Guest Reviews

Sea Dance Resort: "Great staff, great food at a relaxing boutique resort."

"We searched very carefully for our Koh Samui stay. Coming off of 2 weeks of hard touring around Laos and Cambodia our goal was peace, quiet and relaxation, preferably in a villa on the beach rather than a hotel room. We found Sea Dance and, despite a few mixed reviews here, decided to give it a go. We ended up thrilled that we did. Things did get off to a rocky start: despite a confirmed airport greeting and pickup there was no one to meet us at the airport meeting point. After 15 minutes and a phone call we hopped in a taxi expecting the worst. Instead we were met by the Managing Director/owner Poy with a heartfelt apology. Everyone makes mistakes, and rather than shifting blame or making excuses Poy simply took the fault, apologized and promised to make it up to us. Which he and his staff did do. Perfect service recovery. As for the property itself, we stayed in Villa 1 and cannot recommend it more highly. It’s mostly a glass room but with blackout shades and AC that must be on steroids. During the day we lounged in the private pool or on the very private lounging platform staring at the ocean. At night we opened the glass doors and listened to the sea sipping one of the many wine selections from the restaurant’s wine room. The restaurant serves excellent eclectic food including Thai, other Asian and western food. My favorite was the duck Red curry. My wife loved the steak sandwich for lunch. The beach is ‘meh’. Pebbly and rocky. Gorgeous to look at though. But let’s be clear: what made this place special for us were the people. The staff are just awesome. They call guests by name here (nice Ritz touch!) Beyond Poy, Faith the ex-Pat American manager gave us pro tips on our plans to go digital nomad next year during the included breakfast. Ex-pat English Helen provided excellent service with a healthy dash of wit and a wry smile at dinner. And ex-pat Myanmar ‘John’ serves great drinks and fascinating stories of his life. And those are just the ones we got to know by name. All of the staff were excellent - although it would have helped a bit if the eggs station staff at breakfast spoke at least a little English since we like our omelette well done. We kept thinking that the place ought to go all over-13. The bungalows and social atmosphere at breakfast, happy hour and dinner are really conducive to grown-uping. And we met and made some new Facebook friends there. But, alas, it’s not all-adult so there were babies, toddlers and kids about. That’s where the private pool came in super-handy. This little resort isn’t a highly polished gem. It’s a boutique resort. That’s part of its charm, but too, it means there are minor service gaps and gaffes. Bring bring a relaxed attitude and good nature and you’ll have a great time, no worries and even make new friends. To us, it was just what we wanted just when we wanted it."

Bassac Cruises: "A great experience"

Very vell organised trip on a relatively modern, but traditional boat. Excellent small cabins and super food (if too much). Village and floating market excursions very good. Great staff and the ever efficient guide 'An' organises you with military precision.

Les Maisons d’Itac: "Best place we stayed in the Philippines"

"Me and my gf spent 4 nights at Les Maisons d'Itac. We were supposed to stay for 3, we loved the place so much we decided to stay 1 more night (we couldn't stay longer as the Mayson Ulisse was not available anymore, so we kept our travel plan on). What can we say? Bryan (who spoke italian, we're italians and we have very charming and nice conversations during our stay) has been the perfect host. Always ready to help, charmful and totally welcoming. We booked our trasfers to Bantayan and back to Cebu through him and it was just perfect! The food at the maisons is great, the location awsome. They have an amazing spot for snorkelling just in front of the resort that you can reach in a few mins swimming. What makes this place special (apart from the view, the nature around, the sea) is the SILENCE. In almost a month in the Philippines we never found such a relaxing spot, where you can fall asleep at night hearing at the waves sounds. A true dream come true. If you're looking for a place to stay around Moalboal (it can be reached in 25 minutes scooter ride from the resort, you can rent just asking Bryan) DO NOT HESITATE to book a stay at the Maisons. p.s: say hi to Itac and Stacey for us :) Ciao! Andrea & Marta Room Tip: Maison Ulysse is a must-to-try!"

Rachamankha: "The definition of perfection"

This hotel was a sight in itself. It was absolutely stunning, the service was fantastic, and the restaurant's food was some of the best that we had in all of Thailand. We would highly recommend this hotel, and pray to be able to return sometime in the near future.

SEEDS Restaurant & Lounge: "とっても素敵な湖畔の一軒家レストラン"

食事、雰囲気、サービスいずれもとても良いです。ここがヤンゴンであることを忘れそうになるほど。建物外観からして素敵。内装も外観との連続性にこだわっていますしセミオープンなキッチンもきちんと運用されてる様子です。料理ジャンルはフレンチベースのヨーロッパ料理とでも言うのでしょうか。スイス人の経営です。食材にこだわりがあり、ワインリストのラインナップも充実していてお手軽なものから高級なものまで選べます。料理はコースとアラカルト。私たちは子連れで4人だったので二人分のコースをシェアしました。ボリュームはそれでも十分でした。お値段はコースだとUSD65～USD85くらい。それなりにはしますが満足度は高いです。うちでは記念日御用達でしょうか。

Tugu Lombok: "Simply the best three nights of our life"

Without a doubt, the Hotel Tugu in Lombok was the best hotel experience we have ever had, second to none (and I've travelled a lot). The most exceptional grounds, most amazing rooms, outstanding service, beautiful beach, highly attentive staff, and second-to-none food. I would strongly, strongly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for an out-of-this-world travel experience. Special thanks to Evi for her special help for this trip, and to Hotel Manager Henri for his care. Actually, every staff member was exceptional and worthy of special mention if only I could remember all of their names.

Talabgaon Castle: "Nice hotel with AMAZING hospitality"

"Well, it was a long weekend break, and the wife and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to do 2 things - 1. Visit Bhangarh Fort - which is rated the most haunted place in India 2. Unwind and do practically nothing - as our work schedules are quite hectic On our way from Gurgaon, we covered Bhangarh Fort which is little detour off the route to Lalsot, then carried onto our final destination - Talabgaon Heritage Resort. The road till Lalsot Via Manoharpur - Dausa is quite good, with less traffic and we managed to cover the 290 Kms in about 5 hours. However, on the way back we took the Alwar route, road again is very good however the traffic on this road is more, hence took about 6 hours to reach. The resort is well off the grid, so basically nothing to do but relax at the hotel once there. This is made easy by the fact that the property is quite huge, very well maintained, the staff is ever so polite and eager to help, cleanliness is well taken care of and the food is simply AWESOME !! Dinner was by the pool side both nights, which was a nice arrangement with an army of staff standing by to force feed you :) Mr Narindra Mitra, the GM at the hotel, definitely deserves special mention for making sure we have a pleasant stay and managing the entire hotel/staff so well. Will definitely visit here during my next road trip maybe later this year. Couple of things which readers should be aware of while visiting the place - 1. There is no 4G/3G here for sure, so forget your laptop/ iPad at home and maybe tell the Airtel woman to come down here and do her crappy advertisement :) 2. Wi-Fi wasn't working throughout our stay due to some issue 3. Pool isn't really something to write home about and can be best avoided (The Management should make an investment and get this fixed)"

Sanak Retreat Bali: "Wonderful place to stay in Bali"

"We booked a two-bedroom villa, even though it was just for my daughter and myself. The accommodation is amazing. We were woken up our first morning by a very noisy family next door, not respecting other people's peace and quiet. The management moved us without any fuss - they said they had been aware of the noise. The restaurant has the most amazing views - it is such a peaceful place to sit in the morning. The spa is beautiful, such a serene place. The staff are all very attentive. We had a blessing at the on-site temple, which I loved. We went on the trip to Tamblingan Temple. It is such a great thing to see. The only thing that I was disappointed about was that on a very rainy day we trekked through the forest for an hour to get to the canoe, to take us across the lake. I had been advised that my canvas pumps were adequate ( I did have walking shoes in the room) but my feet were absolutely soaked. When we got off the canoe, it became obvious we could have just driven to the lake and got on the canoe. I do understand that on some days the forest walk would have been lovely, but it was too wet and muddy. I was too soaked to go onto the waterfall (part of the same trip) - I'd also been told it would be very steep and wet. I just wish they had advised us properly before we set out, especially as I had asked (this was an expensive trip too - think we could have just organised a taxi) Our driver was so lovely and offered to take us to a coffee plantation instead. We loved it there and held a luwak too! Room Tip: The rooms near the spa might be quieter"

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "A Unique and Amazing Hotel – Incredible service!"

"We wanted something a bit special for our stay in Penang and to capture the feel of the culture rather than stay in a plain hotel - simply, this property is amazing. The rooms are fantastic and you really feel like you are stepping into a piece of history! The food was great and there are additional benefits like easy free parking, easy walking access to the sights of georgetown and free tour of the mansion which is one of main tourist attractions on the island. The staff could not have done more, in fact we owe them a HUGE thank you because in our rush to leave the room we left our passports in the hotel safe. We only realised when we were 4 hours south of Penang, we needed to fly on Monday and it was a weekend and there were no courier companies working. The General Manager arranged for one of the staff to drive all the way to us to deliver the passports by 10am on Sunday!!! Unbelievable. 100% recommend staying here if possible or visiting for the tour!"

Tugu Bali: "Didn’t Want to Leave"

From the second I arrived I knew this would be a special experience. The greeting was first class. Our room was one of the Dedari Suites and couldn't have been nicer. The attention to detail is impressive. I loved all the thoughtful decorative touches that were so very Balinese. The bed was huge and comfy. I loved the partially outdoor bathroom and the lemongrass scented products, so beautifully displayed. The customer service was impeccable. The staff were all wonderful and helpful. The food was outstanding, especially the breakfasts, which were served anytime and anywhere. The property itself is stunning and right on the beach in a prime location in Canggu. The hotel is practically a museum and is fun to wander through. I spent 4 nights here and would definitely come back. This is one of the most memorable hotel stays I ever had!