Guest Reviews

Tugu Bali: "The Best Bali Experience"

I've been coming to Bali for 30 years and this is by far the best Hotel I've stayed in. We originally booked for 4 nights and ended up staying for close to 3 weeks? Staff are exceptional, the location is amazing and the rooms are full of character. The X- Large bed is very comfortable and the attention to detail throughout the entire hotel is a reflection of the Management and staffs commitment in providing a memorable experience. Cannot recommend this Hotel more highly.

Cuca: "Great food"

We visited Cuca in Jimbaran, after an event at Polperro winery (Red Hill), hosted by the head chef from Cuca. The food at Polperro was amazing and I was really excited to see the restaurant for the first time. I was not disappointed, the textures, presentation and flavours are fantastic and the staff are warm and friendly. The atmosphere is relaxed, it's dimly lit and moody, but if you have a preference for more light, you can always sit at the bar over the kitchen and watch the precision of the team. The outside seating area is in a garden, complete with water features and lanterns. The grounds are generous. Price wise it's not over the top, I loved everything this place, so much so, I have booked again for tomorrow night!!

MesaStila: "My only regret is that I was only there one night"

"This resort is truly stunning. The villa was huge - built in the traditional style - so it's actually very simple but has a real wow factor. Massive bed with ornately carved canopy. Separate seating area, outside verandah. Lovely staff, great restaurants. It's a big resort so plenty of walking required but it's such a pleasure to walk around you don't care. There are plenty of activities on offer from yoga to coffee plantation tours to croquet or outdoor chess. Pool area is delightful with a spa and gym that we did not have time to use. If you get the chance to stay here, don't pass it up. Definitely one of the best resorts I have ever had the fortune to stay in."

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!"

MesaStila: "Excellent resort with superb service and lots of fun activities"

"The resort is beautiful and the staffs are very friendly and helpful. I purchased a package that has free breakfast, afternoon tea and all resort activities such as coffee plantation tour, yoga, learn how to draw a batik. They also produce their own robusta coffee, which tasted delicious for me, My highlight of the day is being able to hit a big gong right in the middle of their courtyard. I highly recommend this resort Stayed March 2017, traveled with friends"

Le Du Wine Bar & Restaurant: "Lovely service, imaginative food, and great attention to detail"

"I read an article about Le Du and was intrigued by its promise of elevating Thai style food. I have been in Thailand for several weeks and have enjoyed the food but not been blown away by anything that I have not tried before until tonight. We elected the 6 course tasting menu. This is really a bit more than expected because there is an amuse bouche and a fruit plate that is not listed. Server was Erica who was warm, attentive and knowledgeable. The dishes range from sea bass, river prawn, aged beef, pork jowls and a sustainable fish. Each was presented with a lovely Thai inspired sauce and accompaniment. While all the dishes were terrific in their own way, our favorites were the pork jowls an the sea bass. The lovely staff recognized my husband's celebration of his birthday with an extra dessert. So what would I say could be improved: the beef dish was the weakest in that while flavorful, it was a bit chewy. I did not observe the concerns voiced by other reviewers as a high noise level, or feeling of being rushed. We were dressed in a neat manner and felt welcome. We thought the bill was reasonable for this type of meal. Yes, there is a service charge but the charge is 10% which in our opinion is low for the amount of service and 50% of the expected tip in the US. I did find the reservation system challenging. I made a reservation for one evening, and then realized we would be open earlier in the week and tried to change the reservation. I sent an email, and initially, did not get a response. The hotel clerk called for me and changed the reservation, But I received no confirmation of change. This is partly my fault because the hotel gave the name on my passport which is slightly different ( nickname versus formal first name) that they did not recognize as the same person. We called again, confirmed and a few hours later I received a change of reservation with right day, wrong time. 2 more calls and 3 emails later, it was cleared and confirmed. So lesson learned; choose the time you want on the first try. Also, the location is a little tricky. It is in a a Soi or a little alley. So leave a little time to find it."

Jing’s Residence: "A haven of peace"

"We stayed at Jing's Residence for 2 nights and this was really a wonderful experience. After the noise and the crowd of the city , Jing's Residence offers a quiet and peaceful environment, sophisticated yet making you feel like in a friend's or family home. From the rooms and exquisite decoration, to the restaurant and the staff, everything was perfect. We celebrated my father's birthday there and the staff was very kind and thoughtful. I also tested the spa which was a very pleasant moment. This is truly one of our best experience in China."

Maison Polanka: "A laid-back, leafy oasis"

We had the great fortune to follow the excellent reviews of Maison Polanka on these pages and booked to stay four nights in the Khmer House from June into July. The standalone house was wonderful, though as others have noted the staff, the food and the garden and pool area were the real highlights after a hot day looking at Siem Reap's famous temples. It does feel like you are staying with friends rather than a hotel. Would highlight the quality of the food; the package we booked provided two set course dinners - so good that while we did eat at restaurants in the town on our last night chose to have another set course dinner with the gardens and staff to ourselves. Highly recommended slice of life outside a big 5 star hotel.

The Hue House: "Wonderful dinner"

Really enjoyed our dinner here. Came here with our friends and we were all happy. The food was typical from Hue - the centre of Vietnam. The flavors were so good with authentic tastes and very tasty. Staff is friendly and attentive

Slow Private Pool Villas: "Speachless 😍"

Oh my god!!!! Wordless!!! Never experienced anything like this before in my life special thanks to my Love who organized this suprice for me ❤️ thank you Valentina to keep the secret and for the warm welcoming ❤️ so peaceful, relaxing and clean and beautiful and cosy and people are so nice and friendly and polite ❤️