Guest Reviews

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "The most amazing experience"

"O h my goodness! These people know about customer service! Not only the nicest people running this but really smart too. Knew everything about the wildlife so it was a great learning experience and so interesting. The level of detail they have gone into to make this a truly exceptional experience is unbelievable. The food is probably the best I've had in Sri Lanka and that's saying something! The accommodation is clean and so well designed. We were lucky enough to be staying in the beautiful master bedroom tent which is truly exquisite. Showering under the stars in complete privacy and safety is something I will remember forever. Our two teenage sons found this to be an awesome experience and as we know, teenagers can be a tough crowd to please! Sadly, we didn't see any leopards on either of the two drives but we did see plenty of other interesting wildlife. Others we met had seen some leopards on their drives so we were just unlucky and that can't be helped. None the less it was the highlight of our trip to Sri Lanka without question."

Rachamankha: "Beautiful place"

I really love this hotel so beautiful and quiet and great food and bar. Staff is friendly and If you looking for something special for holiday. This hotel is great one. I would love to back again. Thanks

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Just Fantastic"

"My mum and I stayed here in the luxury tent and it was fantastic. I poked my nose in the more Safari style tent and it was too basic for me but other people seemed to enjoy the adventure. The luxury lodge was air conditioned, spacious, comfortable, ensuite, hot water etc... the lounge for pre and post dinner drinks was welcoming and friendly, the food was AMAZING and the chef will do a cooking demo if you ask. We saw six leopards over four drives, just delighted. We used the back gate of block one and also block five. Such a pleasant experience, not crowded and very successful. When we checked out they asked for feedback, I said a pool would be good - half joking! It's coming! But it's fantastic without anyway. Go go go! Stayed March 2017, traveled with family"

The Island Lodge: "Wow"

"We started our day with a jolt. We had asked for a bicycle tour in the Mekong area, and started on 1A, one of the busiest roads in Vietnam. That lasted about an hour, and we almost died several times from close encounters with scooters, trucks and the like. This is not what we had signed up for. After that, to end the day at The Island Lodge was like a bit of Heaven. The hotel was small, unexpected, welcoming and a haven of calm. I don't get the rating systems. This hotel is rated three star. I would rate it much higher. The next day we stayed at a three star in Vinh Long. What a dump that was. Going from Heaven to Hell. And kudos to owner Michel. We like wine with our meals. Good and reasonably priced wine is hard to find in Asia. Leave it to a Frenchman like Michel to have an excellent house wine that is both good tasting and reasonably priced. And the meals were very very good. We only stayed one night. We wanted to stay more (you have no idea; near death experiences engender an appreciation for the finer things in life) and will be back. If you have the opportunity, do stay here. Stayed February 2017, traveled as a couple"

Sandat Glamping Tents: "Hidden paradise"

Unique lodging experience in the middle of paddy field. We stayed in a safari tent, reminded us of our high school days camping less the hardships. The interior was very elegantly decorated, thermal comfort was good. Hospitality was excellence but we had enough privacy. Highly recommended to those who look for temporary escape from hectic lifestyle.

Mathis Retreat: "Sejour à Ubud"

Charming hotel, great welcome, great food, great view of the rice fields, very good advice to organize tours excursions, away from downtown, quiet. Management speaking French. To make the discovery by bike and rice fields of Ubud

Satri House: "Excellent Place to end our trip of Laos"

"If you are considering a trip to Luang Prabang do yourself a favour and consider this hotel. We spent 4 nights here at the end of a tour of Laos and would thoroughly recommend this Boutique hotel. The grounds are beautiful, including a swimming pool and the rooms elegant, as one would expect from the former royal residence of Prince Souphanouvong. Our junior suite had a large bedroom, wardrobe area, huge bathroom with bath, separate shower and two washbasins and a separate loo. Plus an outside private balcony which overlooked the lilley pond. In the evening the staff would come in, prepare the nets around our four poster bed and put drinking water by the bed. Staff were all polite and service very good. Our package included breakfast served until 10.30 which was cooked freshly to order and of a good standard. Although a choice it is basically eggs, bread, cereal, yoghurt and tea/coffee, or noodle soup. We stayed over New Year where there was a Gala Dinner, including local dancers, floating candles and a small disco, which was very nice and in keeping with the surroundings. Wifi available free in rooms and ok by pool, but found it dropped off in the front courtyard. There is a spa should this be of interest to you. The hotel is situated about 5 minutes walk along the main road to the start of the Night Market and if you want to go to the river it is a 10 minute walk, all very easy, however there was always a Tuk Tuk or taxi outside the gate should you not wish to walk. There are also Bicycles for guest use if you wish. The flight path goes over the hotel so there are a few planes overhead during the daytime, but not that many or that noisy that it interferes with your enjoyment of the stay."

Samanea Beach Resort: "Beautiful hotel"

"Samanea is a beautiful hotel in an incredible setting. The grounds are immaculate and the gardens are perfectly kept. The pond is really lovely, and the swimming pool is excellent. The jetty and the boardwalk around the mangroves brings you closer to the sea and to nature. The bungalows are superb, with a separate lounge area and a nice indoor/outdoor bathroom. Not too many mosquitoes, which surprised me being close to so much natural water. Many guests are weekenders from Phnom Penh, so if you visit midweek you may even have the place to yourself. Staff very helpful. I also had no problem reducing the number of nights I'd booked when changed my travel plans. Areas for improvement: 1. Communication between managers and reception staff is poor. I needed to organise transport in several occasions, but constantly found myself having to start from the beginning each time I spoke to someone different. With the language barrier, this caused a problem more than once. 2. People have a habit of forgetting things! eg tuktuk pick-ups to take me to the bus station, forgetting to service the room one day, food items from the restaurant. 3. The restaurant could be better. Items out of stock one day after another, things missing from an order, breakfast not really explained very well (I'm still unsure what exactly is included in the room rate!), quality variable. Maybe it's because much of their business is done at weekends? 4. Wifi is very unpredictable. Similar hotels in many other countries/resorts could easily charge far more than the rates at Samanea and you wouldn't feel shortchanged, so, notwithstanding the things that could be improved on, Samanea gets 5 stars for being great value for money and having a very friendly bunch of staff always willing to help."

Villa Song: "Everything I hoped for!"

"Booked the Villa Song for our 3 night stay in HCMC. What a great choice. To be honest I found the city very over-whelming in terms of noise and people and pollution, so VS was an oasis of calm and peace. Our room was tiny, but wonderful and comfortable, and we had a little terrace overlooking the river. The breakfast was delicious every day, and we had lunch and drinks there at least once as well. Staff could not have been nicer - always smiling and helpful. We took the speedboat to the city with an awesome driver and a very nice Swiss couple. On the way back it was the awesome driver, the very nice Swiss couple and at least 6 other people. To say the boat was heavily laden and the journey was a bit nerve-racking would be a masterly understatement but we got there. :) Our last morning there was my birthday - I mentioned that to our waiter because I was ordering Mimosas for breakfast - and at the end of the meal I got a yummy little cake. I wish we had had more time to explore the area around the hotel - but maybe we will come back. The only thing that was bit of a downer was the polluted state of the river. There was always debris floating by and its dirty looking. Of course that is not the fault of the hotel, but it is worth mentioning. I still enjoyed watching it though."

Reverie Siam: "Like a dream"

Pai de bir gece kalacakken, cok begenip iki geceye kalmaya karar verdigimiz yer, otelin konumu ve dizayni harika. Iki gece villa da kaldik ve manzaraya bakmaya doyamadik. We just reserved one day for villa room but it was like a dream, and we stayed one night more. I strongly recommend here, hotel like a movie set.