Guest Reviews

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Attentive service and superlative luxury"

"We stayed at the end of a 3-week trip around India. What a stunning location high in the hills and quite unlike everywhere else we visited - so quiet, peaceful and unspoilt. We enjoyed the tea and the variety of foods we were served up. We loved relaxing and being pampered. Our room was larger than many London apartments and the bath was literally the biggest in the world. How they got it and all the other furniture down that bumpy road we will never know. We were served 'bed tea' in the morning and breakfast on the verandah with views over the hills and colourful birds swooping in and out of the trees nearby. One morning we took an early walk down the hill to the river, with two bird guides. A stunning walk through the tea bushes. We saw about 30 different species on that walk and were met at the bottom by a table at the water's edge, with our own personal breakfast service. Incredible! Exceptional!! The best part of the stay was the staff. One local young man Ranjan did the tea tour with us and invited us to a wedding at his friend's house. So we all trooped up the hill to a real Indian wedding with great local food and drinks, and a group of smiling people welcoming us strangers into their house. Remarkable. He and many of the other local staff spoke fluent English and were so humble and friendly, I wish I could employ them back in the UK. The resort is managed by a British couple Will and Faye, and currently another Will (I understand that this third team member changes regularly), who were attentive and took care of our every need without imposing on our holiday. They ate with the guests at dinner time and made the trip really special. The two Wills invited me to try fishing with them (unsuccessful but fun!). It's a rare treat to get to stay somewhere so beautiful, and so luxurious, and with such friendly hosts. Thanks to you all!!"

misool: "Phenomenal! The most incredible experience and marvelous resort"

"This is our favorite place in the world now! Raja Ampat is astounding and Misool eco resort is the true gem of the region! We were there as snorkelers and loved every aspects of our stay there. Everything was organized and personalized flawlessly, from the booking process and transfer from Sorong to our perfectly set snorkeling planning on a great variety of gorgeous sites, everything about our stay was indeed quite perfect! Our bungalow was impeccable and spacious, wonderfully appointed and located, with the best outdoor bathroom of all times, the food was incredible with a variety of local and international choices, the snorkeling sites were remarkable. And maybe above everything else, everyone at the resort was formidable, each and every person working there warmly and kindly gave us the best experience of our lives! We are traveling around the world for a couple of years and this is by far the most amazing location and resort we've visited! The conservation efforts of the resort are working, the area is thriving again, it's inspiring. To us, Misool eco resort is a true haven and bliss is what we continue to feel when looking back at our time there. We will return for sure and highly recommend them. Thank you all again for making our time in Raja Ampat so unique and unforgettable. "

MesaStila Resort and Spa: "Beautiful place"

It is a beautiful place surrounded by nature. You would be able to hear birds singing and the wind blowing from morning to night. It is truly a relaxing place. The food at the restaurant is wonderful and the staffs are excellent. They are very attentive and will remember personal requests. It is a place to appreciate the history and the culture behind the resort. It is the place to enjoy the nature but if anybody is in to modern style they should think again.

Dewakan: "Impressive modern Malaysian cuisine"

I had a dinner here on the christmas night. Impressive 10 course meal with additional snacks and dessert. It's a marathon dinner of almost 3 hours with variety of food items to try. Each dish is unique and burst of flavours. The chef uses local herbs and spices creatively in each meal. You will think that such a simple ingredient wouldn't be done it this way. Each meal is also an art by itself especially blue mackerel with raja ulam which the cured fish meat topped with edible flowers. Overall almost all the dishes were excellent except two which I don't quite like it. However, the food concept may not be for everyone. People who don't like the smell of ulam and spices may not like the overwhelming flavour of the dishes here. Also you also need to be patient and enjoying good time here of enduring 3 hours of eating session. The food here are even better than some of the Michelin star establishment. Dewakan does not serve ala-carte meal. They only have 3 or 4 course meal during lunch or 5 or 10 course during dinner. Price starts at MYR80.00 for 3 course lunch and the dinner of 10 course at MYR209.00. I would say for fine dining, the price is actually quite reasonable with total of 10 course.

Muang La Lodge: "Hidden gem in Laos"

"This wonderful place is an absolute gem. The staff were all super-helpful, and the facilities are super-comfortable and very well set up to fit whatever level of energy that you have, including the thermal tubs and the lovely pool. As a temporary resident of Laos, I can vouch for the authentic nature of the setting. We went on the 5 hour trek with a very scenic route accompanied by an informative guide, which allows you to see the authentic side of the changing landscape in the northern highlands and some of the pressures for change that the local people face. All in all, one of the best places of its kind that we have ever stayed in. Stayed March 2017, traveled with family"

Tugu Bali: "Wonderful Experience"

"If you are looking for a luxury hotel which upon entry you feel like you are in a warm home filled with beautiful antiques and lovely friends, stay at Hotel Tugu Bali. The rooms are beautifully decorated with wooden floors, four poster beds, day lounges, and unique lamps/dressers/etc. We stayed in room 208 which overlooks a pond filled with water lilies directly below and the ocean in view (and earshot). The room layout included a partially enclosed room with a day bed, sunken tub and seating area-a perfect area to have breakfast and/or dinner. The food was delicious-both breakfast and dinner included a variety of local options, including tasting plates. The staff are friendly, helpful and very knowledgable. My sister took a floral arranging class with Dek, who is extremely talented and showed her how to make beautiful offerings. Massages are very good-highly recommended. Once at the hotel there is no reason to leave-it is an experience in itself. However, the hotel is located about a 2 minute walk to the beach and 2 minute walk to an area which has many restaurants and shops. Stayed February 2017, traveled with friends"

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Beautiful Hideaway"

The Blue Mansion is a beautiful place to at. We stayed there for two nights during our visit to Penang. Its close to George Town. It is a beautiful place with great facilities and awesome and friendly staff.

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Heritage and cultural luxury"

"Built around 1840 and now providing public accommodation, this is the luxury with character missing in today's 5 (or more) star hotels. From the old fashioned door key to the huge rooms furnished to transport you back in time, the centre open courtyard with photos of those from the past or the 'day beds' along the courtyard wings to relax in, this is 'what's old is new again'. The bathroom and shower facilities are modern 'western' but still set in the decor of yesteryear. Breakfast à la cart can be a little slow but gives time to relax, enjoy the ambience and enjoy the many self serve offerings. Located in the old town area, further history and the delights of Georgetown are just out the gate"

Tugu Bali: "Boutique Hotel in the heart of Canggu"

"We stayed here for three nights having previously visited the Lombok Tugu hotel last summer. The hotel is everything we have now come to expect of the Tugu brand.The staff are very well trained, very accommodating and very helpful. the rooms are spread out around the grounds in a series of old style Indonesian houses, with 1 or 2 upstairs apartments and 1 or 2 downstairs garden apartments depending upon which room you are allocated. We were fortunate in that we had an upstairs room in one of the smaller houses (only 1 room upstairs and 1 room downstairs). The room was well appointed with an enclosed balcony but one which had windows which could be opened to all the sea breezes to blow through. It exudes old world charm yet has all the creature comforts one expects. The grounds and communal areas are beautifully presented and stacked full of Indonesian antiques. The hotel offers a quiet oases of comfort within the bustling and vibrant Canggu area. There is a large lawned area adjacent to the beach which is where we spent most of our time during the day. If you have never been to a Tugu hotel, you will marvel at how they manage to blend the old ways and charm of Indonesia in with the modern conveniences required by the present day traveller"

Rahai’i Pangun: "Wonderful relaxing and informative weekend"

"We flew from Jakarta on Friday and stayed the night at Aquarius hotel (probably best available even though only mediocre, but food surprisingly good, especially dinner) We were picked up at 8.30 am by Eva who proved to be an excellent, charming, chatty, well informed and intelligent guide who really made the weekend an excellent one. The company should be very happy to have her on the staff, even though the others were also good and friendly. Everything was good or excellent: - two of us had the boat to ourselves -in fact the only improvement would have been some extra interesting guests - but we enjoyed it anyway - ample, delicious food - interesting trip to the village, even though rather more modernised than one might hope - apparently it's now rather difficult to find a genuine untouched forest village - charming ""oldest man"" who sold us some delicious spiced coffee made with beans from his own garden - beautiful, serene boat trip on the big boat, and even better when we switched to the small boat for the last trip through the swamp to the information centre - awesome trips in the small boat round the islands where the Orang Utans live before they are released - boat is better than walking as you can get very close without disturbing them - highly informative and thought-provoking briefing at the information centre Important thing to remember is that the Borneo Orang untan Society are doing a great job for an animal which shares 97% of its DNA with humans and showed us many aspects of their behaviour (such as the playful greeting at the information centre) which made them seem like us. They are also successful both in rehabilitating, reclaiming habitats and educating people not to kill the animals. And every trip with Wow includes a donation to the BOS, as well as showing local people they can earn a living from conservation-related activities (in line with their traditional beliefs of respect for nature)."