Guest Reviews

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."

Slow Villas and Spa: "Just perfect!"

"On our 3 weeks roundtrip through Bali and Lombok my girlfriend and me have stayed 3 nights at Slow Private Pool Villas and it was supposed to be the highlight of our trip. To shorten the story: The Slow was even better than expected! Our private villa was surrounded by a huge and nicely planted garden. The pool was just awesome - perfectly clean and bigger than expected. Furniture, tapware and decoration were beautiful and definitely chosen with a huge amount of passion for the details. The staff was always friendly and helpful - no matter if we wanted to go diving, book a snorkeling trip or had some other questions: there's nothing they can't help you with in order to have the perfect time at Gili Air. The breakfast is definitely another highlight. It's getting served at your Villa at your preferred time and tastes delicious! We can't wait to come back next year! But then for longer than 3 nights. :)"

David’s Kitchen: "A perfect Treat"

"My wife and I were looking for a nice date spot while in Chiang Mai. While we were having a blast eating street food all over Bangkok and Chiang Mai, it was time for a nice change of pace. Somehow we got into David's last minute and had one of the best dinners of our lives. From the moment you enter the driveway to the restaurant the staff was attentive, professional and engaging. Make a Reservation in advance! The food was fantastic and we got to meet David himself. We eat out a lot and have eaten at some of the best restaurants around the globe and David's Kitchen truly stacks up against the best. The 180 day aged beef tenderloin is one of the top 3 steaks we have eaten but everything we had was fantastic! After dinner there is a great little piano bar as part of the restaurant before the main dining room where we had some delicious cocktails and listened to music. David, his wife and their team have created an amazing little place and I would recommend it to anyone! Make a Reservation, I imagine most do not get as lucky as we did with getting in last minute!"

Arumdalu: "Great experience"

"The best resort on the island, the beach at the back of the resort is totally private, feels like i owned the beach by myself, food at the resort is great, just abit pricey for belitung island... But so far this is the best experience ... "

Reverie Siam: "Perfect in every way"

Don't often write a review BUT this resort deserves a really good report. It is elegant tastefully decorated gardens are delightful and restaurant excellent. Best hotel we have stayed in ever . Very French /Asian in style and it just works so well. Staff were wonderful to us and we were in the least expensive rooms. Shuttle to town when ever we wished and pick up at our convenience. On the river and looking up to the mountains at the White budda. Well worth a visit

Tugu Lombok: "Wir hatten eine phantastische Zeit!"

"Das Tugu Hotel liegt sehr einsam am Sire Beach auf Lombok. Wir hatten für einen Aufenthalt von 5 Nächten eine Svarga Villa gebucht. Die einzelnen Villas verteilen sich über ein sehr großes Gelände, welches direkten Strandzugang hat. In den Pool-Villas hat man direkten Meerblick. Wir haben unseren Aufenthalt sehr genossen und das Tugu gehört zu den TOP-Hotels, in denen wir jemals übernachtet haben. Das Servicepersonal ist unglaublich freundlich und hilfsbereit und man wird in der ganzen Anlage immer mit dem Namen angesprochen (was für mich nach wie vor rätselhaft ist, wie das funktionieren kann :) ) Das Frühstück wird á la Carte serviert, was sicher etwas Zeit in Anspruch nimmt, dafür aber unglaublich lecker und frisch ist. Außerdem hat man keine zeitliche Beschränkung für das Frühstück...also auch frühstücken mittags um 12 geht! Die einzelnen Villas sind alle individuell eingerichtet und man kann überall auf dem Gelände und in der Villa sehr schöne Antiquitäten entdecken. Einziges kleines Manko: beim Abendessen ist man eigentlich auf das Restaurant im Hotel angewiesen, da es in der Umgebung keine Restaurants gibt. Das Essen im hoteleigenen Restaurant ist sehr lecker und die Umgebung ist sehr stilvoll (ehemaliger Fürstenpalast). Wir haben im Hotel auch einen individuellen Ausflug gebucht: Wanderung durch die Reisterrassen und zum Wasserfall. Das war unglaublich schön und perfekt organisiert. Den Transfer hat das hoteleigene Fahrzeug mit Fahrer durchgeführt. Achtung für die Anreise: wenn Sie von Bali kommen, nutzen Sie am Besten das Speedboot, dann sind Sie innerhalb 15 Minuten von der Anlegestelle beim Hotel. Der Flughafen ist sehr weit entfernt (ca. 2 Stunden Autofahrt!). Herzlichen Dank nochmals an das Team und das Management des Tugu Hotels! Wir haben uns wirklich sehr sehr wohl gefühlt!"

The Cabochon Hotel and Residence: "Truly Lovely"

Like something a little bit more genuine and truly beautiful? Cabochon is the place for you! So much nicer than the big 5 star monoliths. Cool, Friendly, H helpful and ohh so stylish. Gorgeous rooms. If you like interior design you will love staying here. Really well located but hard to get a cab from here, leave plenty of time when you need one

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Ethical safari company and wonderful staff; game safaris are a bonus! A++++"

"Summary: If you want a unique and special experience – come and stay here! Seeing a leopard is just a bonus! The safaris, the camp, and the team are brilliant. The company is ethical, environmentally-minded and the staff is knowledgeable, professional and passionate. You will not regret glamping, going on safari and generally having a brilliant time. I would recommend Noel Rodrigos Leopard Safaris to anyone and everyone! We went on a few safaris during our time in Yala but Leopard Safaris was so superior in every sense of the word! My only regret was not staying longer!!! I recently stayed with my husband and 8-year-old son. After a short drive from the pick area, we got received with a warm welcome and a cold towel. Well, Noel Roderigo’s Leopard Safaris, you had me at cold towel.... it continued to get better and better from there. We got a fresh coconut drink and then shown to our tent. The tent Hailing from Australia we are very used to camping. Often, we just throw down a swag or a very thin mattress on the ground. Glamping is the ultimate in camping – you get a real bed and awesome amenities. You get the excitement of camping with the creature comforts. It makes the entire experience so special. The fact that everything is ecological friendly makes this experience even more unique. The fact they have NO plastic made me so proud of them! What a wonderful thing to do and it just shows that Noel walks the talk of eco-tourism! I would say that getting the tent with the a/c is probably a good idea during hot times of the year. We got the unairconditioned tent and we did sweat a bit. Each ‘bedroom’ and the main area did have a small fan and you did get some air flowing through the tent too. If I had to have one criticism, it was the tent zips. I can see how this would be a hard thing to maintain. Sometimes when you closed the tent the zip would pop open. You could do it but you had to have a few goes. Cuisine Wow, just wow! The meals were some of the best we had during our 2.5 months in Sri Lanka. The chef also made a non-spicy variety for our super fussy son. Our son didn’t eat it but that is no reflection on his cooking ability, as our son doesn’t eat much other than bread! Following each meal, there was an interesting explanation of the ingredients or the meals. They were all traditional Sri Lankan meals and utterly delicious. If you do not cope with spice, as one of the other visitors didn’t, you might want to mention this. It was hot and spicy but that is the way we love it! Each meal was different and the selection interesting. The amount of food was generous. They also source all food locally. Each meal was set up at a different location within the camp and it was beautifully decorated each time. Our son absolutely loved making the string hoppers with the traditional press. You do need to realise you are eating under the stars, literally, and I had bugs come say hello. I am not sure why they decided I was the most exciting. But if you fear bugs, I would say maybe you need to go to a more sterile environment! The camp The entire camp was rustic, practical but also gorgeous. There were many areas just to relax and wind down. At night, it was utterly beautiful - You had small lights guiding you everywhere in the camp at night. The lounge/bar area was beyond beautiful during the day but at night, it was light up with candles and was perfect. We got some light snacks, again delicious and wound down with a wine or beer. Its a really nice way to relax prior to dinner. My husband did open the portable A/C unit in this area and did end up jumping about 10 feet into the air when a small brown snake sprung out of the unit at great speed! It was just exciting and great to see that nature was so chilled it popped in for a swim. It could be free and wild even in the camp! The snake was not dangerous. They were building a new addition - a pool! That will be an unreal addition! I can imagine how relaxing that will be. Ecological and ethically minded tourism Everything about Leopard Safaris is well thought out and has a purpose, yet looked awesome too! You can feel good about staying here. Often I feel a little sick when I see water in plastic bottles, here they stored in glass bottles in the camp and in metal bottles on game drives! What a novel idea! It really should be the NORM!! Electricity is from solar panels and a dual battery system in their safari jeeps. When they are driving it will recharge a battery, how cool is that?! I looked around and everywhere was “reduce, reuse and recycle”. You drink from jars, the basins are upcycled from pots, the fences and bridges are from fallen branches etc. etc.I could go on and on about these examples. As I said before, there is no plastic anywhere! You even had a sink that filtered the tooth paste you spat into the small basin! Our son also got to plant a tree in the camp. It was a lovely touch and great to teach kids about carbon footprint in a practical sense. Plus in the future, you can come visit ‘your’ tree. The company also funds a number of environmental and community programs. Just prior to our safari I was reading about them giving aid to those affected by the 2017 floods - transporting supplies. Again, they walk the talk! It is so refreshing to see! We did have one somewhat unnerving experience. The farmer next door used a VERY loud firework to scare away the elephants 4 or 5 times. We had a mobile to call the team but I think maybe they should have called us to say, “don’t worry the world is not ending”. It was so loud! Plus, I could hear the elephant breaking the trees and I am unsure how close it got but the farmer needed to set off way too many to scare the elephant away. It added to the excitement but I am not sure how great that is for the elephants. We got told it was an unusual occurrence though, as the fence near the camp had been broken a few days earlier. Safaris As I said, the safaris are just the bonus! Even though the leopard did elude us, I know we were very close a number of times. It didn't matter though (well I did want to see one!) but we saw countless other animals and birds, and we had an utterly wonderful experience. A highlight was a crocodile trying to climb a tree to get away from an angry buffalo! The Jeep – was very comfortable, drink bottles, cold drinks in an Esky, snacks, guide books and binoculars. It was well maintained and comfortable. Our Naturalist/Guide – Saamera He is a wonderful person and guide. He is so passionate about wildlife conservation and it really showed. He is very engaging and has excellent English. He is well versed and well educated about wildlife. I really enjoyed talking to him at length about conservation during our meals. He has the world’s most sensitive ears and was constantly on the lookout for signs of leopards and all other wildlife. It was great that he also didn’t talk all the time. Silence is golden at times. He had the mix right. If we asked a question, he answered with knowledgeable answers. Again, comparing to other “guides” we met who clearly made up the answers. The driver – Praneeth He was such a great driver. Actually, he was amazing! He drove at a reliable speed and it was comfortable. I felt like he could have a lot to offer in terms of guiding too, he clearly knew his stuff. He heard so many noises and looked for tracks, and knew all the cues. Other jeeps you can just see screaming around the place with no purpose. The team Saamera and Praneeth worked together and would discuss where to go next if they heard a noise that meant leopards were near. You could tell they liked working together. I feel bad I do not know everyone’s name but everyone was great! I guess my only criticism is – where are the chicks at? Maybe they are a distraction? Haha. Either way! I think having some females around the camp would be great! All that said, I would have loved to have met the “Master” himself, Noel! In his absence, his team does a great job. Conclusion We did a 1-night safari with 2 game drives and I really wish we did 2 nights. 1 night was just not enough! I cannot wait to return to see the leopards that did elude us! We were so close several times hearing many warning calls. I would love to return one day soon and even try out the Wilpattu glamping location you offer. I already know the level of care, service, and diligence will be sensational. Thank you, Noel, Saamera and the entire Leopard Safaris team! You are head and shoulder above 99% of the other operators out there. Please do not ever change your spots!"

Locavore: "Incredible food experience!"

We went to this restaurant for our wedding anniversary, and it was an incredibly good experience. Everything was perfect, starting with the really nice staff, the place itself and obviously the food. Talking about the latter, we saw people complaining about it, this place is intended to be a really slow food experience, with 7 or 5 main dishes and roughly 10 complementary other small snacks, all together it takes over 3 hours, not for everyone. But the composition of the dishes is simply awesome, recommended for the lover of the good food!

Tugu Malang: "Excellent stay"

Stayed 4N. Fantastic all round services, food, location, hotel ambience. Highly reccomend. Travel from Surabaya a/p to Malang not so convenient -by car took us 3 hrs. Return to Surabaya by executive train to Gubeng, city station- no stress 2 hrs.