Guest Reviews

Slow Villas and Spa: "Perfect Stay for Honeymoon!"

"Beautiful Private Villa with with Private Pool My husband and I have a honeymoon staycation in this villa, and we loved it so much. It's located not too far away from the beach, but enough distance to stay away from the crowd. So it’s very perfect for honeymon. We've got a very beautiful spacey villa with a private pool and very spacey backyard. We stay at Villa Number 1. With beautiful interior and big bed, also we love the open bathroom so much! We Love the Eco Concept Slow Villas is very eco-friendly, we’ve got our own bottle for drink and we can bring it outside, wether for dinner outside or beach time. We can also refill it everytime, we don’t need to buy extra water. We’ve got our own kitchen with complete utensil, so you can stay all day long at the villa. And we’ve got yoga matt, which I never found on another villa/hotel, we can join the free yoga clas everyday at ten in the morning. The Best Breakfast! Because Slow VIlla doesn’t have restaurants, they will serve the breakfast at our villa, which you can choose from English themed-breakfast to Australia to America. It’s very delicious. We enjoy it on our table beside the pool. Photogenic Villas As a travel writer and enthusiast, I love taking pictures of anything. And I love every side of our villa. It's beautiful and we made a lot of beautiful pictures. lol! Best Services The staffs were very nice, also we can rent the bicycle anytime. Room Tip: It's perfect, don't forget to buy food or vegetables, you can cook it on your own kitchen!"

Hotel Tugu Bali: "Perfect, down to the last detail!"

We absolutely loved our stay at Hotel Tugu Bali! The hotel is absolutely gorgeous, full of Balinese influences. The staff is very attentive and kind, the breakfast is fingerlicking good and I can highly recommend watching the sunset whilst enjoying a high tea. Also worth pointing out that the bed at Tugu is probably the biggest and comfiest bed we have ever slept in. Would love to stay here again!

Le Calao: "Fantastic meal"

Highly recommend this newly opened restaurant in an old colonial building - service, views, food - everything was great. A bit more expensive than other places in Luang Prabang but absolutely worth it.

Tugu Bali: "Traditional Indonesian colonial style hotel with interesting antique collection"

"Cangu is the new up and coming area in Bali. Now that Seminyak is getting too crowded Cangu starts developing. The Tugu hotel was visionary when it got build 20 years ago. It was the first hotel to set up shop in Cangu and it has a location right at the beach. It is a not a modern style hotel, but a classic Indonesian style hotel build like a colonial building with hardwood flooring and a dark wooden interior. Everything from the light switches to the taps in the bathroom is old looking. I doubt there is any other hotel in Bali that comes close in colonial looks and feel. Room 206 we stayed in was part of a house, which had inside and outside areas. We stayed at the top floor which had views over the garden towards the beach. Below us was room 106 which would not have these views. There were also amazing views of the lotus flower filled pond which had wooden walkways crossing it to link to the honeymoon suite. When we entered we were amazed about the huge open space entrance hall which had a huge wooden statue of a Garuda bird. The hotel is full of Indonesian antiques, with the owner collecting these over his lifetime and displaying them in his hotels. The service in this hotel is excellent with the Balinese people being ever so friendly to assist you. The hotel also has a large grass area which connects to the beach. It is full of statues, beds to chill out on, and at night it is beautifully candle lit with hundreds of candles. This is the perfect place to chill out and watch the sunset. In the mornings you can eat breakfast here as well and this is something I would certainly recommend. The hotel has 2 restaurants, one doing good Indonesian fare. You can also do an Indonesian style cooking class which we did. They have also recently opened the Ji restaurant, a Japanese restaurant which is located in a 300 year old Chinese building which was dismantled in Java and shipped to Bali. They do excellent sushi here, which not many places in Bali do. There is no kids menu here but they can order food from the Indonesian restaurant which does have a kids menu. Outside there is a decent size pool which has a part that is 2 foot deep, excellent for smaller children, and a 5 foot deep area. There is no barriers between these areas, so keep minding the small ones. This is a hotel is OK for children, there is no kids club here and the pool is not necessarily suited for really small children. You go to this hotel to feel part of Indonesia's history. It has been done exceptionally well. I would say go sooner rather than later before Cangu gets fully build up. We noticed a hotel being build right on the back of this hotel, planning rules in Bali are almost non existent. The Tugu was building a large net for climbing plants to provide the necessary privacy."

Dewakan: "Premium quality and services with affordable price"

Came with partner to celebrate my birthday. Very quiet restaurant with limited space - no other diners except for us. Food taste are hit and a little misses. Was not impressed with the appetizers at first, but when the 2nd main came, it was a game changer, albeit a little over seasoned for us. Ends with very delicious desserts. Some may say, good things comes to those who waits. The restaurant manager and his partner has done a very good job explaining the dishes to us. Fully satisfied with their services. Premium quality and services with affordable price.

Sukoon Houseboat: "Wonderful relaxing experience"

The Sukoon houseboat is a super luxurious and comfortable houseboat. We had a wonderful time. The staf is super, very helpful and were really taking super good care of us. The breakfast on the sundeck was an absolute highlight. This houseboat is a bit away from the overcrowded part of the lake so you can really enjoy the beatiful view on the lake at sunset and sunrise!

Sanak Retreat Bali: "simple luxuries"

It may be unpretensious, ethical, and eco-friendly - but don't presume for a moment that Sanak Retreat isn't as beautifully designed and sumptuous as a high end hotel. Forged by the friendship between a local Balinese and a French businessman, the beauty of Sanak Retreat is the loving thought that has gone into every detail. It's the simple things after all that mean so much - the sweet sounds of the rice fields as dusk falls, the sensuous vivid green that surrounds you when the sun rises, the joyful bubbling of the river that runs through the property, the cool mountain air (and no mossies). The beautifully crafted timber villas are decorated with Indonesian textiles and wooden furnishings assembled by an astute collector, giving each room a sense of personal intimacy, and wifi and digital facilities are cutting edge. Local coffee and teas are generously provided. Every standing point has a view over the undulating highly oxygenated valley clear of both modern buildings and any hint of traffic noise. The retreat is deeply immersed in the local community, running a successful plastic recycling project with village children. And the restaurant offers a world class menu, including an extraordinary lemongrass creme brulee and a fine wine list. They will even bake you gluten free bread and pizza with a little warning, but local seafood is also fresh and delicious. There is a gentle, connected sense of calm and beauty here that you will be hard pressed to experience anywhere else in Bali. The spa facilities and private dining gazebo were created by die-hard romantics. And yet nothing is tizzy or florid. Good taste after all, is worth its weight in gold - or rice. And with several pools and lots of local treks, this is also a great place to holiday with children.

Maison Polanka: "Hidden Garden Gem with classic French Charm"

"Greeted at Siam Reap airport by Frances, a very pleasant young man from Masion Polanka private Villas, the chauffeur van waiting, was very comfortable and spacious. Being whisked away through the pleasant Cambodian countryside, arriving at Maison Polanka where a large security gate opened up the most tranquil garden tucked away within 5 minutes of Siam Reap town. We strolled through to reception, a cabana located by the large enticing pool, being greeted by local staff with refreshing hand towels and a long cool drink. Nothing was too much trouble for them, we were given Khmer House a stand-alone elevated original colonial home relocated some years ago to this site, that complemented the master house with its four self-contained luxury rooms. Our stay was magical, the food memorable, the decor was elegant and traditional, with a simple and personal touch from Nathalie (the owner) adding a splash of colour to each room is unique in its creation, Nathalie selects these from her collection of fabric designs out of her stores. We took cooking classes with Maison's Chef and relaxing massages on site, along with local tours to Ankor Wat and many other historic sites. Arriving back for afternoon tea by the pool every day at 3 Pm with freshly baked treats from the kitchen. Maison Polanka fulfilled every expectation of a luxurious holiday and more, we felt very special. Thank you so much for sharing your small space in paradise, we were so sad to have to move on continuing our holiday in Cambodia."

Rachamankha: "Luxury retreat"

"A luxury hotel experience. Very helpful staff. They responded to every question or inquiry with great attention and desire to be as helpful as possible. Beautiful hotel. We had a standard room with a king sized bed, which was very nice and comfortable with a nice sized bathroom. Be sure to check out all the beautiful details of the grounds, pool, library, guest lounge area. We had an awesome couples Thai massage one evening that I'd highly recommend. There were a lot of mosquito's out in the evening, although i know they try to keep them away with coils, etc. I'm not sure if they spray for mosquitoes, if not, it could be worth considering. I would have liked to stay outside a bit more but mosquitoes love me so I had to retreat to our room. The restaurant and bar are lovely. The food was good but not amazing. With so much good food in Thailand, you might want to go elsewhere if you are only staying a couple nights. The location of the hotel in Chang Mai is okay but not the best for evening activities, which seemed to be more on the other side of town and a bit far to walk. Rather than walk late at night we would take a taxi or tuk tuk home in the evening. Thankfully the hotel provides cards with the name of the hotel so you can show those to the drivers because we never figured out the best way to pronounce the name of the hotel."

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Beautiful retreat, great staff, fabulous food!"

The Hermitage is that rare perfect mix of relaxation & activities . The spa is second to none, but also be sure to do the free yoga each morning at 8am- and book a package to include meditation and extra yoga if you can. Go to the temple trip one evening and also the plantation walk.