Guest Reviews

tugu lombok: "Wonderful stay at Lombok"

"Amazing hotel... Quiet, marvelous decor, beach access, good selection of food & amazing staff - all very attentive to your needs. We had a very particular bathroom but all so nice. One memorable stay at Hotel Tugu! And very happy we included it with our Bali trip. "

Reverie Siam Pai: "Great stay – wonderful atmosphere"

"Stayed for four nights. Pai has changed a lot (compared with 2004), so we really like the quite location of this relaxing resort. Very helpful staff, good breakfast with a wonderful view and definitely enjoyed the music in the restaurant in the evening. And if you want to visit the center of Pai, don't worry, they have their own (electric) transport..."

Manda De Laos: "beautiful"

What a stunning and romantic setting! We arrived unplanned as we were staying at Satri House close by and just arrived, hungry.The food was very good, but not the best of Luang Prabang. We also found some of the male staff were a little arrogant. However we really enjoyed ourselves with the beautiful setting. I do think this is definitely worth visiting.

Rachamankha: "Beautifully designed courtyard hotel"

This is a small uniquely designed hotel with rooms around two inner courtyards on a side street on the western side of the old city. The rooms are impeccably decorated with Thai and Chinese furniture and small art objects. There is a pool at the back of the property, which was nice on a hot day (aren't they all in Thailand??!). The hotel is walking distance to many of the most famous temples in the old city. The restaurant is excellent, especially dinners, which also featured light Thai musical accompaniment in the background. Staff was excellent and helpful throughout our stay.

Babe: "Great food and great view"

"Food : we had the set dinner / omakase and it was amazing. It was nice to be surprised at every course. View : we were seated inside but we took a stroll to the outdoor seating. The view is very great. Special mention to the lady host which speaks multiple languages."

Sea Dance Resort: "Spot on – relaxed vibe, great hospitality, great team and lovely, clean rooms"

Thanks to the team - Faith, Helen, the entire staff at Sea Dance and Poy, the hotel owner, for making us feel so welcome and answering all our questions and giving us great recommendations of where to eat, what to do and see. Lovely beach, infinity pool, the place to chill after a day of exploring Ko Samui. The live music and buffet evening was outstanding and fun, kicked off by free cocktails on the pool deck. Absolutely gorgeous rooms, we had a pool villa which was private. Shops are around the corner, busy Chaweng about 10 minutes away. This lovely retreat really hit all the right spots for us and we would return in a heart beat. Go on and book it, you won't regret it.

Tugu Bali: "An absolute gem. Stop searching: stay here"

"We really struggled to find the right hotel to stay at on the beach in Bali, after a three night stay in Ubud. We considered all of the top properties including the Legian, the W, the Oberoi, and the Alila in Uluwatu, but finally decided on the Tugu -- a dark horse pick! We are not fans of most major chains, and really liked the idea of staying at an authentically Indonesian boutique property. We were not at all disappointed by our choice. Firstly, with regard to location, I think we did the right thing by staying in Canggu over Seminyak. We enjoyed driving to Seminyak (about 30 minutes away) for evening drinks and dinner, but had no regrets at all about not staying there. Seminyak is pretty congested, very commercial, and the beaches can be dirty. I love going to the mall as much as the next person, but I did not want to be staying next door to one while on my vacation to Bali! Canggu, in contrast, was peaceful, had no huge high rise hotel developments and malls, and we were within walking distance of plenty of chilled out restaurants and bars. The stretch of beach in front of the Hotel Tugu, despite being fully open to the public, was spotless. The hotel has a private garden area that overlooks this beach, which has sun loungers, beds, towel and food service. Bear in mind, however, that this is a surfing beach, with fairly large waves and strong currents. We are confident swimmers and went in for dips every day, but did not swim out far as the currents were very powerful. If you're hoping for calm and peaceful seas, you may need to look elsewhere. Now on to the hotel. We loved the traditional architecture and the beautiful gardens on the property -- you really cannot get this kind of charm and character at any of the international chains. The hotel owner's art and artefact collection is truly incredible, and we enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny of the grounds to gawk at his one-of-a-kind pieces. This is an all-suite hotel so both of our rooms were very generously sized, one with a balcony and the other with a little patio with a swing and plunge pool. One minor niggle though: the AC in one of our rooms did not work very well and struggled to cool the room. Our stay came with complimentary afternoon tea each day, which was quite elaborate and enjoyable. Breakfast is also quite the affair, as the staff will bring it to you anywhere on the property -- no crowded breakfast buffets here. The staff was always smiling and never failed to accommodate our requests. We must also give a special shoutout to the GM Jenny, who was so warm and personable throughout our visit. She was never too busy for us, and in fact, made it a point to stop and chat whenever she saw us around. Again, I know I sound like a broken record, but this kind of personalised service is just not seen at the international chains. Finally, I also need to write a short note about the Tugu's fabulous new Japanese restaurant Ji. Our family lived in Japan for over a decade and we are complete Japanese food snobs. We were quite skeptical about trying the restaurant, as we could not imagine that it would live up to expectations. Well, we were blown away. Our dinner at Ji was probably one of the best of our entire trip. Every dish was on point, from the tempura to the tenderloin steak. And the setting is just mind-blowing -- the restaurant is situated inside a 12th century Balinese temple. Huge kudos to whoever was involved in designing and developing the restaurant."

Dewakan: "still good….very good"

"fusion food.. east meets west. using all the local herbs and spices to produce fine dining atmosphere. amazing and impressive. location could be better but it is nice to leave the city area for such a treat. well worth a try... well done chefs! keep it up."

Villa Song Saigon: "Wonderful Gem of a Boutique Hotel – Do Not Miss"

"A beautifully restored French Colonial property, Villa Song boasts just 23 rooms in a low key neighborhood, surrounded by expat residences and international schools. Hard to imagine that not much more than a decade ago, this area was pretty much swamp land! Before going, you really should know what Villa Song is not: - This is not a large chain hotel - every contact you have with the staff is friendly and warm, and chances are you may not know their names but they will certainly know yours. You're not just a face in the crowd. However, for being of such an intimate size, Villa Song has the extras that you don’t often find in similar boutique hotels: a gorgeous long swimming pool for doing laps or sunning yourself by, a pretty decently equipped gym room (machines & free weights), and a spa that doesn’t break the bank. - This is not a property you visit to party at as there's no late night bar or club thumping away downstairs (thank goodness). Along the same lines, don’t expect around-the-clock room service – we certainly didn’t miss it, since there’s a ton of late night delicious eats in this city. - Having said that, this is not the most accessible hotel to popular street eats and the sights, but it's surprisingly easy to get around, thanks to the complimentary hotel boat shuttle that zips you up/down the Saigon River to/from the Cau Mong pier on the border of Districts 4 & 1. These run on a schedule (book at the reception beforehand), and if there isn't one when you need it, an Uber saves you the hassle of dealing with unscrupulous cabbies, and takes you to/from the middle of District 1 within 15min for around US$6- US$7. Now onto what this beautiful property IS: - It is infinitely charming. Every room is unique, and even the same room type will vary in size. You'll get the same awesome water pressure in the shower though, which we loved, and lightning fast wi-fi. Also, in our case, although the Sanctuary room that we were upgraded to was a bit petite in size, we had a wonderful good-sized balcony that overlooked the river...perfect for a mid-afternoon beer (complimentary from the minibar) or a snooze. Breakfasts by the river are a calming way to start the day, no matter what time you decide to rise (!!!), and the food is well- portioned and delicious. And THAT iced Vietnamese coffee...my partner and I will be dreaming of those until our next visit! - It is incredibly service oriented. From check-in to check-out, and for our every want in-between, the staff at Villa Song offer up their help with warmth and smiles...we felt truly welcomed and at home. Besides our complimentary room upgrade upon our late night check-in, we were surprised with a cheesecake plate that was decorated with warm wishes (the trip was a belated birthday trip for my partner) – we were very touched. - It is really good value for money. While it’s not the cheapest hotel around, it certainly delivers much better bang for your buck than you’d expect for similar boutique properties, especially if you can find a deal through a third party website. Bathrooms are fully equipped with toiletries, toothbrushes and other bits you may have forgotten, hairdryers, and in-room Nespresso and minibar is complimentary (albeit with a selection that’s a bit spare), and the value-add of the boat shuttle to town that I mentioned previously takes it to the next level. Thank you to everyone at the Villa Song for a wonderful stay! The next time we visit, we will definitely be indulging ourselves with a stay at one of your beautifully appointed suites. We can’t wait."

Dewakan: "Young and talented team"

You like good food , good wine and attentif service . Innovative cuisine with locals products. Fusion without confusion . Go dawakan and travel with flavor . Just go