Guest Reviews

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Fantastic Stay"

"Four of us stayed at Neeleshwar over the new year period. Staff are amazing and the spa fabulous. The resort does its best to make your stay peaceful. The pool is a very good size and the beach breathtaking. Our cottages were beautiful, clean and in very good condition. We absolutely loved the seafood restaurant on the beach. It is an adult environment so sometimes noisy children can distract from this. The resort probably needs to be MORE clear with parents that only well behaved children and parents who take responsibility for their children should stay here."

Tugu Bali: "Amazing! Best Hotel and the original hotel in canggu"

"Wow what a place this hotel is very very special... the rooms are incredible! The whole hotel is like a Indonesian museum, it's got some amazing artefacts and antique furnishings throughout the whole place, the owner is the largest collector of Indonesian artefacts and antiques in the world, its such a special place to just walk around... part of the restaurant is made out of a 300 year old beautifully carved family temple that was saved by the founder of Tugu hotels dismantled then shipped to Tugu Canggu where it was restricted and became the interior of one of their fabulous restaurants within the hotel... the hotel is as much a museum as it is a hotel... We stayed in the rejang suite which has a awesome bath and views over the sea... the bed is one of the comfiest beds I've slept in I love the pillows, they equal the standard of the four seasons or ritz Carlton bedding... basically it's more than comfortable!! :) We loved the grounds which are all beautifully kept as is the Lilly ponds and there's large beautiful fish swimming through the little rivers that run throughout the hotel grounds... it’s very calming and peaceful environment. The staff were all so kind and friendly we were given a full tour of the hotel and showed around all of the Indonesian artefacts and antiques that the owner of Tugu hotels has tirelessly collected over years... there’s some really amazing things here if your into your culture and history this is a really special treat! The JI restaurant has some awesome sushi we had a evening snack and then came back lunch the next day as the sushi is just amazing! On our 2nd night we attended their cultural evening and had dinner in front of the whole performance it was amazing, the show was beautifully performed and the food was to die for! Cocktails are pretty decent too!! We had a fantastic two days at the Tugu hotel and were really taken back by the beauty of this hotel it’s just really stunning! I you want something unique and special but also luxurious then Tugu Canggu is your best bet! Thanks to everyone who made our stay so special at Tugu Hotel! Victor & Emma x"

Rachamankha: "Serene Refined Hotel"

"Ratchamankha, Chiang Mai, Thailand The photos posted by other travelers hardly do justice to this exquisite jewel box of a hotel. Our family of four was lucky enough to stay in one of the newly opened two-bedroom suites. A long, covered balcony, complete with a silk-cushioned bench, runs the length of the suite, providing a view to the serene courtyard and pool below. A spacious, comfortable, and beautifully decorated living room divides the two bedrooms. Breakfast is served around the corner in a separate courtyard. Heaven! In the evening, a fire is lit and on special nights a local musician plays traditional melodies. Asian antiques and art are displayed throughout the property. An army of workers tend the garden and the buildings, keeping everything in immaculate shape. Additionally, the owner employs many Burmese refugees, trains them, houses them, and pays them well. You can feel wonderful about supporting such a hotel. What a find!!!! "

Chakrabongse Villas: "Wow!"

This must be one of the finest residences I have ever stayed in. Imagine you are in the centre of Bangkok right by Wat Pho (totally frenetic) but inside the hotels grounds is a sea of calm and tranquility and right in front you have your own deck right on the banks of the Chao Praya river. Fantastic. We also chose to eat at their restaurant one night, for non residents there's a 3 month waiting list. The food and service were superb. The hotel also has its own long tail boat on which we had a 2 hour sunset trip, bumpy but amazing!

tugu malang: "Luxurious hotel with impressive staff"

"We were so pleased with our several day stay at the Tugu Malang. It is located very close to the train station. The hotel is like being in a 'luxurious' museum. We were so enthralled with all of the antiquities and beautifully designed rooms. Even if you don't stay here....pay for the tour....it's completely worth it. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. The restaurant was excellent! There is also a bakery/coffee shop associated with the hotel. Food was wonderful....spiced nicely....varied offerings and prices. The staff treated us like ""family"". Our favorite waitress would have a table saved for us by the pool with our names written on a leaf in silver pen. They think of every detail We recommend taking the time to have their free tea offering in the afternoon. The spa massage was also very relaxing. Have them call you a bicycle tuktuk and cycle around town some evening. Definitely stay here if you have the opportunity! "

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Fantastic for Birders and Animal Lovers"

I recently experienced a safari that lived up to its expectations. I am a birder and saw 100 species of birds with Saj , an experienced guide in the birding world and animals alike. We had 5 sightings of leopards, elephants, jackal, spotted deer, water buffalo, monkeys and mongoose . The food was beautifully presented and was nutritious. At the end of each safari we were greeted with a cold drink and a refreshing cold cloth with lemongrass. This was a safari that I wished would never end.

MesaStila: "A perfect sanctuary in the hills"

"This place is honestly as good as you can hope to find for a holiday. Absolutely everything about it was perfect. It's difficult to know where to start in describing it but the big things were: - The estate is all exquisite, colonial style - built and collected by one (Italian) lady over 20 or so years. Her passion shows through in every price of furniture and every building. Fortunately it is still beautifully maintained even today - The service is far from old school though. The staff knew us perfectly and were fantastically well coordinated everywhere we went. If we were having lunch, they would confirm our spa plans for the afternoon, for example. Very slick. - The rooms were fantastic. Spacious, well equipped and with the most incredible views of the mountains and jungle below us. - There were activities all through the day: horse riding, coffee plantation tours, spa treatments. All entirely optional but very insightful and inspiring. There were also lots of outdoor games like croquet etc for us to play. - The afternoon tea was a perfect touch end of the day - sitting out on the Verandah... - The food was excellent. Always really tasty and a great blend of western and Javanese - The spa and hammam were incredible. The Hammam was such a treat - a full Turkish bath that was luxuriously decked out. The staff were also probably the best masseuses that we've ever seen - We did a few excursions / walks through local plantations or up one of the nearby peaks. They were a must do for me - so perfect. This place is basically like ""out of africa"" in java - just perfect. Stayed February 2017, traveled with family"

Slow Villas and Spa: "Wonderful 10 days at Slow Villas"

"We had a two week holiday from work mid January 2017 and despite it being the rainy season decided to book 10 days on Gili Air - mainly because we got such great rates on flights from London to KL with Malaysian Airways. We stayed in KL for a night and then took budget airline Air Asia (highly recommended also!!) out to Indonesia. We'd been to Bali before but not ventured out to the Gilis. We flew from KL to Lombok and had a private taxi transfer from the airport to the 'port' (the journey in a taxi is about an hour and half). We then had a private speed boat take us to the port on Gili Air, which took about 10 mins. Then it's a ride in a cidone (horse and trap) to Slow Villas. So all in all a trip with lots of modes of transport but we thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Glad for the stop over in KL though. We did the same on the way back and not only do you need this for the flight times but we did appreciate the rest and we're generally people who are pretty comfortable with long haul. So, on to Slow Villas... it's a beautiful setting and the architecture/layout/design has been done perfectly. It's perfect tranquil yet everywhere on Gili Air is within walking distance. The nearest beach was about a 10 minute walk and then there are three beach bars/restaurants immediately on from there. Lots of people cycle and there are bikes to hire from reception. To be honest through we only used them once and were more than happy to walk everywhere - it compensated for the holiday (over) eating!! We love exploring and heading off for a wander around the island was all part of the experience. It's a fabulous island with loads of cool places to eat and drink. The villa and our garden was lovely. We were in villa 3. We would often spend the morning in the pool and sunbathing in our private garden and then headed off to the beach for to find somewhere new for lunch. Our favourite food wise was the Italian Dolce Mare (we went twice) but the best for lunch on the beach and cocktails at sunset was Island View Beach Bar and Bungalows, which is the closest to Slow. Breakfast at Slow is wonderful, just how the pictures show it to be. I fell in love with their dragon fruit juices (go to Pachamama for their legendary dragon fruit and peanut butter smoothie!) and muesli with yogurt. Avocados weren't always available which was a tiny downer as their Aussie breakfast with toast and avocado was yummy but hey you're on holiday on a tiny island in Indonesia and you have a day of sun and sand ahead of you, nothing is really a big problem! Don't expect a proper cooked English breakfast but their cooked tomato mix, like a ratatouille is delicious. We also had the Indonesian BBQ one evening. My word this was absolutely delicious. So much food between us and just stunning. Seriously worth staying in one evening for. The staff at Slow are all really kind and respectful. Some have brilliant English, others not so but unless your Indonesian is up to scratch then a level of patience shouldn't be too much of a hardship. It's so true that a smile goes a long way. We also went to the Slow Spa which has been done so nicely, it's tranquil and beautifully designed. We didn't visit any of the others on the island but it's easy to tell just by looking from the outside that Slow Spa is the most professional and up to the standards you'd expect at home. The room had everything we needed. We loved the outdoor bathroom. And as for that 'rainy' season - it didn't bother us at all. Yes it did rain and there were two or three days that we didn't sunbathe but we went off exploring and sitting in some really cool bars drinking green tea, exotic fruit juices and smoothies and watching the world go by. The sun is very intense so a few days respite was valuable. We still had lots of days joining nothing but laying on the beach and came back with a brilliant suntan! Plus there's nothing like watching a tropical storm roll in whilst you're on the beach with a Bintag in hand. We actually preferred that to the sunsets sometimes. Amazing sunsets here are just so common place!!!! We booked a snorkelling trip through Slow - just the two of us and two boatmen/guides. We saw turtles off Gili Meno and Gili T within minutes of jumping in the water. We've been lucky enough to see turtles before but never this many or this easily. The snorkelling trip was the highlight of our time. We had lunch on Gili Meno and had another two snorkelling stops on the way back. The sunken boat and metal structures off Meno (not sure exactly what it was) was the BEST snorkelling I've ever done in terms of seeing tropical fish. It was like a fish super highway. I could have stayed in the water there for hours and hours. So in summary Slow Villas is without a doubt the best accommodation on Gili Air. We're not backpackers and wanted some luxury. It's in a great, quiet location but still easy to get everywhere (really - no where is far on Gili Air). The staff and management are really helpful. There is so much choice in terms of eating out and at different budgets that you never get bored and there are lots of people to meet when you're out and about. We loved every moment. Terima kasih Julie, Kara and Martin. Stayed January 2017, traveled as a couple"

Dewakan: "A wonderful experience!"

It's my first time trying the modern Malaysian cuisine and it was amazing. Never knew that our local ingredients can be so versatile. Kudos to the chef team for their adventurous experiments. Full of surprises and I did enjoy all the new flavors dancing on my palate. Love the wine and fermented beverages pairing.

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Truly worth the back breaking journey"

"We travelled from Pelling to Glenburn and the journey to put it mildly is HORRENDOUS. ""Roads""""do not exist and one can feel the bumps in every corner of your body. The last 45mins to an hour is equally bad but the place more than makes up for the travel hazard. Faye and Will (the outgoing Managers) take great care of your every need and the service is extremely personalized. One is not rushed into doing anything, whether it be food timings or day trips. Ranjan Chhetri the local manager is gracious and feeds you with anecdotes of the surroundings.We stayed at the Rose Suite which is well appointed and has ALL creature comforts besides truly living up to its name!!! We ere also lucky to meet up with the estate manager Mr Hussain. He regaled us with stories of the region where he has spent more than 26yrs. The common dining area is a good meeting point fro all the guests but one also has an option to dine in your room with silver service. A must visit again place. Excellent collection of books and magazines to read. No television in the room is a great boon. Kindly try and do something about the road to and from the property."