Guest Reviews

Inle Princess Resort: "Splurge for the lake view suite"

"Beautiful hotel. The grounds are gorgeous. Service superb. I would splurge on the lake view suite. We spent a lot of time watching the sunsets and seeing the colors change on the water as the sun went down. This is definitely a balcony and view you will use. The restaurant was beautiful as was the bar. My only complaint was that they tried to pass off Tilapia one night as ""sea bass"". No big deal (as this type of slight of hand happens everywhere else), but I thought this clumsy and unnecessary."

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "WOW Amazing and Stunning"

"The beautiful amazing and stunning Blue Mansion is a dream come true. It really is a dream location to stay in and a great honour to have been able to reside here for only 1 night (which was not enough). We got there late and was greeted by Shiro. Shiro is a great host and always smiling and happy to help you with everything. She has knowledge of the Mansion and where to go out in the local area. The Mansion is stunning where ever you look you have a view which is jaw dropping! We stayed in the room ""The Old Kitchen"" which still has the old large stove as a centre piece in the room covered in glass to protect it. The room has its own has its own Jacuzzi which is beautifully lit and tiled. The shower here is stunning. Old fashioned but modern and powerful with various settings. The room is large and open planned with amazing woodwork and large shutters. You can imagine Cheong Fatt Tze walking around his mansion. This place still has a very strong presence of him. Breakfast is great and again the setting is just awe inspiring! Thank you to Ms Seng RouHan for your help with our booking. The tour completed the experience. If you have time take the tour which is included for paying guests. I would like to stay here longer in future but I would find it very hard to leave if I stayed too long as this place is just simply heaven. Thank you Blue Mansion. Stayed March 2017, traveled as a couple"

The Island Lodge: "Vietnam"

"Excellent hôtel/ lodge. Emplacement magnifique au bord du Mékong. Calme absolu de la campagne. C’est paisible et envoûtant. Les promenades à vélo proposées dans les alentours sont extraordinaires. Il faut absolument se lever tôt (6h maxi) pour profiter de la vie des vietnamiens ( les marchés pas exemple) et ... de la fraîcheur. Au zénith, l’ombre au bord de la superbe piscine à débordement est très appréciable. Sunset sur le Mekong au bout du ponton privé .... Cuisine au top. La cuisine vietnamienne est peut être un tout petit peu trop occidentalisée. Petit déjeuner remarquable. L’ensemble est excellent et très haut de gamme pour l’endroit. Le personnel est adorable, souriant et efficace. Les hôtes sont charmants. Merci Michel pour les informations anecdotes et connaissances sur le delta. Si vous enchaînez depuis le lodge, privilégiez l’aéroport de CAN ToH qui est aussi loin que celui de Saigon, mais tout petit et ultra rapide pour l’embarquement. "

Bassac Cruises: "Relaxing way to see the countryside and river"

"We booked a one night cruise and struck lucky as we were the only passengers on board. Even the 4 hour transfer on the first day was soon forgotten when we had lunch on board and cruised along the river and canals. In the afternoon we had a walk around the countryside and sampled some fruit. Everything was explained perfectly by An who gave us a lesson in everything Vietnamese, history, economy, education, social services, you name it, she explained it all to us. Back on board we had a drink followed by dinner. After a nightcap we retired to the small but comfortable a air conditioned cabin with ensuite. Early to rise, we had breakfast on board before transferring to a smaller boat for the final tours of local sugar factory, floating market and rice cake making. Again, expertly explained by An, we sadly said our goodbyes to face the 2 1/2 hour transfer back to Saigon. This was a great way to get to know a piece of the real Vietnam."

MesaStila: "Amazing stay"

I just returned from Asia and spend a wonderful night in this hotel. I arrived in Semarang airport which is about 90 minutes away. Transfer was perfect and car comfortable. Driver very nice. Amazing driveway to hotel. Once we arrived I checked in overlooking this lovely property. Room was very large and comfortable . Bed was huge and so was the bathtub. I had lunch in their open air restaurant . There is a lot to do in and around the hotel. The spa is great and I had a fabulous 2 hour treatment . Dinner was also very good with a good selection of wine . Next morning I did the coffee plantation tour with one of their lovely staff. All was perfect ! Room, food and service. I would come back for sure .

JING’S RESIDENCE: "Great Property!"

The highlight of our trip to Pingyao was experiencing Jing's Residence. The accommodations, staff, food, and service were 5 star all the way. Mr. Hadianas, the General Manager, and his excellent staff made you feel like one of the family. It is the ONLY place to consider when staying in Pingyao. Experience authentic old world charm while luxuriating in modern conveniences and amenities. A truly wonderful property. I highly recommend it.

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!"

Muang La Lodge: "Remote but worth the trip"

"A jewel in the middle of nowhere in Northern Laos. They have added in room a/c and wi-fi in the last several months so now truly a 5 star experience. Lovely rooms, great food, nice pool, interesting activities. Only 10 rooms and since we were there just before her the high season, less than half full so we got a free upgrade to nicest room category. Worth the travel to get there unless time constraints."

Maduzi Hotel: "Spacious & wonderful hotel in e midst of a busy city"

This hotel room is huge beyond imagination. I had a free upgrade to corner suite. The mini bar was free. There was a huge bath tub with the water coming down from the ceiling. The width of the bed was about 2 meters and it was super comfortable and soft. Service was great and efficient. Furniture is a little damaged here and there but it is negligible. Overall, it was a very pleasant stay.

Rachamankha: "Amazing Stay"

"My mom and I stayed at the Rachamankha hotel this fall following a study abroad program I took part in for my graduate studies. What a beautiful place!! The restaurant on the resort is beautiful, provides a huge breakfast, and the dinners there are delicious as well. If it's in season, definitely order mango sticky rice for dessert- you will not be disappointed. We stayed for 4 days to begin and were very pleased. We then left for Phuket for a week and returned to Chiang Mai and the Rachamankha. Our stay the second time was not as pleasant. We had trouble with our overhead light flashing when it was turned off and the air conditioner did not work well. The staff were as helpful as they could be regarding these issues, but because of the language barrier it was sometimes difficult to maneuver more than simple questions. Their recommendations for restaurants were amazing. Definitely make your way to David's kitchen at least once, and also The Whole Earth. You'll need to take a taxi, songthaew or tuk tuk there, but the staff is helpful in arranging them. It's on the opposite side of the old city as all of the markets, but travel is easy to get there. The grounds are beautiful there as well, and very well kept. The pool and library are both impressive. We would definitely stay there again!"