Guest Reviews

Satri House: "Great place to stay in Laos"

"Satri House in Luangprabang is centrally located. It's a very quaint hotel, first class with lovely rooms and a very, very accommodating staff. Customer service is excellent. Would highly recommend this hotel! Though the hotel is old, all the rooms, courtyards, restaurants, etc. have all the modern conveniences while still retaining the traditional charm. Room Tip: All rooms are good. No elevator due to this being a UNESCO building but staff carries all the lugga."

Maison Polanka: "Stay here for wonderful personal service. Deserving of a 7/5 rating not merely 5/5"

"I will start with the summary: tranquil garden, great room, excellent F+B, attention to detail, but the wonderful staff is what made our stay in Siem Reap a truly memorable one (in addition to the the magnificent ruins, of course). The small touches such the chilled towels in the car and upon our return to Maison after each of our trips were truly appreciated. They provided a mobile phone with Maison's number preloaded in directory, another thoughtful and helpful detail. We found the staff not merely polite and helpful but genuinely concerned about our well-being. Maison arranged tuk-tuk rides for our trips into the center of town and the drivers were courteous. Our car/van driver was friendly and informative on the ride back to the airport, making us feel welcome in Cambodia even as we were about to depart. We cannot remember all the names of all who took care of us but special thanks to to Kathy and Sorpana (?) at reception for all their attention to us. Of course, we cannot say enough about Francis. From the initial email exchanges to our actual stay he remained on top of everything. We appreciated his meeting us at the airport on our late night arrival, something we did not expect. Initially I had considered one of the larger hotels but chose to look for a boutique hotel instead. I chose Maison based on both excellent reviews and the compelling back story as told on the hotel webpage. Several email communications with Francis were promptly answered; he readily addressed concerns about airport transfers (a hotel van is available; recommended as tuk-tuks and taxis may not know the hotel or its location) transport to the town center (tuk-tuks that the hotel apparently has an arrangement with and will wait for you at your destination in town). Maison Polanka is located on the east side of the Siem Reap river in a quiet secluded neighborhood (the nearby Po Lang Ka pagoda is what presumably gave name to the road and hotel), about 9km away from the airport and 2.5km from the markets in downtown Siem Reap. The Angkor National Museum is the closest site of interest within very easy walking distance less than 1km from Maison. Of course, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are much further away 6.5km and 11km respectively. We rode the hotel van for our tour of the temples and took tuk-tuks to town. The hotel grounds are meticulously maintained, heavily wooded and thus shaded. There were flowering plants everywhere including orchids and butterflies were flitting around from bloom to bloom. There were just a few rooms. The largest accommodation was the Khmer House, a stand-alone building. We had booked the the Yellow Room in the ""Maison"" which also housed the Green, Orange, and Purple Rooms. Francis told us that Maison could accommodate at most 15 guests and that the entire hotel has been booked in the past for family reunions. Check-in was smooth; we had the first of many culled and scented wet face towels to freshen us up. We were also given glasses of chilled fruit juice while we waited to complete check-in. We were then led to the Maison building and askedo leave our shoes at the bottom of the stairs. The Yellow Room lived up to what the hotel website promised, as did the entire property. The decor was rustic with sophisticated touches. A small plate of sliced fresh fruit had been left on the desk for us to enjoy. The amenities were as listed on their website. The bathroom was actually on a higher level with a short flight of stairs curving up from the far corner of the room. We had no issues with the stairs but it could get wet and slippery. Having traveled with my elderly parents I have become more acutely aware of the need for secure handholds; a single handrail at the corner where the stairs make a left turn on the way up would a world of difference. The bathroom was spacious. The shower stall was large and even had a small tile bench along the wall. I do not recall how textured the floor tiles were but I did not see a rubberized bath mat with suction cups that other hotels sometimes offer. Again, a small handrail at the level of the threshold of the shower would help steady anyone stepping out of the shower. Not that the the edge of the shower was raised very high, just a couple of inches perhaps. The bed was comfortable and we slept well on both the nights during our stay. There was a narrow balcony that we never ventured out on. We had our meals at the ""Sala"", the open-sided communal area by the pool that served as lobby, living room and dining room. What I had initially thought was the reception desk turned out to do double duty as a bar. There was an adjacent area with couches and armchairs clearly meant as a lounging area for those not interested in relaxing by the pool. As one might expect for a kitchen serving such a small number of guests the menu was not extensive but our meals were well-prepared and delicious. The young ladies serving us were attentive but not hovering over us. We had our not had dinner by the time of our late arrival but I had made arrangements with Francis beforehand and, once we had freshened up, dinner was quickly prepared for us. Should our travels ever take us back to Siem Reap we will definitely be staying at Maison Polanka again."

Satri House: "The ideal hotel, faultless in every way"

"We chose Satri House after a bad experience in Chiang Mai and didn't want to take any chances. Our choice was extremely good. Satri House is perfect in almost every way. The architecture, the ambience, the gardens, the stafff all blend into a package that I really cannot fault. There is something so natural, so unassuming and effortless in the professionalism at Satri House that people in every service industry could learn from. We enjoyed it so much, we extended our stay from three to six nights. We arrived and were welcomed and showed into the charming drawing room, where Giovanni introduced himself. We had a junior suite in House 7, which some people here have said might be somewhat louder than elsewhere, but the hotel is situated in a city after all. It was not a problem; on the contrary, the decor and fittings were extremely tasteful. How great was it not to have a flat-screen TV in a hotel room as the default option! The large four-poster bed was very comfortable, the room had both a fan and air-conditioning. We ate at the restaurant once at Satri House on our first evening and would recommend it. The waiting staff, who double up at the bar, are really friendly and, if you want, keen to practise their English and tell you about Lao culture (Thanks Panyit and Peng!) Breakfast consists or either Western choices (baguette, to-die-for-croissants with homemade pineapple, tomato and tamarind jams, egg dishes) or Lao dishes (noodle soups, rice porridge etc). Again, the staff were extremely attentive and unassuming, watched over by a lady restaurant head who could seemingly converse in every possible language. There are two pools, with each lounger sporting towels and a complementary Panama hat. The centre of Satri House is colonial villa which has been added on to in the same style by the present owner. The small gardens blend in to the buildings, joined by bamboo-lined alleys and stairways, decorated tastefully with colonial furniture and statues of Oriental divinities. It's cleverly executed, making the site seem bigger than it is. An odour of lemongrass lingers in the air, pleasant to human noses and repellent for mosquitoes. Satri House is quite simply the best place I have ever stayed in."

The Tiger’s Eye: "Not to be missed!"

This is probably my favourite restaurant in Phnom Penh. The cocktails were sensational and each course was flawless. The staff knew the menu well and were super professional. This place is very much "on trend" and if you're in Phnom Penh, it's not to be missed. Yummmmmm!!

Supanniga Eating Room: "Supanniga Cruise Menu"

Wow! What a nice surprise. This was my first river cruise in Bangkok, and I never really expected a Thai gourmet dinner. The food was very good and beautifully presented. There was: Taittinger champagne and an Amuse Bouche of fried Thai mackerel wrapped with Chaplu leaves, an Appetizer of 3 minced pork stir-fried with garlic and peanuts, pomelo salad with grilled prawn and spicy minced chicken salad, a Soup- Thai spicy soup with jumbo prawn, then 5 main dishes- pork, crab, fish and "Son-in-law" eggs, Dessert- mango sticky rice (the mango had been shaped into a flower) and to finish Petit Fours and Tea. All outstanding

Locavore: "Incredible food experience!"

We went to this restaurant for our wedding anniversary, and it was an incredibly good experience. Everything was perfect, starting with the really nice staff, the place itself and obviously the food. Talking about the latter, we saw people complaining about it, this place is intended to be a really slow food experience, with 7 or 5 main dishes and roughly 10 complementary other small snacks, all together it takes over 3 hours, not for everyone. But the composition of the dishes is simply awesome, recommended for the lover of the good food!

Samanea Beach Resort: "True Service in a Relaxing Getaway"

Samanea is delightful and the staff is very responsive to any questions or requests you may have. They truly desire to respond to your needs. We did a package for two vegetarians and the chef designed meals for us that were delcious - so much food! Lovely bungalows with mosquito nets. Charming woman who gives the spa treatments - her reflexologies and body wraps are so relaxing. Jonathan was very helpful in helping design the package and answer any questions we had. We had dinner on the beach, on the rooftop. Took a tour of the town. They have computers and a printer for your use. It was a peaceful stay where we could not have asked for anything more.

Amata Lanna: "Angie and Eva’s celebration trip to Thailand"

Tips are discretionary and we tipped daily. They have a shared tip box, but of course you can tip individuals. We found hetaff very appreciative of our tipping and in some cases it seemed they were pleasantly surprised

Supanniga Luxury Bangkok River Cruises: "A must do when in Bangkok"

"Forget the flashy neon lights and loud music from the many river cruise options available , Supanniga does it in style Lovely atmosphere, fantastic food and great service. My husband and I prebooked this cruise and I'm happy we did as it was great value for money. The views are wonderful and the pace the boat travels at is ideal for photos would highly recommend"

Satri House: "Wonderful hotel, highly recommended!"

I staied for about 6 nights at Satri house and more or less everything was just perfect! The house is beautiful with wonderful little interior design details. The garden is amazing and the rooms are lovely. I had a terrasse and each day at 4 o'clock, I listened to the monch's praying and chanting- great! Breakfast was really tasty. The staff was so lovely and helpful. The hotel rates are not cheap but definitly worth the money!