time of year, but there were always strands of sea weed floating in the water that were a little off putting, but otherwise well worth a visit. All around the hotel grounds and buildings there are amazing statues and details to be discovered while walking around. I think I could have easily spent another week there and still not get bored of discovering the place, I can only highly recommend a stay here and hope to be back some time myself too. Room Tip: Ask to see the rooms available, you can then chose the best for your needs"