Blackitch Artisan Kitchen: "Unique experience"

Review by: Andrew H | Source: Trip Advisor
"Blackitch is unique. This restaurant must be booked a month in advance - the reason... There are three tables and everything is absolutely awesome. Chef Black creates a new menu every day. Each course is made from ingredients that are fresh... Either imported scallops from Japan flown in, or a selection of greens that are perfectly ripe from the local farm. So don't expect consistency - you will have a new experience with every course, and with some you may like and others not - but each course is made by a master painter experimenting with the wide variety of foods available. Chef Black creates each of the six courses table side and then explains in English or Thai why and how he put together the dish. There were three of us dining. We all choose different courses as our favourite dish - which is testament to the chef's versatility and style. Desert is made from the downstairs kitchen. If you are lucky, you might also get to try the house made plum wine - which was superb with desert. I expect one day the ""kitch"" will be expanded into a Michelin star restaurant - so be sure to book here before that happens. You will never forget the experience of being totally spoiled in this globally unique restaurant."

Villa Song Saigon: "Relaxing base"

Review by: champ1984 | Source: Trip Advisor
Good spot away from the bustle of city. Shuttle service via boat is a great service. Lovely setting for dining overlooking the river. Pool was relaxing and private. Room was on the small side but beds very comfortable.

David’s Kitchen: "Warm welcome and excellent food"

Review by: AlwaysSomething | Source: Trip Advisor
Just wonderful. Made a last minute booking and they were able to squeeze in myself and my girlfriend the next day. (I'd advise planning ahead, you might not be so lucky.) We were warmly welcomed by every member of the staff we encountered, and David himself stopped by our table near the beginning and end of our meal to have a chat and ask us what brought us to Chiang Mai in general and the restaurant in particular. Friendly, gracious and genuinely interested. The staff pulled off the rare trick of being super attentive and friendly while remaining casual. As for the food, we had the Japanese pumpkin veloute, spicy raw salmon, pomelo salad, wagyu beef cheeks and lobster in wine. All delicious and paired nicely with wines suggested by our waiter. At the end of the night they presented my girlfriend with a bouquet of roses to congratulate us on our engagement (there's a section on the online reservation form for special occasions -- nice touch). A wonderful capper to a lovely weekend.

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Truly worth the back breaking journey"

Review by: ranjanapte | Source: Trip Advisor
"We travelled from Pelling to Glenburn and the journey to put it mildly is HORRENDOUS. ""Roads""""do not exist and one can feel the bumps in every corner of your body. The last 45mins to an hour is equally bad but the place more than makes up for the travel hazard. Faye and Will (the outgoing Managers) take great care of your every need and the service is extremely personalized. One is not rushed into doing anything, whether it be food timings or day trips. Ranjan Chhetri the local manager is gracious and feeds you with anecdotes of the surroundings.We stayed at the Rose Suite which is well appointed and has ALL creature comforts besides truly living up to its name!!! We ere also lucky to meet up with the estate manager Mr Hussain. He regaled us with stories of the region where he has spent more than 26yrs. The common dining area is a good meeting point fro all the guests but one also has an option to dine in your room with silver service. A must visit again place. Excellent collection of books and magazines to read. No television in the room is a great boon. Kindly try and do something about the road to and from the property."

The Cabochon Hotel: "To date, my favourite hotel in the world"

Review by: mikepearson85 | Source: Trip Advisor
"Simply put, you won't want to leave. Cabochon feels every inch a five star boutique hotel - the staff know your name, the barmen know your orders and the exquisite rooftop pool calls daily. Well situated close to transport and nightlife, but situated back away from the madness - this really is the best way to experience the city."

Villa Song Saigon: "A peaceful Oasis"

Review by: daga65 | Source: Trip Advisor
"This beautiful hotel is set out of the bustling city of Saigon, located on the riverside. It is about a 20 minutes boat trip into district one of HCMC (provided free of charge by the hotel at selected times during e day). Approx. 50 mins drive from the airport (depending on time of day/traffic). The hotel is quiet and offers a relaxing and peaceful escape from the bustle and noise of the centre of HCMC. Very friendly staff, clean, large room (top floor), lovely pool area. Restaurant at back of hotel over looking river, lovely setting, food very good. We thoroughly enjoyed our three night stay and would recommend this for anyone wanting a retreat from the manic city centre. "

Inle Princess Resort: "Heavenly Spot"

Review by: BBVeniceFL | Source: Trip Advisor
This is a spectacular property. From the moment you approach this resort by boat, you feel tranquil and welcomed! To protect the peaceful nature of the resort, it is required that the long boats shut off their motors. You are paddled to the reception dock by a local paddling with his legs. The property is well laid out, with cabins spread out along the property. Some of them are lake view, others are pond view. The cabins are comfortable, with teak woodwork everywhere. The beds are comfortable. The bathrooms are spacious and clean, with an outdoor (enclosed) shower to boot. The service is attentive. Overall, this is a relaxing, enjoyable property that strives to fit in with the local culture. The only downside was spooty internet access, but this is a minor detail which is easily overlooked. Highly recommended.

Locavore: "amazing restaurant"

Review by: Lingxiao G | Source: Trip Advisor
"e went for a lunch 7 courses menu. food was delicious. every plate presented was a big wow and then hmmmmm! service is courteous and efficient. sometimes hard to understand the ingredients and feel waiters are just reciting the names without putting too much passion into it. but they get things done. the cocktail pairing is left a bit to be desired.. some are a bit too strong compared to the food. suggest to order wine/cocktails a la carte worth every cent and every minute of your time. if you happen to be in ubud and some budget to spare, go to locavore."

Mie Cafe: "Good food and service"

Review by: Martin C | Source: Trip Advisor
We had a nice dinner, fhere is a good variety of interesting dishes on the menue. The frozen cheesecake was very nice.

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "A fantastic family experience. Thank you Leopard Safaris!"

Review by: gdfamily2017 | Source: Trip Advisor
This was brilliant. It was just 2 nights out of a long trip for our family but definitely one of the absolute highlights. We are a family of 4 with a 13 year old girl and 17 year old boy and we all loved everything about the camp and the game drives. Jeeps were perfect for game viewing and small enough that it was just our family in the jeep with a driver and a guide. We went on 4 game drives and saw heaps - leopard on 2 occasions,crocs, lots of elephant, eagles and so much more. They took us to the uncrowded blocks of the reserve, so you weren't fighting against lots of other jeeps to get to see the animals. It felt very personal, and different. The camp and tents were fab - all the mod cons and very comfortable whilst still giving a feeling of being out in the bush. We had been worried about being a bit bored in the middle of the day but the the game drives take up a large part of the time and the day just flew by. The new swimming pool will be a great addition. All the guides were superb - a fantastic family experience. Thank you Leopard Safaris
instagram youtube linkedin blog tiktok

Travel Asia with Secret Retreats

Secret Retreats is a curated community of independent boutique hotel, villas, yachts and river boats keen to share their Asian Homes with travelers, sustainably and responsibly. Conservation of the environment, culture and traditions of Asia is of paramount importance to all in Secret Retreats. A community of like-minded hospitality professionals, we offer our guests authentic travel experiences that go beyond typical offerings to unveil the essence of Asia. Supporting the Asia based hoteliers and hospitality professionals and providing incredible holidays in Asia and tailor-made Asia travel itineraries direct to public ad travel agents.
Get inspired and make savings!
By booking direct with Secret Retreats and enjoy peace of mind from our full on the ground support. Contact our concierge and plan then book your Asia holiday now!