Guest Reviews

The Village House: "Nirvana in the forest"

What a gem....an hour from Kuching in Santobong village...taxi and shuttle available....close to Damai beach and cultural village....this oasis is so lovely it is hard to leave and go sightseeing....great food, good wine and bar selection...lovely pool and staff that go the extra mile with genuine cheerfulness....will be going back for sure

Cuisine Wat Damnak: "Must-visit restaurant in Siem Reap for affordable price"

First of all the location: this restaurant is in a dark and isolated village in Siem Reap, and it might be difficult even for taxis to reach it. Recommend keeping a map with you (or google maps) in order to find it more or less easily or help the taxi driver to do it. Went there right after Christmas and only had to wait a few minutes to get a seat (no booking, but it's better to have one). The restaurant has two floors, so you can dine downstairs indoor or at their al fresco terrace. They offer a tasting menu of 5 or 6 courses for 24 or 28 USD that changes every 10 days, the food is amazing! Their style is French-Cambodian, and the chef will come visit you at your table at the end of the meal to offer a plate of fresh fruit after the dessert. Must note that the restaurant is open only from Tuesday to Saturday, so it will be a pity to go there when it's closed (also because it's a reeeeeally dark street haha). Enjoy!

Villa Song Saigon: "Calm oasis"

"This hotel is a calm oasis away from the bustle of the busy city with its thousands of motor cyclists. Friendly helpful staff, a stunning building and a refreshing clean swimming pool, with delicious food (local and international) served in the garden by the river. We liked the tablet computer photos (brought to the table) of the food so we could see before we ordered - a nice touch. Stayed March 2017, traveled as a couple"

The Island Lodge: "Get off the busy life"

Niche and charming hotel. Warm welcome and cheerful staffs. Great feeling with bird sound around you in the morning. This is also the place you can get around nicely with the bicycle and feel the fresh air with a lot of green in the afternoon!

Jings Residence: "Clear winner"

"In 5 weeks of travel across mainland China, this is the standout, hands down, fantastic winner. The staff, guided by the competent and gracious host, Imam, are truly unique for their hospitality within China. Everything was meticulously prepared and organized, from check in to tea service to additional activities within the hotel. Keep up the great work and the friendly hospitality."

Locavore: "Very nice!"

"Very nice ambience and staff. The food is good (very different) but you expect this difference when you are going to a restaurant that specializes in local food that is not from your country. The only thing I didn't like about this place is that I told them about my ginger allergy before going and until we were there they told me that I could not have almost half of the menu that they prepared and only gave me the option to eat from the vegetarian menu. I told them that i really wanted something with fish and they tell me that they couldn't. Every restaurant that we've been in Asia had given me the option to make similar dishes to the ones in the menu and just without ginger or they even made different sauces and had them before we came in. Besides this, Locavore is a nice and different experience while visiting Ubud. The cocktails were great!"

Mume: "Similar to Raw"

"Came here for a meal with overseas friends They don't have set meals, only a la carte. And the menu is short. There were 4 of us, and we ordered 80% of the menu. Almost every dish was spectacular - liver brulee, butter with beef fat, oysters, prawn with cheese, beef, fish etc. Service was friendly and excellent Overall similar to RAW , with slightly less hype and fame Will return"

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: "Fantastic experience would highly recommend"

"We have just stayed for 2 nights at Tiger Mountain and we wished we had stayed longer. Our stay was so welcoming and attentive a truly wonderful experience. We enjoyed great food and attentive and faultless staff who really looked after us. Our accommodation provided everything we needed and we like its eco friendliness, the hot water bottles in bed at night were a lovely touch. Pre dinner drinks in front of a roaring log fire with fellow guests was enjoyable. We particularly loved our helicopter trip to Annapurna Base Camp - what an experience (very reasonably priced if you can share the experience with fellow guests like we did) and our birding and village walk was enjoyable and informative. Tiger Mountain has wonderful staff, and great guides. We would highly recommend the experience and let the hotel organise all your activities as they know what they are doing! Outstanding views and a morning wake up call with tea and homemade biscuits to watch the sunrise over the mountains was perfect. D Don’t hesitate just book it! Thank you Marcus and all the team."

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Serenity in India"

"We were privileged to spend 5 nights in the hotel and 2 nights on the Lotus Houseboat during February. Our hotel stay was truly perfect. It is a very relaxing environment and just what was needed after a busy stay in Mumbai. We were in one of the beach facing bungalows, called Virya (strength!). It was spotlessly clean, with a comfortable bed, quiet and efficient air conditioning and an outdoor bathroom. The food was lovely - fresh, colourful, healthy and tasty. Experiencing real Indian food on our trip was quite a revelation, particularly compared to the version we get at home! I also enjoyed the extensive a la carte breakfasts at the beachside restaurant - much nicer than a normal hotel buffet breakfast. The free yoga sessions each morning were enjoyable, and pitched at a beginner's level, so accessible to all. We both had spa sessions every day, leaving it to the on-site doctor to choose and schedule our treatments. I loved the treatment where oil is dripped onto your forehead - it was so incredibly relaxing. The beach is deserted, and great for long walks. The sea was rough while we were there, so not suitable for swimming. The pool area is serene, and the sun beds super comfy. We found the service throughout the hotel to be exemplary. We really couldn't fault it. Just a little thing to be aware of - the hotel does not serve spirits, and there is only a limited selection of wine and beer available with dinner - so do stock up on duty free before you arrive if this is an issue for you. If I were to rate our 2 night stay on the Lotus Houseboat, I would probably give it 4 stars. Overall, it was a unique experience and we are glad that we did it. The service was again, very good, though a little more formal than at the hotel. We had an on board chef, who prepared the most delicious food. Our cabin was spacious and luxurious. Having seen a handful of other houseboats drift past, I would say that the Lotus is one of the nicest on this stretch of the backwaters. Unfortunately, however, we were unlucky during our stay because there was an issue with the generator. As a result at night it was either like a sauna in our cabin, or very noisy. In addition, there were constant loud explosions nearby (from the nearby naval base?) throughout the first night. It proved absolutely impossible to sleep, and not at all the romantic, serene experience it could have been. The write up you are given in advance about the trips onto land should be taken with a pinch of salt. For example you don't visit an ancient sacred snake temple in the middle of a monkey forest - you are no longer allowed near to the temple. The reality is that you wander through some scrub land to the side of the road to feed some monkeys with vegetables. Not a big deal really, but just a case of over promising and under delivering in some areas. In hindsight we would have preferred instead to have spent more time relaxing on the top deck of the boat. If you do decide to overnight on the Lotus, it's probably best to book the boat on an exclusive basis, as we did. Sharing the limited space aboard with a couple of strangers could be a little awkward! Overall we really had a fantastic time, and would love to return one day. It's a perfect spot for some R & R."

Tugu Bali: "Special Place"

"We recently enjoyed an exceptional stay at the Tugu Bali with our family. Every element of our stay was outstanding starting with the most friendly staff. Always with a smile, going beyond to ensure our total satisfaction and understanding of this unique cultural hotel. We highly recommend the Tugu Bali, a very special place to stay ! "