Guest Reviews

Rachamankha: "Physically beautiful with a wonderfully helpful staff and great food."

We stayed there February 26 - March 1, 2018 to rest up from nearly three weeks in Myanmar and Bhutan. The room was handsomely appointed, well laid out and had excellent lighting. The wood beams and high ceiling of the room and the inner courtyard reminded me of the Monasterio in Cuzco Peru (minus the paintings of 16th century Spanish aristocrats). I mention the lighting because poor lighting seemed to be a common failure among other hotels on this trip through Myanmar and Bhutan. The restaurant was excellent with very attentive and responsive service. We would have no problem returning at any time.

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Lovely"

"This is our second visit to Golden Buddha, the first was 4 years. I would say that many things have improved since then, First and foremost,the new manager, Massi, is truly wonderful - what a change! The restaurant have been rebuilt and now looks more smart, a new shop has been added and a pizza bar near the beach has been built. The staff is extremely friendly and smiley - many thanks to Nin, who works at the restaurant - she is a gem. The massages, we had one every day for 11 days are great too. We loved the food, but I think guests would welcome a slightly wider selection of dishes. The villas are truly well kept and very comfortable - I would recommend staying in a beachfront one and away from the restaurant. You also may want to check how close your particular cottage is to the neighbouring one. the island, with its long, deserted beaches is unique. the fact that there are truly just 3 resorts, of which Golden Buddha is the smartest, remains a big plus to us. There are a couple of things we were not too keen on. I should say that we decided to return to Golden Buddha to relax, enjoy the peace and quietness and pick up yoga again. Since our last visit the resort seems to have become popular with families with young children. Whilst some kids were well behaved, others where not and it made dinner and breakfast at the clubhouse less enjoyable that it might have been. The biggest disappointment were the yoga classes. Alex, the so called teaches ranted at each lesson about, what he called, new age yoga. Basically everything but the pure original yoga. He therefore stated that he was tracking Indian gymnastic instead. What was most annoying was his lack of interest and the fact that he did not want to correct people, hence, in my view, did not teach at all. Lastly, prices for food and massages were a tini bit high I thought and I would recommend that the resort buys lounge chairs for all its guests. In any case, I would still highly recommend Golden Buddha,. Stayed February 2017, traveled as a couple"

The Hue House: "The huê"

Trước giờ mình thích ăn món Tây và món hoa nhưng ma hôm qua được bạn mình mời sinh nhật tại nhà hàng the Huế house thật lòng khi mới được mời mình nghĩ đồ Huế có j đâu để ăn và kiểu mô hình chắc cũng bình thường... thật bất ngờ ấn tượng đầu tiền bước vô mình k nghĩ trên lầu 10 của 1 toà nhà hết sức bình thường lại có 1 nhà hàng đậm chất Huế và có 1 cái view vô cùng đẹp , thoáng mát . Khi thức ăn đem lên mình bắt đầu ăn cũng bắt đầu có 1 suy nghĩ khác với những j tưởng tưởng lúc đầu .. bạn mình kêu 6 món là cao lầu, cuốn diếp , bánh xèo,sườn nướng a lưới, bò nướng sốt Huế và bánh bột lọc ... món nao ăn cũng Ok cũng vừa miệng đặc biệt mình thích nhất bánh xèo và bò nướng sốt Huế một cái nữa là nhà hàng này có mấy món nước chấm lạ lạ như sốt huế hay tương bần ... tóm lại thì với mình là mình thích ăn chắc chắn sẽ giới thiệu cho nhiều bạn bè và sẽ gé ăn ủng hộ quài ...ahihi ...(j mình thích là mình nói hơi nhiều ..!)

Yandabo Home: "Hidden Gem in the middle of nowhere"

"What a delight to come to this little hidden gem along the Ayeyarwaddy river traveling by boat from Mandalay to Pagan. Yandabo hpme consists of 12 small houses directly by the river side made out of the finest material traditional yet extremely modern. The villas are very spacious with high ceilings and a wonderful large bathroom with a rain shower. The amenities at l'Occitane a delightful surprise. The food is local and very good. The staff will take you on a tour the nearby villages one totally immersed in making pottery the other on the other side of the river farmers with a population of 4500 water buffaloes. The people are lovely and very friendly the area is truly authentic and not only single tourist in sight. I highly recommend this place as a stop along the route it beats Yangon and Mandalay by far. The only thing I could add would be a lounge area with some sofas by the river side so one could sit and relax whilst sipping some local tea"

Rahai’i Pangun: "Great crew!"

"This was my first time traveling alone, and I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived for this portion. But I absolutely loved it. The crew was great, the guide Tri was fantastic, and the trip itself was so relaxing and interesting. We saw many orangutans in the forest (including a baby!), visited Dayak villages, and had delicious meals three times a day- and that's coming from someone who considers herself a picky eater. I absolutely recommend this tour group (and especially the boat and staff I had). I'd also suggest you go while you can- you could see gold prospecting in quite a few spots. In order for them to get at the gold, they need to burn the forest down. It also leaves large mounds of white sand along the river. It's very sad, but perhaps with an up-tick in tourism, there will be a greater push for putting a stop to this? I'd like to add while it was disturbing to see, it did not make the trip less enjoyable. Rather, it just makes me want to get more involved."

Villa Song: "Colonial Mansion on the Saigon River"

Just by walking into this hotel, you immediately pick up the atmosphere and know that this is going to be a great experience - and so it proved. All the staff are super efficient and welcoming. Set in a quiet area of HCMC away from the madness and traffic of the city. The hotel speedboat is an interesting and quick way to travel to/from the centre. Breakfast taken at a table overlooking the Saigon River is a great experience. The food quality is excellent. Well done to all at Villa Song!

NEELESHWAR: "Heavenly"

"This gem of a place in northern Kerala was like heaven on earth. Very elegant and huge rooms with an even more gorgeous bathroom. The beach (Arabian sea) was just perfect and very clean. The food served was really delicious and fresh. We did not take any of the guided tours offered, but I presume that is good as well. Overall, we had a perfect and peaceful holiday at Neeleshwar! "

Inle Heritage Stilt Houses: "Hôtel Parfait"

"Excellent hôtel-concept. En effet, outre les 6 bungalows, on y trouve aussi une école hôtelière, un espace sur la culture intha et la faune/flore du lac, un parc à chats birmans dont le but est de réintroduire l'espèce dans son pays d'origine. Les chambres sont donc des bungalows sur pilotis en bois. Très bien décorés, modernes et sobres mais dans un style assez local. Très belle salle d'eau avec quelques bambous décoratifs du plus bel effet. Terrasse donnant sur le plan d'eau, magnifique au couché du soleil. La chambre est vaste et la literie est vraiment très bonne, ce qui n'est pas toujours le cas en Birmanie. Il y a aussi de l'eau en suffisance et dans des bouteilles en verre remplies chaque jours, ce qui évite la surconsommation de bouteille en pet. Un safe, le seul vrai que l'on ait vu dans le pays, mais sans doute dans l'endroit où c'est le moins utile. Le personnel, principalement issu de l'école, est aux petits soins et est vraiment dévoué et se fait un plaisir de présenter les différentes parties de la structure. Deux petits bémols: premièrement le bruit des pirogues de tôt le matin à tard le soir (village tout proche et canal important menant au lac Sankar) mais c'est le cas pour tous les hôtels flottant du lac Inlé). Deuxièmement, c'est vraiment dommage qu'il n'y ait pas un spa dans ce magnifique hôtel. C'est peut-être la dernière chose avant la perfection! Ne serait-ce qu'un petit coin massage avec vue sur la superbe végétation lacustre. Attention par contre, il vaut mieux prévoir son arrivée voire même ses activités pour le séjour un peu à l'avance (même si l'hôtel peut le faire sans problème). En effet il faut compter 1h de pirogue (+1h pour que le piroguier puisse rentrer). Donc pensez à arriver assez tôt, 15h30 dernier délai depuis Nyaungshwe, et oubliez tout de suite une arrivée nocturne. Finalement, le soir, pas le choix il faut manger au restaurant de l'hôtel. Ce n'est cependant pas un défaut puisque celui-ci est vraiment de très bonne qualité."

MesaStila: "Relaxing getaway"

Beautiful place just like the photos. The rooms are nice, clean, in the middle of nature. There are a lot of activities to do in house from coffee plantation tour to yoga in the morning. The staffs are nice and made the experience exceptional, especially our coffee tour guide.What can be improved is perhaps food; it is not that it sucks but rather for such a nice resort we expected more. Wine by the glass at the restaurant wasn't great either and overall wine prices / corkage price are high. However I think the overall experience is great. Very relaxing. Would come back.

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Such a great addition to our honeymoon"

What an amazing experience, and so great to see that everywhere we turned, the camp was working to conserve the environment. Whether it be the tents surrounded by trees or the supply of clean drinking water into glass bottles, it is visible to see that Noel, Cecile and the team are really working alongside our environment, not against it. We were able to see all animals, except the sloth bear (which we didn't mind missing out on, due to their elusive nature), and only participated in 3 of the 4 game drives (due to wanting quiet time during our honeymoon). The staff are amazingly helpful and courteous and knowledgeable, and will even run to your rescue at midnight if you hear something in the bushes as there's mobile phones provided for anything of the like. The traditional food is nothing short of AMAZING! My husband is the fussiest eater and was a tad worried beforehand to say the least, but enjoyed almost everything put in front of him and not once went hungry (quite the opposite!). The honeymoon tent was a little out of our budget, so we chose to stay in the 'normal' couple tent, however were definitely not disappointed. I'm definitely going to have trouble getting my husband to come 'normal' camping again! It's very comfortable, spacious and 'glamorous' for bush standards! And perhaps the coolest part was meeting so many incredible people from around the world who were there too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can see - highly recommend for anyone visiting Sri Lanka :)