Guest Reviews

Dewakan: "Amazing restaurant – GO"

"When we watched John Torode's Malaysia programme back in the UK , he showed this place and so we booked it for our last night in KL. I have to admit as it got closer I got concerned that we had made a mistake. No malaysian we spoke to in KL had heard of the place and it soon became apparent that it was on the outskirts of town, a good hour away from central KL and forms part of the KDU campus. I need not have worried however. The whole experience from start to finish was brilliant. The service was attentive, the team enthusiastic about the food and the food itself was inventive and interesting. We had the 17 course tasting menu and every dish was different and innovative in its use of traditional Malay ingredients. Notable dishes included a perfectly rendered crispy duck skin over succulent rare duck meat, as well as the almost Heston Blumenthal like childish fun of putting together the slow baked red snapper in broth dish. There was only one dish we didn't particularly enjoy, which was the prawn dish and we found the texture of the raw prawns a bit odd, but it was clever cooking nonetheless with the flavour combination. This place is worthy of a Michelin star. My only concern is that being so far out of town and having only 10 tables, it is not getting enough clientele. So please, please if you enjoy inventive and innovative cuisine, go to this restaurant."

Inle Princess Resort: "Birthday Dinner"

"We came to Inle Princess from another resort on the other side of the lake for a special birthday dinner organised by our agent. We were due to eat on the private island but unfortunately it was raining very heavily, so we ate in the wine cellar instead. I can't compare the wine cellar to the island as I never saw the island BUT the wine cellar was sooooooo gorgeous, I wasn't sad at all that we were moved. When we walked in, they'd decked it out with rose petals and candles in lotus pads. The table was made of a long canoe and the ceiling had this incredible painting of life on Inle on it. It was honestly the most beautiful wine cellar I've ever seen. They put some traditional music on and we had a waiter attending to our every need. We were then treated to a bottle of champagne and a six course feast. We started with home made breads and chutneys, then had a crispy pancake with herbs. The fish course was eel caught in the lake which we were dubious about but my goodness, it was delicious! Next came a cheese pastry with loads of yummy melted cheese in it. The main course was a selection of three meats plus a huge shrimp served with cauliflower gnocchi. The chef then came out to bring us desert herself, which was a trio of three homemade mouses served on a mini canoe. It was so pretty. She told us a bit about the food we'd eaten. Then to my surprise in burst ten or eleven resort staff, complete with a guitar and a chocolate cake, and sang happy birthday to me. They presented me with a lovely hand written card and a birthday present. As if this wasn't all enough, they then gave us homemade biscuits and the most amazing herbal tea. By this point I was stuffed and the cake had to come back with us in a box! All in all Inle Princess made this birthday very memorable for me and I wasn't expecting something so lavish. I would highly recommend them for a special occasion and for a unique dining private experience in the wine cellar!"

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Lovely stay"

Stayed for one night for my birthday, such a beautiful and iconic place to be. It is full of history and has more character than any other place I have stayed at. Breakfast and staff were lovely, would definitely stay again. A unique experience

Inle Princess Resort: "Holiday trip"

We are going to visit Inle lake on my holiday. We stay at Inle princess resort hotel . Hotel location is eastern part of Inle lake , we can drive direct to hotel compound. Hotel building is very simple and lovely design, good food and best service.

Maison Polanka: "Totally great"

We were bowled over by our stay at Hotel Polanka. The staff are unfailingly helpful - and go out of their way to provide the little touches that makes the hotel feel sooo luxurious. Would 100% recommend it - it's a 10 minute bike ride to town (bikes provided) or tuk tuk about the same. 20-25 minutes to the temples. 20-25 mins to the airport. All incredibly easy and beautifully done. Thank you!

Misool Eco Resort: "Dream Holiday"

"This place is AMAZING. Best place I've ever stayed. It's the one place I'd go back to. Again and again. Or indeed, just never leave. If you dive, it's incredible. I've dived all around the world, and this was by far the most outstanding and varied I've seen anywhere. But it's not too shabby above sea too. The rooms are incredible. You walk down into the sea and swim. With incredible wildlife. We had great food too. All in all, it was all round excellent. I really really can't wait to go again. It's a b**** to get to from London, but it's worth it."

MesaStila: "Colonial Elegance and Very Relaxing"

"The resort is 30-40 buildings assembled on a beautiful plateau. The original plantation house has been restored and elegant yet unique. The staff was polite, friendly, professional and extremely helpful through our entire visit. The breakfast is very good and includes different options of Indonesian and western food. I especially enjoyed the homemade yogurt The spacious villas look like something out of a film set with a huge king size teak four poster bed, antique furniture and lamps, wooden shutters, a day couch overlooking the balcony, and a lovely bathroom including a huge tub and luxurious towels. The villa was well-kept and very clean. The hotel has a daily complimentary coffee plantation walking tour which was excellent. We really enjoyed learning about the 4 different types of coffee plants and the history of MesaStila. The hotel spa is great. We had complimentary neck and shoulder massages. My wife enjoyed the varied spa packages."

MesaStila: "Number 1, 2 and 3 on my list"

"Breathtaking. Wonderful room with wonderful views. Great staff. Wonderful dinner and breakfast. Not too many guests, which we did not mind. Mother and sister went for a couple of treatments at the spa and were impressed. Brother and I had a 06.30 trailrun with our guide Augus, probably the best morning of our holiday!"

Sea Dance Resort: "FLAWLESS — one of the biggest highlights of our Thailand trip"

We visited Koh Samui at the very end of our 2-week Thailand trip &, specifically, Sea Dance Resort. Our stay was, honestly, flawless. It started with a very quaint, beautiful, well-cared for resort where we were warmly greeted upon arrival & given some nice juice drinks as a welcome. Then, we went to our bungalow/room which was so stinkin' cool! It's this round, stand-alone building with a king bed in the center, little desk & day bed along the wall (which our 8 year-old son slept in comfortably). Even better, the shower, toilet & vanity were connected & outdoors. It was really special & well-done. We happened to arrive on a Wednesday evening & every week they do a complimentary happy hour from 6-7 by the water & you have a terrific cocktail or glass or wine by the sea & a band plays. You socialize with the staff & we particularly enjoyed talking to Rory, who we soon learned owns the resort. He is SO kind & personable & caring about his guests, as is the entire staff (Faith, Helen, John, etc.), I was impressed that they learned/knew my & my families names immediately & there IS a casualness to everyone yet their service is spot-on. Little examples-- we were goofing around in the pool & when we came out fresh towels & glasses of water were on our chairs. On one hot day they brought around gin & tonic popsicles for the adults, juice popsicles for the kids. The breakfasts are excellent with an egg station, tons of fresh fruits & pastries, Asian foods, cereal, juices, espresso drinks & so on. There are kayaks & SUPs you can borrow & lots of beautiful places throughout the resort where you can sit on a bench & relax. The staff took a particular liking to my son & went above & beyond by allowing him to feed their koi fish, giving him little treats, etc. We encountered a couple from S Africa who said they could "travel anywhere" but they choose to come back to Koh Samui & more specifically Sea Dance again & again because of the staff & resort; that spoke volumes. I have traveled a lot & Sea Dance is in my Top 3, best hotel experiences, ever. Partly because of the wonderful resort, even moreso because of the people.

Dewakan: "WONDERFUL! FANTASTIC! Whatever you call~"

If you are looking for a restaurant with amazing food and great atmosphere, it is THE place! The food looks astonishingly good and tastes wonderfully ! You can count on the great team in the kitchen, they will not let you down!