Neeleshwar Hermitage: "An exceptional Ayurvedic experience and Lotus Houseboat trip!"

Review by: Kathy M | Source: Trip Advisor
My husband and I traveled from Canada to India recently and had the great pleasure of staying six nights at Neeleshwar Hermitage, two night of which were spent on the exceptional Lotus Houseboat cruising the backwaters of northern Kerala. We were transferred to Neeleshwar from the airport in Mangalore, a two or three hour drive. Our accommodation in Neeleshwar was exceptional, and the meals provided in our package were delicious and definitely very gourmet. We had booked an Ayurvedic all-inclusive package, and we enjoyed our helpful consultation with Dr. Suma on the premises. We thoroughly enjoyed our yoga and meditation sessions, and our massage masters (Indu and Arya and an excellent young man at the Priya Spa for my husband) were pleasant and competent. Mr. Sasi was the manager of food and beverage, and his team was excellent, including Dipin and Jayan. Dipin even recognized us when we visited Kanan Village nearby for the Thayyam Festival, and came over to speak with us! Shri Anil Kumar was an excellent Yoga / Meditation teacher, both skilled and wise. Mr. Jayan was an excellent manager, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the fabulous musical evening that he organized for the guests. Our two nights on the Lotus Houseboat were calm and relaxing, far superior to the very, very busy houseboats that operate out of Alleppey and cruise the southern backwaters. Captain Vinod, Chef Dinakaran, and Guide Sugesh were all exceptional, and we are very grateful to have met them. We visited a coir factory and a local village with Sugesh, and my husband enjoyed a village cycling excursion as well. Neeleshwar Hermitage was a great pleasure and we thoroughly enjoyed our six nights there, and can highly recommend this experience to other travelers!

The Island Lodge: "Such luxury"

Review by: Sheryn p | Source: Trip Advisor
So close to HCMC but away from the bustle. We were greeted by staff and Michel ( the host). Our room was authentic country luxury with no marble in site. Gave us a feeling of tropical colonial luxury. A beautiful pool, tropical gardens, amazing French cuisine for dinner and breakfast. Staff were incredibly polite and service was amazing. Thanks so much for sharing your spot of paradise.

Les Maisons Wat Kor: "Lost in Paradise"

Review by: Grace R | Source: Trip Advisor
This is not a hotel but Paradise. So beautiful with a nice garden. Room is very very big with simple decoration but very convenient. We love the scenery around the hotel, it is wonderful. Sitting at the middle of the nature, reading a good book and drinking a cocktail. It was the most relaxing moment in my life

Tugu Malang: "Best hidden gem in Indonesia"

Review by: Sarah W | Source: Trip Advisor
We're currently living in Jakarta, and sometimes you need a little getaway from the Big Durian. Malang is it - and this is the hotel to stay in. I loved everything about this place. The hotel staff are really friendly - arranging early check in and late check out with no problems and playing with my baby. The rooms are gorgeous, really comfortable beds, huge beautiful bathroom with really nice products, and wood floors (great for a crawling baby). The grounds are like a museum with so many places to walk and explore. The hotel is located in a very walkable location and the hotel staff are helpful with recommendations. The restaurant has the best Indonesian food I've had in Indonesia. They'll modify for vegetarians - try the Nasi Campur. The breakfast that's included is also incredible - you can order off the menu and take from the buffet - all included! The coffee is amazing - we took home 2 bags of beans, very reasonably priced. The afternoon tea that's included offers a wonderful selection of Indonesian snacks to try and great tea and coffee. They include a welcome massage of 15 minutes, and we bought a full massage, which was really high quality and totally worth it - and reasonably priced.

The Island Lodge: "Beautiful hidden gem"

Review by: Mroovers | Source: Trip Advisor
A wonderful hotel with a lovely garden and pool. After a drive from Saigon we were warmly welcomed by the owner and some of his staff with refreshing drinks and cakes. The rooms are spacious, clean and nicely decorated. The hotel has a great restaurant and serves lovely food. Because it was low season the restaurant was open just for us. That's how service should be! We loved it here.

Villa Song: "Outstanding Hotel in Every Way!"

Review by: Amy T | Source: Trip Advisor
"Our experience with the Villa Song hotel has been excellent, with tremendous service and communication starting even before we arrived. From helping us to arrange car service from the airport, to recommending and reserving excursions, to accommodating changes in our travel plans, the service we have experienced has been top notch. When we missed our layover flight in Dubai we immediately let our friends at Villa Song know that we would be delayed a day. Even though we we only gave them a few hours notice they got back to us right away, to let us know that it wouldn’t be a problem. When we arrived at the hotel the staff couldn’t have been more welcoming and confirmed our excursions that evening. The Vespa ride in Saigon and the boat trip on the Mekong Delta were fantastic and reasonably priced. When we saw our room - the imperial suite - we immediately decided to cancel the next leg of our trip and extend our stay at Villa Song for an additional 3 nights. The staff were very accommodating and told us we could stay in the same room. Everything in the room is high end, very clean and the bed and bedding are exceptional. The spa Service is OFF THE CHARTS good. We had a couples hot stone massage and I had a facial. Again, the prices were excellent! The food has surpassed our expectations. Breakfast is complimentary - I would suggest the waffles, with green coconut chutney - delicious! Lunch and dinner were five stars. My only small suggestion is that the white wine could be a little colder. The food is phenomenal!! This is a place to come to eat even if you don’t stay here. Lastly, the service at Villa song is as good, if not better, than any of the 6/7 star hotels in the West. Everyone was ready to help ensure that our honeymoon would be unforgettable. We leave the day after tomorrow for the St Regis in Langkawi, Malaysia - and to be honest - we want to stay here! Special thank you’s to Ms. Truc, Mr. Toan and Freddy. Thanks to you for making our time here unforgettable!! "

Satri House: "A wonderful happiness at a cozy little boutique hotel"

Review by: Neung V | Source: Trip Advisor
"We are a family with kids and a nanny. At first, we booked this hotel on Agoda web for the first 2 nights ( our plan in Luang Prabang was 6 days/5 nights). Then we planed to spend our first 2 days traveling around and get to know Luang Prabang before move to other hotels that near the old city. This hotel is not much different as seen in the picture and the swimming pool is just nice for our kids ( 2.5 yrs old and a baby 5 months old). They loved to go to swimming pool almost everyday. The first night, we ended up having dinner at hotel restaurant which is the same dining place for having breakfast. The dinner was very good. The Laotian food tasted yummy and not too spicy. Our kid loves fried nugget chicken with french fries so much (we were back to order this quite a few times during the rest of our stay. Later, we went out to check on our wish list hotels like 3Nagas, Azaria (near night market), Belle Rives (very nice view to see Mae Khong river), we also got the chance to dine at 3Nagas as well ( see our review for 3Nagas restaurant) BUT we didn't very much like those hotels ambience and there is not-a-good-swimming pool for our kids to swim as well as Satri house. So we came back and talked to Satri House hotel manager "" Giovanni"" that we loved to extend our stay at Satri House for the next 4 days/3 nights. It was very appreciated to say that Satri hotel GM gave us a good hotel deal package for our extended. We got the same junior suit room type with lower rate than the previous booking from Agoda website and a plus was the spa for 2 (oil massage or traditional Laotian massage) for free. We found that our trip in Laos wouldn't be as nice if we didn't stay at Satri House. It was a family friendly hotel, Very nice breakfast (we tried every breakfast menu during our 6 days stay in both international dish and local dish). Our kids like hot chocolate drink and we all loved fresh orange juices and a fruit bowl in every morning too (croissant and bread were also good). I could even say that some of the dish is as good as 3Nagas or even better! For us, we are no need to go to other hotels or go through those restaurants that listed with overrated star in Laung Prabang. We finally were happy with Satri House for the stay, the food, the location, the friendly and always helpful hotel staff and especially, Hotel GM. Thanks for taking good care of us. We hope to go back again for our next vacation soon. Love Satri House! We impressed."

Nimmu House: "Paradise in Ladakh"

Review by: Laura R | Source: Trip Advisor
"I stayed in Nimmu House during a trip in Ladakh organised with a group when we had to go trekking. We stayed in Nimmu before and after our trek. This place was so peaceful and it was the perfect place to have a little rest. We stayed inside the tent in the garden which are just amazing and cosy with all facilities and much more than what you could expect after trekking in Ladakh. The inside of the house is also very special and has his own story which is quite interesting. At night, we enjoyed the bonfire and nice drinks outside all together. Food is very wonderful thanks to Maya and menu is different everyday. We had Chocolate Mouss, Chocolate Pie and also Lemon Pie which is so nice French people The atmosphere is very friendly in Nimmu house :) Manon, her husband and Audrey take good care of their customer and are always available to discuss with you about any enquiries you have regarding the services, the house or any kind of thing. I really like to thank all of them for this wonderful stay in Nimmu which was so special for me as it was my birthday and they made it so nice for me :)"

Le Du Wine Bar & Restaurant: "Another visit, another success!!"

Review by: Tim Z | Source: Trip Advisor
"I have been coming here on and off for a couple of years now and I am yet to be disappointed - this place is just very consistent and you can tell the head chef is actively keeping on top of his game with new creations as the seasons change! Anyone looking for exciting takes on classics, sustainable ingredients cooked with passion in a welcoming environment (and healthy glasses of wine paired) you really can't fault the place! Keep up the great work guys!!"

4 rivers: "Tranquility Base"

Review by: BillPurvis | Source: tripadvisor.com
"I stayed with my wife and son for a couple of nights on one of the floating tents recently. Our hosts had arranged an extra bed for our son and a lovely bouquet of flowers for my wife's birthday. The 4 Rivers team really enjoy making your stay as comfortable and unique as they can. Swimming in the river straight from your lodge makes you feel like you're in the middle of a jungle. Do get up early and listen to the dawn chorus. The trip to the fishing village and collecting clams in a mangrove swamp is great. There are bugs around at night but they are dealt with. The management did everything they could to make arrangements when our plans changed at short notice. A big thank you to the whole team for making our stay so memorable. "
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!