Guest Reviews

Tugu Bali: "A Hidden Gem – Romantic and Relaxing"

We had a wonderful stay at Tugu, Bali whose mission is to bring back to life the art, soul and romance of Indonesia and it certainly does. It was by far my favourite hotel on the island. There are so many wonderful historical artefacts on the property, we really enjoyed wondering the hotel to look at them and learn about some of Bali's history. The hotel’s theatrically large entrance lobby creates an impression of grandeur. While there are plenty of unique areas to enjoy a romantic breakfast/lunch/dinner. What I loved about Tugu was the friendly staff and the attention to detail. Staying true to the romance element, when our room was turned down, beautiful poems were left by the bed with an array of fresh local flowers. The bath in our suite was incredible and the flower petals added to the ambiance. For Honeymooners and anyone looking for something a little bit special -Tugu is a must!

Yandabo Home: "A special place"

"Having enjoyed our river cruise from Bagan, we were whisked by a small boat to arrive at Yandabo Home and a warm greeting from the staff group. A real achievement to create this boutique hotel here, off the beaten track. Simple bedroom with a high quality bathroom and products and food well presented. Friendly staff took us to visit the local villages with tea and biscuits on the way on the boat back a nice touch. Thanks to all the team. Stayed February 2017, traveled as a couple"

Blackitch Artisan Kitchen: "Great evening! great dinner"

"David takes pride in his small restaurant, making everything from scratch, you can see a lot of what he is working on on shelves next to the walls. Not only did we have an excellent 10 course meal - which was fairly priced considering the care and dedication that he put in, but he made sure to call us a cab (himself!) and make sure we got off in the direction of our hotel...."

MesaStila: "Serendipity"

As soon as you enter you leave the hectic world behind. Beautiful, tranquil, restful; we've never been anywhere quite like this. Would recommend the plantation tour, afternoon tea and playing croquet on the lawns. All-in-all a fantastic experience and highly recommended.

Tugu Lombok: "SPECTACULAR!"

"Upon arrival at Hotel Tugu even though we had never stayed there or met we were treated like old special friends. From that moment on the customer service just kept getting better. We stayed with our 2 children aged 6 & 8 in an 2 room villa with 2 amazing outdoor bathrooms. Hotel staff arranged 3 separate tours - 1 to the Islands snorkelling and exploring, one horse drawn cart through the local streets and also a visit to local schools to experince some Lombok culture. Nothing was too much trouble. Despite only having 1 main restaurant, they offer an exceptional menu that offers different specials every evening. Also with an option to eat anywhere on the resort at anytime - beach, room, roof top, garden setting etc. The photo's do not do the hotel justice - the experience of being immersed in the local artwork, manicured gardens and pristine beach was phenomenal . Offering everything from paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkelling, beach table tennis and swings were all inclusive. The 2 pools were a perfect for swimming all day! It was quiet and allowed us the time to chill and unwind. The staff worked like a real team - knowing everything about us and being there when we needed without feeling like they were on top of you. Having a large selection of board games kept us all entertined and occupied when we were not participating in the many activities mentioned above. This was truly an amazing experience."

David’s Kitchen: "Fantastic restaurant"

David's Kitchen is a superb restaurant offering exquisite French cuisine and absolutely top-notch service at an affordable price. From the beginning it was clear David and Prom play close attention to detail and do everything possible to provide a warm and personalized dining experience, greeting guests and treating us as friends rather than customers. Undoubtedly one of my best restaurant experiences all around.

Satri House: "How charming"

We stayed in Satri House for one week in August. This charming and luxury boutique hotel is quite unique with its "feels like family home" spirit. The hotel is composed of an ancient colonial type house surrounded by recent houses -but you can hardly tell, since the recent constructions look very much as if they had always been here. The decoration is tasteful in every details. The pool cools you down when it’s too hot. The staff is extremely helpful and smiling. And the food is just as great and tasty. Of course, all this has a price, higher than the many guesthouses in Luang Prabang, but it is worth any cent. And Luang Prabang is such a charming city. We are counting the days before we come back.

David’s Kitchen: "Very few restaurants in the world that can hold a candle to David’s Kitchen"

"Firstly, I would like to start off by saying that this restaurant went above and beyond in terms of service and food quality. How do I know this? Well, besides my fiancee and I being big foodies having to try at least one fine dining restaurant in every new country & city we go to, I myself have been a cook/chef for over 15 years, working in an array of different styles of restaurants from chain restaurants, fast food, and pubs, to banquet halls, hipster bars, and fine dining; and with all my experience, as both a consumer and a producer, there are very few restaurants in the world that can hold a candle to David's Kitchen. Secondly, I will discuss the experience and service. When I booked us a table here I did so solely based on the reviews on this site. I had investigated the menu online and was excited to try some of the items. I went ahead and booked a reservation for Valentines Day (Feb 14) of 2017, and within an hour I received an email informing me that the regular menu would not be available for this particular day. She then forwarded me the set menu for Valentines Day. I didn't think much of it, as I am aware that some restaurants do this on special occasions and went ahead with the reservation and payed the deposit via PayPal to solidify the reservation; it was all very organized. On the day, we arrive at the front desk and are met by the owner shortly after we informed the host about our booking. He was extremely nice, speaking to us for a little while, offering to take a picture of us in front of the restaurant with my fiancee's phone, and then led us inside. The place was very spacious, well-lit, and a piano played softly in the background adding to the relaxing ambiance of the restaurant. We were led to our table, which had a greeting card with our names printed on it congratulating us for our anniversary and thanking us for dining with them on that particular day, it was very sweet. The food was delicious and extremely well cooked and seasoned, all delivered at a reasonable pace as to not bombard and overwhelm us. The waiters were very organized and didn't keep anyone waiting or got in each other's way. They were also right there to refill our wine and water when thy almost dipped to the level even an optimist would be pessimistic about. At the end of our meal David, the owner, even came over and spoke to us a while, which I greatly appreciate since it is not a common thing in the industry unless there is a problem or complaint. Thirdly, I will discuss the food we had and the quality. As I mentioned before, the regular menu was placed on hold for Valentines Day and a special menu was offered. On this menu were a series of appetizers consisting of an amuse-bouche, which was a tender and moist deep fried oyster resting in its shell, a large and perfectly cooked pan-seared scallop that was as smooth as butter with grilled veg and honey raisin sauce, Canadian lobster with fettuccine tossed in truffle cream with slices of black truffle, and finishing the appetizer selection off with a wild mushroom cream soup with croustillant girolle and white truffle foam before the sorbet, which served as a pallet cleanser before the entrees; of which I chose the roasted duck breast with oranges, mashed potatoes, and orange sauce. My fiancee had the braised Wagyu beef cheek in red wine with sauteed porcini and mashed potatoes. I remember her entree being very rich and tender, having a very heady aroma reflecting the weight of the bold flavors that hit your pallet. The duck I had was quite the opposite. It was very light and brightly flavored, which was a great counterbalance to the richness of the duck fat. The desserts were a chocolate Bailey mousse and a strawberry cheese cake, both of which were nice and light, a perfect end to a magnificent meal. A great dining experience for the both of us that we will never forget. we hope this restaurant continues to be successful because efforts like this should not go unnoticed. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who would like an amazing dining experience with friendly staff, a kind & humble owner, and great food. Like I stated previously, very few restaurants in the world that can hold a candle to David's Kitchen. You should go to find out why."

MesaStila: "Mid week getaway!"

I was expecting to be able to unwind when I got to MesaStila, what I did not expect was how quickly it happened. There is something magical and memorizing that happens from the moment you arrive. The entire resort is amazing. The staff just so gentle and warm. Even the food has healing and comforting elements. First day was spent just relaxing, getting to know the property. Our villa was spectacular and had all the mod cons we needed. Day 2 we experienced the Hammam Spa. Four months of stress disappeared after the 2 hour treatment- what an amazing facility this is. It rained for part of the time we were there which just added to the amazing experience. Reading in the clubhouse, watching the rain and mist. The resort takes you back in time but will all the modern conveniences. We also did the coffee tour, I love my coffee and now love it even more after listening to the delightful Lily explain how the coffee is grown, harvested, roasted and packaged. Thank you to all the staff of MesaStila for being so genuine! We will be back!

Inle Heritage Stilt Houses: "What a wonderful cooking (and eating) experience"

"I visited Thahara Inle Heritage to take part in a culinary class with my group of seven; we were joined by another couple who also took part in the class. The head chef/director introduced himself and described the mission of Thahara Inle Heritage and the culinary school. We were provided a cup of herbal tea as well as an apron and a booklet containing the menu we were going to prepare along with the recipes for each item on the menu. We went through the gardens to select vegetables, and returned to the main classroom to start cooking. Each person was assigned one of the culinary students to assist with the cooking. I enjoyed learning about the goals of the students and how long they had been at the school. When I visited, there was 43 culinary students. I learned that the typical term is nine months for the students. I also loved sampling one of the ginger cookies that had been prepared by students. At each station we had two burners, as well as several ingredients which included turmeric, ginger & garlic, fresh crushed tomatoes, rice flower, fish and chicken. We started with a fish and eggplant soup by adding the fish to boiling water, then julienned the eggplant and added that to the water. After adding spices, we mashed the Gish and eggplant and returned them to the water. For each course, we followed the directions of the head chef (with the assistance of student chefs) to create a string bean salad, chicken curry and crispy tempura vegetable balls. We were then seated for dining and served our own dishes. Everyone enjoyed the food and the great experience. We were each given the menu and recipes as well as an apron. Such a great experience that supports Thahara Inle Heritage and provides participants with lasting memories. Stayed March 2016, traveled solo"