Guest Reviews

Villa Mathis: "Fantastic stay in a little piece of paradise"

"Stayed in La Villa Mathis for three days and enjoyed every bit of it. Me and my travel companion tremendously enjoyed the quiet ambience of the villa and the villa manager Christian was extremely helpful and attentive to our needs. The villas have several swimming pools secluded from one to another and we felt like it is reserved specially for us! What a treat! The villa is located quite near with Seminyak strip and the villa staffs will assist you in arranging the transportation. The room was designed in a very thoughtful details and we felt like we can really switch off and rejuvenate in this place. Overall it is an absolutely amazing stay and we definitely will come back to Villa Mathis!"

Dewakan: "An Excellent International Standard Dining with a great experience of local recipes"

Although the journey into the restaurant is a bit difficult to find, however, I am guarantee you will not regret on the quality of the dining experience to another level. This restaurant has been using a lot of local ingredients which the Chef himself, source all these around the entire Malaysia. Normally, we experience these ingredients through the local cuisine; but here at Dewakan, the Chef has been improvising these ingredients to a high level of dining standard, which is I can call it as Fine Dining standard. Please do not expecting some food like caviar or fois gras, it is all about for you to experience the Malaysia food, a place I call home.

Sea Dance Resort: "Great value, great service"

"My girlfriend and I stayed at Sea Dance for 5 nights and had a great time. The service here is nothing short of excellent. Since it's a smaller resort, they get to know you by name and quickly learn all of your preferences. We stayed on Koh Samui for 3 weeks at 5 different places (mostly 5 star) and this place had the best service hands down! We loved the restaurant and ate every meal there during our 5 night stay. The fish tacos and all of the Thai food were outstanding. I would also recommend doing the cooking class here. It is a personalized session where you can pick the dishes you learn. We will definitely be making Thai food at home after this class! Overall, I would recommend this place."

Tugu Malang: "Very Unique Hotel in East Java, Indonesia"

The Hotel Tugu Malang in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, is a perfect way to see the "non-touristy" side of Indonesia, but still experience first class service and one of the most unique properties we have ever stayed at. The hotel is situated in a beautiful mountain town in eastern Java that is very close to the spectacular and often active volcano, Mount Bromo. The hotel offers much, much more however, and is a great way to get a taste of Javanese culture that is sometimes hard to find in big cities like Jakarta. We spent only two nights at this lovely hotel, but will definitely return to continue our exploration of this culturally rich area. The hotel itself is filled with truly exotic works of art and furniture, including Ming Dynasty pieces that would likely be in a carefully guarded museum in the United States. During our stay, we took the "candi" or "temple" tour on the first day, and found it as a great way to view the surrounding countryside, as well as to see some really amazing Buddhist and Hindu temples built in the 1200-1300 AD period. The next morning, we took the traditional market tour and traditional cooking class which was really the highlight of our stay. After getting a personalized tour of a nearby traditional food market with the amazing array of fruits and vegetables native to Java, we finished the tour by preparing three traditional Javanese dishes under the careful supervision of the hotel cooking staff. The dishes turned out perfectly, and opened our eyes to the possibilities of traditional Indonesian recipes. For the quality of the surroundings and service, our stay was significantly cheaper than you will pay in the much more traveled locations like Bali or Jakarta. In short, it was a very unique and enjoyable experience, and probably ranks as our "best ever" hotel experience.

Villa Song Saigon: "Beautiful"

This is a beautiful hotel! It is off the beaten path in a more residential area (large expat community) and we couldn't have loved that more. Being on the water was great, especially in a city that can be very congested. The area has lots of great restaurants. (If you want a nice dinner out, we had a great time at La Villa. For something more casual, the Mad House was great.) The hotel itself is beautiful and well maintained. (The first floor is somewhat of a garden level, perfect if you don't want to take any stairs, but the ceilings in our room there were low. We asked and were very promptly and graciously moved to a room on a higher level, which required taking a couple flights of stairs but was much more spacious. It really depends on what you are looking for, but if stairs aren't an issue, I would highly recommend requesting a room not on the first floor.) Breakfast is superb and the front desk is always eager to help. (They made reservations for us, called many taxis that all showed up very quickly, and even made arrangements for us to have an extra early breakfast the morning of our departure.) As others have mentioned there are stairs and no lift, so I would request a certain floor if you have a preference. Finally, they charge a lot for to pre-book transportation to and from the airport. Since the prices were so steep, we chose not to use it. Instead, we booked a pick up with another company. From the airport, it might be worth it to have them pick you up; it's very busy and chaotic. Returning to the airport, however, I would just get a cab. We just had them call a cab (they always call only certain brands of taxi) and it was $15 to go back to the airport.

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Heaven by the beach"

"Mr Jayan K.V. and his amazing team at this haven by the beach in Kerala gave us the most relaxing stay, even with 3 teenage sons. The service is impeccable, while the vibe is laid back at this gorgeous resort, the service could not be better, including the staff on the Lotus Houseboat. The ayurvedic treatments are a must, we hadn't gone with treatments in mind but had 1 every day. The free yoga sessions are taught by a master. If you feel wound up or run down, as we were after lengthy travels round India...this place is the cure. Room Tip: Choose 1 of the ocea view bungalows"

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Fantastic Peranakan Experience"

Very beautiful place with a rich history to it. The close-to-Pernankan experience was awesome with a rich architecture and straits born designs! Food was good. Breakfast selection limited but rest assured that it's very tasteful! Service was excellent esp Shiro who made our stay more than wonderful than it already was! I will definitely go back again!

Glenburn Tea Estate: "One of the most amazing places we have ever stayed"

"We stayed at Glenburn for a long weekend. It was an unbelievable experience. Set in a truly unique location the estate is immaculately kept. Very nice rooms with magnificent views. The dining room is one very large table where all quests eat together. The food is excellent. The estate arranged various trips for us. They are very accommodating. We took a long walk down hill, several hours through absolutely gorgeous tea plantations. At the bottom Glenburn estate has a little cottage where lunch (with cold beers!) was served. We could have walked back up, but chose to drive back up. Very convenient. its the perfect place to unwind and relax and get a feel for this unique part of India."

Maduzi Hotel: "Refreshed, rejuvenated, renewed"

"Was supposed to stay in another hotel w friend but through a last min change of plans, I made an impromptu booking for Maduzi as it fits my criteria of budget, proximity and also safety. The best things abt Maduzi: 1. Flexible check in timing allowed me so much more time to explore the city upon arrival. I'm impressed that at 7am, my room was ready and boy, the next point is the surprise I received. 2. Huge rooms are apparently something which Maduzi rewards her guests with as I had such a huge disappointment w another hotel the night before. Below are some photos to justify my claims. No kidding. Not only does the hotel set up instruction manuals for the various hotel amenities in the most interesting way through the form of comic strips, the management is set to impress and pamper the guest w: a. A huge walk in wardrobe B. A personal jacuzzi tub C. An impressive powder room beside the wash area D. Thoughtful mini bar in room refreshed on a daily basis E. A huge (I mean humongous!) deluxe bed that swallows you up F. Boss sound system. No kidding ok! G. Your personal coffee making machine in the room.... *hey management, you are just so into spoiling your guests are u?? I'm soooo loving it! 3. Location wise, how could the management have understood a girl's heart so well???? Besides being right opposite TERMINAL 21 (and that means you are near BOTH BTS AND MRT), Maduzi is also very well situated near the sukhumvit area. The strategic tie in w Oasis spa which provided 2 way transportation certainly made a girl's day shine brighter than a diamond. 4. Breakfast options are far from the same old same old boring buffet spread. Call me a bore, i was really expecting the normal fare such as toast, cereals, porridge blahx3. Imagine my surprise when a full selection of different cuisines presented as a full meal was offered. Not wanting to disappoint the usual crowd expecting a buffet spread, Maduzi offers a petite line of fresh fruits, yoghurt, mini croissants, cheese and salami platter tucked in a corner elegantly waiting for guests to help themselves in a delicate manner. What is this you call? Superb fine dining to help kickstart your day without the unnecessary extravagance. 5. As a solo travelled, safety is my top priority and while many other accommodation choices were presented which could be more convenient eg, on top of shopping malls et al, a girl just needs a safe haven for a personal quiet retreat yah? Enters Maduzi whose outlook appears to be a normal apartment along the road but is securely gated to ensure guests privacy and security at all times. I like it that the gates are well maintained by the diligent guards and it's not a flashy entrance for the guests but more reflective of a place which embraces personal retreat. The already-superb but can be better areas which I hope Maduzi can improve on is as follows: 1. May I have a swimming pool pls? It's impt that one can chill both body and mind at the same time and it's a pity I can't swim in such a nice place to enjoy the view and clear my head. 2. Blame it on myself for gg back late (~9pm) on a Saturday night. The road outside Maduzi may be a tad quiet and there was a guy behind me who splashed water on me as a prank. Thkfully it was a short walk and I was able to reach the hotel v quickly. May I suggest that a tuk tuk svc or pick up svc be made available for lady guests as a value added svc? The ladies will truly appreciate the kind thoughts of having their interests at heart. Last but not least, I just want to shout out in desperation, 'Why aren't there enough time for me to retreat in my room despite the late check out at 8pm?' My sincere thanks to the hotel management once again for allowing me to have this little enclave to chill, relax and refresh my mind. I truly wish I had more time to spend in the hotel just to enjoy its facilities which I didn't have time to explore eg the TV room, my welcome drink which I didn't cater enough time to claim and oh yes, time for another unwind session in the jacuzzi. Till the next time we meet again, you shall always be the best destination in BKK and I'm sure to come back again for more."

Muang La Resort: "Relaxing setting, great food and lovely staff"

We spent three days at Muang La resort. We went in the low season so had the resort (10 room resort) to ourselves. We had a river view room (highly recommend) and we could hear the relaxing sounds of the river flowing outside our room. The resort has two elevated hot tubs, using water from the hot natural springs. We enjoyed a Lao massage too.  The resort is set on the river, which is constantly used by the local villagers to fish and bathe.  We organised a couple of excursions once we had arrived. This was probably easy for us to do as we were the only residents.  The food was great. Every night there was a five course set menu based on local Laos cuisine. Breakfasts were great, with tropical fruits, divine home made yoghurt, croissants and scrolls, as well as eggs as you like them. Nothing is too much trouble. Everyone is very friendly and helpful.  The village of Muang La is a little difficult to get to but worth the effort. I am happy to recommend Muang La.