The Village House: "wonderful people"
"Most reviews describe the lovely setting and the tranquility of Village House but for me the people there are amazing. Ever friendly and helpful, they helped to make my trip to Sarawak the wonderful experience that it turned into! The food was amazing as well.... try the chefs Sarawak Laksa... You'll not be disappointed!! If you're looking for a base to explore the Santubong/Kuuching area, that is quiet and slightly off the beaten track but accessible to the outside world? Try Village House"4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "Amazing experience"
"What an amazing experience it was to stay at 4 Rivers floating lodge. I only have positive things to say, starting with the warm welcome at their reception area , to the boat trip, friendly and efficient team ! The tents are extremely comfortable, the attention to details is quiet exceptional !!! The breakfast is gigantic , the food is good. 4 rivers is very much involved in preservation and supporting local community, they raised money to build a school in a small village nearby. It was a very special moment and one of the best accommodation I saw in Cambodia. Will be back for sure !"Maison Polanka: "Slice of Paradise"
After a long, hot day visiting temples, driving up to the front gates of Maison Polanka was a welcome relief. You knew from the moment you stepped through the gates, you would be well taken care of and be in an oasis of green. The staff treated us like long lost family and knew all our names from the moment we arrived. Our room (purple room) was spacious and well appointed with a great shower. It was clean and perfect. Meals by the pool were peaceful and delicious. There was really no reason to leave to go for meals. The swimming pool was small but the perfect place to cool off. My son (10yrs) was entertained by the bunnies and puppy and wandered the property freely. The tours and tuk tuks that were arranged were fantastic and reasonably priced. All in all, a great experience.Satri House: "Fabulous hotel, charming and comfortable"
We spent 5 days with our 3 kids aged 10, 12, 14. I prefered Satri to the more expensive 5 stars hotels. Indeed, we found Satri house to be more charming because of the traditional asian style and the tropical garden. The hotel is also very comfortable with good amenities, wifi, and pool. The restaurant has both asian and french and is excellent. Good service also. Some small improvement ideas include mosquito net on the window, a place to dry cloth, more hot waters (only 1 bath capacity now)... but still fantastic hotel, highly recommendedRice & Zen Boutique Resort: "Heaven on earth"
"We were two rather tired middle aged parents with two of our daughters (aged 18). Sea Dance could have been set up with just us in mind. One daughter is working out in Thailand and we came over with one of her sisters for three weeks. One of them was spent at Sea Dance and I was not joking when I told Faith that when the others left I would be hiding in the wardrobe and planned to stay forever. We booked into a double chalet. So we had two interconnecting double rooms each with gorgeous bathroom and our own private pool. Do not underestimate the bliss of a private pool. We are not talking an olympic monstrosity, even I only managed two strokes from one end to the other. On the other hand, at the end of the day we bobbed around in the pool in the warm evening sun with a G&T and the evils of work responsibilities etc melted away. We spent an afternoon with Doi (my apologies if my spelling is off) learning how to cook green curry, seafood salad and chicken and ginger stir fry. I don't care how experienced you are in the kitchen, this is worth doing. I have been cooking since I was about six, my mother is an expert in historical cooking with a library to match, there is little in the kitchen that surprises or scares me yet even I learned subtle and interesting tips. Back home a week or so I cooked Tom yum. Once I would have needed a recipe - Doi gave me the confidence to create it on my own and my super critical Tom Yum husband loved it! I also had a massage in the spa. This is not your run of the mill five star spa. This is an authentic, no English spoken, work out between you and your masseuse, spa. It was bliss. I had a several massages in thailand from the ""Oh heck put the stick away please"" foot massage in JJ market in Bangkok, to the ""oh please don't wake me up"" and ""I wasn't snoring"" massages in Chiang Mai. A bonus was that I bumped into Doi in her herb garden on my way back to our chalet. Doi gave me a guided tour around her garden, explained what she grew for the kitchen and what she grew for the spa. For an old fashioned gardener like me that was the most wonderful way to end the massage from heaven. there are any number of luxury hotels and resorts on Ko Samui. If you are looking for a personal touch, for a spot of luxury without bankruptcy and any number of wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly staff (Faith is worth twice her weight in gold at the very least) then come to Sea Dance. Or better still ...don't ...so that there will be room for us when we return. Stayed March 2017, traveled with family"Slow Villas and Spa: "Fantastic place, lovely staff"
"My girlfriend and I had a lovely stay at Slow. Location: It's a 10-15 min walk from the harbour and all flat. Once there, the west coast beaches are a 5 min walk, with some really great restaurants/bars on the quieter North West on the island. Staff: Always lovely, polite and helpful. They booked everything we needed, transport to and from the island, snorkelling day trips and SUP experiences. Accommodation: Stunning villas, great bed. Enjoyed the outdoor shower/bathroom. No bar or restaurant at Slow, but there are loads all over the island and I am not a fan of spending all day inside your own resort."Mrauk U Princess Resort: "Heaven in Mrauk U"
From Sittwe, you must take a boat. Please don't think about this as something you need to do before getting to where your holiday starts. Make the boat ride the adventure. Mrauk Oo Princess Resort has a lovely boat, where you and your friends can relax and witness life on the water as you pass by remote villages, pagodas and breathtaking views. We arrived at night with the whole resort lit up by lovely lights. Stunning. The staff was so incredibly friendly and the food was exceptional. I actually prefer Mrauk U to the more touristy Bagan. One has some beautiful archeological sites to visit from Temples to ancient Pagodas. The highlight of my trip was the sunrise and sunset that Mrauk Oo organized for us. I was not sure what to expect, but was up at 5am and was taken by car to a pathway that was a 10 minute hike to a very old Pagoda that had the most amazing view, with only my group around, we got to the top and coffee/tea and croissants were awaiting us, as the sun came up over this beautiful land. Our sunset was from a different location, the climb was a bit steeper but just as rewarding. Champaign was served instead of coffee. I felt very spoilt. For a slice of Myanmar paradise away from the hectic touristy spots, this is by far my favorite place in a long time.Slow Villas and Spa: "Best of the Gili islands"
Amazing place! Luxury, privacy and wonderful staff, definitely one of the best places to stay on the gili islands, thank you Julie and your slow family for having us! Couldn't recommend this place moreThe Apsara Rive Droite: "Schönes Hotel in zentraler Lage mit super Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis"
"Wir haben 3 Nächte im Apsara verbracht und fühlten uns sehr wohl. Unser Zimmer war sehr schön und liebevoll in Blautönen eingerichtet, ausreichend groß mit genügend Stauraum. Auch das Badezimmer ist großzügig geschnitten. Zu empfehlen sind die Zimmer im ersten Stock, da bei den Zimmern im Erdgeschoß direkt die Straße bzw. der Gehweg vorbei führt. Von unserem Balkon hatten wir einen schönen Blick auf den Nam Khan und konnten das Straßenleben beobachten. Wir können der letzten Bewertung überhaupt nicht zustimmen, es war zu keiner Zeit laut durch Straße oder Restaurant. Das Frühstück ist a la carte und wird serviert, es ist für jeden etwas dabei (Eier mit Speck, Pancakes, Müsli). Man erhält einen Brotkorb mit leckeren selbstgemachten Marmeladen, Kaffee/Tee und frisch gepressten Orangensaft. So fing der Tag super an. Die Mitarbeiter sind allesamt sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit. Auch der General Manager ist hat immer Zeit für einen kleinen Ratsch. Man kann sich kostenlos Räder ausleihen, welche in einem guten Zustand, können wir nur empfehlen. WLAN ist kostenlos und funktioniert. Das Hotel liegt sehr zentral und alle Sehenswürdigkeiten/Restaurants sind in Kürze und fußläufig erreichbar. Wir würden jederzeit wieder kommen und sind von der Preisleistung überzeugt. Room Tip: Zimmer im 1. Stock buchen"Glenburn Tea Estate: "Reminiscent of the Raj"
"I visited the Estate in May 2015 for a week with my family. The welcome drink at the airport and Break at a scenic location overlooking the confluence of 2 rivers with tea, muffins, sandwichs served in typical English style were a delight and set tone for a very different vacation. The Estate (1600 Acres, i was told) is nestled on a hill top and the view is just incredible. We managed to see the Kanchanjunga for 15 minutes on the day we came and thereafter, it remained cloudy during our stay The Food is very good, the tea is on demand (u can order any type u want.. n number of times) and the dinner is a formal sit down affair in the dining hall. They have a log house at the riverside .. the drive, fishing and food again is worth the time. For the excursions to city etc, u get a Scorpio with a driver, attendant in proper uniform who takes care of the food, water, logistics, toy train tickets, etc... u dont need to move a finger. Everything taken care of .. professionally. Visit their tea factory .. nice place to see how tea is made. All in all ... a great place to sit back, get pampered, enjoy the view, have tea and realise that you have been drinking apology of a tea all this time. Fantastic place ... great staff. Oh .. yes .. they still use cutlery from England."Travel Asia with Secret Retreats
Secret Retreats is a curated community of independent boutique hotel, villas, yachts and river boats keen to share their Asian Homes with travelers, sustainably and responsibly.
Conservation of the environment, culture and traditions of Asia is of paramount importance to all in Secret Retreats.
A community of like-minded hospitality professionals, we offer our guests authentic travel experiences that go beyond typical offerings to unveil the essence of Asia. Supporting the Asia based hoteliers and hospitality professionals and providing incredible holidays in Asia and tailor-made Asia travel itineraries direct to public ad travel agents.
Get inspired and make savings!
By booking direct with Secret Retreats and enjoy peace of mind from our full on the ground support. Contact our concierge and plan then book your Asia holiday now!