Guest Reviews

The Cabochon Hotel: "A Special Spot in Bangkok"

"I hope as my first post that a rather gushing review does not come off as unauthentic. I'd be happy for anyone to message me with questions as I really do think the Cabochon is a special place with kind and attentive staff. My wife and I arranged a 50th birthday weekend for a friend and chose the Cabochon as both our hotel and the restaurant for the birthday dinner. We had 9 rooms at the hotel, with 18 adults and 4 children joining. We first discovered the hotel a few years back when some friends living close by in Bangkok took us to dinner at the hotel restaurant, Thai Lao Yeh. Late last year (2015) we went back for dinner on our own and were so impressed we asked to tour some rooms with the intention of possibly selecting this as the venue for the 50th birthday weekend trip. Once the staff showed us a selection of rooms we were hooked. In hindsight I made many mistakes in coordinating such a large group. Rin, who had coincidentally been our waiter on our second Thai Lao Yeh dinner, wound up being our primary contact. Honestly I did not make it easy for Rin, yet he was able to handle request after request and never once let us down. In the end the weekend went perfectly, and everyone in our party commented how much they loved the hotel and restaurant. Let me give some targeted commentary that I hope others will find useful. Restaurant - See my (future) Thai Lao Yeh review. Atmosphere - Historic luxury, so you would think... You absolutely won't believe the hotel was relatively recently built from the ground up. The owner, architect, and builders have done an amazing job not only decorating the entire hotel with vintage pieces, but the actual structure itself (walls, door frames, etc) has been made to look aged. Multiple people in our party commented on this. It has to be seen to be believed. Staff - I have stayed at multiple top tier properties in Sukhumvit and wider Bangkok. The service was 5 star quality, with boutique friendliness. Rin was really a standout for us, but all staff were great. Rooms - The vintage look and feel does not result in any compromises on practicality. The bed was comfortable, as was the lounge furniture in our large balcony suite. The bathroom was spacious, well equipped, and worked as expected. Ground Floor Lounges - Do yourself a favor and have a drink in the lounge. Calling it a ""lounge"" may give the wrong impression. There are actually multiple sitting rooms. Choose your spot, sit back, relax, and soak in the vibe. Breakfast - If you're used to a large hotel's buffet your first impression might be negative, but the selection of fruits, breads, and a main never became boring over the 4 meals we enjoyed on this visit. Pool - It does not compare to the resort luxury of the SGS, but let's be honest the Cabochon just doesn't have the space or army of staff to compete in this area. The pool was practical, well maintained, and proved to be a nice place to hang out with friends and cool down. I can imagine during the hotter summer months it could be a bit too hot to spend extended hours poolside, so if this is your thing then look for another hotel. Location - This is the only area I have not given them 5 points. They are a little further away from both shopping and transportation than some of the hotels centered around Asok or Nana on the Sky Train. You will need to walk 7 minutes to get to Phrom Phong for the closest mall and concentration of shops and restaurants. That said, the peace and quiet of being setback about 200 meters from the street noise of Sukhumvit should be appealing to some. Without a doubt the Cabochon is now my go to Bangkok hotel. The cost performance is top class, the hotel restaurant is honestly one of the best restaurants (if not the best) in all of Bangkok, and the staff are extremely helpful. You can't go wrong if all of my commentary above resonates with you -- really. "

Manda De Laos: "Delightful"

More expensive than most for reason. The setting is fabulous and the service outstanding. The food matched both of these criteria– it is a modern take on Laotian cuisine, we loved it and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The cocktails, although quite a limited selection were worthy of the relatively high price.

Tugu Lombok: "Peaceful and wonderful view"

"I was there 2 weeks ago for arranging dinner for the high level event. we couldn't stay there since the capacity of the rooms are not enough for all the participant. This hotel is proper location for those whose expecting peaceful environment. The food were delicious, the staff were so nice. And the facility was quite complete. At night, the lighting of the roof was so amazing, on the first sight I though it was cumulus. No it's because of the lighting to the statue on the roof."

Dewakan: "Fine Dinning"

My children organized a birthday dinner for me at the Dekawan restaurant located at the KDU campus in Glenmarie. A real fine dinning with special attention to details as every course is explained before we eat. A quiet and nice place. We enjoyed our dinner and had a good family gathering.

Villa Song Saigon: "Highly recommended"

"We arrived at Villa Song after two weeks of non-stop sight-seeing in Laos and Vietnam and we were dirty and knackered by the time we got here. Saigon is a bit of a strange place as there really isn't much to see in the centre and the one trip we did down to the Mekong Delta in the car (5 hour round trip) to a floating market (and strange tourist trap village) was not worth it. I think at the time I would have marked more harshly but the benefit of a bit of hindsight and comparing the hotel to all the other 9 stops we did, has given me a chance to mark it more favorably! Location: I really cannot see why anyone would want to stay in the centre of Saigon. This hotel is in the expat district on the banks of the Mekong in a much nicer area - usually there is a shuttle boat into the centre (which I would have liked to take from their pier) however it's not running at the moment as the city authorities are re-furbing the main pier in the city centre. There is a shuttle bus but we didn't bother taking it. As someone else has said, there is a noisy bar (with terrible food - don't eat there) across the way. It was only noisy on the final morning we were there, but the hotel could do with sorting this out so guests are not disturbed. Room: We arrived about 11am and our designated room wasn't ready. The receptionist asked if we would like to see a different room (they're all different which is a really nice touch) so she showed us room 6 at the back, which has a secret staircase up to it and also the room we were supposed to have which they were in the process of cleaning. That room had a larger balcony but in the end I picked the room at the back by the pool and I didn't regret it. F&B: Breakfast is a la carte - TBH I personally prefer a buffet as I find the food is cold (especially eggs) by the time it arrived with us, and the staff had some difficulties understanding our order. We also ate lunch and we had a top pho - the menu isn't that extensive but the food was highly quality. The hotel provides a list of recommended restaurants in the expat area, which we ate at and I agree, they are good! There is a supermarket up the road (about 15 mins walk away) so if you want to bring back some additional beers to put in the fridge, they didn't seem to mind. On the road towards the supermarket we also found a great French deli with cheese & meats and an Italian pop-up place run by two Italians. These are on the right as you walk towards the British high-school. There is also a craft beer place with a really good local restaurant in the same street - about 20 minutes away (you should be able to find it on the TA map of the area). Facilities: the pool area was lovely. We had one full day round the pool and it was super quiet - if only the weather had been better (but that's not the hotel's fault). I had been intending to book something in the spa but in the end I just didn't have the energy for it, so can't comment on anything else. Finally a couple of points for improvement: - It would be great if the room came with a proper guest book - there were bits of info scattered about the hotel room. Surely a guest book can be sorted with very little organisation? - Please use less packaging on your laundry items. We were two weeks in when we stayed and needed to wash a lot of clothes - everything came back individually wrapped in cardboard and plastic - there was mountains of waste. Not eco and very expensive! It took us ages to put all the laundry away and the bin was over-flowing all over the place with all the packaging. Overall - great hotel, great location. I would stay again..."

Maduzi Hotel: "Worth every cent"

Stayed here for 4 nights. Despite noise coming from the roads outside with Hawkers peddling their street food, the hotel remain very tranquil and peaceful. Love their unique breakfast (not buffet style). Location wise, it's is within walking distance from Asoke BTS and Terminal 21. Just walk through exchange tower to get on the pedestrian bridge. Room is spacious with an extra large bed. However personally I would prefer firmer pillows with support. Otherwise, nothing to dislike about this hotel. Would definitely love to stay here again for my next trip to Bangkok.

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "A little piece of heaven"

"Only for who is looking for relax and real contact with nature. No windows, doors or keys, forget shoes and phones, bathroom is openair. Andamane sea in front, savannah behind, mangroves canal, jungle around you. Typical and excellent dishes served for breakfast and dinner. Opportunity to make some really thrilling experiences with a thai guide. Thai original massages in a beautiful setting on the beach. Staff is really nice and helpfull and give you all the privacy needed. We were there for new years eve and was a wonderful beginning with bonfire on the beach, fireworks, lanterns throw. As I said a little piece of heaven!"

Talabgaon Castle: "Gorgeous Polo Palace"

A trip through Rajasthan palaces would be an elegant and interesting adventure. Talabgaon Palace, located between Jaipur and Ranthambore is a not-to-miss gem. The small village on the way to the polo estate is charming and pretty. Like the other palaces I've visited, out party was greeted with cool drinks and warm washcloths. We were lucky enough to get a tour of some of the rooms, all of which are beautifully appointed with antiques and original works of art. Every room is unique and very luxurious. On the grounds is a very large swimming pool with a pool house, large grassy areas for dining, and a very large polo field. The Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II have graced this swanky locale--for the polo and the luxury digs. We were treated a very delicious supper set up outside, just for us. It was the sort of thing you see in travel mags, but rarely does it feel like 'this is your palace' for as long as you are a guest. The manager Aditya Singh works very hard behind the scenes to provide you with a seamless maharajah-style experience.

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Worty to stay"

Unique builidng, has own story, adorable breakfast and atmosphere. Wanna visit again if possible. Staffs are all kind and gentle. Reasonable price. Cant forget blue colorour. Come up with over and over :)

Tugu Bali: "Heaven"

Our three nights at Hotel Tugu were absolute perfection. The suite, the food, the service & the beautiful gardens could not be faulted. I would go back in heartbeat...or when my credit card bill is paid...whichever comes first.