Guest Reviews

Jing’s Residence: "Little bit of paradise in Pingyao"

"The Jing's residence is a lovely hotel right in the center of Pingyao. Pingyao itself is quite noisy, however you don't hear this at all inside the hotel. We booked a courtyard suite, which was actually two courtyard rooms converted into one room, with bedroom, sitting room, walk in wardrobe and bathroom. All very nice and the complimentary mini bar was a nice touch too, plus there is a turn-down service on a night. We ate in the restaurant which it is the most expensive restaurant in Pingyao by far but we really enjoyed the food, service and having the entire restaurant to ourselves! would recommend. We also had the afternoon tea which contained a selection of savory and sweet finger food (local to the area), along with Chinese tea of your choice. The ginger and lemon tea is particularly nice! The staff at the Jing's are all very efficient, pleasant and happy to help - a feat you do not normally get in China so this makes it stand out straight away. Would 100% recommend this hotel, its worth the extra pennies!"

THE SAMAR: "Very nice retreat"

"We stayed in double bedroom apartment (4 people) and had a wonderful stay. Building and decoration of exquisite taste, remarkable artifacts you would not find in standard hotels, rooms in pre-existing local houses, refurbished with attention. Location is half way between crowded city center and Ankor Wat - tuktuk is definitely needed but arranged by the staff. Food is really good, and staff really helpful - they were kind enough to arrange for us a barbecue after an event outside. Very nice! The pool is very comfortable and enjoyable. We definitely recommend "

Tugu Malang: "Wonderful and Amazing Heritage Hotel"

"I really love this hotel. It's so amazing and wonderful. They have a lot of etnic equipment. Every room has difference style. Here they have equipment from Oei Tiong Ham, the very rich people in 1900. All the staf is kind dan very helpful. some of staf could be a guide for the guest to explain each room, each equipment and others. Like visit a museum. There are a lot of story here. Very recommended hotel if you go to malang. If we have could not stay here. They have melati restaurant which is open 24 hours."

The Cabochon Hotel: "a Heaven in Bangkok"

"it is no doubt my most favorite hotel in the globe. there are anything in here which I expect for shelter escape from daily hard work, nice and beautiful building by style of old era, the high quality amenity , exotic smell from Lemongrass aromatic oil, charm of china ware , beautiful view of orchid flower ,and many many, but the best point for me, a smile , grace , warm coming from all of hotel staffs, it is friendly keeping polite manner . Cabochon it is my home in Bangkok , staffs also my family in Thailand. Room Tip: every rooms are charming , choose it by occasion ,purpose etc"

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. "

Tugu Lombok: "Lombok at its very best"

"My partner and I have just returned home from a 12 night stay with the Tugu family. We spent 6 nights in an Aloon Aloon villa and 6 in a Svarga villa. Both rooms were large, with comfortable beds, good (partial outdoor) bathrooms, great air conditioning, and everything you could possibly need or wish for (except a hairdryer, which wasn’t a major problem). We booked airport transfers through Tugu which were like mini tours in themselves, we saw the monkey forest en route to Tugu and the beach roads on the way home. The welcome we received from every single member of staff was warm, genuine and gracious. The gardener even presented me with flowers every morning as we walked to breakfast. We enjoyed 2 different massages at the spa which were both very good, and one was complimentary. Both restaurants were great, and the food was consistently excellent, always well presented and with daily specials too. One evening we ate on the temple roof which was a lovely experience. Tugu arranged 2 trips for us, a panoramic waterfall walk and a day trip on the dragon boat to the Gili islands. We enjoyed both, but particularly the Gili trip; as we are novice snorkellers Nana and Sama our guides were very patient and we had a brilliant day and spent hours snorkelling around the coral reefs and saw many turtles. On my birthday the staff sang to me and gave me a lovely cake, and our room was decorated brilliantly with animals shaped from towels and candles and flowers. It was very special. An even lovelier surprise was they did the same thing the next night, which was our last night at the hotel! A completely different selection of animals made from towels. We enjoyed every moment of our time at Tugu. It is a peaceful, friendly, welcoming hotel which we hope to return to many more times. It is quiet, relaxing, maybe not for those seeking a wild nightlife as it is quite remote, but that is exactly what we wanted. Thank you particularly to Henry, Elly, Ruslan, Mahmud, Dedy, and Ige(?) Agus. We don’t recall the name of the towel arranging experts but they should have their own TV show just about towel arranging! We can’t wait to return to Tugu. Thank you again to everyone for such a lovely stay."

Manda De Laos: "An excellent dinner"

This is a charming venue with really stunning views over the beautiful lit ponds. Very helpful staff and we all has excellent food. The tamarind duck was excellent along with the mushrooms, vegetables and rice.

Muang La Lodge: "Comfort in Northern Laos"

"This was our second trip to Laos and we decided to go further afield to the northern part of the country to trek and explore the region. The Muang La resort was a very welcome refuge in an area that has really not seen considerable investment in tourism infrastructure. The resort is all inclusive and does a very good job looking after its guests. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, and offer up nice views of the river and mountains. Our three days of trekking were organized by the hotel. Each day was a discovery, and while strenuous, our hiking took us up mountains to remote villages inhabited by Khmu and Hmong. We also visited jungle waterfalls, local markets, temples and rice fields. Our guide was terrific and he gave us access to places I'm sure we would not have been able to discover. After a challenging day of hiking, it was great to get back to the hotel, soak in one of the hot tubs fed by a natural spring, have a swim in the pool, accessed by a bridge suspended across the river, and play with the adorable baby monkey adopted by the hotel staff. The food at the hotel was very good - with diverse choices available, including both Laotian and foreign food. The hotel provided us with packed lunches for our treks, typically a rice or noodle preparation wrapped in banana leaf, accompanied by local fruits. There are nice walks to do right from the hotel -- crossing the river in the nearby town and wandering into the local villages on the opposite bank is interesting, and the return to the hotel side can be done on a river raft built from bamboo by one of the local farmers. The hotel plays an important role in the local community, providing employment and management and language training to the local population. All staff, apart from the hotel director, are Laotian. I'd highly recommend this property for a visit to this part of Laos. It's well worth the 5 to 6 hour drive from Luang Prabang, through breathtaking scenery, especially on the stretch from Pak Ou. Heading back to Luang Prabang, we took a river boat for part of the journey, again arranged by the hotel. Pack good walking shoes, an adventurous spirit, and a curious mind and you will love the Muang La resort and all it has to offer."

Yandabo Home: "Way beyond expectations"

"Yandabo is probably best known for the Treaty signed in 1826 which ended the first Anglo Burmese War as well as its famous clay pottery made in an old traditional way from river clay. Yandabo Home is an excellent stop on the ferry journey from Bagan to Mandalay or vice versa. We stayed two nights into Christmas and had a most enjoyable stay. The ""resort"" consists of 12 spacious rooms with all mod cons. Teak floors, painted grey and cream walls and an excellent bathroom consisting of a large walk in shower, double sinks, a large bed and plenty of space. There is a safe and mini-bar but no TV or WiFi. All the rooms are on the upper decking and the dining area is lower down. Food was surprisingly good and we had the Christmas Eve menu on our second night. This was very good and the kitchen had gone to a lot of trouble to prepare this and with plenty of drinks too! We were very fortunate to meet the owner, Dr Aung Myat Kyaw, a charming man and found out that Yandabo Home is actually part of a number of hotels owned including three in Ngapali Beach as well as one of the cruise boat companies plying the river. The village itself is interesting and there is plenty to see sitting back watching the river and birdlife. Highly recommended."

4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "Uniquely laid back"

It takes a while to reach this one-off location, but it's worth the 5 hour drive from Phnom Penh. Each tent is extremely well equipped and Anna, our host, is great company. Dont come here if you demand constant wifi or excellent service: the staff are willing and friendly, but are being trained up from scratch, so a spirit of tolerance is essential. Activities are limited and the wildlife largely non existent, but there can be few better places in the world to float on a river pontoon in luxury, whilst enjoying an escape from reality, good food and friendly attention. You can swim in the river, which is surprisingly warm. We each had a 90 minute (expert) massage at an absurdly low price, kayaked through the mangroves, and were led on a three hour tour of the surrounding forests. Happy memories!