Guest Reviews

The Hue House: "Beautiful view and great food"

Would 100% recommend going here! You get a great view of the city, the restaurant itself is beautiful and the food is great got the Nam Neung and had a couple of cocktails. The staff are great. Talked to dickey who made our first day in Ho Chi Minh amazing!

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!

Mume: "Food is very delicious! I will visit again!"

Currently ranked #43 on the Asia Top 50 Restaurants, food at Mume is very delicious. The menu is ala carte, and the selections are short and easy to decide. The cooking is European-Asian fusion. Using a combination of Taiwanese ingredients and Nordic influences to deliver a modern, light cuisine. All the dishes I ordered were very good. I wish to order more, but I had a big lunch and dinner at Mume was early at 6pm. Great service. Will visit again. The restaurant is small. Please make reservation ahead.

NOEL RODRIGO’S LEOPARD SAFARIS: "Incredible Experience"

"We visited the Leopard Safari February 2015 while on a long overseas trip to SE Asia-- hence I am posting this a year later! It was a remarkable experience. The camp itself was a pleasure to stay in-the tents and beds comfortable and spotless--a remarkable feat given the rain and mud. We were travelling with a four year old who explored every path and the staff were marvelous help keeping her amused-they were genuine and attentive which we appreciated! The food was memorable and we felt completely catered to--my husband and I prefer food on the spicy side and the chefs certainly delivered! Now for the wildlife: we were extremely lucky--saw leopards every second time we went out (we went out a total of 5 or 6 times) so we would recommend staying at least two nights--we stayed three because we wanted to increase our chances of seeing leopards. In one encounter, we tracked a leopard as it moved around a large watering hole and the guide accurately predicted where it would emerge and you could actually see the animals reacting (giving their warning calls) to the hidden leopard as it moved around the small lake. It was like living a National Geographic episode! The guides are clearly leopard enthusiasts but the number of exotic (to us) birds, reptiles and small game they identified for us made each trip out an experience to remember. The icing on the cake was seeing young leopards playing together only about a car length away from us! The guide generously shared all his high res photos with us; our camp seemed to be in a prime location to access the park; our tour appeared more intimate than others we saw and our guides seemed to be highly respected by the other drivers (who shared tips and sightings freely with us). This really is a first class experience and we would and have recommended Noel's Leopard Safari to anyone travelling to Sri Lanka. "

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "PERFECTION, PERFECTION, PERFECTION"

"I've been travelling to India for many decades and over the years I have stayed in some amazing places, from Maharaja palaces to colonial mansions. What I can honestly say is that Neeleshwar represents the absolute perfection when it comes to resorts. We stayed for 4 nights and I only wish we could have stayed here for months! The location is heavenly, on the most magnificent, endless sandy beach one can imagine, completely unspoilt by any kind of development. The feeling of peace and quiet is mesmerizing. The architecture and layout of the resort is a model of good taste and sensitivity, with extremely comfortable a/c bungalows in the pure traditional architecture of rural Kerala. Open air bathrooms, supremely comfortable beds, high ceilings, shady verandas and cool interiors create a heaven of understated luxury and calm. This is barefoot chic at its best. The swimming pool is vast and crystal-clear, with plenty of comfortable pool beds and with a lovely view of the ocean. When it comes to food, I can only say that it is simply out of this world: Fantastic and huge breakfasts where one can choose from extensive menus, both international and South Indian. For lunch and dinner there are two exceptional restaurants, especially for seafood -perhaps the best prawn curry I ever had- plus a wide choice of vegetarian dishes and soups that change every day. The Ayurveda massages are truly top notch, and they use only natural organic ingredients. Quite simply, they are the real thing. Very highly recommended! Last but not least, I feel that I have to praise the hotel personnel, that are all impeccable: Extremely polite, eager to help, efficient and professional at the same time. I owe a very special ""THANK YOU"" to the General Manager, Mr. Jayan, who attended to all my needs as if he was an old friend. I am especially interested in the unique Theyyam ritual of northern Kerala and I was planning to publish an article about it. Mr. Jayan did all the necessary enquiries and found out the performances that were held in obscure villages during our stay. He also organized transport and even joined us on one of the late night Theyyams, which was the most amazing, otherworldly, intense experience. Therefore Neeleshwar is not just about having ""the rest of your life"" but also about experiencing a very unique aspect of real India. I cannot recommend this place highly enough and I would encourage anyone to spend a few -or more than a few- days in this Indian paradise"

Hotel Tugu Lombok: "So so good!"

"Slithered before deciding on this hotel over the OBEROI and so glad we did. A totally unique setting nd a place you could return to every year. The Manager was a delight and always seemed to pop up somewhere when you least expected it. This is not a run of the mill chain hotel . It is for real travellers who want to feel they are somewhere different. It's not perfect in some respects but that's why it is one of our favourite hotels in the world."

The Village House: "A little bit of Borneo"

"We visited for 2 nights from Kuala Lumpur to see a little of Borneo. The booking process was really smooth, and we had lots of advice on which trip to book. We arrived late on a Friday and the taxi the hotel had arranged was waiting for us to whisk us to the hotel. About an hours drive. We booked the suite which is a large room, decorated in a local style but all the mod cons, so to speak. Comfortable large bed with a large screen TV at the base. Good coffee machine, and large bathroom. Everything we could need. Saturday morning we went to Bako National park with a guide arranged by the hotel – we had a great day, he knew where to find all the local species of monkey! Saturday evening we had the 8 course tasting meal, which was delicious and not too much, although we had been walking all day! The beach at the end of the road is worth a stroll along, it is beautiful. As others have said, not somewhere you’d stop to sunbathe. The staff were charming, the bar was a great place to grab a drink before and after dinner. It is a quiet hotel, but it’s perfect for a short break."

RACHAMANKHA: "Zen oasis in the old town: fine Asian antiques, great service, sublime food!"

"We stayed for six nights. What a treat. This hotel is a ""Secret Retreat"" property, one of three that we stayed at in Thailand and Laos. They are owner occupied properties, with amazing attention to decor and service. The architect and designer of this property live here and use the hotel as their home and office, and as a display space for their fine collection of Asian antiquities, a mix of Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian. Just walking in the gate caused a feeling of calm. I asked for a yoga mat, no problem, and found that the second floor balcony of the spa, situated over the swimming pool, was a perfect place for doing my yoga routine, with several Buddhas looking on. The setting, the pool, the room, the service, the food were all wonderful. Paul, the manager, sat with us to plan out our day to day itinerary, and all of his suggestions were spot on, for temples and outings, and especially his recommendation for a tailor, from whom we got five shirts and a sport coat. The location is ideal with Wat Prah Singh just around the corner (we called it ""our"" temple), making it easy to drop in for monk chats, or to hear the chanting at 5 PM. The hotel is within the walls of old Chiang Mai and very close to the Sunday walking market. There is a discount for persons staying 3 nights or longer, not something we realized, but were happily surprised when they gave it to us without our asking. Having modified our original reservation at the last minute, we were scheduled to move rooms over our 6 night stay, but the management spent some time juggling the room schedule, so that we could stay in the same room, which we very much appreciated. We were in Room 19, in one of the main courtyards, and these courtyard rooms are quite lovely. One assumes these were equally as nice. The whole hotel is quiet and quiet. "

Rachamankha: "A taste of heaven!"

This has to be our all time favourite hotel, anywhere. It is such a beautiful complex in every way. The rooms are so serene and comfortable. The problem here is you never want to step outside. The breakfast has to be 6 star rated, and the coffee's great as well. Thank you Paul and your fabulous staff. We loved the New Year party and will be back for more. It's a slice of heaven.

Satri House: "Tasteful and relaxing"

Stayed here in low season. Around a quarter full. Best time to go to Luang Prabang but, with the heat, it is still great to have Satri House to retreat to. Basically faultless: tastefully designed, lovely staff, two nice pools, great rooms, good breakfast. The setting is intimate, various buildings woven into the gardens. A few minutes by bike (free from the hotel) into the centre.