Guest Reviews

Mathis Retreat: "Lovely boutique hotel – perfect hideaway"

"I stayed here for a week and I miss it everyday! For the first part of the week, it was me and a girlfriend who came to Ubud to get away from the city, do a little exploring and do some yoga. We weren't sure if we wanted to stay in Ubud the whole time or go somewhere else in Bali, but after two nights, we extended our stay. One of our favourite things was having breakfast looking at out the private rice fields every morning, it was so relaxing. The pool had the perfect view. The hotel had a really good balance between a tranquil relaxed vibe, without being sleepy, and had some really good tunes throughout the day by the pool too (I ended up asking them for their playlist).The hotel was just a 10 minute scooter ride into town, which meant everything was really accessible without it being crazy all the time. My friend ended up going home early and I stayed on for an extra 2 days. The staff took such good care of me. And as a solo female traveler, safety is extremely important. They was so lovely and even taught me some Indonesian. The GM was super lovely and very hands on, she would come by and chat with the guests, without being intrusive. It was such a wonderful trip and the hotel was a huge part of it. Seriously, great rooms, great resto (really good food!), great view and great staff. I would definitely come back!"

Supanniga Home: "Nice stay in Khon Kaen"

We had the Velu Villa. It is a nice modern villa of 2 rooms. The garden of the Supanniga is very nice with a lot of squirrels (so nice) but too many mosquitoes (less nice)...the staff were friendly and breakfast good. We will go back there certainly.

Tugu Lombok: "Get pampered"

"We stayed 5 nights in a Swarga Villa immediately after end of ramadan. The photographs of the Villa on the website are not favorable when compared to what it is really. The villa is very nice : terrass with table and chairs, one spacious room including area for desk, generous semi-open air bathroom, patio, and open-air place with two sunbeds and a view on the sea (however, the place is mostly in the shade, you can hardly sunbathe here). Limited privacy on open-air areas. Everything is perfectly working and service is impeccable. For those who would go for an Bhagavat Gita Oceanfront Suite, note that the pool is small (it is a plunge pool) and there is no privacy. Pool is in a garden open to the beach. The service is outstanding, from welcome to good-bye. We would like to drop a special note for Erik at front-desk, Mahmud and Ruslan in the restaurant. They have been excellent making us really feeling at home. What is special to Tugu Lombok is that you can have dinner (and I guess even breakfast) wherever you like : on the beach, on the pool, on the pond, on the spa roof which is like a temple, at your villa.... Food is nice (if not always excellent) and reasonable in price given the standard of the resort. But the choice of wine at an affordable price could be better, including some less expensive wines from Bali for example. Breakfast is generous in every way. We have been less convinced by the spa. Prices are equivalent to 5* in Jakarta but quality level is lower. Whereas quality of massage was quite good, everything else was not luxurious or refined. There are no male therapists. Beach : yes, it is true that there are pieces of coral on the sand. It is however easy to avoid them. In addition, Tugu cleans the beach as much as possible and they have rockshoes available (free). In fact, those coral are more problematic to get into and out of the water, but it did not spoil our pleasure in any way. A big pool, in addition to the nice one in front of the restaurant, is perfect for swimmers (long approx. 30 m, with a smart three-level deep system). Tugu is secluded and very quiet, and this was what we wanted. Fyi, there are no other options for dinner nearby. Bicycles are available (free), local people in the village are very nice and welcoming. Regarding the design, we loved it. But check their website before you book and you can easily see whether you like this style of deco or not. Opinion is given taking into account that the hotel is considered being of very high, ""luxury"" standard (5 stars)."

Villa Song Saigon: "Fantastic boutique hotel, plus free speedboat and minibar"

"We absolutely loved this hotel. Beautiful, quaint, great staff, lovely food and wonderful rooms. It's no wonder that this is the top hotel in Saigon on Trip Advisor (at the time of writing). We stayed in a beautiful room overlooking the pool, with a deeply comfy double bed, separate shower room and washing facilities, TV, private balcony and all the usual mod cons included. Their service is second to none. There's a free minibar in all rooms (including beer, water, milk and juice). They serve breakfast at any time of the day (seriously - you could have it at 10pm if you REALLY sleep in), and it's included in the price of the room. And electricity can be left on in your suite when you leave, meaning those devices that keep dying might actually get charged. They have UK plug sockets too. Best of all, as the hotel is not right in the city centre, they put on a speedboat to ferry guests to the main bit of the city, on a first come first served basis. (Although it was never full when we stayed in May). The boat takes approximately 15-20 minutes, but you'd wish it would be longer, because it's brilliant. The last boat is at 6pm, and a taxi back to the hotel should set you back 150,000 VND. If it's more than that, they've got lost! The pool is excellent, as is their restaurant, which is overseen by Kevin the chef from Luxembourg - who will certainly seek you out to say hello, or offer some food and drink recommendations. Food and drink here, incidentally, is a few more pennies by Vietnamese standards, but very fair when compared to the rest of Saigon, and even better when compared to the likes of London. Breakfast, which I briefly mentioned, is very good. The best we had in Vietnam, in fact. And it offers up some really well done variations of Western classics like pancakes or a full English versus your traditional and excellent Pho noodle soup. (If you're really hungry, you can even have both - in fact, it was them who suggested it, which I greedily accepted). Their staff are great, too. When we wanted to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, the front desk organised a speedboat to pick us up from the hotel's own private jetty - and one of the highlights of our trip. If I was to take points off this hotel, and it is being picky, then their airport to hotel transfer service is very expensive in comparison to most hotels we stayed at in Vietnam (all of which have a comparative distance from airport to destination). It was a nice air conditioned private car, but then it was no better than every other hotel provided us. And 1,386,000 VND is a bit steep. Full disclosure: they had quoted this price to me some time before we arrived in Vietnam, and I could have shopped around for cheaper prices, so I can't really blame them for quoting a price to me and then accepting it. But it might be something they could look at in the future! The taxi they booked us for our return to the airport after our stay was much, much cheaper at 300,000 VND. So maybe shop around for your original pick-up. I know there's loads of 'taxi scams' in Vietnam, but you should be able to find a decent service for cheaper transfers if you need. None of that dented out love of Villa Song Saigon, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. I really miss their speedboat..."

Tugu Lombok: "SIMPLY AMAZING!"

"Hotel Tugu Lombok has to be seen to be believed! The grounds, buildings and rooms are delightful, as is the natural setting - everything seemed like an adventure with something new to discover at every turn. While the hotel is not new or slick it is authentic and conveys a sense of being in Indonesia perfectly (rather than just feeling you are staying in a generic international resort). But this hotel's merits are really in the care, attention and genuine sense of hospitality displayed by the amazing staff. Everyone knows your name and likes/dislikes on day one, are super friendly but also know how to be unobtrusive if you seek privacy. There are also lots of activities that can be arranged should you wish to explore the area but it is actually very hard to tear yourself away from your new perfect ""home"", not the mention the shock of going back into the real world when it is time to sadly leave! This is our 2nd stay at a Tugu hotel (Tugu Bali is equally gorgeous) and as each seemed to very much have their own character we are planning a Tugu tour of Indonesia in the future to experience the country's culture, art and cuisine in the best possible way! Room Tip: Apenam Bungalows are in a quiet area facing a lovely grassy lawn and close to a huge, very unique..."

Tugu Bali: "Amazing property"

Very unique experience staying in this hotel. Quick walk to the surf breaks at Batu Balong, Old Man's and Echo Beach/Pererenan from the lovely beach area on the property. Food in the restaurant is a bit more expensive than other options in the area but well worth the price.

Satri House: "Really lovely!"

I looked at many, many hotels online for Luang Prabang and could not have been happier with my choice. This property is absolutely lovely - a serene and tranquil escape after busy days of sightseeing! The staff could not have been more hospitable and accommodating, and the food was great! Stayed for a week utilizing all the various services - dining room for a variety of meals, pool, spa, bar, library - all terrific. Special kudos to the staff who were truly so nice!

Tugu Lombok: "Beautiful location, excellent service"

"Spent six nights at Tugu Lombok and can thoroughly recommend it. The beach location is fantastic and the staff at the hotel couldn't do enough for us. If you want a real get-away-from-it-all holiday it would be hard to beat, you can just enjoy the views, swim and laze. But if you want more activity you can go on excursions - the snorkelling trip to the Gilis is probably essential for most, but we did decide against the trekking! The rooms are amazing, we had our own 'bungalow' with a huge double bed, veranda for sitting outside and a small private courtyard if required. But best of all was the bathroom open to the outdoors! The restaurants offer great food and plenty of variety, and we must thank the staff for their friendliness, and helpful service, they made us feel very welcome. The last night send-off was most unexpected and touching. We've stayed in some lovely places but this is hard to beat. "

Villa Song Saigon: "Part of my 60th birthday trip to Thailand and Vietnam"

"I have never been to Vietnam before and after spending a week in Thailand we flew to Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh) I had booked the Villa Song hotel whilst in the UK. I like staying near a river or the sea and the hotel looked ideal for us. There were 7 of us incl my wife, her cousin, our 3 children and my eldest sons girlfriend. The hotel was perfect! We arrived and as a surprise some friends of ours who live in Hong Kong had flown in and were at the bar as we arrived. The setting was so good we decided to stay at the hotel for dinner and it was excellent. Great French wines at great prices The chef who also came out to see us was really nice. He was born in Luxembourg and was very helpful. The whole place was excellent - a real original Colonial house that had been renovated into a fabulous boutique hotel. The food, the breakfasts, the cocktails were all superb Great spacious rooms with satellite TV and all the staff could not have been nicer. Above all the prices were sensible and affordable I could not recommend this hotel highly enough - right on the river and just 20 minutes into the centre on a free shuttle bus provided by the hotel You must go!!"

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Quiet calm by the Sea"

"What a perfect place to unwind. Located by the beach in beautiful natural gardens. Delicious seafood sitting under palm trees and candlelight. Eagles soar above and herons wade in the nearby lagoon. The spa is professionally run in its on quiet oasis. The rooms in individual bungalows have private bathrooms with partly open skies so we shares ours with a very charming obliging bright green frog who hopped off under the palm tree when we entered! The Lotus Boat which is part of this hotel is situated on the backwaters 10 minutes away. We spent two nights aboard in wonderful luxury (with air conditioning in the bedroom) and a staff of 4 who looked after every request."