Guest Reviews

Dewakan: "Innovative yet true to its Malaysian heritage"

Dewakan can easily beat some of the Michelin starred restaurants hands down. Chef Darren's creativity with local ingredients, whilst staying true to his Asian roots and elevation in the composition of both in every single dish is remarkable to say the least. Don't skimp or worry bout your diet or whatever - just go for the 10 course dinner. You won't regret it!

The Apsara Rive Droite: "Wonderful hotel with first-class service from friendly staff"

"Everything about the Aspara Rive Droitte is just right. Mr Ai and Mr Hann (the management team) and Mr Ivan (the owner) went out of their way to make our stay wonderful and all the other staff were very friendly and helpful. The location is perfect, with the hotel's dedicated Aspara Queen taking 60 seconds to cross the Nam Khan and deliver you to the heart of Luang Prabang - and, conversely, escape to the more serene side of the Nam Khan. Rooms were spacious and comfortable, and breakfast wonderful. The pool is a welcome relief from the heat of Laos, with the bar just a few steps away. After 5 days at this home-from-home, we were sad to leave. We hope to go back"

Tugu Bali: "notre mariage au Tugu"

We stayed a week in this beautiful hotel and we are married. Everything was perfect, the setting, the staff and the organization. exceptional stay in a beautiful place. I recommend this hotel which is also a museum of art by important collection that decorates this magical place. Thanks to the whole team.

Maison Polanka: "Tropical paradise with outstanding service"

We stayed here for our 30th wedding anniversary and had one of the most amazing few days of our lives. From the personalised greeting at the airport , our anniversary flowers, the welcome drink with lemongrass as a straw and the beautiful decoration throughout the property, it is such a special place. I haven't felt so spoilt since I was a child at my grandmother's house. We slept late one afternoon after an early start at the temples, so candles were light so I could take a late swim, fresh baked cakes are delivered to your sun bed as you swim and you are always greeted with a smile. Best hotel I have ever stayed in and I shall return.

Locavore: "Stunning food"

Fantastic experience. The degustation was superb, pairing with the cocktails even better. I decided to have some wine with the degustation. Must book in advanced as they are very popular.

Manda De Laos: "Great food, stunning location"

"This place serves great food, but the view is simply out of this world. Sit by the pool if you can. The staff spoke excellent English and the management is French. Their professionalism shows. This simply is an excellent choice to eat great food and make happy memories."

Chakrabongse Villas: "A real oasis – beautiful and worth every cent :)"

"Chakrabongse Villas is a really luxurious boutique hotel. We were guests here for 3 nights in April, and we wanted for nothing. We were offered a welcome cocktail when we arrived late in the evening, and our villa was traditional Thai style, and it was well appointed, clean and cool. We had a lovely private balcony overlooking the garden, with fresh flowers, pool towels, daybeds and shade aplenty. Having large villas, lovely gardens and only a handful of villas, we hardly ever saw another guest! We enjoyed the pool and the activity on the river, which we were on the banks of. Grounds are very private, with locked gates. Staff are unobtrusive but efficient, and the clamour, heat and bustle of Bangkok stops at the gates, and you enter a true oasis of calm and luxury. The riverside restaurant is also lovely and we enjoyed a delicious breakfast there each morning, with exquisite service, lovely food, and tourism advice as required. We took their longtail boat tour through the canals one afternoon, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was reasonably priced, too. One night we ate at the restaurant for dinner, and really, we were treated like royalty. A treat for the soul, and lovely, simple set menu, deliciously prepared. It was my husband's birthday one day, and they gave him a lovely gift. Add all of this together, and you have an exemplary service provider. Expensive but as i say, well worth it. Congratulations Chakrabongse crew, keep up the good work! Stayed April 2017, traveled as a couple"

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Un séjour inoubliable"

A colonial atmosphere, friendliness and the British Indian kindness, combined with a dream location opposite the Mt Kanchenjunga. I was greeted very cordially by British managers, who awarded me the wonderful "Planter's Suite", a through following the mahogany furniture, with a charming veranda where it was so good tea. The hosts are fully supported, everything is included: in the morning, a lovely young Indian servant just wake up with a tray of tea and delicious cookies, then it's breakfast on the grass facing the Himalayas lunch under an arbor, the "afternoon tea" facing the mountains turn pink, then dinner, convivial moment where places are allocated differently each day and where one knows only by first names. Free excursions are offered: the very interesting visit to the tea factory (one of the best ever), visiting plantations in a superb landscape, picnic cottage by the river (where I flambéed bananas tasted the best of my life!). The Indian staff is really lovely. Tip: this hotel more suited to a relaxing stay at visiting Darjeeling, because the resort is very remote and the road to Glenburn is really terrible!

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."

Villa Song Saigon: "Amazing stay"

"We had quite an amazing stay at Villa Song in the beautiful Artists Suite. We travelled with our two little boys & the room allowed us to spread out with ease & the boys slept in the separated dining area which was great. There was a huge terrace in our room overlooked the Saigon & we spent the later part of the evenings drinking the complementary bottles of Merlot & watching the various boats pass by. Breakfast was sumptuous, fresh fruit, eggs Benedict & pancakes to name but a few. We also had a delicious dinner on our first evening, a fusion set menu with delightful cocktails all within the beautifully lit terrace overlooking the river. Lots to do & see, one of the highlights for us was a visit to Cu Chu tunnels, which the boys loved. The hotel is a little out of town but with plentiful cheap taxis & a boat shuttle it really is a little paradise in Ho Chi Minh. Huge thanks to the Manager & staff for making us feel so welcome & recommending great restaurants in the City. 3 nights was simply not enough, go you won't regret it! "