Guest Reviews

MesaStila: "Amazing stay"

I just returned from Asia and spend a wonderful night in this hotel. I arrived in Semarang airport which is about 90 minutes away. Transfer was perfect and car comfortable. Driver very nice. Amazing driveway to hotel. Once we arrived I checked in overlooking this lovely property. Room was very large and comfortable . Bed was huge and so was the bathtub. I had lunch in their open air restaurant . There is a lot to do in and around the hotel. The spa is great and I had a fabulous 2 hour treatment . Dinner was also very good with a good selection of wine . Next morning I did the coffee plantation tour with one of their lovely staff. All was perfect ! Room, food and service. I would come back for sure .

The Village House: "Relaxing and Beautiful, Great Food and Friendly Staff"

Our experience at Village House was excellent. The guesthouse has been carefully planned and attention paid to every detail. It is very beautiful and comfortable. The food here was way above expectations - delicious and fresh and a great mix of local as well as western food. Surprisingly they had a very good selection of wines. We did try the Pina Colodas by Miss Flora (we had read about them on Trip Advisor) and yes, she does a great job! But the highlight of the trip was the sweet and accomodating staff. They did everything possible to make our stay as relaxing and stress free as possible. My family and I would like to thank them all. You should not miss the chance to stay at Village House!

Mathis Retreat: "Lo mejor del viaje"

"The site is wonderful, the extra staff helpful and amiable, the room was a small village with great privacy despite being next to the pool and restaurant. Life takes a different pace being there. Rice paddies, duck, peasants tilling the fields, the sunsets ... film. The very new room had every comfort, a spectacular tub and a huge, new shower. Hopefully we can come back some other time. Super recommended! "

The Village House: "A diamond in the middle of nowhere"

We stayed here to enjoy a relaxed couple of days after a demanding tour theough malaysia and Borneo and though we have stayed at some of the fanciest and most luxurios hotels in the world we have to admit that the village house is one of the best accomodations we have stayed at. Sure it isn't a five star hotel with such amenities as flat screen tv's, tennis courts, jacuzzis and sorts but it makes up for it by being charming, romantic and being well taken care of. The house itself is as beautiful as it gets and gives you a 'home' feeling right from the start. You are welcomed by the manager herself and she takes care of your every need. If there is anything just let her know and she will find a way to wirl it out for you. Sort of like a good spirit. The girls are really nice as well and take good care of the facilities. The rooms are very well maintained and will be cleaned up twice daily. The food is (compared to malaysian standards) a bit pricey (but compared to western standards still ok) but soooo worth it! We can barely remember having had better asian food than the local Bidayuh cuisine. True, there isn't much you can do or explore around the village house but if you plan on a relaxing couple of days by the pool, maybe read a book then this is the place to go. My husband still claims its 'the best hotel/b&b i've ever stayed at'. We simply loved it!!

Hotel Tugu Lombok: "An amazing experience"

I have stayed at the Tugu Lombok a few times over the years and each time it gets better and better! This time I was there for the birthday of a dear friend and I have never been to a better party. The food and the organisation of different events, the incredible decor and my room! It was truly the best time. An incredible place to stay with a loved one and an even better place to have a party or get married. So special and authentic and wonderful !!!

Talabgaon Castle: "Travelsphere group"

"Amazing, amazing, first class. Stunning, welcomed on the first day with red carpet, marigold garland and lunch on the lawn. Food fabulous, rooms are gobsmacking, beautiful, like a dream. Staff could not be more welcoming and friendly. Slept like a dream in a fairy tale bedroom. The village before you get there is interesting and the local people and children were waving as we drove by. Loved it. Stayed March 2017, traveled with friends"

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: "SUPERB"

"It is hard to know where to start with a review of this wonderful establishment. The Nepali food on offer was the best we had in Nepal. The staff and management are wonderful. Caring, kind and hospitable. Nothing is too much trouble. We had room 11 and were extremely happy there. Our comfort was paramount to every member of staff. We had the unfortunate experience of my husband becoming quite ill after our 8 day trek and whilst he was in hospital in Pokhara the compassion and concern of the management and staff towards both my husband’s recovery and my well-being was amazing. As well as organising medical care swiftly, they also drove me up and down the mountain daily at my request with never anything but a happy attitude. The management ensured I never felt alone whilst staying there and in fact I felt that I met some truly wonderful people. I can honestly say the experience at the Tiger Mountain Lodge was just like being with family- so comfortable. Thank you all so much - you are wonderful. Adrian and Katie Hollister"

The River Resort: "Spectacular"

This is one of the loveliest places I've ever stayed. The rooms are beautifully designed, the setting is stunning, the staff are both very friendly and highly professional, and we had a really lovely stay. Highly recommended.

Slow Villas and Spa: "Wonderful 10 days at Slow Villas"

"We had a two week holiday from work mid January 2017 and despite it being the rainy season decided to book 10 days on Gili Air - mainly because we got such great rates on flights from London to KL with Malaysian Airways. We stayed in KL for a night and then took budget airline Air Asia (highly recommended also!!) out to Indonesia. We'd been to Bali before but not ventured out to the Gilis. We flew from KL to Lombok and had a private taxi transfer from the airport to the 'port' (the journey in a taxi is about an hour and half). We then had a private speed boat take us to the port on Gili Air, which took about 10 mins. Then it's a ride in a cidone (horse and trap) to Slow Villas. So all in all a trip with lots of modes of transport but we thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Glad for the stop over in KL though. We did the same on the way back and not only do you need this for the flight times but we did appreciate the rest and we're generally people who are pretty comfortable with long haul. So, on to Slow Villas... it's a beautiful setting and the architecture/layout/design has been done perfectly. It's perfect tranquil yet everywhere on Gili Air is within walking distance. The nearest beach was about a 10 minute walk and then there are three beach bars/restaurants immediately on from there. Lots of people cycle and there are bikes to hire from reception. To be honest through we only used them once and were more than happy to walk everywhere - it compensated for the holiday (over) eating!! We love exploring and heading off for a wander around the island was all part of the experience. It's a fabulous island with loads of cool places to eat and drink. The villa and our garden was lovely. We were in villa 3. We would often spend the morning in the pool and sunbathing in our private garden and then headed off to the beach for to find somewhere new for lunch. Our favourite food wise was the Italian Dolce Mare (we went twice) but the best for lunch on the beach and cocktails at sunset was Island View Beach Bar and Bungalows, which is the closest to Slow. Breakfast at Slow is wonderful, just how the pictures show it to be. I fell in love with their dragon fruit juices (go to Pachamama for their legendary dragon fruit and peanut butter smoothie!) and muesli with yogurt. Avocados weren't always available which was a tiny downer as their Aussie breakfast with toast and avocado was yummy but hey you're on holiday on a tiny island in Indonesia and you have a day of sun and sand ahead of you, nothing is really a big problem! Don't expect a proper cooked English breakfast but their cooked tomato mix, like a ratatouille is delicious. We also had the Indonesian BBQ one evening. My word this was absolutely delicious. So much food between us and just stunning. Seriously worth staying in one evening for. The staff at Slow are all really kind and respectful. Some have brilliant English, others not so but unless your Indonesian is up to scratch then a level of patience shouldn't be too much of a hardship. It's so true that a smile goes a long way. We also went to the Slow Spa which has been done so nicely, it's tranquil and beautifully designed. We didn't visit any of the others on the island but it's easy to tell just by looking from the outside that Slow Spa is the most professional and up to the standards you'd expect at home. The room had everything we needed. We loved the outdoor bathroom. And as for that 'rainy' season - it didn't bother us at all. Yes it did rain and there were two or three days that we didn't sunbathe but we went off exploring and sitting in some really cool bars drinking green tea, exotic fruit juices and smoothies and watching the world go by. The sun is very intense so a few days respite was valuable. We still had lots of days joining nothing but laying on the beach and came back with a brilliant suntan! Plus there's nothing like watching a tropical storm roll in whilst you're on the beach with a Bintag in hand. We actually preferred that to the sunsets sometimes. Amazing sunsets here are just so common place!!!! We booked a snorkelling trip through Slow - just the two of us and two boatmen/guides. We saw turtles off Gili Meno and Gili T within minutes of jumping in the water. We've been lucky enough to see turtles before but never this many or this easily. The snorkelling trip was the highlight of our time. We had lunch on Gili Meno and had another two snorkelling stops on the way back. The sunken boat and metal structures off Meno (not sure exactly what it was) was the BEST snorkelling I've ever done in terms of seeing tropical fish. It was like a fish super highway. I could have stayed in the water there for hours and hours. So in summary Slow Villas is without a doubt the best accommodation on Gili Air. We're not backpackers and wanted some luxury. It's in a great, quiet location but still easy to get everywhere (really - no where is far on Gili Air). The staff and management are really helpful. There is so much choice in terms of eating out and at different budgets that you never get bored and there are lots of people to meet when you're out and about. We loved every moment. Terima kasih Julie, Kara and Martin. Stayed January 2017, traveled as a couple"

Locavore: "This is an experience, not just a meal"

"We weren't sure about going as we are not normally into the fine dining scene, but the reviews of Locavore swayed us to give it a go. OMG - it was fantastic. What an experience! We sat along the open kitchen where we could watch and talk to the chefs - I highly recommend doing so if you can as it really added to our experience. We went for the 7 course degustation (non-vegetarian) accompanied by matching cocktails. We also had 2 cocktails off the menu before we started and these were delicious and not lacking in alcohol. I had one with passion fruit and rum and it was sensational. Along with the 7 course degustation there was a multitude of amuse bouche served - I think in the vicinity of 8 or 9 extra little surprises. We left feeling very satisfied, but not overstuffed. Now - on to the food and drinks themselves. The whole repertoire was simply bursting with flavour. We were amazed at how much flavour could be packed into small amounts of food. Each thing we had was unique and interesting. The cocktails were very well matched with the food. Even though I would not order some of the cocktails left to my own devices, they went very very well with the food served. Similarly, there were foods I would not necessarily order (such as ox tongue) but that was all part of the adventure and there was nothing I didn't eat. I also loved the imagination behind the food. For example, one dish was called ""into the rice paddy"" and the chef explained that it had all the things in it from the rice paddy that one could eat - duck egg, heritage rice, frogs, snails and wildflowers. We actually discovered in the course of the day that there are many flowers and decorative leaves that could be eaten. We were there for almost 3 hours and it went by in a flash. We were kept engaged in the experience the whole time (helped by sitting at the kitchen I think). I am very happy to report that Locavore is non - smoking - MASSIVE THUMBS UP. Apart from the fact others' smoke blocks our sinuses etc, there is no way you could serve this quality of food in a smoke-filled atmosphere. This kind of experience doesn't come cheap but we loved it and would highly recommend it. If you can, book before you get to Bali (through their website). We had 2 weeks in Ubud in shoulder season and could not get in for dinner, but managed a lunch. Thank you Locavore for a great afternoon and a real adventure."