Guest Reviews

Inle Heritage Stilt Houses: "Delightful boutique accommodation"

"We stayed for 2 nights. This is a wonderful organisation offering accommodation and training for young people in the hospitality industry. They grow their own vegetables and herbs on site. The food was very good. In particular i can recommend the spring onion fritters - an Inthar recipe - very tasty and delicious. The staff here were lovely and very attentive. Only downsife was the noise from the boats and some noises in the roof at night from wildlife. Apart from that I would recommend this to those who are looking for somewhere small and boutique. "

Amata Lanna: "4 Day Stay at the Beautiful and Quaint Amata Lanna"

This particular hotel is very quaint and absolutely beautiful, with first class touches at every turn. The detail in the decor of 100 year old teak wood everywhere and large carved doors completes the experience. The highly accommodating (and primarily English speaking) staff is wonderful and genuinely care about your experience. They go above and beyond every day-from the delicious homemade Thai breakfast, to the turn-down service, and the general likability of each individual. The area where the hotel is located is in a relatively more quiet part of town yet walking distance to major areas. Truly a one of a kind experience. Cannot recommend enough!

Villa Song: "A very special place!"

"As many have said, Villa Song is a bubble of peace and tranquility in a chaotic and noisy city. I would thoroughly recommend it. The boat is a great way to get to the city. The room (Art Suite) was beautiful, with river views. If I was to be critical about one thing, it would be the restaurant menu. The kids menu was excellent, however the regular menu we found a bit strange. It was fusion-ish! Strange combinations. It all tasted pretty good mind you, but I would prefer to see more true Vietnamese on there. Personal taste perhaps. A real gem. We will be back for sure! Gareth."

Jing’s Residence: "Pingyao’s Best Hotel"

The best location in old Pingyao. The hotel is a quiet oasis in the heart of Pingyao. It's rooms are well appointed and very clean and tidy. The hotel facilities are well laid out with a lovely restaurant, bar, spa and quiet reading areas. Its sensitive use of the ancient architecture is a pleasure to relax in, either inside or outside in one of the quiet courtyards. The staff are always there when you need help, but never intrusive or overly attentive. The style is friendly and welcoming. I will recommend this wonderful boutique hotel to all my friends.

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "A Truly Unique And Special Place To Stay"

"The Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion is an incredibly unique hotel. Built in the late 1800’s, the mansion was the family home of Chinese businessman and politician Cheong Fatt Tze. The mansion symbolized his wealth and prosperity, with extraordinary detail given to the original building and restoration. In modern terms, it’s one of the most “Instagrammable” buildings I’ve ever seen! Keep reading to find out why I highly recommend staying at the famous Blue Mansion. THE HISTORY The original version of the Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion was built with 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, and 7 staircases, and is one of the largest buildings of its kind outside of China. Feng Shui played an important role in the design of the mansion, and each part of the layout had a specific a purpose. For example, the number of open air courtyards is because water is seen as wealth, so the more rain you have naturally coming into the house the better. Once that water was inside, there are winding drainage pipes to keep the water underneath the house as long as possible before flowing outside. There is so much history behind the building that the Mansion runs daily tours several times a dat so you can learn about the Mansion even if you are not staying there. However, I would still highly recommend booking a room because the tours only cover the common areas and not the guest rooms to maintain guests’ privacy. While the tour is still worth it if that’s your only option, staying in the hotel itself allows you to have the full experience and get better pictures! THE ROOMS The Blue Mansion has 18 rooms, each with its own name and backstory. I was in the Escoy room, named after an old smelting company in Penang. Located on the ground floor, the room had beautiful tall ceilings, detailed gold carvings, and plenty of space to spread out. In addition, there are little heirlooms and authentic 19th century furniture scattered throughout to give it even more personality. The rooms all have amenities that would have made Cheong Fatt Tze himself jealous, including a large HDTV, speedy wi-fi and a heavenly rainfall shower. It was truly a unique experience to stay in a place with such history, while still having full access to luxury amenities! THE FOOD Breakfast is served each day in the central courtyard, which is where the “Feng Shui” is strongest. The staff does a great job transforming the beautiful open air courtyard into a wonderful breakfast spread. There is a self-served area for pastries, toast and fruit, as well as made to order hot dishes from the waiter. You can also choose local flavors to be ready for your day! There is also a wonderful on-site restaurant called Indigo which was also great. Located upstairs above the central courtyard, Indigo fuses Eastern and Western culture in both the food and the ambiance. The in-house chef creates wonderful dishes each night, with each dish looking like a piece of artwork itself. The lamb and fish were especially good, so be sure to make a reservation during your stay! THE LOCATION Once you are well fed, you’ll see the Blue Mansion is perfectly located to many walkable sites. Given that Penang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there are countless beautiful buildings and little areas to visit. These include the Clan Jetties, Little India, and Red Garden, a great night food market which is literally next door! One of my favorite parts of the location was is the short walk to many of the famous works of street art dotting the alleyways of Penang. Be sure to grab a map and ask the concierge for the locations of the art because some of them can be tricky to find but worth the effort! CONCLUSION Staying at the Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion was one of the highlights of my entire trip to Malaysia. The history behind the building itself is extremely interesting and the hotel itself was beautiful. Be sure to bring a spare memory card when you visit because you will take countless pictures of both the Mansion itself and all the amazing sites nearby. The Blue Mansion is a very special experience and I highly recommend staying with them next time you are in Penang! Stayed January 2017, traveled as a couple"

The Cabochon Hotel: "Intimate and tranquil boutique hotel in perfect location"

"We loved the Cabochon hotel and it's warm and friendly staff. The hotel has only eight rooms and suites in a superbly decorated French colonnial style inspired building. Wooden doors, door handles, light switches, quirky collectors items, they all are perfectly curated to add to the colonial feel. Apperently the building itself is a new structure which I only found out by realising there's no way an older wooden building would be able to carry a huge swimmingpool like the luxurious rooftoppool of the Cabocho I read another reviewer mentioning the pool as a small one. I do not know in what hotels some people might stay but the Cabochon pool is in my opinion huge! It covers the entire roof of the hotel (20-25m pool?), and is perfectly fine to do some fine swimming exercises. Another great detail which I loved is that there is no reception desk like in a regular hotel, just a tiny 'office'. From the frontdoor you step into the hallway immediately which leads to the central staircase. This also adds to the homely feel of the Cabochon. Check in is in the lounge area/Joy luck club where also breakfast is being served. You can also have your breakfast on the veranda which is great. The staff we loved. They immediately made us feel at home, spoke english well and were really helpful. Furthermore the location can't be better, at the end of a short quiet soi (alley) that leads directly to Sukhumvit Road with two skytrain stations within a five minute walk. Yes, the regular rooms are not that big but for us it just did add to the intimate feel of our stay here. It felt very special our three nights over at the Cabochon, highly recommended."

David’s Kitchen: "Best dining experience in Chiang Mai"

This restaurant is a must if you are in Chiang Mai. The food, service and overall experience were exceptional. David greeted us upon arrival to the restaurant and continued to check in on us throughout the meal. He and his staff made us feel like royalty. The food was second to none. Highlights included the pumpkin soup and wagyu beef cheek. We walked away with full stomachs and fuller smiles. We can't wait to come back next time.

Satri House: "Really lovely!"

I looked at many, many hotels online for Luang Prabang and could not have been happier with my choice. This property is absolutely lovely - a serene and tranquil escape after busy days of sightseeing! The staff could not have been more hospitable and accommodating, and the food was great! Stayed for a week utilizing all the various services - dining room for a variety of meals, pool, spa, bar, library - all terrific. Special kudos to the staff who were truly so nice!

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "A perfect resort in an ideal location – worth every minute of the journey to get there"

We have just returned from our trip to Kerala and Mumbai and have to say that this was one of the most beautiful places I have ever stayed in. Our room was delightful, simple but to a very high standard with perfect attention to detail - sitting on our cottage verandah looking out onto the sea was amazing and very tranquil and relaxing - the cottages are designed so that we had privacy and never felt overlooked. The outdoor bathroom was luxurious and simple. Staying at this hotel was the most wonderful experience ever and I can't wait to return. The Hermitage has a peacful ambience - it is eco tourism at its finest - I particularly loved the fact there were no plastic bottles to be found on the resort! The food was superb, the swimming pool out of this world - and the staff were lovely and friendly and nothing was too much trouble. A perfect place to spend some time relaxing and being at one with nature.

Supanniga Eating Room: "Great Food that makes me wanna be a Thai"

I just can't take my eyes off the menu, huge variety of dishes and hold on, what is this? How come I have never seen such kind of food in BKK restaurants? My eyes just open wide when the friendly staffs serve the dishes on the table. Just love how the food is arranged meticulously on Thai-style plate. Truly authentic Thai recipes, simple ingredients but overwhelming taste. Could suppaniga launch cooking class? :P