Guest Reviews

Mie Cafe: "Really really good"

Went on the recommendation of a local and were blown away by the quality of the cooking here. We weren't surprised to hear that the patron/chef had trained in a Michelin 2 Star in Switzerland. The food shames many one star restaurants I've eaten in elsewhere. We both started with scallop tartare with seaweed and heart of coconut. I followed with Fish Amok and S with a risotto. All just superb. We are going back tonight. Do not miss if you are in town.

Muang La Resort: "Hidden gem"

By the moment we checked in, we felt at home. Great rooms on stlits, nice decoration and superb bahroom. Great riverview watching local life (bathing, laundrying, fishing) and buffaloes. Superb attentive service,such as hot herbal and ginger tea in the tub, local espresso coffeemachine on the terrace below the rooms. Friendly staff with a special mention to Rodolphe, the French Manager, who makes your stay being so special. Excellent creative meals and picknicks, enjoyable excursions. A great guide showed us the secrets of the Laos forests (edible herbs, medicinal plants), a true authentic experience. and last but not least, the MASSAGE....unique and perfect.

Bassac Mekong Delta Cruises by Secret Retreats: "Peaceful cruise on Bassac III"

We did an overnight cruise on the Bassac III boat on 6/7 Dec 2017. It was an excellent way to see some of the Mekong Delta, combined with some relaxation and wonderful food. The crew were friendly and welcoming and the trip very well organised. The cabins are very small but comfortable and the small ensuite bathroom ingeniously designed. The food was plentiful and delicious. We visited a floating market and a local market and particularly enjoyed the visit to a local village, where we tasted fruit at a local house. Our young guide was delightful and, as she came from the area, she was able to give us a good insight into the daily life on the Mekong. This trip is highly recommended.

Mathis Retreat: "Lo mejor del viaje"

"The site is wonderful, the extra staff helpful and amiable, the room was a small village with great privacy despite being next to the pool and restaurant. Life takes a different pace being there. Rice paddies, duck, peasants tilling the fields, the sunsets ... film. The very new room had every comfort, a spectacular tub and a huge, new shower. Hopefully we can come back some other time. Super recommended! "

THE SAMAR: "Very different and lovely"

"We booked this hotel quite a while ago and having read some of the more recent reviews I had started to get a little worried. I meed not have worried! We stayed here for 3 nights with our children (14&12). We were the only guests in the hotel at the time. We had two rooms which were joined by a living room and two large bathrooms. Beautiful. The hotel arranged our airport transfer which I would recommend. The pool is lovely and although they had problems with the filter at the time we stayed they had this fixed. The area around the pool is beautiful. The breakfast choice is limited but don't let that put you off the food was wonderful. I recommend the noodle soup. We ate lunch by the pool one day and it was beautifully presented and very tasty. All the staff were friendly and helpful. They organised a tuk tuk driver for us to take us to the temples. Chet was great, he would explain things to us and point places out on the way. He also took us to the silk factory one morning (well worth a visit). The girls were given a complimentary facial which they thoroughly enjoyed. I booked a full body scrub which was delightful. When we arrived back at our room each night the hotel had left us local cakes - this was such a sweet thought. The hotel is a little way out of the town but we enjoyed the peace that this gave and also the journeys in and out of the town - a great way to see a little more of the area. I would happily recommend this little gem to anyone. Stayed April 2017, traveled with family"

Dewakan: "Pride of Malaysia: A culinary journey that reflects Malaysia’s heritage"

"We went for the full works - a 10-course dinner at RM207 per person, and we were not disappointed in the least! Although there are 10 courses described in the menu, we were served a number of finger foods to munch on before the first appetizers were served. , such as fried fish fritters that taste like the traditional East Coast snack, keropok lekor and were shaped like long, elegant twigs that were thought were merely decorative items at first. The starters included a refreshing razor clam salad, the razor clams being a staple of many local seafood restaurants, but given a twist as was served with shaved ice flavoured with a medley of savoury local tastes and colours that made it look more like a dessert at first - only to be pleasantly surprised by the savory, exotic flavours blended together in an icy bite. The next few courses were equally outstanding, taking us through the kind of preparation techniques you would only find in the fanciest restaurants, from flavour-infused foam, to purees and emulsions, meat cooked confit-style, and even to salted egg yolks harded, pressed into thin slices, and broken into brittle pieces... and yet using the humblest of flavours, vegetables and ingredients that remind any Malaysian that grew up in this country of grandma's cooking. Another stand out dish was the Forbidden Porridge, which had almost-raw slivers of ox tongue served on soft, sticky black glutinous rice and accompanied by a mushroom and wild vegetable broth that they boil in a coffee syphon, with the whole vegetables, roots and all, thrown into the mix, for an incredibly heady flavour that becomes especially intense when you pour it over the ox tongue and black rice and mix all of it together. The desserts are equally impressive, from the meringues to the ganache to the ice cream made from delicious, Southeast Asian local flavours. Again, just as the razor-clam blended dessert inspiration (in the form of shaved ice sprinkled with coloured syrups) in a savory dish, the desserts push the boundaries by using savory flavours eg. pulut (glutinous rice) in a sweet ice cream. It's an experience that starts off confusing, then pleasantly surprising, and then ends in an incredibly satisfying way. Service was great, especially impressive as they are manned by a staff made mostly of students-in-training. If you love fine dining, exquisite cooking methods, and aromatic Southeast Asian flavours, Dewakan is THE restaurant to visit in Malaysia. In one sitting, this is possibly THE most varied and comprehensive tasting of the Malaysian food culture prepared with the finest culinary techniques by a team of professional chefs."

Reverie Siam: "Beautiful oasis"

"My husband and I have lived in South East Asia for over three years. We travel quite a bit and have stayed in many boutique hotels. Seldom have we seen one this beautiful. It is very hard to improve on the reviews that have already been written about this place. We drove up the mountain out of Chang Mai and came to Pai for a little business. While there is not much to do here, this hotel would provide an awesome quiet rest. The grounds are stunning, the service was excellent, the food was amazing and quite unusual for this part of the country. Our room was lovely all the extra amenities here were very thoughtful. It is the most pricey hotel in this area but not unreasonable by Western standards. The (tuk Tuk) service to town every evening was a nice touch. Would highly highly recommend this place – you would not be disappointed. Wish we could take this place home with us- Cambodia. Stayed March 2017, traveled as a couple"

Sanak Retreat Bali: "Outstanding"

We stayed here for the first 3 nights of our holiday and was perfect after a long flight. The hotel,is surrounded by wall to wall rice fields and is so tranquil that you cannot fail to feel at peace with yourself and the world! Our room was beautiful and we would fall asleep each night to the sound of frogs and crickets. Whilst there we did a trek to a local village and stopped off for a swim at some waterfalls. Our guide Arca was superb, very knowledgeable and you could tell that he actually enjoyed sharing his knowledge of the local area. There is a small pool are which is lovely for relaxing bybwhilst taking in the beauty of the surroundings. The staff here are exceptionally friendly and go out of their way to help. Whilst we were there my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Our travel agents unbeknown to us had informed the hotel of this fact and after dinner that evening we were presented with a cake to celebrate our anniversary. This Inthought was a really nice touch and totally unexpected. If you want to stay somewhere and be totally unhurried with lovely people with stunning panoramic views then this is the place for you.

Anjali by Syphon: "Beautiful and peaceful"

Courteous and attentive staff. Close to City. Beautiful ambience. Very clean. Kids friendly. Swimming pool well maintained. Spacious rooms with beautiful view towards the pool. overall a peaceful and awesome stay

Tugu Malang: "bagus"

"kmar oke, lantai keren dan pemandangan baik menawan pwerkotaan malang kota bunga. saya berpengalaman tidur disana nyaman pelayanan oke dan bersih pelayan bersih. saya suka sekali dan ingin kesana kembali Stayed February 2017, traveled as a couple"