Guest Reviews

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "Wonderful property with a few tiny misses"

"Walking into the Blue Mansion really does take your breath away. It's a beautiful property with a sense of serene grandeur that photos don't *quite* do justice. Every courtyard, corridor, staircase and room just looked beautiful. The feeling of tranquility was such a contrast to the hustle and bustle of George Town. There is a new pool that is opening in January apparently. We could see it through a window and it looks AMAZING. The 3 daily tours (don't go into guest wings) gave a great historical background to the property, walking through the building afterwards you could feel the echoes of past inhabitants. Overall Would definitely stay here again, serene, relaxing, historical, photogenic! Room We stayed in a Liang room - Towkay. Liang is the base room type, but it is very big and spacious. Comfortable and appropriately decorated in keeping with the mansion. Snacks and juices were provided daily. The room was really welcoming and relaxing to come back to after a humid day of urban hiking and eating! Some other reviews mentioned mosquitos, we didn't have any problem. We were staying in the quiet wing, away from the hawker centre next door. That side has some decorative pools, so maybe an issue on that side, but we didn't have any problem at all with mosquitos or noise. Breakfast The breakfast is served in the central courtyard and was fine. Good coffee, fruits toasts, DELICIOUS spreads. There is also an a la carte menu of around 6 choices of local and western cooked breakfasts, which were good also. Not spectacular, but good. We didn't eat lunch or dinner there. The staff could sometimes take a looonng time to acknowledge you and the cooked breakfast could take it's time. Coffee was good :) Location Great. Walking distance to everything you need. Close to a hop on hop off bus stop if that takes your fancy. Service Good by Malaysian standards. Calls to the front desk were dealt with promptly, friendly and cheerful at all times. Tiny Misses The wifi in the room was great on the first day and then terrible for the next day or two. Really, really frustrating when using to research things to do and book tours etc. When we asked if it was being fixed, we were offered a pocket wifi to use out and about and in the room. This may have been mentioned in the room booklet, but we didn't notice it until our last day! We arranged an airport transfer, and understand that this is always going to cost way more than a taxi or uber. Pick up was good, in a nice car. Return trip they put us in a taxi that I think was waiting for someone else, the driver put the meter on when we sat down and had no idea that it was paid for by the hotel and had to go back in and check. I don't think they actually booked the return trip. We could have got a taxi ourselves and paid half the price we did. PS. Uber is so super cheap in Penang! Nice Touches Juices, treats most afternoons, and some nice soaps as Christmas presents (we were there on Christmas day), friendly front desk staff. Room Tip: Ask for rooms away from the Red Garden hawker centre. Ask for pocket wifi on arrival!"

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Total paradise and relaxation exceeding expectations"

"This was our first visit to this amazing resort. The journey there, from the welcoming sign at the airport, to a quick efficient drive to our boat to the bay, exceeded our expectations. The arrival view was mesmerising: a wide open bay with a vast long sandy beach with a little hut for lunchtime and a yoga sala, and of course dense nature. Massi, the manager, embodied true professionalism. He welcomed us to our beautiful house Baan Tamarind and gave us thorough details about the resort's amenities. Our house was beyond our expectations. With two stunning bedrooms both with an amazing view of the sea, and stunningly designed outdoor bathrooms, we also had an amazing living space upstairs as a canope amongst trees with a sunset view everyday! The food was probably the peak of the stay. The Club House has been renovated in a spacious way that makes you feel at home away from the busy city life. There is a new menu EVERYDAY (something rare in the hotel industry where after a few days, you run out of culinary options) with completely different meals - each very distinct and deliciously made at defying prices for the quality. The staff constantly walks around with smiles on their faces and are always available if you have an inquiry. The morning buffet and cooked meals are my favorite. You get to sit outside or inside (your choice, although I recommend outside due to the beautiful sea view) and make your own freshly squeezed juice. They have an amazing tea selection and of course the fruits are exquisite. I specially recommend their Thai omelette with rice - a must have during your stay, truly a taste of Thailand! I cannot describe the joy I felt when going to get massages. Porn and Poy are possibly the kindest ladies and although they may seem gentle based on their graciousness, their hands work wonders. I have had back problems for quite some time and honestly, felt rejuvenated every time I came out of the massage sala! The Thai massage is a must. In all, the hotel was anything I could have asked for. You are truly immersed in nature, at night hearing the strangest most relaxing sounds from this rich ecosystem to walking on their vast empty white sand beach with a light breeze brushing against you in the bright sun. Room Tip: Sea front views are the most rewarding due to the proximity to the beach and stunning view!"

Tugu Bali: "Entrancing trip back in time seductive and excellent"

"A quick drive apres arriving at Denpasar we bear down on this enclave with its own laidback vibe. Its got all the blah-blah yoga resorty stuff that allow people to reconnect with parts of themselves they should keep private. Entry is via a huge open foyer, supported by towering teak beams, with history everywhere. Our room is unique furnished with ancient artworks and a giant four-poster even bigger than ours back home. Dowenstairs is a private pool. Everything reeks of history of art deco. Its an entrancing trip back in time allowing us no chance to resist the hotel's seductive charms."

The Village House: "Great great Staff and Hotel out of Kuching"

"We stayed at village house for 3 night for the ester week end. First the place is charming, tastily decorated and the room and bathroom are really clean. But the second point and what made this stay so great was the service and the staff! A big thank you to Alifa, Flora and Eleesa for taking such a good care of us! Great advice and help to visit around Santubong village and some talk about the culture of Borneo. And a big congrats to the Chef (that call him just a cook, you should not when you are serving a 8 course menu ...) really talented and worth paying more than the Food court few km from the hotel (by the way run away from damai beach resort). So to sum up, definitely a place that i recommend 100%, great for a week end gateway from Singapore or as a step into your travel in Asia! "

Tugu Malang: "Very beautiful place with a lot of antique furniture"

Very nice place to stay and very good price with fantastic services. The restaurant menus just simply the most delicious food you can get. The traditional way of presentation is very interesting and beautifully done.

Bassac Mekong Delta Cruises by Secret Retreats: "Amazing"

"We spent one night on bassac three which was fantastic. Having had a terrible experience in Halong Bay we were worried- no need at all. We stopped at a coconut factory which was interesting and then joined the boat the cabins were clean and comfortable with an ensuite plenty of hot water. The boat cruised down the Mekong the guide was very knowledgeable and we had a shirt tour of a local village. The food was good and drinks reasonably priced Sitting on the deck watching the local river activity was fantastic, the visit to the floating market on a smaller boat the following morning was also excellent Highly recommended , excellent staff"

Cabochon Hotel & Residence: "Charming boutique hotel"

Great design, excellent food quiet. Lovely spot. I will definitely go back if I am in bkk again. Rooftop pool is added bonus. Helpful and friendly staff. I need to fill in 200 characters. So still writing.

Villa Song Saigon: "The very best Hotel in Vietnam if not SE Asia"

"As my review title says this is hands down the best hotel I've ever stayed at, Ive travelled the world and been luckily enough to stay at some amazing places but this place is just something else. Room: I booked this hotel for 2 nights to finish off my mini tour of Vietnam and my only complaint was I didn't book it for longer. We had the sanctuary river room which was stunning this room also had a small balcony however not all rooms do so its worth double checking, I didn't realise this and the hotel allocated the balcony room to us via email which is a fantastic touch. The room itself was large spacious and bright with modern touches but keeping its french colonial style and i don't think I've ever slept in a more comfortable or bigger bed! It must be about 10 foot long. Service: Absolutely out of this world. From the moment you arrive to check out all staff are helpful friendly and literally can't do enough to ensure your stay is a memorable one. On our last day we didn't fly till midnight so had asked if possible could we have a late check out, unfortunately for us the hotel was fully booked but we were assured that we could shower and use all facilities until we were ready to leave. 5 minutes after being told this Yega the GM called our room and offered us another room to use until 6PM as they didn't have anyone arriving to that room until 7.30PM that night. This was an amazing helpful gesture and made our last day much more comfortable the hotel only has 23 rooms all designed differently so i can see sometimes when full how it can be a logistical nightmare to accommodate such requests as ours but they were met without any problems and no extra charge. We only eat here once for dinner and the food was out of this world Kevin the head chef is always around mingling with guests telling you about his food and wines, He's a very talented knowledgeable man who really is at the top of his game in his role, He took time to tell me how they prepared and cooked the pork i had as well as asked us which strength cheeses and flavours we liked for the cheese board after dinner. Al A Carte Breakfast was amazing the both times we had it a wide range of western,healthy and asian cuisine to choose from. The eggs Benedict are a must all served with fresh fruits and juices and coffee. You can have this from 6AM till 10PM these are the little touches that set this hotel apart from anywhere else. Lastly make sure you make use of the hotels free speedboat to district 1. Miss all the madness of the traffic and speed up the saigon river taking in the views. There was only me and my partner on the boat and the captain took some amazing pics of us with the HCM skyline in the background he was great and it was a memorable experience. Villa Song Saigon i will be back!"

le passe temps: "Back to human values"

"This place is just a little paradise in a busy life time. The hosts are sinceres, human, warm, smiling and dedicated. Their team is their mirror, they make you feel home without being intrusive. A large choice of activities and amenities are offered, you can enjoy the time passes on the beach with book and drink, or a trip in their private boat..... At night you can drink fantastic cocktails and meet your neighbours to share your life, book, movie, emotional experiences. In the ""Passe temps"" the best human behaviors can be rediscovered! "

Villa Song: "River Retreat"

We spent four nights at the lovely Villa Song in August after a trip down the Mekong and it was a lovely surprise. The hotel is a beautifully restored French villa sitting right on the river in District 2. We chose to stay there because it is away from the hustle and bustle of District 1 and were very pleased with our choice. The restaurant on the river serves great food in a picturesque setting. The pool at the back of the hotel provides a peaceful retreat. Each of the rooms are different and we had one at the back with a little courtyard next to the pool which we were very happy with. The staff are excellent and the art work and presentation of the hotel is 5 star. We would not hesitate to stay at Villa Song next time we are in Ho Chi Minh.