Guest Reviews

The Cabochon Hotel: "a charming colonial style hotel off the main drag – perfect"

an ideal location in a busy bustling city ! a perfect antidote to the chaos of bangkok. charming staff, excellent food and a great ambience. The Rooftop pool is excellent, the library well stocked, and the rooms a good size for the price.

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Magical Shangri-La up in the clouds"

"The views from all around both properties were breath-taking and we enjoyed some of the recommended walks you can do around the grounds, especially being treated to a delicious lunch down at the river. The food was great throughout the 4 days, sitting outside for breakfast and lunches is a treat (as long as the flies are not out in force) and dinners were similarly a great experience where you get to chat with other guests in a relaxed, communial manner, though private dining is always available, which we did take advantage of one night, when we were too fatigued to make small talk. Great variation of food also - with a different food 'theme' given for different nights - i.e. Indian, Tibetan, etc. The room we had (Singuella Suite - spelt incorrectly I'm sure) was huge, had some lovely period furniture and was decorated to a high, if a little mumsy, standard. Great bathroom and loads of hot water too. Sadly our visit to Darjeeling town was not the best due to it being really overcast, so I would suggest anyone stays here at least 3 nights to make the most of their time here. The road is what everyone else has written about it - bumpy and nerve jangling, but it is what it is - certainly we felt it seemed worse on the way down than up....also it seemed to get slightly more tolerable the more you did that journey, but it's no deciding factor over whether you should go to this place - it is really special, the views are simply stunning and the bonus of getting all your laundry done here for free was a great boon for us as we had 4 weeks worth of laundry to give them from our previous travels in India. The manager Jemima was lovely too - friendly, welcoming, easy to talk to with a great convivial manner. The shop was a nice, unexpected visit, but needed a bit more diversity in merchandise....again it got all a bit mumsy and twee after a while. The only other small criticism would be some of the employees English is very, very limited, which resulted in some wrong orders and misunderstandings - nothing major, but this is a pricey place to stay at and some guests might expect the service to be highly sharpened to reflect the fee. Still, if you can do go, I felt 4 nights was just the right amount of time to spend here....had a beautiful time which I will not forget. Room Tip: The newer bunglaow - for sure"

Tugu Malang: "Very beautiful place with a lot of antique furniture"

Very nice place to stay and very good price with fantastic services. The restaurant menus just simply the most delicious food you can get. The traditional way of presentation is very interesting and beautifully done.

Nimmu House: "Amazing tents! Fresh air and peace"

"This is a great place, an hour or so away from the bustle of Ladakh. The food is fantastic, tents are really comfortable and location is superb. The team were really helpful and well informed. They booked rafting on the Zanskar (awesome for the family including robust young teens) and arranged for a couple of days rent of Royal Enfield's (affordable and in surprisingly good condition!) There is something rather nice about picking apricots and apples straight off the tree and having a few beers around the fire in the evening with other guests. This is also a great location for general Ladakh touring. Ongoing projects to generate more rooms in this wonderfully old building will be well handled by Alex, who clearly knows his stuff and genuinely cares about sympathetic preservation."

Mie Cafe: "Perfect Dinner"

"You know how sometimes an evening just clicks and it is perfect, that was our dinner here. Hard to believe as there was a big puddle out front that required some interesting maneuvers to get across and shortly after being sat down the power went out. They do have a generator that they started up so power was back on in no time. We did try many of their dishes and all were wonderful. It was romantic, great service, but slow enough to enjoy a full evening with out the feel that they wanted to fill your table again. Make reservations as we saw at least 4 couples turned away as the tables were filled."

Samanea Beach Resort: "Secret idyllic Resort"

"We stayed only for 2 nights.i liked the colonial minimal decoration of the spacious room with it' s adorable outside shower.The stuff were all ready to serve you ,helpful and smily. I loved the Hawaiian pool,and the pier which drives you to the ocean. The cleanliness would be better.The towels wasn't very clean but overall the feeling was good. The breakfast is poor.You have only two choices of the menu,like an omelet and fruits. The resort is a little far of the town ,but with a tuk tuk is easy to go. I recommend this place."

SEEDS Restaurant & Lounge: "Fantastic.."

"..international restaurant in a beautiful setting. Superb in every way, the class reflects the commitment of the chef, his wife and staff. We chose tasting menus, fabulous! Food is global but the setting overlooking a lake is pure Myanmar. Wonderful wine list at sensible prices for what you get. Special mention to thank the staff for assisting us at our second visit when one of us was taken ill. Helped us wonderfully and we were very grateful."

Rachamankha: "The best place to stay in Chiangmai"

"This must be my 8 or 9th visit to rachamnkha. It is such a great place to stay. The manager, Paul, is without doubt one of the best hoteliers I have ever met. And the praise doesn't stop with him. The staff are 2nd to none. The rooms are excellent, and the garden setting that the hotel is situated in is an oasis in the city. The breakfast is the best I have ever encountered in many years of travelling, and the lunch and dinner do not disappoint. If you are staying in Chang Mai, stay here. If you are not staying in Chiang Mai , then change your plans and stay here. It's worth the trip. Without doubt, and pound for pound, is the best place you will ever stay in Thailand. "

The Island Lodge: "Peaceful visit"

We stayed here after a day on the Mekong Delta. The staff are really attentive and go out of their way to welcome you and look after you while you are there. The pool is brilliant, the gardens are exquisite and we really enjoyed the beautiful French food.

Blackitch Artisan Kitchen: "Amazing Chef’s Table experience"

"Had no idea what to expect when we booked this restaurant, and not knowing even made it better. We almost left because we didn't know where the restaurant was, we entered the bar adjacent and they said it was next door but next door was a gelato place which was closed. Blackitch was above this gelato place but we felt weird entering a closed shop. Luckily as we were about to leave, a lady came out and let us in, led us up into this quaint and small space. It was the restaurant and it would only fit about 12 people (2 tables and a bar area) making it super intimate. The food consisted of a 9-course set menu which is meticulously prepared by the Chef who comes out to explain each course. It changes all the time and his philosophy is very farm-to-table, local, nose-to-mouth cooking. His cooking ideals are admirable and we would definitely go back to try the other dishes he comes up with as the dishes were delicious (lots of Thai flavors fused with other cuisines). A meal for 4 of us cost around 7000 baht with drink and corkage as be bought a bottle of wine along."