Guest Reviews

Manda De Laos: "special spot in special town"

Favorite of many good ones in Luang Prabang. Built around a UNESCO protected fish pond, with wood decking and a lounge area. Beautifully lit at night. Sensational Laos food with French touch. Lovely French hostess. We recommended to two sets of people we met, all of whom enjoyed it as much as we did.

Le Du Wine Bar & Restaurant: "Outstanding creative meal by a wunderkind chef"

I went to Le Du after several excellent meals in Bangkok, which is a foodie heaven. i was blown away by the creativity and the unusual flavours. Le du offers a terrific changing set menu from which to choose. For starters, I had the shrimp-pork ball with jasmine ice cream, intense and succulent. Followed by an adventurous ant larvae-in-fish-fermented sauce - it was unusual in texture and flavour, memorable. Then an interesting chicken dish and a finger-licking dessert. The staff are young and enthusiastic, and the open kitchen provides some theatrics. Chef Ton, a young Thai, was personally supervising. All in all, Le du was an eye-opener, and showing the way forward for fusion food

Rachamankha: "Haven of tranquility…"

We stayed here for 5 nights in July 2015, and can honestly say what a magical place it is. It’s in a brilliant location within the old town, and yet is so peaceful and tranquil. The layout of the hotel feels beautifully designed and considered. The service and staff and are very professional, helpful and friendly, in particularly Paul the manager. If you have chance to stay here then do - it really is unique and we couldn’t recommend it more!

Reverie Siam: "Exceeded high expectations"

"This is a gem of a hotel. An oasis in an oasis. Visually pleasing from the very first sighting. The hotel is just 10 minutes away from the small airport (no noise issue - there are only two flights a day at this airport!) and though one drives through some uninspiring immediate surroundings, once you enter the hotel, it is pleasing to all the senses. The garden and all the individual fittings reflect the detailed care and attention of the brother/sister/brother-in-law team. The food, which leans heavily towards Mediterranean is a match for any restaurant in Bangkok, the drinks are good value at 1/2 to 1/3 of equivalent Bangkok hotel price and the live music with alternating crooners are absolutely superb. Good pool and excellent care and attention by the entire staff. Easy lift in the hotel's Tuk tuk to the town's delights. Perfect."

Reverie Siam: "Wonderful Boutique Hotel"

"Stayed here for 4 nights, second floor mountain view. two swimming pools beautiful gardens wonderful FnB... the 3 hour drive from Chiang Mai was magical... like arriving in Shangri La They had two wonderful musicians playing in the lounge when we had our evening cocktails. Such attention to detail in the design. Somebody has paid an awful lot of attention to this resort, I only wish I could have met the manager to thank him in person. No exaggeration to say one of the best hotels we have stayed in. The breakfast was fantastic, the cappuccino cinnamon toast was the best in the world. Cannot recommend highly enough Top Tip... grab a beer and head down to the gazebo by the river with your book and just chill out! Don't rely on Google Maps to get you here... it directs to through town to the other side of the river... the hotel is 1km down the street next to the police station"

Maison Polanka: "Way Beyond What We Expected"

We are swept off our feet with the warm reception given us at this beautiful property. We had a perfect stay and we are certainly coming back. We have been to Angkor/Siem Reap before and we were quite particular that this trip would not be a standard Angkor visit. The maison and their staff were very sensitive to our preferences and made every effort to make us feel truly at home.

Slow Villas and Spa: "Relax, recharge and rejuvenate"

"We spent 3 nights in Slow Gili Air and just had the nicest experience. We planned on staying only one night and ended up staying 3 nights...thats the perfect time to get the slow feeling in completely :) Everything is made with love and thought through with great taste. From the beautiful cutlery to the cellphone bags, we were just charmed by the planning and realisation of this private villa. It is a home away from home. If you like you can even prepare your own meal in your kitchenette or order food from the best restaurants on the island, slow staff will get it for you. We also had a great Aloe Vera Massage at the brand new spa. The staff just came back from their training in Bali and was absolutely qualified. Generally the staff is super friendly and helpful, as all people in Indonesia :) They arrange everything for you Snorkelling, Horseback riding, Diving, etc. Slow Villas is just a beautiful place with beautiful people <3 and I will recommend it to everybody."

Le Passe-Temps: "Highlight of our trip"

We were on a family holiday in Khao Thong for 2 weeks with my husband, our 2 kids, my dad and his girlfriend. We contacted Olivier via email to make a reservation for dinner. They sent through the menu and price for that night and we arranged a time for someone to pick us up. Arriving there was breath taking, the setting, the atmosphere and then that view! simply stunning! The kitchen normally doesn't open until 7.30 but they suggested serving our dinner earlier as we had 2 little kids with us. We had a cocktail on the beach while gazing at the sunset with our feet in the warm sea water, followed by a lovely dinner served family style. Portions were on the smaller side but they give many dishes so we never went home hungry. Everyone who worked there was so lovely, spoke English and French very well and so accomodating. We went back once more for dinner and one morning for paddle boarding. Will definitely consider this resort to stay at next time we come to Krabi!!!

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Welcome to paradise"

"That's what Massi said to us when he greeted us at the beach upon our arrival at the Golden Buddha. Having spent amazing 9 nights there, we can confirm that Golden Buddha is a very special place that I would have no doubt calling our own paradise. The setting is truly idyllic, the houses are beautiful and it is incredibly relaxing with all your needs catered for by a very friendly team of staff. We enjoyed seeing monkeys and hornbills at the resort and although it takes one or two nights to get used to being so close to the nature (particularly at night when we had some visitors in our rooms and open air bathrooms), we have already been missing being woken up by birds, cicadas and crashing waves. We chose Golden Buddha as our family reunion (from UK, NZ, Germany and Poland) and we couldn't have asked for a better place to spend time together. It was my mum's 60th birthday and Massi organised a birthday meal for all of us in our baan which was very special and at no extra cost (included in half board). Not wanting to repeat all the compliments already mentioned in previous posts, I wanted to highlight the fact that there is a wide choice of activities too - we went for a snorkelling trip to Surin Islands which was great fun, even for those in our group who were new to snorkelling. You can also rent kayaks and go paddling up the small river among mangroves (it was peaceful and very easy with the tide coming in) or go to the nearby islands for some more snorkelling. We also took advantage of yoga classes with Alex who was a great teacher. The location of the yoga sala allows you to enjoy the early morning view of the bay whilst doing your sun salutations, just amazing! Or just get in a hammock or sit on a veranda and relax to the sound of waves crashing few meters away from you... You choose how to enjoy this paradise yourself:)"

Maison Polanka: "Stay here for wonderful personal service. Deserving of a 7/5 rating not merely 5/5"

"I will start with the summary: tranquil garden, great room, excellent F+B, attention to detail, but the wonderful staff is what made our stay in Siem Reap a truly memorable one (in addition to the the magnificent ruins, of course). The small touches such the chilled towels in the car and upon our return to Maison after each of our trips were truly appreciated. They provided a mobile phone with Maison's number preloaded in directory, another thoughtful and helpful detail. We found the staff not merely polite and helpful but genuinely concerned about our well-being. Maison arranged tuk-tuk rides for our trips into the center of town and the drivers were courteous. Our car/van driver was friendly and informative on the ride back to the airport, making us feel welcome in Cambodia even as we were about to depart. We cannot remember all the names of all who took care of us but special thanks to to Kathy and Sorpana (?) at reception for all their attention to us. Of course, we cannot say enough about Francis. From the initial email exchanges to our actual stay he remained on top of everything. We appreciated his meeting us at the airport on our late night arrival, something we did not expect. Initially I had considered one of the larger hotels but chose to look for a boutique hotel instead. I chose Maison based on both excellent reviews and the compelling back story as told on the hotel webpage. Several email communications with Francis were promptly answered; he readily addressed concerns about airport transfers (a hotel van is available; recommended as tuk-tuks and taxis may not know the hotel or its location) transport to the town center (tuk-tuks that the hotel apparently has an arrangement with and will wait for you at your destination in town). Maison Polanka is located on the east side of the Siem Reap river in a quiet secluded neighborhood (the nearby Po Lang Ka pagoda is what presumably gave name to the road and hotel), about 9km away from the airport and 2.5km from the markets in downtown Siem Reap. The Angkor National Museum is the closest site of interest within very easy walking distance less than 1km from Maison. Of course, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are much further away 6.5km and 11km respectively. We rode the hotel van for our tour of the temples and took tuk-tuks to town. The hotel grounds are meticulously maintained, heavily wooded and thus shaded. There were flowering plants everywhere including orchids and butterflies were flitting around from bloom to bloom. There were just a few rooms. The largest accommodation was the Khmer House, a stand-alone building. We had booked the the Yellow Room in the ""Maison"" which also housed the Green, Orange, and Purple Rooms. Francis told us that Maison could accommodate at most 15 guests and that the entire hotel has been booked in the past for family reunions. Check-in was smooth; we had the first of many culled and scented wet face towels to freshen us up. We were also given glasses of chilled fruit juice while we waited to complete check-in. We were then led to the Maison building and askedo leave our shoes at the bottom of the stairs. The Yellow Room lived up to what the hotel website promised, as did the entire property. The decor was rustic with sophisticated touches. A small plate of sliced fresh fruit had been left on the desk for us to enjoy. The amenities were as listed on their website. The bathroom was actually on a higher level with a short flight of stairs curving up from the far corner of the room. We had no issues with the stairs but it could get wet and slippery. Having traveled with my elderly parents I have become more acutely aware of the need for secure handholds; a single handrail at the corner where the stairs make a left turn on the way up would a world of difference. The bathroom was spacious. The shower stall was large and even had a small tile bench along the wall. I do not recall how textured the floor tiles were but I did not see a rubberized bath mat with suction cups that other hotels sometimes offer. Again, a small handrail at the level of the threshold of the shower would help steady anyone stepping out of the shower. Not that the the edge of the shower was raised very high, just a couple of inches perhaps. The bed was comfortable and we slept well on both the nights during our stay. There was a narrow balcony that we never ventured out on. We had our meals at the ""Sala"", the open-sided communal area by the pool that served as lobby, living room and dining room. What I had initially thought was the reception desk turned out to do double duty as a bar. There was an adjacent area with couches and armchairs clearly meant as a lounging area for those not interested in relaxing by the pool. As one might expect for a kitchen serving such a small number of guests the menu was not extensive but our meals were well-prepared and delicious. The young ladies serving us were attentive but not hovering over us. We had our not had dinner by the time of our late arrival but I had made arrangements with Francis beforehand and, once we had freshened up, dinner was quickly prepared for us. Should our travels ever take us back to Siem Reap we will definitely be staying at Maison Polanka again."