Guest Reviews

TIGER MOUNTAIN POKHARA LODGE: "The Top notch Jewel of POKHARA"

"This hotel is super impressive situated on a Hillside of Royal Mountain amazing views of the Mountains Hills listening the Birds music the beautiful individual villas are just stunning as good as the View the service provided was unbeatable to any where else that I were experienced in Nepal food was well presented & tasted the Best ever lovely courtyard to sit on & listen Marcus's stories & contributions for the tourism industries of Nepal is really appreciable & this lodge deserve to be the Top notch High end resort apart from just a Hotel to visit it is very homely & so authentic this property is beyond any stars if you would consider what star this could be look at the Stars on the skies at Night & Count yes indeed a full star Hotel Hands Up to Tiger mountain lodge for Keeping its glory truly a place to visit once in a life time would love to return any time soon THANK YOU ISWOR BASNET manger & all the team really appreciated "

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "A Truly Unique And Special Place To Stay"

"The Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion is an incredibly unique hotel. Built in the late 1800’s, the mansion was the family home of Chinese businessman and politician Cheong Fatt Tze. The mansion symbolized his wealth and prosperity, with extraordinary detail given to the original building and restoration. In modern terms, it’s one of the most “Instagrammable” buildings I’ve ever seen! Keep reading to find out why I highly recommend staying at the famous Blue Mansion. THE HISTORY The original version of the Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion was built with 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, and 7 staircases, and is one of the largest buildings of its kind outside of China. Feng Shui played an important role in the design of the mansion, and each part of the layout had a specific a purpose. For example, the number of open air courtyards is because water is seen as wealth, so the more rain you have naturally coming into the house the better. Once that water was inside, there are winding drainage pipes to keep the water underneath the house as long as possible before flowing outside. There is so much history behind the building that the Mansion runs daily tours several times a dat so you can learn about the Mansion even if you are not staying there. However, I would still highly recommend booking a room because the tours only cover the common areas and not the guest rooms to maintain guests’ privacy. While the tour is still worth it if that’s your only option, staying in the hotel itself allows you to have the full experience and get better pictures! THE ROOMS The Blue Mansion has 18 rooms, each with its own name and backstory. I was in the Escoy room, named after an old smelting company in Penang. Located on the ground floor, the room had beautiful tall ceilings, detailed gold carvings, and plenty of space to spread out. In addition, there are little heirlooms and authentic 19th century furniture scattered throughout to give it even more personality. The rooms all have amenities that would have made Cheong Fatt Tze himself jealous, including a large HDTV, speedy wi-fi and a heavenly rainfall shower. It was truly a unique experience to stay in a place with such history, while still having full access to luxury amenities! THE FOOD Breakfast is served each day in the central courtyard, which is where the “Feng Shui” is strongest. The staff does a great job transforming the beautiful open air courtyard into a wonderful breakfast spread. There is a self-served area for pastries, toast and fruit, as well as made to order hot dishes from the waiter. You can also choose local flavors to be ready for your day! There is also a wonderful on-site restaurant called Indigo which was also great. Located upstairs above the central courtyard, Indigo fuses Eastern and Western culture in both the food and the ambiance. The in-house chef creates wonderful dishes each night, with each dish looking like a piece of artwork itself. The lamb and fish were especially good, so be sure to make a reservation during your stay! THE LOCATION Once you are well fed, you’ll see the Blue Mansion is perfectly located to many walkable sites. Given that Penang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, there are countless beautiful buildings and little areas to visit. These include the Clan Jetties, Little India, and Red Garden, a great night food market which is literally next door! One of my favorite parts of the location was is the short walk to many of the famous works of street art dotting the alleyways of Penang. Be sure to grab a map and ask the concierge for the locations of the art because some of them can be tricky to find but worth the effort! CONCLUSION Staying at the Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion was one of the highlights of my entire trip to Malaysia. The history behind the building itself is extremely interesting and the hotel itself was beautiful. Be sure to bring a spare memory card when you visit because you will take countless pictures of both the Mansion itself and all the amazing sites nearby. The Blue Mansion is a very special experience and I highly recommend staying with them next time you are in Penang! Stayed January 2017, traveled as a couple"

Manda De Laos: "Romantic dinner by the pond"

We stayed at Maison Dalabua (same property) and were lucky to get reservations the first night of our stay. Great food (Laotian with a French touch). Good cocktails and all at very moderate prices - maybe not for local standads (one can eat cheaper in town) but considering the quality of food very reasonably priced.

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Highly recommended"

"Beyond expectations..... loved this place, it was the highlight of our trip and wished we had stayed much longer. Great hosts, good homemade food (plus the tea) and one of the great hotel views of the world. In retrospect the drive to get there is nothing compared to Sikkim or Shimla and I would happily do it again even with a fear of heights. Recommend the Tea Tour, walk down to the river and the little on site shop for gifts.....now feel very guilty using tea bags. Would suggest coffee/tea making stuff in the room, did not feel right to ring late at night or early morning for it although we were told we could..."

THE ISLAND LODGE: "a very gracious , relaxing & peaceful… Francois had the loveliest of smiles"

"A very gracious, relaxing & peaceful place in My Tho Mekong. Francios had the loveliest of smile that radiated pure happiness. the staff had very good manners and were genteel.cheers Luci you could see the Mekong, setting sun and did not have to walk 1km to rooms. warmth and hospitality radiated through out the place. "

Bassac Cruises: "A “must-do” to really see the Mekong in style"

We took the one night cruise on Bassac 2. The programme is lunch and afternoon cruise, visit to local village, dinner and evening cruise to anchorage, breakfast and morning cruise to disembarkation point with visit to floating market and noodle making. For us this was a perfect itinerary and duration and a great insight into life in this enormous and important area of Vietnam. The food, particularly lunch was fantastic. Continental breakfast also had hot food. The boat is a joy with plenty of seating space even though the boat was full. The guide, An, was brilliant.

Sea Dance Resort: "Wonderful resort"

I have booked for three nights. The biggest problem this resort has is its location. Not the best one I would say. Being located in Choeng Mon, the taxi drivers will struggle finding it as it's not on the main road and the signage is unclear. The fun in Samui is in Chaweng and if you're not renting a bike you're being ripped off by taxi drivers to get there, unless you will share a baht bus/tuk tuk... The other minus for my stay was the weather. Unfortunately, almost forgot how the sun looks like during my stay.. too much rain and clouds.. and this stopped me from spending some time at the wonderful pool this resort has. The staff is incredibly nice and the food is good though expensive.. the decoration is amazing, the garden and nature is heaven... If I were to recommend it, I'd say it's for people who look for peace and quiet, couples and families. But you should definitely research the weather, it rains a lot in Samui!! From what I heard until October it's nice and you would definitely enjoy your stay at Sea Dance.. also I had an unexpected guests in the first night, a lizzard :)

Maisons Wat Kor: "Our home away from home"

Discreetly tucked away from the town centre this was a peaceful oasis to retreat to after being out all day. The staff were warm, welcoming and helpful. The rooms were comfortable scattered across 2 cambodian style wooden houses with large balconies on which to sip your evening beverages (ask for a room upstairs). A lovely pool to wash away the day's excursions. I would return in a heartbeat.

David’s Kitchen: "Amazing experience"

The food and the ambience were both excellent. We met the owner David who recommended a couple dishes for us to try. My husband had the duck, which he claims was the best he had ever had. I had the squid ink pasta, delicious! Overall experience was great! David made us feel right at home and was sweet enough to give us restaurant recommendations for the countries we are visiting after Thailand. Must try if you’re in Chiang Mai!

Manda De Laos: "Has the Wow factor"

"From the street it at night there are no clues to what you will find when you enter this restaurant, right before you is the most beautiful lotus pond gently illuminated with dining tables nicely spaced around the edge. Stylish, romantic and impressive even before the food arrives which is a creative twist on local dishes with great presentation attentive without being obtrusive service which made for a quite delightful evening. Go on treat yourself........."