Guest Reviews

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Perfection"

"My wife and I love Thailand, and we wanted to find somewhere secluded, away from the touristy areas and bustling beaches. We fortunately stumbled across what can only be described as paradise and perfection. The Golden Buddha beach resort is a mix of golden beach and tropical jungle. Nature in its purest form. And how it should be. The majority of the staff come from the local village and surrounding area, which makes the experience so much more enjoyable, beaming smiles and five star service abundant. Massi the manager and Valerie the owner are absolutely fantastic, and the place is clearly run with happiness, joy, care and love! Nature as I have mentioned is abundant; Monkeys, colourful birds, geckos, butterflies and much more blend seamlessly into the background; along with the various lodge accommodations. We stayed in sea blue 2 . Which for a couple was perfect. The sound of nothing but the sea waves and birds singing. The beach on both sides of the island is very easy swimming, no currents. The sea is warm and refreshing. The sand is like shortbread and a wonderful golden colour. Most of the time we had the beach totally to ourselves as it's so private. If you want a place to totally unwind, be at one with nature; a place which cares about its eco sustainability and local people, then this is the place for you. We stayed for 3 nights but I personally feel 5-7 nights would have been even more pleasurable. All in all a 10/10 experience and we have already made plans to return."

Tugu Malang: "An absolutely marvellous hotel"

Stayed here 2 nights and wanted to move in! The hotel has a wonderful collection of artefacts and antiques. Could spend hours just looking at them. The staff were absolutely fantastic and couldn't do enough for us. The room was beautiful and spacious with a lovely bathroom. The pool area is exceptional surrounded by greenery. There is even a wonderful boutique with fantastic service. Food and presentation was wonderful. If I have to make any adverse comment (and it's very minor) is that I had a pot of tea first morning (very welcome as being British I drink a lot of tea) but only cups on second morning.

The River Resort: "Magical spot on the mighty Mekong"

This is a peaceful and tranquil spot, views of the river and surrounding mountains are stunning. Sunrise over the water was mesmerising. Chamapasak is a sweet little town and Wat Phou, an enchanting temple complex, is a short moped ride away. The staff were charming and attentive and helpful.

Tugu Lombok: "secluded paradise"

"We spent 7 nights at Hotel Tugu in an Aloon-Aloon villa. The place is wonderful. White sandy beach, spacious grounds and excellent food. This is not a large hotel by the nimber of rooms but the ""rooms"" are all quiet, spaced out dwellings. The aloon-aloon villas have their own small private garden but it was not needed the ground were so large you coud sit anywhere and be undisturbed. There were beds on the beach for quiet relaxation antd the sea was warm and shallow so very safe. The hotel is quite out of the way, about 2 hours from the airport, but once you get there there is no need to leave. Everything is qeitly understated. The rooms are decorated with local art and there are artifacts everwhere that seemed like they ought to be in a museum. Don't expect a trouser press and an airconditioned restaurant. You eat outside in a thatched roofed dining hall, just stunning. The atmosphere is so relaxing, no need to dress for dinner, just wash off the sunscreen and add a little insect repellant (probably not needed) and enjoy youselves. This is a special hotel but not if you want nightlife."

David’s Kitchen: "Fantastic"

This is by far the best dining experience I've ever had. David greets you at the door and visits your table during the dinner experience to make sure everything is well. I took my girlfriend for a date night here and everything went very well. They even presented her with a rose on my behalf at the end of the night! Highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great dining experience.

The Village House: "Borneo Adventure"

After 2 weeks of exploring Borneo this hotel provided the ideal rest and relaxation before flying home. We really enjoyed chilling out in the big recliners and the hammocks. Don't be put off by the initial setting, inside it truly is a gem and the food was the best of our whole holiday. The staff were friendly and the accommodation clean and tidy. Also don't miss the sunsets over the South China Sea.

Samanea Beach Resort: "Perfect for families"

"We stayed with several friends at Samanea, most of them families with kids, who loved the setting and the experience at the hotel. The villas are probably the largest in Kep, with huge beds and sitting areas. The showers are a special experience, and the outside seating areas are comfortable in rain or sun. The pool area is excellent, with a great size suitable for both kids and adults. The view of the sea is stunning, with a huge pier that is great for photos and sunsets! There are so many places on the resort to relax, with the nice canopy of trees, pool area, and sea view. It is not walkable to Kep beach or the crab market, so definitely need some sort of tuk tuk or rental transportation. What we were stunned most by was the excellent service--accommodating all of our needs and always helpful with all of our requests. Definitely recommended for long stays in Kep!"

Tugu Bali: "Traditional Indonesian colonial style hotel with interesting antique collection"

"Cangu is the new up and coming area in Bali. Now that Seminyak is getting too crowded Cangu starts developing. The Tugu hotel was visionary when it got build 20 years ago. It was the first hotel to set up shop in Cangu and it has a location right at the beach. It is a not a modern style hotel, but a classic Indonesian style hotel build like a colonial building with hardwood flooring and a dark wooden interior. Everything from the light switches to the taps in the bathroom is old looking. I doubt there is any other hotel in Bali that comes close in colonial looks and feel. Room 206 we stayed in was part of a house, which had inside and outside areas. We stayed at the top floor which had views over the garden towards the beach. Below us was room 106 which would not have these views. There were also amazing views of the lotus flower filled pond which had wooden walkways crossing it to link to the honeymoon suite. When we entered we were amazed about the huge open space entrance hall which had a huge wooden statue of a Garuda bird. The hotel is full of Indonesian antiques, with the owner collecting these over his lifetime and displaying them in his hotels. The service in this hotel is excellent with the Balinese people being ever so friendly to assist you. The hotel also has a large grass area which connects to the beach. It is full of statues, beds to chill out on, and at night it is beautifully candle lit with hundreds of candles. This is the perfect place to chill out and watch the sunset. In the mornings you can eat breakfast here as well and this is something I would certainly recommend. The hotel has 2 restaurants, one doing good Indonesian fare. You can also do an Indonesian style cooking class which we did. They have also recently opened the Ji restaurant, a Japanese restaurant which is located in a 300 year old Chinese building which was dismantled in Java and shipped to Bali. They do excellent sushi here, which not many places in Bali do. There is no kids menu here but they can order food from the Indonesian restaurant which does have a kids menu. Outside there is a decent size pool which has a part that is 2 foot deep, excellent for smaller children, and a 5 foot deep area. There is no barriers between these areas, so keep minding the small ones. This is a hotel is OK for children, there is no kids club here and the pool is not necessarily suited for really small children. You go to this hotel to feel part of Indonesia's history. It has been done exceptionally well. I would say go sooner rather than later before Cangu gets fully build up. We noticed a hotel being build right on the back of this hotel, planning rules in Bali are almost non existent. The Tugu was building a large net for climbing plants to provide the necessary privacy."

jing: "Why did we stay only one night?"

"Actually, the answer to the question in the title of this review is that we didn't have more time to spend on holiday. Our greatest mistake was not having two nights at this lovely hotel. Imam at reception was kind and welcoming. He made us feel right at home. The room was gorgeous and the courtyards of the hotel are lovely. The hotel is so quiet - it was the best night sleep we had the whole holiday! The breakfast was off a menu and the choices were both Chinese and Western. And both of our choices were delicious. We also decided to eat dinner at the hotel. It was ""upscale"" pricewise, but the food was excellent and well presented. We also were able to try some of the local dishes which we would have missed out on if we were just wandering the streets. We would recommend this hotel to anyone - and we hope that one day we will find ourselves back in the Jing Residence.... "

NOEL RODRIGO’S LEOPARD SAFARIS: "Superb"

"Last week, we spent two nights at this professional, 5*, friendly camp, where the tents are spacious, spotlessly clean and have a big comfortable beds. We were particularly impressed with the solar powered fans and the bucket shower, which staff happily warm up for you! Our guides were Saj and Danu, who made our stay so much fun. They are both highly informed, are very passionate and have great empathy with the animals and their knowledge is endless - they can identify every animal, bird or insect you point out to them. On our safaris we saw a sloth bear, elephants, crocodiles, fawn, barking and spotted deer, wild boar, water buffaloes, monitors, monkeys, eagles, and dozens of other beautiful birds. The most magical moment of our 3 week holiday was here. We arrived back from a late afternoon safari to be met with hot towels, and then walked along a lantern lit walkway to a comfortable lounge area and then to our dining table under the stars, where we ate the superb 5*** Sinhalese food, including local vegetables that we ate nowhere else in Sri Lanka - food to die for. Thank you so much Saj, Danu and all your team for making our stay with you so special. "