Manda De Laos: "Impressive"
So impressed with the service, food, drinks and ambiance. It feels like you are walking into a little, romantic, paradise pond escape. Best meal in Laos by far. All food and unique drinks had beautiful presentation. Can’t wait to return!MesaStila: "Heavenly Abode"
Firstly, you are surrounded by 7 mountains. The scenery at MesaStila is breathtaking. This is the Java you have been searching for. You are also on the grounds of a working, organic coffee plantation, whose history dates back to the Dutch times in Java. Afternoons are my favourite here (yes, I am a long term fan of this place and have been visiting since 2001) and you can wallow around the original colonial plantation house, which is drenched in the afternoon sun and as the light softly fads and disappears behind the towering mountains you are served a "high tea" - a complimentary coffee and tea service just to make you really feel at home. It is a real experience staying here. I would recommend flying into Semerang, as its only 45 mins on the toll road. The service is impeccable and the villas which grace the grounds are spacious and all antique, lovingly presented with the finest of antiques. You simply have to go.Tugu Bali: "My kind of Paradise!"
It was one of a kind romantic experience to stay in Tugu Bali Hotel. All was amazing there! The hotel is a kind of a museum, exhibiting a collection of ancient Asian art and crafts, sellected by the owner himself. Walking on alleys, passing through the lobby or some of the restaurants, you not only enjoy the design, but you learn a lot about the culture in details. The romantic villas make you feel more than special. My husband and I are higly impressed by Tugu Bali!Nimmu House: "The perfect place"
We chose to end in Nimmu House a rather full program of trekking and touring in Ladakh. We couldn't be happier with this choice. Our heads full of memories to process, we were given space, the beautiful apple and apricots orchards, the relaxing terrasse, our own luxury tent, and time, no rush for anything, to digest all we had done so far and also the idea that we would have to leave soon. The old house is beautiful. It is being restored with great attention and respect for locale traditions. The staff is very kind and extremely helpfull and the food is fresh and delicious! The perfect place ...Maisons Wat Kor: "A blissful get-away – highly recommend"
"A hidden local architecture hotel with a beautiful pound surrounded by the green garden setting has created a wonderful atmosphere in the evening. We had a great experience from the moment we arrived by a great hosted and really make us feel at home. It was an unforgettable memory with family and we absolutely can't wait to return ❤️!"tugu bali: "Amazing experience!"
"From the moment we arrived we knew this was experience was going to be unique! the staff was more than fabulous and they truly made the difference here. The place has real magic around, our room had beautiful small details that we loved. We came to Bali to celebrate my birthday and they really made this experience wonderful. The food was delicious, the massage therapist were great, the tours and drivers were really nice and patient, the recommendations for places to visit and good restaurants as well. would definetly come back with my eyes closed. "Inle Heritage Stilt Houses: "Compassionate Oasis with Unparalleled Service"
"How do I begin? My husband and I returned to Inle Heritage for the second time after our first visit in January 2016. The first time we had planned for 2 nights, but fell in love with everything we changed our plans and stayed for 3. This time around, we planned on 4 nights, although we could have stayed even longer. It feels like our second home! :) I cannot summarize how perfect the stay was yet again, and how humbling it is to see such hardworking, kind, and compassionate people who make it all possible. When you stay here, you will of course be in awe of the beauty of the lake while staying in a quaint bungalow on stilts, but you will also be in awe of the people with their big smiles, and even bigger hearts. This is what makes Myanmar such a special place to visit. Of course there are tons of beautiful things to see and do, but it wouldn't be as special without the people. Our stay included breakfast, which we had sent to the room each morning. We have a special vegan diet, and yet again, they exceeded our taste buds with all of the delicious food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert - all the best food we have ever eaten in our entire lives. Shan food is incredible, and I recommend you eat a lot of it during your stay! We were lucky enough to meet with Chef Naing Win again, and cannot send our praises enough. He is not only very kind, but brilliant at what he does! Everyone in the restaurant went above and beyond to make our dining experience perfect. We are so very thankful for their hospitality and care. Honestly, again, they have the best food in the entire world! :) Thant Zin Aye was a wonderful help with booking our room, arranging airport transfers, and also a day trip to Pindaya. She has a heart of gold, and I hope you take the time to talk and get to know how special she is during your stay! She became our friend from our first visit, and will stay a close one for the rest of our lives. Htun Tint Aung and the rest of the staff at the lobby are also full of golden hearts, too! You cannot stay at this hotel and find someone who doesn't go above and beyond to make everything so special. I promise you, you will leave with memories that will stay with you always, and will make you return again. Make sure to check out the Burmese cat sanctuary on site. Chaw Su takes wonderful care of the cats! Biggest heart and the perfect mother to all the kitties. She also does the gift shop, where she works with many disadvantaged groups to help create local crafts, along with individuals that may not have the chance to get their work in front of people. 80% of the profits go back to these people - so please, make sure to stock up on gifts for your friends, family, and even something for yourself. We are very lucky and honored to have met Chaw Su, and to call her a friend. Make sure to find her and tell her how appreciated she is for all that she does! :) There is a hospitality training center on site as well. Did you know, this hotel is a not-for-profit, so the money you spend here is helping the students with their futures? It also helps fund other conservation efforts around the lake. How amazing is that? We love staying places where the money goes towards something good. You will be helping students build bright futures, and helping to preserve the wonderfully vast Inle Lake. During this recent visit, we were able to meet the founder, Yin Myo Su. She is brilliant, strong, and compassionate. Everything she does for others and her community leaves us speechless. She is one to watch and learn from. Can you sense that people with big hearts are common here? :) In case I haven't given it enough praise, we highly recommend staying at Inle Heritage. I know it will feel like your second home, too. Stayed January 2017, traveled as a couple"THE SAMAR: "Know what you’re expecting"
"Location wise the property may not be for every travelers especially those who prefer staying very near to pub street area. However, we like the tranquility of the area and their attentive staffs. We were served by the same waitress in the restaurant throughout our 3 nights stay, she was definitely a gem! The property was half-occupied during our stay so it was very quiet and most of the time it seems like we were having the resort to our own. Bumped into other guests occasionally and they were quite friendly too. We love their ala carte breakfast menu too, their homemade pineapple jam with a hint of ginger taste is my favorite!"Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "A fantastic stay with great wildlife sightings and incredible food"
"We recently had a fantastic 4 night stay at Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris. Sam was our guide and he looked after us incredibly well and took us on some fantastic game drives where we saw leopards on 4 out of 7 drives and we also saw a sloth bear on the final drive! The park is also full of peacocks, spotted deer, crocodiles, elephants, water buffalo, wild boar and a superb array of birdlife plus lots of other interesting species. Sam was a passionate guide with incredible knowledge of all the animals and birds in the park and he was a safe and skilled driver. Our days started with an early wake up with a quick tea/coffee before setting off to Yala National Park to be ready when the gate opens at 6am to look for the wildlife while they are still active. The park is gate is around 20-30 mins drive from the camp. Morning drives last approx. 3 hours before returning for breakfast. Lunch was at around 1pm after which we left for the afternoon drive at around 2:30pm. The park closes at 6pm and we would have drinks before dinner at around 7pm. The food served at the camp was absolutely delicious, authentic Sri Lankan dishes with a fantastic variety each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spice levels are adjusted to your requested level (so don’t panic if you are not good with too much chilli!) and wine, beer & spirits are all included. We spent our first two nights in a mobile tent, with an insect proof sleeping area containing a double bed, bedside table with fan and light and power socket for charging batteries. In living area of the tent there were two camping chairs and table a cupboard and a light. Just outside the tent was a flushable toilet with a light and in a separate tent a shower which would be filled with hot water before our return from the afternoon drive. For our second two nights we were upgraded to one of the two luxury tents, which has air conditioning and an attached bathroom and it much larger. The plan for the camp is to eventually upgrade all of the tents to the luxury style and I am sure they will prove very popular, it was very comfortable. Thank you so much to General Manager Sajith for the upgrade! They are also in the process of building a swimming pool which will be a most welcome addition to the camp. We had a brilliant time at Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris and would definitely return. The great conversations with all of the staff during drinks and meals, the outstanding food, the service from the whole team and the exciting game drives made for a wonderful stay and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a stay here."The Samar: "Great location for Angkor Wat"
We stayed here as a base to explore Angkor Wat and it is just 10 minutes by tuk-tuk from there, the hotel ordered our 04h45 TT to take us to Angkor for the sunrise experience. Well worth the early start, this is a truly spectacular experience and quite possibly the highlight of my Asia travels (still 17 days to go).... The hotel itself is a 10 minute ride from the centre of Siem Reap, but is located in a peaceful location away from the main road, so is very peaceful indeed. We had a suite on the ground floor (little tip, do an sweep of the room/bathroom in search of spiders), they tend to leave the room doors open whilst cleaning and if the rooms are not in use, we awoke at 04h15 to a rather large and unwanted guest in our bathroom. Even in UK I am not good with spiders, this fellow sitting on my toilet bag was huge...I was a tad alarmed. That said, it really is a lovely hotel, beautiful rooms, big comfy bed and a truly special breakfast, beautifully landscaped gardens and friendly informative and attentive staff....What more could you ask for, for $95 per night for a suite.... Great place, lovely staff, amazing country.Travel Asia with Secret Retreats
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