Guest Reviews

Satri House: "Absolute oasis of calm and tranquility"

After the hustle of Hanoi we flew into Luang Prabang and spent 3 nights at the Satri House Hotel, it was superb. In easy walking distance from the town centre, fantastic beautifully furnished room and lovely grounds with charming pool. The staff were also first class --- I can't think of a single criticism. We have travelled in Indochina before and use trip advisor regularly but this is the first time I have ben moved to write a review ---it was excellent.

THE ISLAND LODGE: "The one that the Mekong Delta has been waiting for"

"The big bridge in My Tho opened the island of Thoi Soi to the world 8 years ago. Michel and Francoise has build a sanctuary at the end of this island. This should give the comfort and care to travellers to the Mekong Delta. Owners are very responsive and timely in their email correspondence making pre arranging things very smooth. The Island Lodge can arrange for pick up and drop off in Saigon. The two hour journey is pretty easy and brought us to The Island Lodge in good time. Staff are wonderful and nothing is too difficult. The pool and breakfast are amazing it's almost feels like you are in someone's house as a guest. Be warned the property is isolated and My Tho is accessible by boat or car (both can be arranged with Michel). Ton their in house driver is wonderful and speaks good English. Nice to have a cheerful driver taking us on the linger journeys. The local river, bicycle and floating markets are all activities if you care to leave the property, otherwise we relaxed by the pool and had some wonderful dinners in the main restaurant. Food options are French or Asian with an excellent wine selection. We can't wait to return. "

4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "Relaxing break after siem Reap"

"Lovely break after the heat of the temples. About 4-5 hours trip by car from Phnom Penh but worth the journey From the welcome drink on arrival to the staff coming to the jetty to wave us goodbye when we left it was a great few days. Lovely staff and great food. The tents are very large and very well fitted out. (Nothing like the tents I remember from girl guiding)We had intended to go to the waterfall but it was so relaxing sitting on our deck watching the river we did not bother but everyone else really enjoyed the trip. We had a massage which was very reasonable, ask for the gentle version!!! The staff were lovely my husband has mobility problems and everyone was really helpful If you visit Cambodia and have the time visit Four Rivers you will have a great time"

CABOCHON: "A Special Spot in Bangkok"

"I hope as my first post that a rather gushing review does not come off as unauthentic. I'd be happy for anyone to message me with questions as I really do think the Cabochon is a special place with kind and attentive staff. My wife and I arranged a 50th birthday weekend for a friend and chose the Cabochon as both our hotel and the restaurant for the birthday dinner. We had 9 rooms at the hotel, with 18 adults and 4 children joining. We first discovered the hotel a few years back when some friends living close by in Bangkok took us to dinner at the hotel restaurant, Thai Lao Yeh. Late last year (2015) we went back for dinner on our own and were so impressed we asked to tour some rooms with the intention of possibly selecting this as the venue for the 50th birthday weekend trip. Once the staff showed us a selection of rooms we were hooked. In hindsight I made many mistakes in coordinating such a large group. Rin, who had coincidentally been our waiter on our second Thai Lao Yeh dinner, wound up being our primary contact. Honestly I did not make it easy for Rin, yet he was able to handle request after request and never once let us down. In the end the weekend went perfectly, and everyone in our party commented how much they loved the hotel and restaurant. Let me give some targeted commentary that I hope others will find useful. Restaurant - See my (future) Thai Lao Yeh review. Atmosphere - Historic luxury, so you would think... You absolutely won't believe the hotel was relatively recently built from the ground up. The owner, architect, and builders have done an amazing job not only decorating the entire hotel with vintage pieces, but the actual structure itself (walls, door frames, etc) has been made to look aged. Multiple people in our party commented on this. It has to be seen to be believed. Staff - I have stayed at multiple top tier properties in Sukhumvit and wider Bangkok. The service was 5 star quality, with boutique friendliness. Rin was really a standout for us, but all staff were great. Rooms - The vintage look and feel does not result in any compromises on practicality. The bed was comfortable, as was the lounge furniture in our large balcony suite. The bathroom was spacious, well equipped, and worked as expected. Ground Floor Lounges - Do yourself a favor and have a drink in the lounge. Calling it a ""lounge"" may give the wrong impression. There are actually multiple sitting rooms. Choose your spot, sit back, relax, and soak in the vibe. Breakfast - If you're used to a large hotel's buffet your first impression might be negative, but the selection of fruits, breads, and a main never became boring over the 4 meals we enjoyed on this visit. Pool - It does not compare to the resort luxury of the SGS, but let's be honest the Cabochon just doesn't have the space or army of staff to compete in this area. The pool was practical, well maintained, and proved to be a nice place to hang out with friends and cool down. I can imagine during the hotter summer months it could be a bit too hot to spend extended hours poolside, so if this is your thing then look for another hotel. Location - This is the only area I have not given them 5 points. They are a little further away from both shopping and transportation than some of the hotels centered around Asok or Nana on the Sky Train. You will need to walk 7 minutes to get to Phrom Phong for the closest mall and concentration of shops and restaurants. That said, the peace and quiet of being setback about 200 meters from the street noise of Sukhumvit should be appealing to some. Without a doubt the Cabochon is now my go to Bangkok hotel. The cost performance is top class, the hotel restaurant is honestly one of the best restaurants (if not the best) in all of Bangkok, and the staff are extremely helpful. You can't go wrong if all of my commentary above resonates with you -- really. "

Glenburn Tea Estate: "All you need to know about tea"

A fantastic three night stay on the Glenburn Tea Estate. Amazing, sumptuous suite with fabulous views of Kanchanjunga, Sikkim and Darjeeling. Delightful guide lead walks around the tea plantations and a very interesting tour of the tea factory complete with tea tasting.The food was exquisite, the setting dreamlike and the service second to none. The 40 minute jeep drive from the main road down a very bumpy, twisty track descending 3000 ft is not for the feint hearted, but for others it may add to the adventure. The drivers were marvellous. We never fealt unsafe.

Mie Cafe: "Excellent restaurant – Probably one of the best in Siem Reap!"

Restaurant located at the bottom of a beautiful and well manicured garden. Both service and food were excellent, comparable to certain gastronomic restaurants that can be found in Paris. We particularly liked the creativity of the Chef who subtly and successfully mixed Cambodian and Western food. We highly recommend this place to people who want a change from the classic Khmer food.

tugu bali: "Superb Dining Course"

"We visited the Tugu by chance when in search for a different dining experience. Their prefixed course menu is nothing but impressive. It is certain worth the splurge. For me the most valuable was their willingness to accommodate on vegetarian options. It is recommended to book at least a day in advance. If you have a large group, they have rooms available with a rather interesting decor theme of red lights, antique and wooden carvings (picture an imperial room in Shanghai). Service is pleasant and friendly. "

Tugu Bali: "Authentic Bali"

"This hidden juwel is decorated with the most beautiful antiques from Ancient Indonesia, lots of lush greens and an extremely helpfull staff, and the best in room dining experience - really amazing - order the nasi campur, and you will be happy. I stayed in a small villa with a private pool and was happy."

The Island Lodge: "A great and cosy place to recharge ones batteries"

"We had a short stay in The Island Lodge from 8th to 10th of April - I can say, a great finding! It made us extend our stay right after the first three hours on Michels premises. For us, since we were looking for a quiet place away from the busy days in Ho Chi Minh City, it was an excellent option. It was a great experience in all aspect. You will find a very idyllic small road leading to the west-end of Thoi Son island followed by a small path guiding to the entrance of the resort. A beautiful, silent place, which was obviously built and choosen by someone paying a lot of attention to details, will appear. Rooms are very clean and harmonic, the staff is extraordinarily friendly and attentive, food and service met our expectations. Overall a very cosy atmosphere - a place to recharge ones batteries :)"

Jing’s Residence: "We still dream about it!!"

Jing's Residence is a chinese gem inside the walled city of Pingyao. The hotel is located into a historic courtyard that was carefully renewed to maintained its original characteristics. By the way, attention to every detail is something you will definitely find during your stay there. The decoration of the common areas, the bar, breakfast and the room, everything is made to make you feel you are in a special place. They serve west and chinese breakfast every morning, try both if you can. If you have the opportunity try the local dishes, the food is absolutely fantastic. We made noodles class and also recommend, they offer other special activities such as origamis classes for adult and children too. We stayed for 3 nights but had a train only in the evening so the offer us a late check out (actually more than late, we left the hotel only at 8pm!) with no extra cost. This made all the difference in our trip. Staff was always more than friendly and helpful. and they also speak good english. It is expensive but worth every penny. We can't praise this hotel enough. #❤️