Guest Reviews

4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "“This is a must see -a fantastic, wonderfull and different experience”"

"After 30 minuts sailing on Tatai river we arrived at the 4 Rivers Floating Lodge. There are 12 luxus tents floating on the river. Each tent has a terrace and a bathing ladder and there is a restaurant serving wonderful food. It is placed in the middle of the jungle so here is peace and quiet except the sound of birds and fish jumping in the river. The staff is excellent and talks English. The Lodge has several excurtions. We went by boat 40 minutes to a waterfall and climbed the rocks, had lunch, enjoyed the sun and jumped in the waterfall to have a heavy back massage. After comming back we enjoyed a cocktail and had the most wonderful sunset from our terrace. We also went by boat to see fireflies lightening in the dark trees along the bank. We only stayed 2 nights but we could have stayed much longer if not for our schedule. It is a wonderful adventure experience if you want to go to a peaceful and different place. With love Vivi Lizzi, Denmark Room Tip: All the tents are the same and placed with 6 at each side of the restaurant"

MesaStila: "Exceptional experience"

Best of Central/East Java with no doubt. You can chill and relax enjoying a magnificent scenery of the nearby volcanoes and the jungle by the incredible pool, have the perfect massage at a top Spa and have your tea with cake in the afternoon at one of those amazing beds they have at the terraces overlooking the lawn, jungle and sunset. But at the same time, you can enjoy a tour at the Mesastila coffee plantation, a mountain bike tour through the rice fields and make it to the magnificent Borobodour Temple with an elephant ride included. All super nicely organised by the hotel staff. Finally, very nicely set for the children to enjoy too, pool table, chess, croquet for an incredible family holiday. Restaurant is good with best of Indonesia and some good balance with European dishes. No surprise service is at best. Would come back any time. Well done Mesastila.

Satri House: "Perfect. bliss"

"Nothing to add really to the other reviewers. This place is splendid with style and characters, quiet because a bit away from the main road. Will absolutely return. Would only say that breakfast service is a bit difficult - you have to order piecemeal (or anyway, that's what our waitress did). Stayed April 2017, traveled with family"

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "An architectural, heritage & historical delight… a ‘must-do’ in Penang"

"In my subjective view, the Blue Mansion – Cheong Fatt Tze – stands alongside the Penarakan Museum as the two premier ‘must-do’ heritage attractions in George Town. Both are situated in historical buildings and are tangible testaments to the rich history and culture of the Straits Chinese in Penang. However note that there are differences between the two establishments. The Peranakan Museum is, as the name suggests, a museum; ie a depository of Peranakan artefacts. On the other hand, the Blue Mansion is predominantly a building of heritage and architectural significance, with a tremendously rich history relating to one of Penang’s most historical and influential identities – Cheong Fatt Tze. While there are artefacts on display, the focus of the attraction is the heritage building and its history. Additionally, the mansion operates as a boutique hotel and fusion restaurant. One of our aims is to return one day to experience staying as a guest. We met some in-house guests and their comments, on accommodation experience, were extremely positive. The Blue Mansion’s website lauds that the building is ‘a quintessential legacy of Penang’ and, having experienced it, it is well-deserving of that claim. It is an architectural delight that has won numerous international and local awards, and has been featured in movies, travel documentaries and publications. The heritage project was the vision and passion of local architect Laurence Loh along with his family and friends. To say I am exceedingly impressed with their herculean effort is to make an understatement. The Lohs should be congratulated for preserving a key component of Penang’s – and to a wider extent, Straits Chinese’s - history. On our recent tour, we were privileged have as tour guide, the vivacious Lin Lee Loh-Lim, who is the author of the book “The Blue Mansion: The Story of Mandarin Splendour Reborn”. It was a tour that we would have enjoyed given the enthralling building and interesting history, but she elevated our enjoyment by her lively and animated nature. It was superb. Lin Lee was kind enough to autograph a copy of the book (available in their shop) and it now resides in a position of pride alongside my other architectural books. Tour times: 11am, 2pm & 3:30pm Duration: 45 minutes Cost: RM17 (adults). RM8.50 (child under 12) There is something I wish they would consider and that is, allowing tour visitors to experience the building’s inner (but public) spaces for a few minutes after the guided tour – just 10 to 15 minutes perhaps. This will allow visitors to absorb and appreciate the building properly, which is not always possible when visitors are concentrating on the historical narrative during a guided tour. A visit to Penang will be lacking somewhat without a tour of Cheong Fatt Tze - The Blue Mansion. Highly recommended. Thanks for reading this review and my gratitude should you rate it as helpful. Life is short... go travelling and enjoy life today!"

The River Resort: "Fabulous location – charming hotel"

Great location, right on the side of the Mekong with two inifnity pools. Charming staff, lovely well-appointed rooms, not really much more to say. REstaurant probably a little pricey, but not unreasonably so for a western class resort..

The Twelve Hotel: "Highly recommend"

A bit far from centre but easy to get to BTS by motorcycle or Tuktuk. Staff are extremely friendly and helpful, swimming pool is nice too but we have to time to try it. Overall a good experience to stay at The Twelve Hotel !

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. "

SUMMERTIME VILLA: "A Paradise"

Summertime Villa represents the beautiful journey of Sucheta and Hans together and their various travel tales...There will never be a dull moment during you stay! Every corner of this gorgeous place represents the taste and expertise of its beautiful owners..The staff is so helpful and polite with smiles on their faces..The meals that they serve is to die for with so much of love in it, be it local or international cuisine!! Whether watching birds, reading books or having simple conversations over a glass of wine, this place will embrace you unconditionally! Please do visit this place to add some everlasting and memorable moments in your lives......

Samanea Beach Resort: "Great relaxing time"

spent a few days in the resort and it was very relaxing. The pool is very big and the nature is everywhere. We really enjoyed the quiet area surrounding the resort. The beach is not that big but the view was very peaceful.

Talabgaon Castle: "To Check for my upcoming clients"

"Recently I visited this beautiful tranquil place to check for my clients as a new off-beat place to keep in itinerary or not. It is good quite place for long stays, have beautiful pool, good service, very good food, rooms are clean and nice. A beautiful village, to have walk on village street and evening tea in the town with villagers gossip centre could be the highlight of your trip to this village. Love to go again someday...!!! Raju India Incredible Real India Tours"