Guest Reviews

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "and RELAX"

"My wife and I stayed for 5 nights in Dec 2017. The location is beautiful and the atmosphere very relaxing. ACCOMMODATION - 5 stars. Very large comfortable beds. Natural products used in the furnishings/floor. BOSE sound dock a nice touch. Tea facilities would have been nice. Large airy rooms. Wi-Fi worked well, but could only get it in the room/veranda. I would have liked to have received it by the pool (not a big deal). POOL - The pool is the best we have ever been too (great sunset view). RESTAURANTS - We ate in both the main restaurant and seafood restaurant. The main restaurant is a beautiful large wooden structure, local in design. The food here was very good; however it did lack some atmosphere/ambience. Some soft chill out Indian lounge/retreat music would have been perfect, but no music at all, made the room feel quite big and empty. The seafood restaurant was in our opinion overpriced for what we received. My Tiger prawns (£16) were served rather bland and accompanied with broccoli and carrots (hardly the Indian cuisine experience I was hoping for). Beers/Wine prices are NOT shown on the menu and are EXPENSIVE so be warned. Not sure why there is no transparency with this (maybe it's a Kerala law). SERVICE/STAFF - Outstanding FACILITIES - We had the pleasure of going on a half day Spice Hill Plantation/Nature tour. We highly recommend doing this tour. Indian nature at its very best......A MUST DO !!! My wife committed herself to yoga every morning which she thoroughly enjoyed and also completed a TA meditation course, which she also thoroughly enjoyed, given by the founder of the establishment Alistair (very nice genuine man). GROUNDS - The gardens, pool and beach are all very well maintained and the location is perfect for unadulterated relaxation. The sea was warm and perfect to swim in. Don't miss the sunset !!! SUMMARY - In short the only thing we would change, would be to add some suitable music/ambience into the main restaurant, a bit more imagination with the cuisine in the fish restaurant and some transparency with the alcohol. Apart from that we thought the place was outstanding and we will have no hesitation in returning. It's a perfect place to unwind; but if you do decide to stay here, do yourself a favour and make the effort to venture out to experience the real India/Kerala."

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. "

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Truly boutique!"

"I visited this property while on work and was totally floored by the excellent service and the look and ambience of it. Quaint thatched roof cottages (some with their own private swimming pool and jacuzzi) are named uniquely after emotions like Peace, Love, Joy. Amazing sea views and a sandbar between the sea and the lagoon had me clicking away at my camera!!. The infinity pool faces the sea and looks inviting. The staff from the spa therapist to the restaurant stewards took very good care of me..As a single woman traveller, they made me feel safe and very comfortable. The resort does NOT use mineral water bottles at all! Water is served in glass bottles or copper jugs. The rooms also DO NOT have televisions so it is perfect for a digital detox holiday. The Common Room has a TV for those who cannot do without their daily dose of television bytes......There are two restaurants..One of them has a great collection of books which guests can borrow to read. A WOW experience I would love to repeat with my family! Room Tip: Choose cottages with the sea view...lovely to wake up to the sound of waves!!"

Misool Eco Resort: "FABULOUS"

I can't say enough about this place or the people that run it and work there. The waters are AMAZING for snorklers. Everything about this place was perfect! It was an experience of a life time. I HIGHLY recommend it!!!

Hotel Tugu Bali: "Again…. FANTASTIC !"

"Second time at Tugu Amazing moment at Ji restaurant Extreme quality sushi and best view of Canggu to see the sunset; the rooftop is gorgeous. On Thursday, you have à Balinese spectacle, a “must see” The staff is smily and professional I am sure you will enjoy "

Chakrabongse Villas: "Off the Scale !"

We arrived in Bangkok with a few hours to discover the city and enjoy the hotel. Wow - there are not enough words except to say Thank you Paul Walker at Secret - Retreats - what a place and what an amazing hotel. This is not a hotel its an experience and without doubt the best place to stay in Bangkok ! A royal palace with a difference, ooozing style, charm and service you cannot ask for anything better ! Thank you xxx

Talabgaon Castle: "Great heritage resort"

We stayed here for two nights and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our heritage room was tastefully decorated in a tradional style and made good use of the original arched architecture, quite charming. The monogrammed bedlinen and fluffy white towels were beautiful, and not found elsewhere in our four weeks in India. The gardens and pool area were beautifully maintained, and a great place to relax and dine. Service was sometimes slow, but it is good to see that locals are being trained to provide it. The food when it came was excellent. In all, a wonderful place to chill out, and great value.

NOEL RODRIGO’S LEOPARD SAFARIS: "Birdlife amazing"

"Great food and atmosphere. More importantly, the wildlife! Only one leopard but the birdlife was fantastic - so close to so many beautiful and impressive species. Also the location meant that we explored Yala away from the crowds. "

Villa Song: "Holiday"

"Fantastic hotel, great staff, lovely pool great food. This hotel is a must for anyone visiting Hochiminh city It's on the river about a 15 minute drive to the centre of Hochiminh but the hotel put on a free shuttle service for those wishing to visit the centre which we used"

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "This is the hotel I am always looking for"

I had a very warm welcome in the resort my room is beautiful I would better say this is a villa in a lovely magnificent garden near the huge wonderful pool overlooking the ocean dot The room is very spacious with a huge bed sitting area working table and lovely attached bathroom outside with a great bathtub and shower with all the great amenities you can imagine. The room Setup is magnificent with the beautiful flower decoration. I really love this please just highly can recommend it.