Guest Reviews

The Island Lodge: "The Reason to Visit the Mekong Delta"

This is a beautiful property with amazing staff and service! The room was very clean, modern and spacious. The service was impeccable, the food was outstanding, the spa was great, and the property pristine. The owner, Michel, reached out to us directly after we made our reservation and offered transfers from Ho Chi Minh City and back at a reasonable price, which made logistics easy. Michel and his wife, Francoise, also greeted us upon arrival, adding a nice personal touch to our stay. We highly recommend taking advantage of some of the activities offered by the Island Lodge - we did the Seven Bridges Bicycle Tour and it was one of the highlights of our visit to Vietnam. But stay away from My Tho proper, the city really has nothing to offer; just enjoy the lodge, the island, and the river instead. If you are traveling to the Mekong delta, I cannot imagine a better place to stay than the Island Lodge - simply amazing.

Mrauk U Princess Resort: "A lush oasis in a dusty town"

"The Mrauk U Princess Resort is a lovely property and a wonderful place to retreat to after a long day of sightseeing and visiting the incredible and unspoiled historic temples in Mrauk U. Mrauk U itself is a dusty and bustling town and the temples are worth the long trip. The hotel arranged for a car to meet us at the Sittwe Airport for a three-hour drive and we availed ourselves of a peaceful ride back to Sittwe on one of the hotel's large motorboats. The five-hour journey included an excellent lunch and was an enjoyable way to see the riverfront views and a peaceful way to travel. The hotel is comprised of a number of authentic villas created completely by hand of carved teak in the local style. Furnished with local fabrics and decor, each is a mix of modern conveniences and Rakhine authenticity. There's also a unique swimming pool, set down in the middle of a pond. The dining facilities, bar and public accommodations are spacious and the very helpful and friendly staff anticipates your every need. The food is excellent and the spa offers a full range of massage and other services. The hotel arranged an excellent guide and tour of the historic temples by Tuk Tuk as well as home-made croissants and coffee at dawn on the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise over the mountains. Getting to Mrauk U takes some time, but it's definitely worth the trip. The Mrauk U Princess is a wonderful and welcoming retreat and is highly recommended."

Rak Ko Jae Seoul: "Rakkojae first 3 nights, Ritz Carlton last 2 nights. Cried the last 2 nights"

"Out of selfishness, I wish I could keep the Rakkojae a secret and post the stay as poorly managed, noisy, and uncomfortable. Or maybe that the Rakkojae reminded me of a fake Hollywood set for a Korean drama. Or better yet, that Rakkojae is located in a completely inconvenient location with zero access to historic areas and their iconic shop-filled alleys. Selfishness loses this one. The host was too nice to ever wish anything bad for them. Take everything stated and translate each into their polar opposite. That's Rakkojae. The stay carries a physical and emotional warmth that can't be described without using the word ""home."" A super nice, quiet home with heated jade floors, and served breakfasts causing one to reflect upon why one needs energy and brain robbing sweet carbos to start the day. How about fresh rice, cured fish, panchon with amazing kimchi, rice porridge tea and a different secret dessert every day. The Location If you arrive in the evening, your cab driver will wonder if your address is correct. Once you take a final turn down a narrow alley, you'll also begin wondering if you missed a digit on your address. But it's oh, sooo right. Once you start walking to any of the sights, you'll realize how perfect the location is for walking everywhere. Moreover, it's close enough to the subway for jaunts into the city. In the main city or otherwise, the street food alleys will help you regain your faith in the idea of street food. Unique, scrumptious, and absolutely no digestive drama -- other than various self-induce triggers from over-indulging. Kids OK? I have a feeling that if you have more than one child (we had our lone 8 yr old), and/or if your kids are typically loud and excitable, you might feel self-conscious because Rakkojae and the area is very quiet. The people are too nice to reject you for this, but you will be aware of how loud you actually can be. Ahhh. Peace and quiet. It's the price we parents often pay for having our bundles of joy. In fact, in the historic residential area you'll see more ""keep quiet"" signs than you'll ever see in a dozen libraries. It's not that kids can't run amok with joy, laughter while screaming their bloody lungs with excitement, but perhaps limited ""happy drama"" on the Rakkojae premises will allow one to blend-in a bit. Frankly, our child had no interest in running and screaming amok on site. It's so beautiful and peaceful that even a kid can feel odd belting the lyrics to Moana at 11p under such peaceful conditions. She saved it later for the streets. Sorry Seoul. Our last days at the Ritz Carlton in Seoul were fine. But all of us would have traded it all to move back to Rakkojae in a heartbeat. Go. I'm Hawaiian, so I don't promise anything, but the Rakkojae is a stay that will become part of your memory of the trip vs. merely being a cool place because they have bounce rooms for kids, mini bars and lots of people you could have met at some function back home. MOAAana!"

Villa Song Saigon: "Great place with a great view"

"We love this place, especially for breakfast or lunch or just a cup of coffee. Look out over the river and relax. We went here with my son of 6 months, they are very baby friendly. They provide a high chair and baby bowl. The staff is very helpful. The food is very good, we had breakfast there and that is great. Choice of different types of breakfast. For lunch we had fish and chips and a duck salad! Very good. Try it out!"

Slow Villas and Spa: "Amazing"

We spent an amazing honeymoon designed by Gilita (the travel agency of the owner of Slow private pool villas) and it was perfect! We spent 6 nights at Slow and we didn t want to leave. Breakfast is delicious, the new spa for the massages and Pilates courses is top! The villas are perfectly clean, very calm and beautiful. Thanks a lot at the staff for the lovely stay at Slow...

MesaStila: "Mid week getaway!"

I was expecting to be able to unwind when I got to MesaStila, what I did not expect was how quickly it happened. There is something magical and memorizing that happens from the moment you arrive. The entire resort is amazing. The staff just so gentle and warm. Even the food has healing and comforting elements. First day was spent just relaxing, getting to know the property. Our villa was spectacular and had all the mod cons we needed. Day 2 we experienced the Hammam Spa. Four months of stress disappeared after the 2 hour treatment- what an amazing facility this is. It rained for part of the time we were there which just added to the amazing experience. Reading in the clubhouse, watching the rain and mist. The resort takes you back in time but will all the modern conveniences. We also did the coffee tour, I love my coffee and now love it even more after listening to the delightful Lily explain how the coffee is grown, harvested, roasted and packaged. Thank you to all the staff of MesaStila for being so genuine! We will be back!

Dewakan: "A wonderful experience!"

It's my first time trying the modern Malaysian cuisine and it was amazing. Never knew that our local ingredients can be so versatile. Kudos to the chef team for their adventurous experiments. Full of surprises and I did enjoy all the new flavors dancing on my palate. Love the wine and fermented beverages pairing.

Locavore: "EXQUISITE"

For what you pay for, you are getting a Michelin style restaurant meal. There were certain courses that did not hit it out of the park, but overall the dining experience was superb. Easily the highlight of my Bali trip.

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Silent and luxurious"

"Amazing property.. Lush green and by the beach, endless pool, good spa, luxurious cottages, extra large size rooms, well equipped baths, hammocks beside each cottage, good food and super courteous staff.. Neeleshwar hermitage was as good as it looks in the images.. Since restaurant is only for guests and not open to the public, There are limited food options, but you can pre order what ever you like, and they will prepare it for u.. Food is a Lil expensive, so you can take a package inclusive of all 3 meals! Just 8 kms from the railway station, A cab will charge you rs. 1000 for drop from the station to the resort (which is expensive, but cheaper compared to the rs. 1800 this resort charges) We stayed here overnight.. And thoroughly enjoyed the stay.. Show less"

MesaStila: "Amazing gem in Central Java"

"We found this gem by pure chance and it lived up to all the reviews we found. It has gorgeous surrounds and so many activities. We had 4 families get away for the long weekend and there was something for everyone. Ask for a room with the mountain view, it will accommodate a family of 4-5 easily. We hired a bus which took us to a waterfall for the afternoon which I highly recommend. The staff are incredibly helpful and will sort out any of your requests. The spa is excellent and the walk through the coffee plantation and rice fields are so wonderful. We wish we could have stayed longer. "