Guest Reviews

Tugu Malang: "Love this piece of Gem"

My second visit. Staff remembered and adressed me with my name. Arrived 5 mins to high tea but was accommodated. Rooms uniquely decorated. As the common room with peranakan-javanese style furnitures and paintings. ENJOYED SO MUCH....

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "THE highlight of our trip and one of the most unique experiences we have had to date"

"We recently spent a night at Noel Rodrigo's Leopard Safaris, and the entire experience left us awestruck and amazed. To place things in context, this is an actual campsite that is located next to a national park full of leopards, elephants, crocodiles, deer, wild boar and other forms of wildlife. If you're looking for a sanitised, 5-star luxury resort with all the modern conveniences that accompany such indulgences, this is not for you. If you have a sense of adventure and wish to be close to nature, however, you will find that Noel Rodrigo's has everything you will ever need. Our host and wildlife guide for our stay was Pradeeth. He is extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the wildlife in the park. He was also responsible for ensuring that our stay was comfortable and that all our needs were being met. From the moment we set foot in the camp until we left, we were made to feel like royalty. Pradeeth was supported by a team of discreet but attentive staff. We didn't manage to catch their names or speak very much to them, but this team of employees are the ones responsible for ensuring that everything in the camp runs like clockwork, and a big shout out goes to them. We were also introduced to Sajith who, much to his chagrin, has been promoted to management and no longer takes drives into the park as often as he used to. He did manage to sneak a drive in with us in the afternoon, thankfully. Sajith and Pradeeth are extremely knowledgeable about the park and it was awesome having them by our side during the drives, pointing out things we would otherwise miss. From the distinct call of a distressed deer sensing the presence of a leopard (those calls gave us an indication of where to head towards) to the paw tracks left by a passing porcupine, they made the park come alive to us, and made us attentive to even the smallest of things. Despite being a campsite, and sleeping in actual tents (think: glamping), Noel Rodrigo's had everything we needed. The accommodation was comfortable and the tents came fully equipped with safe deposit boxes, cupboards, flushing toilets and hot showers (on demand)! There is no air-conditioning, but all rooms are equipped with fans, and it does get cool in the evenings. Besides the wildlife and game drives (more on that later), the other highlight of the stay was the food. We were treated to scrumptious spreads every single meal. Beer, wine and gin & tonics were also readily available at NO extra cost. Everything was covered and there were no hidden costs. We dined al fresco every meal - literally out in the open, under the spreading canopy of a huge tree. Dinner was served under the stars, and the dining area was lit by hurricane lamps and candles. It was really special. The game drives were awesome. It could be because we were there during the off-season, but we mostly felt that we had the entire park to ourselves. We were fortunate enough to see 2 leopards during our first, afternoon drive. Pradeeth insisted that we woke up at 4:45am for our second, morning drive so that we could be the first to enter the park. This sacrifice paid off as we spotted another leopard that morning, and it was no further than 10 metres from us! Besides leopards, we also spotted elephants, deer, wild boars, peacocks, jungle fowl, mongoose (mongeese?), hares, kingfishers, crocodiles, hornbills, storks.... I could go on and on. The other thing that set Noel Rodrigo's apart was its emphasis on eco-tourism. We had the honour of being the first two visitors to take part in their new tree planting campaign (ask them about it). We were invited to plant a tree at the camp at the end of our visit in order to reduce our carbon footprint. It was a special gesture, and made us feel that we had invested a part of ourselves at the camp. We promised to return to see our wood apple tree. It also shows how the folks at Noel Rodrigo's genuinely care about the environment and nature. For this reason alone, you should consider Noel Rodrigo's over all the other safari options at Yala. We will be back soon. And until then, we sincerely hope that Noel Rodrigo's continues the good work it is doing over in Yala."

Pindaya Farm House: "Lovely quiet place with great rooms, delicious food, beautiful views and friendly staff"

A short drive from Pindaya and Shwe Oo Min, this lovely place has high quality well appointed bedrooms, each with a small balcony with great views across the countryside. The dinners and breakfast were delicious, and staff very friendly. (It would be amazing if the fishpond were actually a small swimming pool, but you can't have everything!)

Villa Song Saigon: "Must stay"

"I had a chance to come across this hotel as I was sourcing an outdoor venue for a corporate event. Everyone at Villa Song was very helpful with our event. For those looking for a place to have an outdoor wedding, look no further - Villa Song is the place to go to! I had the chance to stay there for a night and I regretted as it's too short!!! I will definitely be back! The room is huge and the bed is very comfortable. They have a great restaurant that is just by the Saigon river that offers 2 completely different views for day and night. Food is awesome as well and you have the choice of either Vietnamese or Western - both are great. They have a great pool as well - though they don't offer any view but they have make the pool very cosy. Just a look at the pool and you will want to stay there. Spa was great too! I had a 75min massage - price is cheaper than the 5-star hotels in District 1. Although the location is at District 2, it is not far from other places. I would recommend staying here for 1-2N for some quiet moments before staying at the downtown area. Just a note that I don't think there is any elevator. Thus if you have problems walking up the stairs, you can request for rooms that are at the ground level."

KHWAN BEACH RESORT: "Transit in Heaven"

"We spent only one night for transit in Khwan Beach, we selected the resort due its advert being first Gallery resort in Thailand, we were curious and we enjoyed over much that short stay next to beach with a manicured and excellent staff service , breakfast included was super great served in the villa, amazing privacy and yet a nice overview of the Ocean (and koh Phangan Island ) 50 meters away. Sure we will come back n stay longer... congratulation for the wholeover amazing decoration "

Labyrinth: "Tasting Menu not to be missed"

We thoroughly enjoyed the tasting menu with the wine pairing. Definitely worth the visit. Service was great and each course was well explained. Restaurant was a little difficult to find in the shopping centre with limited signage but a delightful evening - would recommend.

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "and RELAX"

"My wife and I stayed for 5 nights in Dec 2017. The location is beautiful and the atmosphere very relaxing. ACCOMMODATION - 5 stars. Very large comfortable beds. Natural products used in the furnishings/floor. BOSE sound dock a nice touch. Tea facilities would have been nice. Large airy rooms. Wi-Fi worked well, but could only get it in the room/veranda. I would have liked to have received it by the pool (not a big deal). POOL - The pool is the best we have ever been too (great sunset view). RESTAURANTS - We ate in both the main restaurant and seafood restaurant. The main restaurant is a beautiful large wooden structure, local in design. The food here was very good; however it did lack some atmosphere/ambience. Some soft chill out Indian lounge/retreat music would have been perfect, but no music at all, made the room feel quite big and empty. The seafood restaurant was in our opinion overpriced for what we received. My Tiger prawns (£16) were served rather bland and accompanied with broccoli and carrots (hardly the Indian cuisine experience I was hoping for). Beers/Wine prices are NOT shown on the menu and are EXPENSIVE so be warned. Not sure why there is no transparency with this (maybe it's a Kerala law). SERVICE/STAFF - Outstanding FACILITIES - We had the pleasure of going on a half day Spice Hill Plantation/Nature tour. We highly recommend doing this tour. Indian nature at its very best......A MUST DO !!! My wife committed herself to yoga every morning which she thoroughly enjoyed and also completed a TA meditation course, which she also thoroughly enjoyed, given by the founder of the establishment Alistair (very nice genuine man). GROUNDS - The gardens, pool and beach are all very well maintained and the location is perfect for unadulterated relaxation. The sea was warm and perfect to swim in. Don't miss the sunset !!! SUMMARY - In short the only thing we would change, would be to add some suitable music/ambience into the main restaurant, a bit more imagination with the cuisine in the fish restaurant and some transparency with the alcohol. Apart from that we thought the place was outstanding and we will have no hesitation in returning. It's a perfect place to unwind; but if you do decide to stay here, do yourself a favour and make the effort to venture out to experience the real India/Kerala."

Maison Polanka: "An oasis of calm in Siem Reap’s Disneyland"

"We stayed at Maison Polanka for the final four nights of a three-week tour to Vietnam and Cambodia. From the moment we arrived, the staff were charming and welcoming, and they could not have done anything more to make us at home during our all-too-brief stay. Any time we ventured out, there was invariably a warm smile and a cool, refreshing serviette awaiting our return. It felt not as though we were going back to the hotel, but rather, as though we were going back home. We were allocated the lovely Yellow Room, which was equipped with all we needed and very comfortable. Siem Reap has over 1,000 hotels, many of them seemingly large and impersonal, all lined up alongside each other and vying for business. Maison Polanka, situated in a quiet back street not far from the centre of town, has just five guest rooms, a beautiful open-air dining terrace, a beautiful swimming pool, and several bicycles, should one feel the urge to go out and explore. . We felt incredibly blessed to have landed up at this jewel. Staff addressed us by our first names, and absolutely nothing was too much trouble, including an impromptu staff choir and cake to celebrate my birthday! The food on the terrace was beautifully prepared, breakfast was a real treat, and when we went out early, a packed breakfast was beautifully prepared. We had enjoyed several lovely hotels in Vietnam, but this was an entirely different experience, and ended up being the icing on the cake! It was a personal service par excellence, where one always felt among friends. To really enjoy your stay in Cambodia, you can do no better than to head for Maison Polanka."

Slow Villas and Spa: "Perfecta luna de miel"

"Si deseas tener privacidad y tranquilidad, este es tu hotel. No es lujoso (aunque no vi ninguno lujoso en la isla), pero es completamente lleno de detalles que saltan a la vista. Es alejado del ruido del centro de la isla y muy cerca al oeste para ver el sunset. Sólo se escucha el ruido de la mezquita. El desayuno es excelente, preparado con mucha dedicación y muy buena variedad. Hay que pedirlo desde el día anterior. Buena disponibilidad de bicicletas y de excelente calidad, hasta linternas de cabeza te prestan para salir en la noche."

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Historical beauty"

What a special and unique place to stay. Amazing high ceilings and fabulous architecture. VERY hot water in the shower and the nicest linen I’ve slept on in a long time. Breakfast was delicious. Didn’t eat other meals in the hotel but the menu looked great. The pool is in a sweet back garden which we had all to ourselves. No good for exercise but perfect for dipping, splashing and cooling off. Well located for a wonder to Love Lane and a gentle walk home after too much hawker food. I love this place. Staff were friendly and helpful but their English (although infinitely better than my Malay) not great.