Guest Reviews

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "PERFECTION, PERFECTION, PERFECTION"

"I've been travelling to India for many decades and over the years I have stayed in some amazing places, from Maharaja palaces to colonial mansions. What I can honestly say is that Neeleshwar represents the absolute perfection when it comes to resorts. We stayed for 4 nights and I only wish we could have stayed here for months! The location is heavenly, on the most magnificent, endless sandy beach one can imagine, completely unspoilt by any kind of development. The feeling of peace and quiet is mesmerizing. The architecture and layout of the resort is a model of good taste and sensitivity, with extremely comfortable a/c bungalows in the pure traditional architecture of rural Kerala. Open air bathrooms, supremely comfortable beds, high ceilings, shady verandas and cool interiors create a heaven of understated luxury and calm. This is barefoot chic at its best. The swimming pool is vast and crystal-clear, with plenty of comfortable pool beds and with a lovely view of the ocean. When it comes to food, I can only say that it is simply out of this world: Fantastic and huge breakfasts where one can choose from extensive menus, both international and South Indian. For lunch and dinner there are two exceptional restaurants, especially for seafood -perhaps the best prawn curry I ever had- plus a wide choice of vegetarian dishes and soups that change every day. The Ayurveda massages are truly top notch, and they use only natural organic ingredients. Quite simply, they are the real thing. Very highly recommended! Last but not least, I feel that I have to praise the hotel personnel, that are all impeccable: Extremely polite, eager to help, efficient and professional at the same time. I owe a very special ""THANK YOU"" to the General Manager, Mr. Jayan, who attended to all my needs as if he was an old friend. I am especially interested in the unique Theyyam ritual of northern Kerala and I was planning to publish an article about it. Mr. Jayan did all the necessary enquiries and found out the performances that were held in obscure villages during our stay. He also organized transport and even joined us on one of the late night Theyyams, which was the most amazing, otherworldly, intense experience. Therefore Neeleshwar is not just about having ""the rest of your life"" but also about experiencing a very unique aspect of real India. I cannot recommend this place highly enough and I would encourage anyone to spend a few -or more than a few- days in this Indian paradise"

Tugu Bali: "Staying in the middle of art and culture"

"We were travelling with three small kids (3,5,7) and Tugu hotel in Canggu was our last stop in Bali after staying in Intercontinental Jimbaran and the villas in Ubud and Lovina. We were looking for something different than the large chain hotels and Tugu hotel turned out to be just the right place. The hotel does not belong to the Small Luxury Hotels, Relais&Chateaux (they do not have any hotels in Indonesia yet?) or Boutique Hotels, so we found it kind of accidentally as our friends had recommended to stay in Canggu area and hotel Tugu is #1 in Canggu. The hotel could easily fit into the quality standards of the small luxury hotels. Although the hotel has a pool, this is not the reason to come to this hotel. There are hotels with bigger and better pools. Tugu hotel is for the guests who love architecture, art and culture, who are excited about original interior design and high quality antiquities and handicraft surrounding at every step: in the room, in the garden and literally everywhere. The service was perfect even on the background of the Balinese being in general polite and friendly. I would like to give special thank you to Pande Dwipa for an excursion in the facilities: Tugu hotel is an exquisite art museum and hotel in one. I can only admire the vision of the hotel owner Anhar Setjadibrata, to share the art he has collected with the guests in his hotels. Tugu hotel is definitely ""worth a detour"", to use a Michelin term."

Reverie Siam: "Pure indulgence"

"My wife and I absolutely lover our stay here. I would go as far to stay it is the nicest hotel/resort we have ever stayed in. We chose the villa with your own private hot tub looking out over the gardens - highly recommended! The pool areas are gorgeous and peaceful. The food is all top class... Highlights for me were the coconut waffles for lunch and the meat tapas board for a late lunch. Also live music every night was a nice touch when enjoying dinner and wine. We hired a motorbike but the hotel have a free shuttle to take you in and out of Pai. Thanks to all the staff for welcoming us, we had a great time :) "

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Fabulous Beach Hotel"

Having spent 11 days sightseeing / touring the Golden Triangle further North we really enjoyed our 8 days of relaxation at this delightful beach hotel; its rustic nature but with all the mod cons situated within coconut groves beside a beach that goes on for miles with hardly a soul in sight was heaven. As an eco resort it has no plastic and the water for drinking was absolutely safe; food experience superb and staff outstanding, also the onsight tailor who was tremendous value. We will return.

Rachamankha: "Charming Hotel"

This excellent hotel is located in the heart of the old town of Chiang Mai. All major Sightseeing places are in easy walking distance. The restaurant is located in a Patio and the chef is preparing delicious dishes.

Reverie Siam: "Incredible day and night"

"My boyfriend surprised me with a night at this beautiful place for our anniversary. I cannot quite begin to describe how amazing it is! The whole resort is decorated in a gorgeous 1920's pastel theme. We stayed in a private villa, the bed was incredibly soft and comfy, the bathroom was enormous with a great shower and we even had our own private jacuzzi! The staff were so friendly and attentive, never letting our wine glasses become empty. The food was outstanding, we ate lunch and dinner at the restaurant- the tapas is beautiful and my lamb shank at dinner was cooked to perfection. They have a bar down by the river which was my favourite aspect of the whole resort, at night the entire bar and garden was lit up with hundreds of tiny fairy lights, it really was beautiful. We spent the day by the pool which was gorgeous and tranquil. The only tiny downside is that I think there may have been slight drainage problems-the drain by the toilet in our bathroom smelled quite bad and ended up making the entire villa smell a bit funny. This was only a small issue though, and I absolutely cannot fault anything else. Thank you so much to the team for making our stay so special, I will never forget it. Stayed January 2017, traveled as a couple"

Sea Dance Resort: "An island on the island"

"We stayed ten days at the sea dance resort and had a perfect time there. The resort is really beautiful, very quiet and charming. And Poy and his team were all so friendly, attentively and helpful that it felt like staying with friends. The food at the restaurant was just excellent, the best we tasted on our Thailand journey. Thank you all so much for the great service, we will defintely come back."

Manda De Laos: "The most beautiful place in all of Luang Prabang to dine!"

We were simply blown away by the setting of this restaurant. You walk in thinking it's just a nice place and then the amazement begins. The dining is alongside many ponds that create a setting of relaxation and wonder. The teens even enjoyed exploring on the paths over the water which were candle lit. The food and service were very good. I wouldn't say every dish was the best, but overall, our party was happy with their food and the waiters were so kind and willing to help, even our fussy eater. What a fun night out with family and friends.

Mathis Retreat: "Loved it!!!"

Everything is simply amazing! can visit again and again. Swimming pools was the best part.May be menu for veg can be increased in restaurant. Otherwise no complaints. Shuttle service to ubud marked is a plus.

The Island Lodge: "Boutique hotel on a river island."

"Stayed one night at the Lodge as part of a Mekong Delta tour. Dinner and breakfast included. It's a beautiful boutique hotel with nice pool and great view of Mekong River. The room is spacious, firm mattress with good bedding. Bathroom is large with separate toilet, shower and sink are together with organic bathroom amenities. Wifi is fast. Food is tasty and served by smiling staff. A few things could be improved or corrected: * Pool water was cloudy, may need more filter time. * Neighbor dogs were barking very loud in early morning. * The front door of the room, made of bamboo, has gaps letting noises in from hallway. * Mosquito net hung too high thus could not be tugged in to prevent mosquitoes coming inside the net."