Guest Reviews

Rachamankha: "Breathtaking Buildings and Grounds"

"The Rachamankha Hotel is the most beautifully designed hotel at which we have ever stayed - an architecture and design lover’s dream. People are literally taken aback when they drive through the gates and see the front entranceway with a huge fabric panel flapping in the wind. We stayed in a ground floor room with incredibly high ceilings, a huge bathroom, and big, stylish dark wooden furniture and doors. Rachamanhka has all your modern amenities but each detail is tied beautifully together by its historic Chinese and Thai aesthetic. In the courtyard just outside our room, the welcoming seating area as well as the plants, paths and pieces of art, worked together to make us feel calm and relaxed. This is the only time we’ve ever stayed in and ordered drinks just to hang out in a hotel’s courtyard! The pool was beautiful and perfect for cooling off after a long day in the sun. Or you can just lay in the poolside chairs and have a drink with a book in hand. It’s easy to walk to many things, or just grab a tuk-tuk for a quick ride. Highly recommend staying here if you want a relaxing, luxurious time in Chiang Mai. Stayed March 2017, traveled as a couple"

Heritage Suites Hotel: "Good Retreat at the End of the Day"

We spent 4 nights at the Heritage Suites in Siem Reap, while visiting the Angkor Wat ruins and surrounding countryside. When we returned in the late afternoon every day, it was an excellent refuge from the heat and humidity. The grounds are lovely, the staff are excellent, and the rooms are well appointed. It’s a great place to reflect on what you’ve seen and heard during the day, and rest up before the next day. All and all a fine accommodation.

The Village House: "Best homestay in Kuching, Sarawak"

"Approximately 40 mins from Kuching International airport to The Village House (taxi ride is about MYR60/ car). This place is a total gem, very well hidden (no kidding as there's nothing much to explore around this homestay except for a quiet beach). If you're going for a short weekend to relax & chill with friends or couple, then this would probably be the best choice but if you're thinking to have a party there, maybe not unless you've pre-booked all their rooms! Food and drinks (Tiger/ Heineken beer per bottle is about MYR15 each) are available from morning till 10:30pm at night only (so pre-ordered your food/ drinks before they closed). Staff will clocked off after 10:30pm (Bar/ Cafe will be closed) but 1 of the staff who's staying next to this place is easily located incase of any emergency. I must say their sandwiches & Nasi Goreng Kampung is amazing but Potato wedges (do not try this if you're a big fan of wedges!) & Sarawak Curry Laksa definitely needs some improvement. Prices are affordable. (You can have your food billed to your room & make payment only when you check-out. Visa/ Master card accepted but with 3% surcharge incurred. AMEX not acceptable unfortunately). Rooms & bathroom (attached) are very clean and the air-condition can get pretty strong if you've it switched on the whole day (warning!). The only problem is they've very thin walls if you do not want to be heard by next door or anyone downstairs! They've extremely helpful and attentive staff here named Ms.Aliffah and Flora as they've helped us get our missing mobile phones (left it near the pool area at night), call and arrange our transportation. If you're not a local like me, you can even get some travel tips from them! The nearest sightseeing place is Sarawak Culture Village which is about 10 mins drive away (Daytime transportation is about MYR5/ way by car). If you want to explore downtown city centre, it'll be about 30 mins car ride (that'll cost you MYR60/ car per way). Do ensure you make prior transportation arrangement with the staff as there's seriously no transportation available there. I'm already missing this place and just can't wait to be back!"

Blackitch Artisan Kitchen: "Thai Degustation"

"We stumbled across this diamond in the rough after dodging a restaurant with a sick (coughing/sneezing) waitress and another with no fan or a/c working. After dodging these first world problems we wandered past the nightlife at the surrounding bars and noticed Blackitch. Artisan kitchens can be rather hit and miss but this location is quaint coupled with enticing reviews welcomed us in. Obviously we didn't reserve a spot prior to dining and after a brief discussion with the kitchen hands the sous chef encouraged us to dine. We were unsure what to expect with no menu or information about the experience other than a drinks list. The house made plum wine was superb over ice and my partner enjoyed the root beer (sarsparilla for those playing in Aus). We were delighted from the first dish of the degustation through to the dessert. The chef showed pride and pleasure with our dining experience adding to the evening. Yes the price is significantly more than what you may pay elsewhere however the quality and personalised service for both of us including drinks for circa 4,500BHT is reasonable in comparison to other degustation dinings. Our favourite dish was the duck blood sausage followed by the banana fritter dessert. Unfortunately the only pic I managed was that of an empty bowl as I devoured the bouquet of flavours shortly after each serving. Recommended for a couples night of fine dining."

Tugu Bali: "Can’t keep the secret"

"My wife and daughters spent a few days at the Tugu in 2015 and could not wait to return again, this time with me. They were right to be so positive. The hotel lives up to all expectations with lovely traditional Balinese style rooms with many novel and attractive features. The exclusive hotel garden provides direct access to the beach and uninterrupted views of the sea and the stunning sunsets. A very short walk along the beach leads to some friendly and pleasant beach bars serving a range of food and drinks. A good tip would be to plan a visit soon as the Canggu area is developing quite quickly as more people discover this lovely section of the west coast. Finally, a word about the staff at Tugu. A very special group of people who work very hard to ensure that the guests have a perfect stay. All in all a very high recommendation for those who do not want to stay in large and impersonal hotels in the more well known Bali tourist areas. "

Rahai’i Pangun: "Absolutely fantastic!"

"We took the two night cruise to see the orangutans and visit the local Dayak river villages. Wow Borneo responded promptly to every question we had. Making reservations was very simple. Top deck of the boat allows a lot of space to walk about and to sit in comfortable deck chairs to enjoy the river cruise. The dining area was at the back on the top deck as well. They have a great cook who prepared wonderful, tasty, local foods. I would say it’s some of the best food we’ve had in the two years we’ve lived in Indonesia. The rooms were basic and the bed was very comfortable. We splurged on a room with air conditioning, which was well worth the added cost after an active hot day in Borneo. While there is no hot water for the showers, that’s not a real problem given that the water temperature was about 28 to 32 Celsius…It felt good to cool off a bit. The visits to the Dayak villages were enjoyable. We took motorized canoes up the tributaries to access the villages, which added to the adventure. The villagers were very welcoming and you could tell that they were proud of their communities. They had a local group of dancers and performers come right onto the ship in the afternoon. They were very proud of the dances that they performed. In fact, there are spirited competitions that the local community group had won several times. They were all wonderful. The orangutans were a blast! We went to the orangutan rehabilitation center to learn about their initiative to return orangutans back into the wild. We took small motorized canoes up the tributaries to access the islands that the orangutans live on. They would come down by the river to watch us as we passed by. It was amazing to watch them as they would swing through the trees. Truly amazing creatures. It was nice to get away from Jakarta to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this still wild area of Indonesia. It was great to stand out on the deck at night and watch all the stars. Ah, and what beautiful sunsets! We had several hours between when the cruise ended and when our flight departed. We asked the crew if they could recommend places to visit in Palangkaraya. They called ahead to their friends and relatives and spontaneously made arrangements to tour the city for a nominal fee. They brought us to the old part of the city, which was fascinating to walk through. This trip was great value for the money. It was an incredible memorable experience. One of the highlights of our stay in Indonesia."

Samanea Beach Resort: "a hidden jewel"

An excellent place for quiet relaxing, a small place with much personal charm. Very nice and helpful staff, excellent food, very nice premises and very good installations. The only drawback is the lack of a proper beach.

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Great time"

"I loved it! From the first steps we made into the camp, till the minute we had to leave. Noel´s Safari Camp is probably the best and most ecological way of luxury living around the national park. Every tent has a comfy bed with netted windows, monkeysafe and outdoor styled bathroom facilities, solar lights, eco soap and wonderfully scented and clean towels and linen. Although we knew that we´re already in the national park, surrounded by wildlife we felt totally safe. We sadly didn´t get the chance to see any leopards on our safary, but the fact that we could spot lots of other animals in their natural environment itself is woth going there."

The Island Lodge: "The one that the Mekong Delta has been waiting for"

The big bridge in My Tho opened the island of Thoi Soi to the world 8 years ago. Michel and Francoise has build a sanctuary at the end of this island. This should give the comfort and care to travellers to the Mekong Delta. Owners are very responsive and timely in their email correspondence making pre arranging things very smooth. The Island Lodge can arrange for pick up and drop off in Saigon. The two hour journey is pretty easy and brought us to The Island Lodge in good time. Staff are wonderful and nothing is too difficult. The pool and breakfast are amazing it's almost feels like you are in someone's house as a guest. Be warned the property is isolated and My Tho is accessible by boat or car (both can be arranged with Michel). Ton their in house driver is wonderful and speaks good English. Nice to have a cheerful driver taking us on the linger journeys. The local river, bicycle and floating markets are all activities if you care to leave the property, otherwise we relaxed by the pool and had some wonderful dinners in the main restaurant. Food options are French or Asian with an excellent wine selection. We can't wait to return.

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "The Best"

"Just go! It's THE Best. I would suggest spending at least a week. We only got 4 days, and it wasn't enough. I can't wait to go back. The staff, food, and rooms were all wonderful. As far as Baans go, I'd recommend Baan Tamarind. It's location is awesome, and it's very private. Also if you like to snack get some from the mainland to bring. There isn't much snack wise, and it can get expensive to buy what snacks there are. "