Guest Reviews

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."

Les Maisons d’Itac: "BEST PLACE EVER! Suite Télémac ❤️"

"It's been a long time since I've been in the Philippines and it was his first time to go for a proper visit (stopped over on the way to Australia back in '99). I wanted to make sure he sees how beautiful the islands are and make him experience local culture and the Filipinos signature hospitality without compromising some luxuries. Boy, oh boy, this place made an impression! Our first time in Cebu coming from an awesome 3 days in Boracay, we thought this place will have to work really hard to impress us. We arrived at the Cebu Mactan airport and was picked up by a friendly ""Kuya"" that we arranged with Sir Bryan. His car was clean and he let us do a bit of shopping at the nearby Savemore supermarket while he waited at the parking lot. I admired his patience. He told us it'll take around 3hours to get to the resort and I thought we were ok with it. I am not a very patient passenger, plus we just came from a tiring flight and barely had time to rest. I kept thinking that I made the wrong decision with booking this property because it was miles and miles (and miles) away from the airport. Eventually, we arrived at the resort late at around 8pm and it was already dark so I was like, ""okay, give it a chance in the morning"". We were lead to our private villa and I was pleasantly surprised at how perfect it was with our own pool, 3 rooms, a hut and a cabana! Sir Bryan called one of the girls to fix us a meal and it was delicious. I am not kidding, it was. We were the only guests because it was the town fiesta (festival honoring the feast day of their patron saint) and Sir Bryan was worried that guests might not be happy with the noises the parties might cause. I was warned about this beforehand but we were totally ok and were actually planning to join the party. In the morning, we woke up and our jaws dropped after realising how gorgeous the whole property was. Breakfast was unforgettable, especially the fresh mango smoothie/shake (so sweet and not even a grain of sugar was added in it!). On other days we had different fruit shakes and the staff made sure they were all fresh and perfect. The food, as I've mentioned, is simply perfect. Loads of activities around and we were luck enough to join the fluvial parade during the town feast and we had so much fun chasing and trying to get the passengers on the other boat as wet with sea water as we can. We ended up getting back after around an hour soaked, but incredibly happy. We had our first try with stand up paddle-boarding and it was great! People who like their own space and respect other people's will fall in love with this place. The marine sanctuary right in front of this property is a great indicator they care about the earth. It is one of the best holidays and resort I've been to. We left with a heavy heart and wished we could've stayed a bit longer. Will definitely try and visit again if we ever go back to the Philippines."

Labyrinth: "Impeccable service and delicious roast pork!"

The great service started even before the dinner when they called to check if we were going for a theatre program (we were). We enjoyed the roast pork and risotto and the chili crab dish was excellent as usual. Desserts were a little too sweet for our taste (maybe it’s just us). But the sweetness was balanced by the tea offered by the wait staff who was considerate enough to notice that we still had time before our theatre program.

Manda De Laos: "So nice"

Not far from night market. Food is really delicious and atmosphere is so great. Staffs can speak English, and little expensive.

Villa Song Saigon: "This place is amazing"

"We have chosen this place thanks to TripAdvisor reviews and we were not sorry at all. It´s an old French villa next to Saigon river converted in a boutique hotel. The place is very relaxing, the staff is wonderfull and very friendly, the food is very good. They have a pier in front of the hotel and a speed boat that takes guests to Ho Chi Minh city several times a day. I highly recommend this place. It´s not the cheapest place in Ho Chi Minh, but it´s worth every $. Stayed April 2016"

Villa Song Saigon: "Oasis in Saigon"

The quiet and classic getaway away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The rooms which went from a nice boutique style upscale luxury standard to a luxurious design and feel with beautiful furniture, original artwork, and excellent service

Rakkojae Seoul: "Really quite perfect"

There is really nothing to fault with Rakkojae. The rooms and their surrounds are quite beautiful - a pocket of timeless serenity in this busy city. The service is perfectly judged - always helpful, never intrusive. Both the Korean and Western breakfasts were good and substantial. We found it wonderfully quiet but, given thin walls/doors, this does require guests to be deeply respectful of others. This is not a place for loud voices or, fortunately, young children. Some reviewers and travel sites recommend one night in an hanok - this does not do the experience justice or allow you to even come near appreciating the essence of the place. We stayed 4 nights which felt about right, Even so, moving on to our next accommodation - a top-end Western-style conference hotel - was remarkably jarring.

Villa Song: "Everything I hoped for!"

"Booked the Villa Song for our 3 night stay in HCMC. What a great choice. To be honest I found the city very over-whelming in terms of noise and people and pollution, so VS was an oasis of calm and peace. Our room was tiny, but wonderful and comfortable, and we had a little terrace overlooking the river. The breakfast was delicious every day, and we had lunch and drinks there at least once as well. Staff could not have been nicer - always smiling and helpful. We took the speedboat to the city with an awesome driver and a very nice Swiss couple. On the way back it was the awesome driver, the very nice Swiss couple and at least 6 other people. To say the boat was heavily laden and the journey was a bit nerve-racking would be a masterly understatement but we got there. :) Our last morning there was my birthday - I mentioned that to our waiter because I was ordering Mimosas for breakfast - and at the end of the meal I got a yummy little cake. I wish we had had more time to explore the area around the hotel - but maybe we will come back. The only thing that was bit of a downer was the polluted state of the river. There was always debris floating by and its dirty looking. Of course that is not the fault of the hotel, but it is worth mentioning. I still enjoyed watching it though."

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Relaxed beach island getaway"

"We were looking for a relaxing place in Thailand where our kids could explore in nature and we could all spend time unwinding. We had to attend an event in phuket and in contrast to our normal holidays there wouldn't be much in the way of wildlife so we were looking for an alternative place to include in the trip. Golden buddha resort was a wonderful choice. Our boys had plenty of safe beaches to run and explore with loads of ghost crabs, little land crabs, mudskippers at low tide and the occasional monkey troupe. The houses were traditional style and the fans and nets made it comfortable to just kick back in the hotter part of the day. We loved our resident lizards and frogs and hornbills. The beach pizza and yummy smoothies were a favourite with the kids. The menu was small but we enjoyed the meals, which were fresh and well constructed. I'm used to a family of males that constantly eat so had packed snacks (lock up from monkeys lol) and given there's no shops it's a good idea if you have hungry kids. Beach bbq is great and lots of fun to chat with other guests and staff. If your looking for an eco, nature play destination with family it's a beautiful spot. Great staff, beautiful beaches without a multistorey development or beach vendor in sight :-). The resort give you heaps of info and were wonderful about questions so read the fine print as they are very clear about what style of resort the Golden Buddha is. We loved it"

Amata Lanna: "Excellent"

Great location, close to the night market and a quick tuk tuk ride to the old city. About a 25 min walk. Great service, clean room, large bedroom and bathroom made with teak wood. Would definitely stay here again!