Guest Reviews

Locavore: "Simply amazing."

We made a specific trip to Locavore after being recommended by a few friends to make sure to visit. We had the set 7 courses but you get even more than is listed on the menu! Each course had an ingredient we had not heard or tasted before, which made the experience even more special. Each course was mind blowing. Food, staff and service was amazing. Would definitely visit again! Make sure to book in advance!

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.

Talabgaon Castle: "Very unique and relaxing"

"My family and I stayed at the castle for three nights and spent Christmas there this year. It was wonderful, and a great place to slow down in between more hectic Indian stops. We entirely enjoyed the brief camel wagon ride to a small and under-visited Indian village. A great stop in between crazy and hectic Jaipur. Breakfast on the terrace and dinner next to the fireplace on the cool December nights were charming. We even had a local music group perform for us on Christmas Eve. It will certainly be a highlight of our time in India. My son even tried the pool even as it was only 50° outside"

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Perfection"

"My wife and I love Thailand, and we wanted to find somewhere secluded, away from the touristy areas and bustling beaches. We fortunately stumbled across what can only be described as paradise and perfection. The Golden Buddha beach resort is a mix of golden beach and tropical jungle. Nature in its purest form. And how it should be. The majority of the staff come from the local village and surrounding area, which makes the experience so much more enjoyable, beaming smiles and five star service abundant. Massi the manager and Valerie the owner are absolutely fantastic, and the place is clearly run with happiness, joy, care and love! Nature as I have mentioned is abundant; Monkeys, colourful birds, geckos, butterflies and much more blend seamlessly into the background; along with the various lodge accommodations. We stayed in sea blue 2 . Which for a couple was perfect. The sound of nothing but the sea waves and birds singing. The beach on both sides of the island is very easy swimming, no currents. The sea is warm and refreshing. The sand is like shortbread and a wonderful golden colour. Most of the time we had the beach totally to ourselves as it's so private. If you want a place to totally unwind, be at one with nature; a place which cares about its eco sustainability and local people, then this is the place for you. We stayed for 3 nights but I personally feel 5-7 nights would have been even more pleasurable. All in all a 10/10 experience and we have already made plans to return."

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Book in for Lunch and tour"

"we came for the tour only (not hotel guests) but saw the sign for a well priced lunch in the dining room. At 65rbs is was fabulous. Setting, history and fusion of Asian and western flavours on the menu. An unexpected delight in hot weather tourism. ring prior as hear it is popular with cruise boat patrons."

Locavore: "Long, Drawn-Out Food Mystery Tour"

"I have had two lunches here and although I liked almost all of the dishes, there are a few that were borderline disgusting. The whole showmanship aspect, lengthy affair of eating each morsel as its own chapter of your life, starts to feel more like some sort of culinary striptease rather than a joyous gifting. I know they want to give each taste its due, but the timing never felt quite right, and sometimes I would anticipate when the next dish would arrive, eating ridiculously slowly, only to be surprised by the sudden arrival of the next amazing thing. This place aims to create a tour de force dining experience, with discs of some mashed-together vegetable, or a deep fried leaf of something you never thought of eating. Exquisite sauces, pleasing texture combinations, and clever reinventions of some silly thing like a mushroom... these are what are in store for you at Locavore. But every once in a while, you get some taste of something straight out of American Psycho, the novel where young investment bankers vie for tables at NYC's latest culinary palaces, with such bizarre dishes as ""Shad Roe Omelet"" are on the menu. By the way, I want to thank Locavore for never serving me anything with sea foam on it. There's a gimmick you will see at Mosaic, but, thankfully, never encountered that fad at Locavore. The chef is into invention, rather than riding trends set by others. That said, there were a couple of memorable dishes (for the wrong reasons) which were just too weird to finish. I mean, I could eat around this one that had some sort of oatmeal-type grain... it wasn't polenta or oats, either. It was just too cold and mushy, though, and I went for the sauce and crispy bits next to the gruel. When I asked for a custom cocktail, describing to the waiter that I liked bitters and dry flavors, he came back from the bartender with a suggestion for something described as using sugar. I had to kind of back-and-forth it for several minutes with the waiter and bartender before he arrived at something without sugar or fruit, and it was tasty and original, but I was surprised by the amount of discussion we had to have. I do appreciate the precision concern for my tastes in alcohol and seasoning, but be forewarned that if you ask the bartender to invent something for you, it may mean starting a conference. I still give these guys a high score because there is nothing else like it in Bali, and the cooks take such pride in their work. But be aware that not every exquisite little dish will be a firecracker of pleasure. Hard surfaces throughout the restaurant make for awful acoustics. Sound bounces everywhere and I prefer softer atmospheres for fine dining."

The Cabochon Hotel and Residence: "Best food in wonderful hotel"

It is one of the most wonderful decorated places in Bangkok with the best Thai food we have ever had! And we had a lot of Thai food within the last 24 years visiting Bangkok every year at least once. Having a break and left in paradise The Cabochon is the place to go. Service is excellent and the whole house is just stunning. If you want to have your special moment-Cabochon is the place to experience it! And I am not mentioning the pool on the roof and the hotel rooms (secret gem)

Rak Ko Jae Seoul: "Most amazing place I’ve stayed in"

"Staying here was so incredibly fun I don't know where to begin. The floors of our room were jade (!) and heated from below by radiant heat (!) -- waking up in the morning was so much more pleasant with warm feet. The futons were really comfortable and the Korean breakfast was SO GOOD. Mr Kim, the manager, was incredibly helpful and attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. The location is central and easy to get to a lot of the sights in Seoul -- but you couldn't hear ANY street noise in the rooms or the courtyard and we woke up to peaceful birds chirping instead of motors and honking. Overall the whole stay was amazing, I would recommend rakkojae to everyone, you will not regret staying here and it will probably be the highlight of your trip."

MesaStila: "Amazing hotel lost in the middle of Java"

We loved this hotel. The garden is huge, quiet and luxurious, and you can walk around to check the coffee plantation. The views are amazing, especially from the swimming pool. The spa is super nice. We had great massages in a very relaxing room for two. The restaurant serves good food. The rooms are large, confortable and authentic. The staff is very nice (even if communication in English is not very easy with some of the staff). We woke up early in the morning to match the sunrise on the volcanos from the Mount Andung: it was crowdy with the locals being on holiday during this weekend but it added some fun to the experience. Same for Borobudur temples. Highly recommended.

Rachamankha: "Amazing hotel retreat right inside four walls of Chang mai"

This hotel is centrally located in Chang Mai and is perfect for couples looking to escape and relax after long days of exploring. The hotel has the bones and charm of being built in the 14th century with all the modern conveniences. When we come back there is no doubt where we will stay.