Guest Reviews

Mathis Retreat: "Lo mejor del viaje"

"The site is wonderful, the extra staff helpful and amiable, the room was a small village with great privacy despite being next to the pool and restaurant. Life takes a different pace being there. Rice paddies, duck, peasants tilling the fields, the sunsets ... film. The very new room had every comfort, a spectacular tub and a huge, new shower. Hopefully we can come back some other time. Super recommended! "

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Outstanding service, Incredible experience"

"Having heard so much about the safari of Sri Lanka, Yala National Park was the highlight of our trip and I am so glad we chose to do it with Noel Rodrigo's Leopard Safari. Dhanu and his brilliant team was nothing but exceptional in their service. The passion they had was remarkable and hospitality they gave was incredible. Having only 2D1N, Dhanu did his best to show us as many animals and as much of the park as possible. His knowledge of everything was really admirable and he has amazing eyesight! He could easily spot a tiny bird/animal just by driving past. Something that I was struggling with even with my binoculars. We were really really lucky having able to spot leopards on both our drives and an elephant as well who crossed right in front of us. Besides the good drives and good service, the food provided was amazingly delicious. Authentic Sri Lankan food, eaten the right authentic way. The tents and toilets were also way above my expectation of ""camping in the wild"". Definitely couldn't have asked for a better safari experience than the one Dhanu and his team gave us."

The Cabochon Hotel: "Our home in Bangkok"

"We so loved every moment of our stay here. Everything we needed was at this hotel and we felt so at home. There is an excellent Thai restaurant in the hotel and we so apprecated our beautiful Thai breakfasts although a 'Western' menu is available. There is a warm intimate atmosphere here and yet there is space to sit quietly alone if required. The roof top pool is a lovely place to relax. 'Happy hour' was a ritual we so looked forward to. The soi is marvellous..where one may find a super restaurant and a great night theatre. It is short stroll to the Skytrain and it's easy to explore the local area. The very best thing about this hotel is the beautiful staff.Ms Yeh and her staff are delightful and we so look forwards to our return. This hotel just nourished us in every way Stayed January 2017, traveled as a couple"

Rachamankha: "Location, location, location"

Best place to stay in Chiangmai as its central to everywhere. The hotel is a 5-star oasis to escape from the city yet it is located in the city. The staff are friendly and professional making our stay extremely seamless. The room is exquisite with old Thai charm yet furnished with modern day necessities. We definitely would come back here next time!

Tugu Lombok: "Exquisite"

"My wife and I had the pleasure of staying with the Tugu ‘family’ for 9 days - oh how we wished we could stay for much longer! From arriving Henry (one of the 2 managers) was possibly the most welcoming person in Indonesia. We arrived late due to a delayed flight (just after 10pm), he could see we were exhausted so gave us a very quick tour and took us straight to our room and said we can deal with the paper work for the check in in the morning. He also had the kitchen whip us up some sandwiches which I thought was extremely thoughtful. Rooms/Villa - each are decorated sympathetically in Indonesian/Lombok styles with pieces of furniture of the highest quality, from the living area/ bedroom, bathroom and garden to the restaurant and bar - everything. Food - whether you want to experience typical Indonesian food or prefer something more western, Tugu caters for everyone. I’d recommend for breakfast to try the Burbur Ketan Hetam, delicious. Alongside Henry, Ellie is the other manager who is equally as warm and welcoming. I can’t single out all the other superb staff, but ones I can remember are Russwal and Eka. Hopefully my wife and I can visit again one day in the not too distant future. Thanks again to all of the team at Tugu for making our stay a once in a lifetime."

Reverie Siam: "Exceeded high expectations"

"This is a gem of a hotel. An oasis in an oasis. Visually pleasing from the very first sighting. The hotel is just 10 minutes away from the small airport (no noise issue - there are only two flights a day at this airport!) and though one drives through some uninspiring immediate surroundings, once you enter the hotel, it is pleasing to all the senses. The garden and all the individual fittings reflect the detailed care and attention of the brother/sister/brother-in-law team. The food, which leans heavily towards Mediterranean is a match for any restaurant in Bangkok, the drinks are good value at 1/2 to 1/3 of equivalent Bangkok hotel price and the live music with alternating crooners are absolutely superb. Good pool and excellent care and attention by the entire staff. Easy lift in the hotel's Tuk tuk to the town's delights. Perfect."

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "An architectural, heritage & historical delight… a ‘must-do’ in Penang"

"In my subjective view, the Blue Mansion – Cheong Fatt Tze – stands alongside the Penarakan Museum as the two premier ‘must-do’ heritage attractions in George Town. Both are situated in historical buildings and are tangible testaments to the rich history and culture of the Straits Chinese in Penang. However note that there are differences between the two establishments. The Peranakan Museum is, as the name suggests, a museum; ie a depository of Peranakan artefacts. On the other hand, the Blue Mansion is predominantly a building of heritage and architectural significance, with a tremendously rich history relating to one of Penang’s most historical and influential identities – Cheong Fatt Tze. While there are artefacts on display, the focus of the attraction is the heritage building and its history. Additionally, the mansion operates as a boutique hotel and fusion restaurant. One of our aims is to return one day to experience staying as a guest. We met some in-house guests and their comments, on accommodation experience, were extremely positive. The Blue Mansion’s website lauds that the building is ‘a quintessential legacy of Penang’ and, having experienced it, it is well-deserving of that claim. It is an architectural delight that has won numerous international and local awards, and has been featured in movies, travel documentaries and publications. The heritage project was the vision and passion of local architect Laurence Loh along with his family and friends. To say I am exceedingly impressed with their herculean effort is to make an understatement. The Lohs should be congratulated for preserving a key component of Penang’s – and to a wider extent, Straits Chinese’s - history. On our recent tour, we were privileged have as tour guide, the vivacious Lin Lee Loh-Lim, who is the author of the book “The Blue Mansion: The Story of Mandarin Splendour Reborn”. It was a tour that we would have enjoyed given the enthralling building and interesting history, but she elevated our enjoyment by her lively and animated nature. It was superb. Lin Lee was kind enough to autograph a copy of the book (available in their shop) and it now resides in a position of pride alongside my other architectural books. Tour times: 11am, 2pm & 3:30pm Duration: 45 minutes Cost: RM17 (adults). RM8.50 (child under 12) There is something I wish they would consider and that is, allowing tour visitors to experience the building’s inner (but public) spaces for a few minutes after the guided tour – just 10 to 15 minutes perhaps. This will allow visitors to absorb and appreciate the building properly, which is not always possible when visitors are concentrating on the historical narrative during a guided tour. A visit to Penang will be lacking somewhat without a tour of Cheong Fatt Tze - The Blue Mansion. Highly recommended. Thanks for reading this review and my gratitude should you rate it as helpful. Life is short... go travelling and enjoy life today!"

Tugu Malang: "Best hidden gem in Indonesia"

We're currently living in Jakarta, and sometimes you need a little getaway from the Big Durian. Malang is it - and this is the hotel to stay in. I loved everything about this place. The hotel staff are really friendly - arranging early check in and late check out with no problems and playing with my baby. The rooms are gorgeous, really comfortable beds, huge beautiful bathroom with really nice products, and wood floors (great for a crawling baby). The grounds are like a museum with so many places to walk and explore. The hotel is located in a very walkable location and the hotel staff are helpful with recommendations. The restaurant has the best Indonesian food I've had in Indonesia. They'll modify for vegetarians - try the Nasi Campur. The breakfast that's included is also incredible - you can order off the menu and take from the buffet - all included! The coffee is amazing - we took home 2 bags of beans, very reasonably priced. The afternoon tea that's included offers a wonderful selection of Indonesian snacks to try and great tea and coffee. They include a welcome massage of 15 minutes, and we bought a full massage, which was really high quality and totally worth it - and reasonably priced.

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Amazing experience – excellent service"

"Visited for one night on our honeymoon. Were greeted by the friendly Dhanu who drove us in the jeep to camp. Stayed in a couples tent. Tent was spacious, fans, proper flush toilet next to the tent, shower under the stars (they offer warm water shower). The lunch provided was the best Sri Lankan meal I have had in our holiday in this country. The flavours and variety was specialist. Trying all the different types of vegetables and spices. After lunch we went on our first game drive. We were so lucky to see Leopard resting on branch of tree. Saj was great at spotting the wildlife and very informative about the park, history, leopards etc etc. Lovely dinner under the stars and Noel was also there for the night which was great to meet him. We were up early for the dawn game drive. Again we were very fortunate to see he bears (one which charged the jeep) and 2 Leopards which we saw mating. Amazing experience and very lucky to have these encounters with the wildlife. Overall we had an amazing time and wish we stayed 2 nights. We were lucky to see that variety in wildlife in just 2 game drives. Highly recommend. Thank you to all staff, your service and hospitality was impeccable"

The Cabochon Hotel and Residence: "Incredibly friendly and helpful staff"

I recently stayed at the Cabochon for three nights, and found it to be a wonderful respite from the hectic pace of Bangkok, Love the city, but you need a break from it. I stayed in a queen suite with a private balcony and shower--was exactly as advertised--spacious, comfortable, all amenities provided that I need. Only critical comment would be that the shower is actually too hot--I had a hard time controlling the water temperature. Other reviewers have noted the various elements of the hotel--I only used the breakfast area (ate outside), and the a/c'd lounge area for happy hour. didn't use the restaurant or pool. What I found most welcome, other than the quiet respite from the city pace that the hotel provides, despite its location right off Sukhamvit, was the attitude of the staff. From my pre-arrival communication about the best was to get to the hotel from the airport during morning rush hour, to their assistance arranging for a 4:30 am cab and a breakfast box, the staff were superb. I've forgotten a few names, but Pom, Ticha, Nicky, the barman San, were just great. Friendly, solicitous, helpful--exactly what I wanted and received. Really first rate in my opinion,