Guest Reviews

Villa Song Saigon: "elegant colonial house"

We booked the imperial suite and didn't regret it. Huge in size, wonderful bathroom with riverview and 2 balconies, one on the river and a smaller to to poolside. Villa Song Saigon is a peaceful retreat in an elegant area full of colonial houses. We loved the whole interior of the house, this french colonial style, bright and airy. The front desk arranged a private trip for us to the cu chi tunnels, the tour was organized well. Both days, we took the shuttle to town (only bus available when we stayed there), it was a short ride about 15-20 minutes and comfortable. Breakfast was good, also our asian lunch. Snacks are also available by the poolside. We loved our stay here, although it was a bit far out of Saigon Center.

Maduzi Hotel: "Signature Boutique Hotel in the Heart of Sukhumvit Area"

"Signature Boutique Hotel in the Heart of Sukhumvit Area and at close proximity to Ashok BTS to move around the city. Traveler can take Airport line and one interchange to reach Ashok station to avoid traffic. Free flowing of Tea and coffee all the date make you rewind apart from Coffee making machine within each room. Day start with healthy breakfast and ambiance feel you that you are away from worry and outside world. Signature room /Deluxe room I have stayed was with Jacuzzi bath tub, Mini Bar ( Free to Use), LED TV and many more .. Bath toiletries provided was of premium type. One can try choice of drinks free for one time apart from Tea and Coffee. I wish to inform you that comfy bed was the best bed I have ever tried. Lastly, this is the best hotel out of 20 Countries I have stayed and would like to stay again one more time."

MesaStila: "Boutique Villa in Javanese Style"

Heard the story from staff that a Spanish lady built this place and all the villas were moved from somewhere in Central Java so that all villas are unique. I joined the coffee plantation trip and liked it. Also I bought one pack of coffee beans from gift shop, which was quite nice actually.

Reverie Siam Pai: "A very special hotel restaurant"

"We had been unable to secure rooms at the hotel so decided to go for dinner. Im so glad we did. We started with the speciality cocktails and then tried the tapas style menu. The menu is not exclusively Thai cuisine but the food was astounding. The ambience of the restaurant and the service provided by the maitre'd was wonderful. Nothing was too much trouble."

Manukan Island Resort: "Superb"

Amazing scenery, excellent beach, brilliantly designed tree houses, very good foods and well trained employees. Manukan island has the best beach in the area in terms of soil and snorkelling and this resort makes the experience even better one

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "A museum as a hotel, a hotel as a museum"

"Traveller, once you come to Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, male sure that you geh accomodation in this marvellous Hotel. Never Met a friendlier ans Most helpful straff, especially the ladies at the reception. The interior is original, the rooms arge large, so arge the bathrooms. Theres is only one suggestion: make netter barriers to avoid Museum visitors entering the Hotel Part. Stayed February 2017, traveled as a couple"

The Cabochon Hotel and Residence: "Lovely Boutique Hotel — Very Well Located"

"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Cabochon over Christmas. The hotel is small and styled in the old colonial manner. It's located in a retail/residential area of Sukhumvit Road and is set back a bit from the main road, so was very quiet. Breakfast was excellent -- both buffet and hot menu items are offered. We ate at the hotel restaurant one evening and the food/service there was excellent as well. Reservations for the restaurant are recommended if you're there during a busy time -- it appeared a number of the other diners came from outside the hotel. All emails setting up the initial reservation were answered promptly and thoroughly, and the car from the airport to the Cabochon, arranged with the hotel prior, was there waiting for us -- even though we ended up being delayed several hours. The car is worthwhile if you're arriving in the middle of the night, as we did. If you arrive during regular hours, you can take the train to the Phrom Phong stop, which is an easy 5 to 10 minute walk straight to the hotel. If you take the train from the airport, you would need to make one change, and carry bags up/down stairs at some point. We had a top floor room which was spacious and clean. Bottled water was provided daily, which was appreciated. The rooftop pool was small but lovely, with a beautiful view over parts of the city. The easy walk from the hotel to the sky train stop was very convenient as the sky train takes you all over, including to the stop for the Chao Phraya tourist boat, which in turn takes you all along the river to the beautiful temples, Chinatown, etc. All the hotel staff were very polite and helpful. Our only small suggestion would be to increase the wattage in the rooms -- the lighting was pretty dim and a little extra light in the evening would be helpful. We would love to return to the Cabochon on a return visit to Thailand, and would recommend it for both families and couples."

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Ethical safari company and wonderful staff; game safaris are a bonus! A++++"

"Summary: If you want a unique and special experience – come and stay here! Seeing a leopard is just a bonus! The safaris, the camp, and the team are brilliant. The company is ethical, environmentally-minded and the staff is knowledgeable, professional and passionate. You will not regret glamping, going on safari and generally having a brilliant time. I would recommend Noel Rodrigos Leopard Safaris to anyone and everyone! We went on a few safaris during our time in Yala but Leopard Safaris was so superior in every sense of the word! My only regret was not staying longer!!! I recently stayed with my husband and 8-year-old son. After a short drive from the pick area, we got received with a warm welcome and a cold towel. Well, Noel Roderigo’s Leopard Safaris, you had me at cold towel.... it continued to get better and better from there. We got a fresh coconut drink and then shown to our tent. The tent Hailing from Australia we are very used to camping. Often, we just throw down a swag or a very thin mattress on the ground. Glamping is the ultimate in camping – you get a real bed and awesome amenities. You get the excitement of camping with the creature comforts. It makes the entire experience so special. The fact that everything is ecological friendly makes this experience even more unique. The fact they have NO plastic made me so proud of them! What a wonderful thing to do and it just shows that Noel walks the talk of eco-tourism! I would say that getting the tent with the a/c is probably a good idea during hot times of the year. We got the unairconditioned tent and we did sweat a bit. Each ‘bedroom’ and the main area did have a small fan and you did get some air flowing through the tent too. If I had to have one criticism, it was the tent zips. I can see how this would be a hard thing to maintain. Sometimes when you closed the tent the zip would pop open. You could do it but you had to have a few goes. Cuisine Wow, just wow! The meals were some of the best we had during our 2.5 months in Sri Lanka. The chef also made a non-spicy variety for our super fussy son. Our son didn’t eat it but that is no reflection on his cooking ability, as our son doesn’t eat much other than bread! Following each meal, there was an interesting explanation of the ingredients or the meals. They were all traditional Sri Lankan meals and utterly delicious. If you do not cope with spice, as one of the other visitors didn’t, you might want to mention this. It was hot and spicy but that is the way we love it! Each meal was different and the selection interesting. The amount of food was generous. They also source all food locally. Each meal was set up at a different location within the camp and it was beautifully decorated each time. Our son absolutely loved making the string hoppers with the traditional press. You do need to realise you are eating under the stars, literally, and I had bugs come say hello. I am not sure why they decided I was the most exciting. But if you fear bugs, I would say maybe you need to go to a more sterile environment! The camp The entire camp was rustic, practical but also gorgeous. There were many areas just to relax and wind down. At night, it was utterly beautiful - You had small lights guiding you everywhere in the camp at night. The lounge/bar area was beyond beautiful during the day but at night, it was light up with candles and was perfect. We got some light snacks, again delicious and wound down with a wine or beer. Its a really nice way to relax prior to dinner. My husband did open the portable A/C unit in this area and did end up jumping about 10 feet into the air when a small brown snake sprung out of the unit at great speed! It was just exciting and great to see that nature was so chilled it popped in for a swim. It could be free and wild even in the camp! The snake was not dangerous. They were building a new addition - a pool! That will be an unreal addition! I can imagine how relaxing that will be. Ecological and ethically minded tourism Everything about Leopard Safaris is well thought out and has a purpose, yet looked awesome too! You can feel good about staying here. Often I feel a little sick when I see water in plastic bottles, here they stored in glass bottles in the camp and in metal bottles on game drives! What a novel idea! It really should be the NORM!! Electricity is from solar panels and a dual battery system in their safari jeeps. When they are driving it will recharge a battery, how cool is that?! I looked around and everywhere was “reduce, reuse and recycle”. You drink from jars, the basins are upcycled from pots, the fences and bridges are from fallen branches etc. etc.I could go on and on about these examples. As I said before, there is no plastic anywhere! You even had a sink that filtered the tooth paste you spat into the small basin! Our son also got to plant a tree in the camp. It was a lovely touch and great to teach kids about carbon footprint in a practical sense. Plus in the future, you can come visit ‘your’ tree. The company also funds a number of environmental and community programs. Just prior to our safari I was reading about them giving aid to those affected by the 2017 floods - transporting supplies. Again, they walk the talk! It is so refreshing to see! We did have one somewhat unnerving experience. The farmer next door used a VERY loud firework to scare away the elephants 4 or 5 times. We had a mobile to call the team but I think maybe they should have called us to say, “don’t worry the world is not ending”. It was so loud! Plus, I could hear the elephant breaking the trees and I am unsure how close it got but the farmer needed to set off way too many to scare the elephant away. It added to the excitement but I am not sure how great that is for the elephants. We got told it was an unusual occurrence though, as the fence near the camp had been broken a few days earlier. Safaris As I said, the safaris are just the bonus! Even though the leopard did elude us, I know we were very close a number of times. It didn't matter though (well I did want to see one!) but we saw countless other animals and birds, and we had an utterly wonderful experience. A highlight was a crocodile trying to climb a tree to get away from an angry buffalo! The Jeep – was very comfortable, drink bottles, cold drinks in an Esky, snacks, guide books and binoculars. It was well maintained and comfortable. Our Naturalist/Guide – Saamera He is a wonderful person and guide. He is so passionate about wildlife conservation and it really showed. He is very engaging and has excellent English. He is well versed and well educated about wildlife. I really enjoyed talking to him at length about conservation during our meals. He has the world’s most sensitive ears and was constantly on the lookout for signs of leopards and all other wildlife. It was great that he also didn’t talk all the time. Silence is golden at times. He had the mix right. If we asked a question, he answered with knowledgeable answers. Again, comparing to other “guides” we met who clearly made up the answers. The driver – Praneeth He was such a great driver. Actually, he was amazing! He drove at a reliable speed and it was comfortable. I felt like he could have a lot to offer in terms of guiding too, he clearly knew his stuff. He heard so many noises and looked for tracks, and knew all the cues. Other jeeps you can just see screaming around the place with no purpose. The team Saamera and Praneeth worked together and would discuss where to go next if they heard a noise that meant leopards were near. You could tell they liked working together. I feel bad I do not know everyone’s name but everyone was great! I guess my only criticism is – where are the chicks at? Maybe they are a distraction? Haha. Either way! I think having some females around the camp would be great! All that said, I would have loved to have met the “Master” himself, Noel! In his absence, his team does a great job. Conclusion We did a 1-night safari with 2 game drives and I really wish we did 2 nights. 1 night was just not enough! I cannot wait to return to see the leopards that did elude us! We were so close several times hearing many warning calls. I would love to return one day soon and even try out the Wilpattu glamping location you offer. I already know the level of care, service, and diligence will be sensational. Thank you, Noel, Saamera and the entire Leopard Safaris team! You are head and shoulder above 99% of the other operators out there. Please do not ever change your spots!"

Muang La Lodge: "Dream Boutique Hotel in Great Location"

"The trip to this resort from Luang Prabang is defintely worth doing. The rooms are fantastic with great views and a fantastic pool. The service is 5 star and charming and Rui the General Manager was really friendly and could not do enough to make our stay memorable. The food each night was fantasic and we loved the tasting menu approach -breakfasts were also great. Our best day was the visit to 3 hill tribes in the mountains, with a brilliant local guide. We brought balloons for the kids who were really pleased, had a picnic at a local school and even visited the local Shamens hut. In the last village there wasno photography as the villagers still believe it ""steals your soul""! When we came back to the hotel, we walked across the bridge and took a punt back across the river, visited the local monastry where we got a blessing from a local monk and had a beer at a small hut hanging over the river. Local village and market are also a short walk from the hotel. All in all this place was faultless and a trip here twinned with Luang Prabang is a superb holiday (althiygh Luang Prabang will feel touristy after here). Hope to get back sonn Rui and thanks for making sure we had such a great time. Richard "

The Twelve Hotel: "Perfect!"

This hotel is a gem and an oasis of peace amid the chaos of Bangkok! The stop in Bangkok was the first of our honeymoon: we landed early in the morning and the owner took us over suitcases x allow us to take advantage of the day. Every day we indicated activities and restaurants making the visit of the perfect city thanks to his advice! The rooms are clean, spacious and furnished with good taste! I really recommend this to everyone !!