Guest Reviews

Inle Heritage Stilt Houses: "Unique Boutique Hotel with fabulous service"

"My sister and I spent 6 nights at this fabulous hotel and I can honestly say I have never stayed at a hotel with better service. It is a training hotel for the hospitality industry and each year there is a new intake of about 48 students from all parts of Myanmar. The attention to detail is unsurpassed in each of the six stilted huts which feature local crafts and fabric with a lot of teak wood. Breakfast was served each morning overlooking the reed banks floating in the lake. Stunning views in all directions. There is a very special shrine room featuring a fabulous shrine copied from a temple nearby. My favourite feature of the hotel is the Burmese cats. The hotel has taken on a project to reintroduce the Burmese cats to Myanmar. The breed had all but died out. Guests are allowed to spend time with these precious animals getting a cuddle. We were fortunate to attend a cooking course at the hotel with the head chef. What an amazing experience that was, not cheap but worth every cent. Perhaps my only negative at this magical place was the passing boat noise which is probably to be expected if you stay on a lake and that is the only form of transport available. I would strongly recommend a few nights stay at this very unique hotel. I can't finish this review without mentioning some of the very special staff members who made our stay even more enjoyable, thanks Pann Myet, Nay Zaw, Chaw Su and Thun and so many others. Stayed December 2016, traveled with family"

Glenburn Tea Estate: "A delight"

"How do I start to describe Glenburn? At the beginning, I guess. The journey up from Bagdogra/Siliguri is a 4/5 hour drive, and, once you get to the hills, the road twists and turns, is two way only, and has enough slow traffic to make overtaking difficult/dangerous, but, except in the couple of places where the tar has broken up and washed away, it’s OK. The last bit, tho’, when you turn down off the road to Darjeeling and Ghum, is very slow and very bumpy, just as they admit on their website. We came down it in the dark, and it was only two days later when we went up it in the daylight that we could see why it was uncomfortable – it is very poor in places. BUT, please don’t let that put you off! Glenburn is delightful. Set in a working tea estate, with its own tea “gardens” for acres and acres all around, the processing factory a short walk down the driveway, and workers villages dotted down and across the slopes, it is surrounded by green, green hills (or it was in Oct 2016). There are tracks and paths and a road or two through the estate, and down to the river, so walking is lovely. The accommodation is essentially split in two. The original estate manager’s bungalow has a long wide veranda on the front, a lovely “old fashioned” communal dining room, with one big dining table (and maybe 12 chairs round it), a lounge and 4 bedrooms, all with staff areas behind. Then the newer bungalow, set a little lower down the point, has 4 big bedrooms, a sitting room, another couple of verandas and another set of kitchens on one level, with the Spa rooms below. We had the Singalila Suite in the new bungalow. It was big, with very large ensuite bathroom, with walk-in shower, 4 poster bed (with a comfortable, new mattress), teak floors, french doors on one side and a lovely little bay window area to sit and drink our morning “bed tea”, looking out to the west towards the Himalayas – sadly, in the 6 nights we were there (in early October) the clouds never lifted enough for us to see Kanchenjunga, but that was our fault for going so soon after the monsoon. The meals were excellent. Breakfasts were served on the lower bungalow’s terrace, and were fruit, juices, toast, and eggs any way you’d like, plus a daily “special”. The lunches we had were certainly “special” – one day we walked down to the river-side, along to Sikkim and then had lunch of soup, quiches, bread and salads, on the lawn by the “fishing bungalow”, and then walked back-up (that was hot!). Another day we walked up towards the main road and had lunch of carrot soup, tuna sandwiches and salad served to us at a picnic table and chairs set up on the empty roadside, looking at the spectacular views. Diners were generally communal in main bungalow, but on two nights we asked to dine on our own, and were happily served on one or other of the terraces. Diners were varied “curries”, one night Tibetan, another South Indian, for example, but one night it was a “roast”. We stayed 6 nights, so five days, at the start of out trip, and had lots to do. A day trip out to Darjeeling for the Darjeeling/Ghum toy train, and a visit to St Paul’s School, walks around the estate, down to the river and Sikkim, and a tour of the tea factory were all fun – though the walking can be pretty steep if you choose for it to be. We loved it all, but above all, the staff were terrific; the local staff were happy, smiling, and keen to do well, and the managers, Fay and Will, were just super – efficient, kind, friendly and very well suited to their roles. Finally, was the bumpy ride down to the Estate worth it? Without a doubt."

The Cabochon Hotel: "A REAL boutique hotel in the heart of BKK"

Love this place. Small with highly attentive staff, large nice rooms and a rooftop pool that is awesome to hang out at. I love the interior design, done by the Taiwanese owner I believe. THe little thai/Lao restaurant is also worth trying out.

Tandjung Sari: "A grand old lady!"

Whether you love Tandjung Sari as much as I did, or not, will depend on your perception of what constitutes a 'good' hotel. If you are looking for the height of modern luxury and state-of-the-art technology, this hotel is probably not for you! It is, however, the perfect choice for anybody wanting accommodation which oozes old-world style and class and which is full of charm and grace (...) I could not speak more highly of the staff, all of whom were gracious and graceful in their approach to guests -- they made me feel like an honoured guest rather than a mere paying customer. This was a brilliant experience -- just writing about it fills me with a warm glow -- and I very much hope that I will be able again to sample the delights of this grand old lady, Tandjung Sari. If you are thinking about it, do it!!

Jing’s Residence: "Fabulous hotel"

"Jing's Residence is in the medieval part of PingYao and is beautifully restored. The staff was very gracious and attentive and the food was delicious. I had a wonderful massage that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone going to PingYao. "

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."

4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "The floating lodge"

Both peace and activity, trips, walks, exploration, all from these luxury floating "tents". People excellent, very helpful, nothing too much trouble, they even repaired my broken sandals. Great food too, in such a relaxing situation. Our only complaint was that we had not booked for longer, to appreciate all that is on offer here you need to allow enough time.

The Cabochon Hotel: "Colonial style hotel in great neighborhood"

"Beautiful colonial style building chock full of quirky antics and books on interior design. We loved the living room and porch. The rooms are simple, but clean and you will find all you need. Just not very handy that some of the rooms have a bath tube only. Palm, the receptionist was very helpful in booking a tour for us ahead of our stay. And the cocktails served in the bar are awesome. Just a bit strange that the nuts we bought ourselves and that we asked the bar tender to serve us in a bowl were also given to other guests the same evening while we were still there. The neighborhood is great. The subway station is very close and next to the Emquartier mall. Plenty of nice restaurants and independent coffee places in the area. Definitely the better part of Sukhimvit road. If you like boutique hotels, this is a great one. Room Tip: Rooms have either showers are a bath tube. Having just a bath might not be very handy if you want to..."

Locavore: "Adding to the AMAZING reviews"

"I probably can’t add anything to the glowing reviews but Locavore is fantastic! Generous, friendly, incredible food. Yep, it’s super expensive for Bali but it’s world class and the chefs create magic with local ingredients, herbs and leaves that are a taste sensation. We made friends with our neighbours who, like us, were giddy with happiness at the deliciousness of it all. We could not have asked for a more interesting or unique meal that was pretty & abundant too. Would return in a heartbeat."

GLENBURN TEA ESTATE: "Mrs"

"Our adventure was with our two best friends & our four children. Be prepared for a bumpy ride to get to Glenburn but once you make it, it's like your very own piece of Eden! The bedrooms are exquisitely decorated with beautiful Indian material & very comfortable all with electric blankets & glorious white cotton sheets. We stayed in the Planters suite which boasts a huge four-poster bed as well as a single bed for our 3 year old daughter & Glenburn provided a travel cot for our younger daughter. We were all very comfortable & warm during our 3 night stay. The staff are exceptional & will stop at nothing to help make your stay the best it can be. They are charming & polite & were fantastic with our children. We even managed a child free day when we did the 2 hour walk to the river & stayed for a leisurely lunch while the children were looked after by the team. On our return they were all happily exhausted from a day of outside playing & two very content couples had a peaceful night! The food is utterly delicious, with lots of it grown from the beautifully kept Glenburn garden - I definitely put on weight over my 3 night stay! One of Glenburns other charms is being able to enjoy a delectable 3 course dinner in the lovely dining room in the company of the other guests who are from all over the world. It is so interesting sharing travelling stories & hearing others different experiences. All in all I cannot rate Glenburn more highly & hope very much that I will return again. Many thanks to you all at Glenburn for making our stay such a happy one - we all loved it! "