Guest Reviews

SEEDS Restaurant & Lounge: "really fine dinning"

"located by the lake settled on contempory house Seeds is one of the best restaurant in town the ambiance is nice with the open kitchen simple furnitures and great lighting display service is efficient food is really good we tasted the foie gras, raviolis, beaf with fruits, creative receipes with fresh amd tasty ingredients of course it s little bit expansive for Yangon but it s worth it"

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. "

Samuay & Sons: "A DELIGHTFUL CULINARY EXPERIENCE"

What a surprise to find a modern thai fusion restaurant with such surprising dishes in Udon Thani. The two brothers Joey and Noom learned their trade in Berkeley and returned to Udon 4 years ago. Menu with dishes that surprise, very tasty, beautifully decorated, and a unique creative twist to them. And as a bonus a large selections of desserts, which are normally not to be found in a Thai restaurants. No wine on the menu yet which is a pity, but we were told by the owners that they will feature organic wine before long. A must visit in Udon for food lovers.

Summertime Villa: "Nice Place"

"Ive been to Goa several times but I had the most Luxurious time while visiting Summertime. . . . . Spacious rooms & a pool to die for…"

The Island Lodge: "Lovely Resort and Location in Mekong Delta"

Glad we did find this beautiful place in Mekong for a relaxing week end. Location is overlooking Mekong, the Resort itself is welcoming, well decorated with a colonial feel. The Owners are french and run as well the operation with a lot of passion and kindness. Staff are well trained and genuinely smiley. We will be back :).

Villa Song Saigon: "Part of my 60th birthday trip to Thailand and Vietnam"

"I have never been to Vietnam before and after spending a week in Thailand we flew to Saigon ( Ho Chi Minh) I had booked the Villa Song hotel whilst in the UK. I like staying near a river or the sea and the hotel looked ideal for us. There were 7 of us incl my wife, her cousin, our 3 children and my eldest sons girlfriend. The hotel was perfect! We arrived and as a surprise some friends of ours who live in Hong Kong had flown in and were at the bar as we arrived. The setting was so good we decided to stay at the hotel for dinner and it was excellent. Great French wines at great prices The chef who also came out to see us was really nice. He was born in Luxembourg and was very helpful. The whole place was excellent - a real original Colonial house that had been renovated into a fabulous boutique hotel. The food, the breakfasts, the cocktails were all superb Great spacious rooms with satellite TV and all the staff could not have been nicer. Above all the prices were sensible and affordable I could not recommend this hotel highly enough - right on the river and just 20 minutes into the centre on a free shuttle bus provided by the hotel You must go!!"

Talabgaon Castle Heritage Resort: "oasis of a hotel"

"This hotel was used on a recent Travelsphere tour. Fantastic place,like stepping back in time, but with all the mod cons. Everything has been thought of in this comfortable hotel, with a touch of the 'marigold hotel' in its appearance. A lovely touch of times gone by, with lovely comfortable rooms, and beautiful food. It sits on the edge of a village , where we visited the local school on a visit, and met villagers. We were made so welcome, and the owner joined us for Indian dancing and a barbecue by the lovely pool."

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Beautiful experience, relaxing stay"

"I think Neeleshwar Hermitage is a wonderful place. The atmosphere is magic, is quiet and relaxing. The rooms are clean and spacious. The bathroom has an open courtyard inside, it's really an authentic idea! There is an infinity pool and the beach. The food was great and we find an excellent staff, also in the restaurant the waiters were really lively, friendly and really good-mannered! So we really enjoy the Tim there, unfortunately we stayed there only one night. But I hope to come back soon. Highly recommended."

Blackitch Artisan Kitchen: "Kreativ, authentische gehobene Küche"

"Sehr köstliche, kreative und authentische gehobene Küche. Die Atmosphäre ist trotzdem familiär und ungezwungen. Die verwendeten Zutaten ideal aneinander abgestimmt. Es war unheimlich köstlich. Gerne wieder!"

Misool Eco Resort: "Healthy Reefs = Happy Heart"

"WOW. On so many levels. 1) Diving is outstanding. This is how coral reefs are supposed to be. Vibrant, diverse, and CLOUDS of fish! An enforced and patrolled Marine Protected Area is actually possible beyond just a paper designation. And being located in the heart of the Coral Triangle at the epicenter of coral reef biodiversity doesn't hurt either! Dive guides and boat drivers are excellent. 2) The lodge itself is the result of the founders' clear vision -- to preserve the area by allowing people to experience it. While this should be the goal of any ecotourism operator, Misool does it exceptionally well. The lodge was built with reclaimed timber, and a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and love. Wastewater is broken down by beautiful plants. A solar array adorns the dive center roof. Food waste is composted. No plastic water bottles. No shrimp served (one of the most wasteful and destructive fisheries in the world). Accommodations are stunningly beautiful, built on stilts over the turquoise lagoon. Outdoor shower is the BEST -- showering by moonlight and stars is a real treat. 3) The staff is beyond outstanding. Friendly, helpful, genuine, and quick to smile and laugh. 4) The food is heavenly -- Indonesian style, fresh, and plentiful. 5) Dive center is extremely well thought out. Clearly, a diver and underwater photographer designed it. Plenty of space to suit up, rinse and hang wet dive gear. Dedicated camera rinse tanks. And terrific camera work space to service cameras, charge batteries, and keep cameras dry and protected. 6) Interesting manta ray and shark research was going on during our stay. Guests can contribute to the manta research by photographing manta identification shots during their dives. The manta research has been instrumental in getting the government of Indonesia to ban manta fishing. Again, Misool puts the ""eco"" in eco resort! 6) If there's a downside, it was that we had to leave! This is a place worth returning to over and over again."