Guest Reviews

Pindaya Farm House: "Insight of rural Burma"

Simple, authentic, amazing home cooked food, cute little rooms, great views over the valley and right in the middle of nature. Aye, the host cooks all organic from the garden and around. The farm is a place for nature lovers curious to discover rural Burma. A fantastic experience to live! a true "secret Retreat" away from busy citylife

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Perfection!"

"I can't believe I left my visit to Glenburn (and Darjeeling) to the end of my time in India. I definitely would have returned if I'd been earlier in my tour. The overall experience is fabulous, though there are adjustments that could be made to the property to make it out of this world. The property may not be as fancy as some five star resorts but the experience is everything you could hope for, largely thanks to the wonderful efforts of caretakers Will and Faye (and Alex, who is helping for a few months). They went out of their way to make the it memorable, warm and welcoming. The views and the grounds of the estate are lovely. The tea fields are interesting for a few hours. A lot of guests loved the trek to the Ranjeet River. I preferred whiling away the hours on the front verandah, which really is the perfect antidote to the chaos and dirt of most Indian cities. The catering is superb - kudos to the kitchen staff. If you like kitsch, it's worth the visit to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway - though much of its journey is through town centres, cheek by jowl with people and their homes. The Shimla toy train may be better. Was lucky to catch a glimpse of Kanchenjunga on my last day but many don't get that lucky. It's still beautiful with or without that experience. The rooms are gorgeously quaint and the attention to detail with the decor is lovely. I loved all the butterfly touches in the Butterfly Room. But the owners may want to consider upgrading the sealing of rooms and electricity given the rates are in the higher bracket for the region. Post monsoon, I found a lot of creepy crawlies were making their way inside through gaps in the windows and an external door that couldn't close/lock. Also plugging in and using the hairdryer could get a bit buzzy given the old electrics. An upgrade to smooth the road to the property also wouldn't go astray. There is bumpy and there is feeling like you're in a washing machine. It's manageable if you don't get car sick but would be horrible if you do - I think the driver also makes a big difference. I did the road with two fabulous drivers and a less careful one as I was leaving and I noticed the difference. Despite those quibbles, I'd go again in a heart beat. Really loved the place. I was lucky to get a late room over the Dusshera/Durga Pooja holiday but apparently it books up fast."

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: "Breathtaking views & impeccable service"

"Walking up the stairs, with Fishtail right in front of you is a great introduction to your stay. The service is exceptional, matched by the quality of the rooms and the views! We did a walk through the village, with out great guide, who was able to give us very interesting insights. An all round amazing experience, would highly recommend."

Villa Song: "Absolutely amazing"

"We stayed at this wonderful hotel as a splurge to ourselves at the end of our holiday that was to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, from the moment we arrived every single staff member was amazing and the hotel absolutely beautiful. We had a quick check in and we're told about breakfast and everything else we needed for our stay, they give you a map and even highlight the taxis that tourists should use. After we went to our room we went to explore and the lovely Yega introduced himself to us and asked if we were happy with our room, of course we were it was beautiful he later asked if we would like a free upgrade and would we like to see the other room as they had had a cancellation , oh my goodness I thought our other room was beautiful this one was absolutely amazing, as Yega explained no room in the hotel is the same as any other, I could have cried our room was that special , I don't think it would matter what room you got they would all be amazing . The rooms are super quiet and have great blackout curtains. The walls are nice and thick so you can't hear the people next door. The bathroom have great toiletries including toothbrush and paste, razor, loofah and sewing kit.I was very happy to see scales in the room it made checking the weight of our luggage so much easier. The room is also equipped with a pod coffee maker, kettle and teapot and complimentary mini bar which included juice, water, soft drinks and beer. It was lovely to come back at nighttime to a turndown service and a yummy little bedtime treat, The boat to take you to district 1 is so much fun and the driver was lovely and took our photo for us and pointed out things of interest along the way. Breakfast was delicious, you choose a hot beverage, a fresh juice and your meal, I had the full breakfast and my husband had the eggs benadict and both were lovely. The pool was glorious and the water much cooler than others we have swam in on this trip, the pool chairs and pods were very comfortable and the pool boys were great, The bell boys were so helpful they were happy to get taxis for us or if we were using Uber they checked the number plate on our phone and kept an eye out for our car for us, and they would always open the car door for us when we arrived back to the hotel. The waitstaff were very friendly and has a chat to everyone and made everyone feel comfortable. Whatever room you get at this hotel you would be happy and we cannot wait to come back and we will bring our family with us next time. Thank you to all the staff for making our stay so wonderful."

The Island Lodge: "A quaint oasis in the Mekong Delta"

We booked to stay at The Island Lodge for 4 nights in May 2016. After travelling through Vietnam from Hanoi and the North, and steadily heading south, we spent a couple of days in Saigon before going to the Mekong. Michel kindly arranged transfers for us from Saigon well before we left for our trip, and all went to plan. We drove down but you can get there by boat as well. It was just the perfect relax-a vous place after the hectic touring of cities. Our room overlooking the pool was excellent, and the staff were lovely, and tree so hard to please us, even though their English was not perfect- however much more perfect than our Vietnamese! It's a charming small resort, and we went on a personal tour with Michel on bikes along some amazing tracks we'd never find on our own, for around 3 hours, on the Ferry and through little villages with everyone saying hello along the way. It was a really unique and bespoke tour and Michel was the perfect host along the way. Food was great and we couldn't have been better looked after. If you are into small hotels which are well run, but offer something deferent to the big internationals, you'll love this place. It only has 12 rooms, so that'll give you an idea of how boutique it is.

Tugu Bali: "Aesthetic delights"

"Hotel Tugu is a different hotel than most, and for me - better. Why? I stayed in a suite, more expensive than my custom but I loved the space, the views, the lily pond below and the style of accommodation. The idea of Tugu is that it houses a collection of antique Indonesia art - which I loved - and the hotel itself is designed to be congruent with the art it houses. So you have a place with a quality of history, of character and of class - all at the same time. It is comfortable, the facilities are excellent, I ate extremely well and most noticeably, I was so well looked after by all of the staff there. I would happily return, and that is my best recommendation."

Tugu Bali: "Romantic getaway"

"We were so impressed with everything at Tugu, Bali. Jenny and the team made us so welcome and the service throughout our stay was excellent. The Cultural Evening was an insight into the traditional Balinese culture, the tour of the antiques and artwork around the hotel was really interesting and the romantic bed picnic was a unique dining experience, really memorable. Thanks to all the team for everything. We hope to return soon. Kind regards, Maggie and Kieran Tangerang."

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Remote, beautiful, classy"

"Spent a week at this extraordinary beachside resort. Individual wood built houses are served by a central restaurant and bar. The staff were all charming and our fellow guests included Brits, Germans, Dutch, French and USA. It is very quiet, it is hot, it is a place to sit, read, relax and recharge. The massages are super and the food is excellent. Resort management is done professionally and with grace by Massi and Therese."

Cuca: "One of the few favourite restaurant in Bali for me"

Was wondering where to eat in Bali, i know there are so many sorts of restaurants everywhere and some a just a letdown....so wife recommended why don't we try Cuca, since some of her friends said good things about it. Since we are staying in Uluwatu, so it was not that far for us to get over there. We arrived slightly over 2pm and the restaurant was empty, i asked my wife are you sure this place is good? We were greeted and showed to our table...each table is separated by a curtain for privacy, so we decided to choose the table closest to the full view of the kitchen. Everyone was busy, apparently there is a close event that night. So we were the only guest. Our waitress was this pleasant looking girl that was very attentive and took time to explain the menu. We decided to try the tasting menu, i think was about 7 sharing courses. I won't go through the menu, you have to come and try it out for yourself...my only verdict is "One of the few favourite restaurant in Bali for us"

Tugu Bali: "Best man at a wedding"

"Fantastic hotel, very well run and beautiful. Grounds were so well kept. Would highly recommend for both a short and longer stay. The food was very good. Beach goes on for miles. Hotel taxi transfers to other bars/restaurants and beaches for free. "