Guest Reviews

RACHAMANKHA: "Quaint hotel"

"Beautiful hotel and room. Loved the design and the property overall. A magical place for sure. Please make the effort to book it if in Chiang Mai. Stayed only one night in a Grand Deluxe room but would have liked to stay for more. "

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Supporting the Local Community-True Eco Tourism"

"After spending a week at Golden Buddha, my greatest appreciation of the resort I can't emphasize enough (beyond the seclusion in a mesmerizing natural environment unparalleled in my experiences living in Thailand) is their mission to support the local community with true eco-tourism. I was amazed and overjoyed to learn all of the staff members, from the smiling and friendly faces behind the bar counter to the women working in the kitchen to the maintenance men who wave as you walk by, are all local people from the small fisherman village on the other side of the island. I actually had the opportunity to visit the village, Tey Pey Yoi, through an eco-tour offered by the resort where guests have a chance to learn from local school children the art of batik painting while contributing positively to the community and school as guests. My experience with our tour guide Eak was absolutely AMAZING. His giant genuine smile and his passion and local expertise about the wildlife we saw as we crossed the savannah to reach the village was the highlight of my stay at Golden Buddha (listening to the whistles he knows by heart to communicate with different birds isn't something you easily forget). The village itself is incredibly humble and reflective of a very low standard of living, with stilted one room homes over the water or small concrete houses covered by tin roofs on the sand. While the village way of life is a beautiful culture to witness and set in an awe-inspiring backdrop of local fisherman boats, mangrove trees, and mountains from the mainland, it brings a reality to where Golden Buddha's staff come from, and made even more clear to me the dedication and mission of the resort to train and offer employment opportunities specifically to the inhabitants of the island. They even hire an English intern every season to provide free English language lessons to the staff, an opportunity I can now fully understand after visiting the humble and under-funded school where most of the staff recieved their education. In a competitive tourist industry near places like Phuket and Khao Lak, Golden Buddha is true to the label ""eco-tourism"" by being an integral contributor to the local community. Knowing I am directly helping contribute to the livelihoods of the warm and beaming staff who made my stay so welcome gives me a feeling of pride as a traveler who is intentional about the footprint she leaves behind as a guest in a foreign country."

Reverie Siam Pai: "Wonderful resort in an ideal location for motorcycling"

"My wife and I were on a 7 days motorcycle tour around Northern Thailand. When we got to Reverie Siam we liked it so much that we decided to stay 4 nights instead of two. The nearby roads and scenery offered some amazing day trips on the motorcycle and our afternoons and evening in Pai and especially at Reverie Siam were the perfect complement to busy (and hot) riding days. The staff were wonderful and we loved the pools (2), bars (2) and restaurant. Felt like we were back in the roaring 20’s. Drinks by the (cool) pool was a welcome afternoon treat. Not sure how our stay could have been nicer. We loved it."

Tugu Lombok: "Rest in paradise"

"We staid there for 3nights and we loved it The place is beautiful very different from other 5star hotels. They respect the tradition and the Indonesian history and try to adjust to the hotel decoration. It's a beautiful and calm place. We were lucky the hotel was not crowded. It was low season and we had the hotel almost to ourselves. Very nice staff. The beach is the best we got in Indonesia with warm water but a lot of corals (you should were protection shoes) They have 2 restaurants at the hotel There are 2 big pools. The only bad thing is the prays in the middle of the night. They are Muslims and they pray in the middle of the night and wake you up with the speakers. You have transportation service, excursions to gili, spa, kayaks, paddel board, cooking lessons, snorkeling.. Our breakfast was included and we could have it at any time of the day.. So it was more of a lunch.. And the food is not expensive. It is a romantic place to go and spend a few days. One of my favorite hotel in the world! Stayed March 2017"

Rachamankha: "Spectacular suite"

"The Rachamankha is a haven in a busy neighborhood. The resort feels as if it is miles from civilization. We stayed in a ground floor suite that was enormous, tastefully decorated, and very private. The suite can be divided into rooms 24 and 25 if necessary. The suite has a huge living room with an adjoining kitchenette. There are 2 full bathrooms and the suite is decorated impeccably. We had our own entrance off our private courtyard. Truly a remarkable experience. The food at the hotel is delightful as is the service in the restaurant. The hotel also has a nice pool. We were unable to use the pool and some services because our 19-yr-old daughter was quite ill while we were there. The only minor thing we noticed is that some of the staff seems a bit standoffish but maybe that's our perception just because of the our daughter's issues. In any case, I highly recommend this unique oasis in Chiang Mai!"

Tugu Malang: "Classic and Traditional"

"What should I say about my amazing stay in Hotel Tugu Malang? The room was excellent. They even provided us with FREE high tea between 4-6PM and they served very very good Indonesian traditional cakes and desserts. They also gave us 10 minutes complimentary shoulder massage. This hotel is like a monument. They gave us a free tour of the hotel and so we can see different rooms offered. Unfortunately, we stayed only for a night. Definitely recommend this hotel if you go to Malang!! This is the best place to stay."

Inle Heritage Stilt Houses: "Exceptional!"

The team at Inle Heritage made my arrival in Myanmar so smooth and welcoming. The team patiently and wonderfully indulged me with all my cultural questions that I bombarded them with. Transfers were super easy and the tour of the lake was nicely curated. I am notoriously picky and there are two hotels that I have been mentioning in the same breath since my return; The Puli in Shanghai and Inle Heritage. Service was exceptional, very detailed and thoughtful. The icing on the cake is that the 6 bungalows and traditional Inthar restaurant are funding the cat + fish breeding, eco farming practices, and scholarships for 40 driven hospitality students each year. Like others have said this is not luxury and there are a little few missteps now and then from the students but it doesn't matter as it is all so personal, detailed and welcoming. From the moment of my booking Ms. Thant Zin Aye, the GM, was helpful and generous over email and in person when I arrived. Ms. Nang Khin May and Ms. Chaw Su Thet Htar were so sweet welcoming. Mr. Htun A Tint is a natural in this hospitality game and will go far! I have recommended this hotel to everyone and I would be there in a heartbeat on my next trip to Myanmar.

Dewakan: "Amazing restaurant – GO!"

"When we watched John Torode's Malaysia programme back in the UK , he showed this place and so we booked it for our last night in KL. I have to admit as it got closer I got concerned that we had made a mistake. No malaysian we spoke to in KL had heard of the place and it soon became apparent that it was on the outskirts of town, a good hour away from central KL and forms part of the KDU campus. I need not have worried however. The whole experience from start to finish was brilliant. The service was attentive, the team enthusiastic about the food and the food itself was inventive and interesting. We had the 17 course tasting menu and every dish was different and innovative in its use of traditional Malay ingredients. Notable dishes included a perfectly rendered crispy duck skin over succulent rare duck meat, as well as the almost Heston Blumenthal like childish fun of putting together the slow baked red snapper in broth dish. There was only one dish we didn't particularly enjoy, which was the prawn dish and we found the texture of the raw prawns a bit odd, but it was clever cooking nonetheless with the flavour combination. This place is worthy of a Michelin star. My only concern is that being so far out of town and having only 10 tables, it is not getting enough clientele. So please, please if you enjoy inventive and innovative cuisine, go to this restaurant."

RACHAMANKHA: "Beautiful, elegant hotel with amazing, friendly staff"

"One of my best hotel experiences ever, and I travel a lot for work and pleasure. From the moment we arrived, the hotel staff made sure that everything was perfect for us. This small hotel has a very unique, authentic feel to it. I believe it only has about 26 rooms, so it has a small, elegant character. After spending several weeks site-seeing around Thailand, this was the perfect place to relax and unwind. Some highlights were the pool, which was never crowded and the hallways and sitting area at night which had amazing incense burning. The professional pictures of the hotel don't do it justice "

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Paradise"

"This is one of my favorite places in the world. As soon as you wade ashore off the long tail boat that drops you off you know your somewhere special. It's a wonderful escape from work, city living and the world. There's nothing to do here but relax. A 10km long beach with pretty much no one on it and beautiful water. Small islands and mangrove swamps to explore by kayak. Beautiful beach homes to kick back in. The option of yoga in the morning and massage any time of day. Stayed January 2017, traveled with family"