Guest Reviews

Rachamankha: "Wonderful honeymoon"

"My husband and I spent a wonderful four days at the Rachamankha hotel during our time in Chiang Mai. The hotel feels like a quiet oasis and is beautifully decorated. The staff is incredible responsive and helped us get tuktuks and navigate the city. The breakfast was amazing (crepe and French toast) and we also had dinner there which was very good. The rooms are kept well air conditioned which was much appreciated during the heat we experienced."

Locavore: "Long, Drawn-Out Food Mystery Tour"

"I have had two lunches here and although I liked almost all of the dishes, there are a few that were borderline disgusting. The whole showmanship aspect, lengthy affair of eating each morsel as its own chapter of your life, starts to feel more like some sort of culinary striptease rather than a joyous gifting. I know they want to give each taste its due, but the timing never felt quite right, and sometimes I would anticipate when the next dish would arrive, eating ridiculously slowly, only to be surprised by the sudden arrival of the next amazing thing. This place aims to create a tour de force dining experience, with discs of some mashed-together vegetable, or a deep fried leaf of something you never thought of eating. Exquisite sauces, pleasing texture combinations, and clever reinventions of some silly thing like a mushroom... these are what are in store for you at Locavore. But every once in a while, you get some taste of something straight out of American Psycho, the novel where young investment bankers vie for tables at NYC's latest culinary palaces, with such bizarre dishes as ""Shad Roe Omelet"" are on the menu. By the way, I want to thank Locavore for never serving me anything with sea foam on it. There's a gimmick you will see at Mosaic, but, thankfully, never encountered that fad at Locavore. The chef is into invention, rather than riding trends set by others. That said, there were a couple of memorable dishes (for the wrong reasons) which were just too weird to finish. I mean, I could eat around this one that had some sort of oatmeal-type grain... it wasn't polenta or oats, either. It was just too cold and mushy, though, and I went for the sauce and crispy bits next to the gruel. When I asked for a custom cocktail, describing to the waiter that I liked bitters and dry flavors, he came back from the bartender with a suggestion for something described as using sugar. I had to kind of back-and-forth it for several minutes with the waiter and bartender before he arrived at something without sugar or fruit, and it was tasty and original, but I was surprised by the amount of discussion we had to have. I do appreciate the precision concern for my tastes in alcohol and seasoning, but be forewarned that if you ask the bartender to invent something for you, it may mean starting a conference. I still give these guys a high score because there is nothing else like it in Bali, and the cooks take such pride in their work. But be aware that not every exquisite little dish will be a firecracker of pleasure. Hard surfaces throughout the restaurant make for awful acoustics. Sound bounces everywhere and I prefer softer atmospheres for fine dining."

Supanniga Eating Room: "Sumptuous dinner in cozy ambience"

"We dined at Supanniga outlet in Sathorn Soi 10 for dinner. Premises is cozy and relaxing with darken interiors. Seating capacity is limited which provides a sense of homeliness and accords privacy to diners. A full bar provides wines, alcohol and cocktails to accompany the Thai meal. Food portions are good, even for 2 diners, not miserly nor excessive. For our dinner of six persons, we ordered a selection of eleven dishes. Each of them varies in taste and intensity. Together, they sent our taste buds on overdrive! Meat dishes were tender; fried items were crispy and not oily; soup was hot; spicy dishes were just right. Service was prompt and the dishes were served in quick succession. We enjoyed the dishes together and were able to compare and discuss their flavours. Empty dishes were removed promptly, allowing new ones to be served. Although it was a busy night for the restaurant, our dinner was leisurely and we did not feel hurried by the staff to finish our meal. Prices were reasonable and commensurate with the quality of the dishes."

Mume: "A modern take on local flavours"

After soup dumplings galore and night market snacks Mume offered a fine dining version of Taiwanese flavours and it was nice to experience the variety. The setting is sleek and minimalist but the service is warm and welcoming. We sampled a range of dishes from the menu which offers snacks, small and big plates including oysters, warm sourdough, potato with Taiwanese bacon, Ox tongue and crispy Amadi. I normally ignore dessert but they were intriguing and lighter with peach sorbet and crispy almonds and cucumber yoghurt mousse. Totally deserving of all the positive reviews. We would definitely recommend.

Villa Mathis: "Au Top"

"Merci, Je suis resté à Bali trois semaines, trois semaines d’extase, trois semaines dans cet hôtel, avec du personnel et des gérants hors norme de part leur gentillesse et leur professionnalisme. Qu’une envie, revenir et peut être ne plus repartir."

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "THE BEST"

We traveled through 12 time zones for our second two week stay at this wonderful place and found it even better than our last trip. Why? The food, accommodation, daily yoga, beach walking for miles, warm ocean swimming, spectacular sunsets and friendly/accommodating staff set the stage for a truly magical experience of total relaxation and joy. We find a level of serenity and solitude that is the best. The uniqueness of this special place touches our souls and we are already planning a return trip.

Sukoon Houseboat: "Sukoon… Peace of mind"

"Happened to stay at sukoon for one night. Houseboat is located in one corner of dal lake and it rightfully earns it's name ""sukoon"". All I can hear was birds chirping, occasional ripples of water caused due to shikara and ofcourse my baby girl commenting in her coded language. You will find an amazing team who amongst themselves can communicate in total 10 Indian languages. Give a free hand to chef Anand who can experiment and amaze you with his culinary skills. Try Kashmiri bread with butter and apple cinnamon jam. For travellers who would like to watch TV this place would disappoint you as in principle it's against the theme. For history lovers make sure to read a letter from the office of Neil Armstrong dated 1972. A vote of thanks to tariq, kiran, azad and Anand for their wonderful hospitality. "

Manda De Laos: "Excellent but pricey"

"We were unaware that reservations were necessary but they were very accommodating and set up an extra table for us. We tried one of the sets for two but there was so much excellent food we were unable to finish it all. We did squeeze in the wonderful dessert though! The service was top notch but if you opt to have some wine or beer be prepared to pay top dollar or in this case kip. The total cost was what one would pay in a western country but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will return the next time we are in the area. "

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: "The best views in all of Pokhara"

"What a magical stay this was! With breathtaking views of the Himalayan mountain range right from your balcony any time of day, the views alone are worth the stay. When the skies are clear, and if you ask, the staff will come to your room and wake you up so you can watch the sun rise from the mountains -- a view that will bring you to tears. Meals are included in the price -- the chef cooks the best Nepali curries I've ever had the pleasure of trying. The estate itself is lovely, quaint, lodge-like and smack right in the middle of nature. The hotel itself is also part of the Pack for a Purpose initiative -- where you can pack school supplies and give them to a school at a local village nearby. Another truly authentic and beautiful experience. I'd go again in a heart beat next time I find myself in Pokhara."

Villa Song Saigon: "Fantastic"

We loved our 2 night stay at Villa Song. Room was extremely spacious with balcony. A major positive was the location next to the Saigon River - great location and only a short boat trip to the city centre. The boat ride on the river was in itself very enjoyable. Had an excellent massage at the spa. Without asking, we had a room made available through to our evening flight. Can recommend dining nearby at the Deck.