Guest Reviews

VILLA SONG SAIGON: "Beautiful and relaxing introduction to Vietnam"

"Shuttle water taxis allowed easy entry into the city and a quick escape at the end of the day. Tours to chi chi tunnels and Mekong delta pick you up at their river jetty and make for a beautiful way to experience the beauty of Ho Chi Minh. The facilities at the hotel were top notch and unobtrusive. The hotel's exceptional service was appreciated and staff were friendly and efficient. it is definitely the hotel to go to if you are starting your trip or ending it. Spoil yourself and give yourself at least 3-5 nights here so you can soak up the pleasures of riverside living in Ho Chi Minh City. "

Villa Song Saigon: "Just what we wanted"

The hotel is situated a little out of the mad rush of HCMC but with the boat shuttle downtown and the pleasant outlook dining on the terrace alongside the river it was a great way to start our holiday. The staff could not have been friendlier or more professional. Their recommendations where to go in the city for money changing etc were spot on. And having an al a carte breakfast of the highest quality was a geat way to start the day. The one dinner we had here was first class and the cocktails were delightful. An indication of the quality of the hotel. It is shutting soon for renovations- the step down to the terrace does need attention- but while thta happens the staff are not laid off but are getting English lessons! And that is only building on an already first class ability to communicate in a foreign language. The attention of the staff to us was a highlight and reason in itself to return -and we shall.

Rachamankha: "Zen oasis in the old town: fine Asian antiques, great service, sublime food"

We stayed for six nights. What a treat. This hotel is a "Secret Retreat" property, one of three that we stayed at in Thailand and Laos. They are owner occupied properties, with amazing attention to decor and service. The architect and designer of this property live here and use the hotel as their home and office, and as a display space for their fine collection of Asian antiquities, a mix of Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian. Just walking in the gate caused a feeling of calm. I asked for a yoga mat, no problem, and found that the second floor balcony of the spa, situated over the swimming pool, was a perfect place for doing my yoga routine, with several Buddhas looking on. The setting, the pool, the room, the service, the food were all wonderful. Paul, the manager, sat with us to plan out our day to day itinerary, and all of his suggestions were spot on, for temples and outings, and especially his recommendation for a tailor, from whom we got five shirts and a sport coat. The location is ideal with Wat Prah Singh just around the corner (we called it "our" temple), making it easy to drop in for monk chats, or to hear the chanting at 5 PM. The hotel is within the walls of old Chiang Mai and very close to the Sunday walking market. There is a discount for persons staying 3 nights or longer, not something we realized, but were happily surprised when they gave it to us without our asking. Having modified our original reservation at the last minute, we were scheduled to move rooms over our 6 night stay, but the management spent some time juggling the room schedule, so that we could stay in the same room, which we very much appreciated. We were in Room 19, in one of the main courtyards, and these courtyard rooms are quite lovely. One assumes these were equally as nice. The whole hotel is quiet and quiet.

Tugu Bali: "Very lovely"

"A true TUGU experience. Peaceful, good service. They have a lawn area with direct access to the beach.Turn left and the beach goes on forever and it's a clean beach too (a rarity in Indonesia). Anyway the room are beautiful, it has a lovely garden and as usual the hotel is full of antiques and artifacts. To note: The rooms upstairs have access via a spiral staircase, it quite steep. (this might be a consideration for some if you have mobility restrictions or don't like heights) The restaurant was good but pricey for the quality (I'm used to Jakarta price/quality ratio)"

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Relaxing"

"This hotel is excellent, I will certainly return. From the pick up at the airport, tea on route and the well appointed rooms I really can't fault it, the views from anywhere in the hotel are breathtaking, the food, although limited in choice is excellent, if you like walking and enjoy peace and quite this would be a great choice, additionaly the tea plantation and working factory are a great visit. Room Tip: A room with walk in shower is a good choice"

Blackitch Artisan Kitchen: "Unique experience"

"Blackitch is unique. This restaurant must be booked a month in advance - the reason... There are three tables and everything is absolutely awesome. Chef Black creates a new menu every day. Each course is made from ingredients that are fresh... Either imported scallops from Japan flown in, or a selection of greens that are perfectly ripe from the local farm. So don't expect consistency - you will have a new experience with every course, and with some you may like and others not - but each course is made by a master painter experimenting with the wide variety of foods available. Chef Black creates each of the six courses table side and then explains in English or Thai why and how he put together the dish. There were three of us dining. We all choose different courses as our favourite dish - which is testament to the chef's versatility and style. Desert is made from the downstairs kitchen. If you are lucky, you might also get to try the house made plum wine - which was superb with desert. I expect one day the ""kitch"" will be expanded into a Michelin star restaurant - so be sure to book here before that happens. You will never forget the experience of being totally spoiled in this globally unique restaurant."

Rak Ko Jae Seoul: "Rakkojae first 3 nights, Ritz Carlton last 2 nights. Cried the last 2 nights"

"Out of selfishness, I wish I could keep the Rakkojae a secret and post the stay as poorly managed, noisy, and uncomfortable. Or maybe that the Rakkojae reminded me of a fake Hollywood set for a Korean drama. Or better yet, that Rakkojae is located in a completely inconvenient location with zero access to historic areas and their iconic shop-filled alleys. Selfishness loses this one. The host was too nice to ever wish anything bad for them. Take everything stated and translate each into their polar opposite. That's Rakkojae. The stay carries a physical and emotional warmth that can't be described without using the word ""home."" A super nice, quiet home with heated jade floors, and served breakfasts causing one to reflect upon why one needs energy and brain robbing sweet carbos to start the day. How about fresh rice, cured fish, panchon with amazing kimchi, rice porridge tea and a different secret dessert every day. The Location If you arrive in the evening, your cab driver will wonder if your address is correct. Once you take a final turn down a narrow alley, you'll also begin wondering if you missed a digit on your address. But it's oh, sooo right. Once you start walking to any of the sights, you'll realize how perfect the location is for walking everywhere. Moreover, it's close enough to the subway for jaunts into the city. In the main city or otherwise, the street food alleys will help you regain your faith in the idea of street food. Unique, scrumptious, and absolutely no digestive drama -- other than various self-induce triggers from over-indulging. Kids OK? I have a feeling that if you have more than one child (we had our lone 8 yr old), and/or if your kids are typically loud and excitable, you might feel self-conscious because Rakkojae and the area is very quiet. The people are too nice to reject you for this, but you will be aware of how loud you actually can be. Ahhh. Peace and quiet. It's the price we parents often pay for having our bundles of joy. In fact, in the historic residential area you'll see more ""keep quiet"" signs than you'll ever see in a dozen libraries. It's not that kids can't run amok with joy, laughter while screaming their bloody lungs with excitement, but perhaps limited ""happy drama"" on the Rakkojae premises will allow one to blend-in a bit. Frankly, our child had no interest in running and screaming amok on site. It's so beautiful and peaceful that even a kid can feel odd belting the lyrics to Moana at 11p under such peaceful conditions. She saved it later for the streets. Sorry Seoul. Our last days at the Ritz Carlton in Seoul were fine. But all of us would have traded it all to move back to Rakkojae in a heartbeat. Go. I'm Hawaiian, so I don't promise anything, but the Rakkojae is a stay that will become part of your memory of the trip vs. merely being a cool place because they have bounce rooms for kids, mini bars and lots of people you could have met at some function back home. MOAAana!"

Samanea Beach Resort: "Stunning rooms & views; disappointing food"

"A great 4 nights here with fantastic villas (they are enormous and luxurious) and breathtaking views over the bay. It was a perfect place to chill out. Don't expect a buzzing environment, everyone seemed to be here to unwind which was perfect for us. The pool was fab. The views are fantastic but don't expect to walk into the sea. There is a manmade beach but no natural beach (although no-where in kep seemed to have this unless you visit the Islands) but this didn't bother us at all. Unfortunately food was a bit of a let down. Breakfast was tasty and fresh (you can order as many items as you want) but otherwise dishes were far to small and expensive for what was served. Eat out in town for better food"

MesaStila: "The best and most RELAXING stay"

This is my first time to Indonesia, and staying at Mesastilla has been the making of my stay. I have loved every part of the experience, and the best part about it all is that they provided me with guided access to so much of the surrounding areas. The real Java. We rode for miles and walked each day, meeting the locals and exploring the villages and mosques. I just loved the staff and especially the hotel manager and my personal trainer/guide. I also did the Java dance lesson and it was fabulous. Aside from all of that the spa rooms were amazing and I slept, ate and relaxed. I only had three days but it felt like longer. I am leaving tomorrow and will miss it all. I am definitely coming back and bring my friends and family.

Muang La Lodge: "Peaceful place with very accommodating staff"

"The staff, premises and rooms make this place wonderful. Staff is extremely accommodating and anticipates every need. You don't ever get ""no"" as an answer. The amount of effort the staff gives is unmatched, especially in such a remote location. Food is great not amazing. They gave me extra portions since I was a big eater which was very kind. The Of Rice and Men excursion was great w an amazing picnic lunch. For our other excursion, Mountain bikes were mediocre but good enough for our ride. Not trails but back dirt roads. We also selected to do a full day hike w a guide. The part we did was great but if you plan on doing a hike make sure you ask some questions and prepare accordingly. We weren't warned until last minute about the potential leeches that would inevitably crawl on us during a certain point in the hike. We ended up not getting that far anyway as we cut our long hike short when we reached an extremely steep area w loose gravel. Getting down would have been too difficult. We are fit and intermediate hikers and it wouldn't have been enjoyable. Overall the Muang La Lodge experience was great. The price is what it is, and I found myself wondering if I could have found a better deal for a similar experience in Laos. Make no mistake, you're definitely in some great hands at the lodge."