Guest Reviews

Chakrabongse Villas: "The perfect oasis in the heart of Old Bangkok"

I have used tripadvisor to plan trips for years, but our magical time at the Chakrabongse Villas has finally inspired me to write a review of my own. We could not have found a more perfect place to spend the final 3 days of a 2 week trip to SE Asia. Atom, the manager, and her staff were incredibly warm, welcoming, and helpful in making our stay in Bangkok so special, and upgraded us to the Garden View Suite, which was lovely. Tucked away in beautiful, lush gardens right on the banks of the Chao Praya river and directly across from Wat Pho and a short distance to the Grand Palace, the Chakrabongse Villas, is truly a hidden gem. Being in the heart of Old Bangkok meant that we could return to the hotel for a quick dip in the gorgeous pool to cool off from the infamous Bangkok heat before heading out for the next excursion. I highly recommend arranging to have dinner at the Chakrabongse Villas for an unforgettable experience - the dinner we had with a private table set up on the terrace right next to the river was the most romantic, and one of the most delicious, we've ever had (the owner is a descendant of the Thai kings Rama IV & V so the dishes are from the Royal Family's own recipes). We also enjoyed our tour of Bangkok's canals in the Chakrabongse Villa's own long tail boat. If you are looking for the perfect boutique hotel that offers a peaceful, historical oasis in hectic and hot Bangkok, then I cannot recommend Chakrabongse Villas highly enough. Thank you, Atom, for helping to make our stay so extraordinary.

Villa Song Saigon: "Last destination and wow"

"After a 20 minute taxi drive we arrived at the hotel in the evening. Our first thoughts were - very nice place but outside from the buzzeling district 1. However the hotel offers a shuttle boat service and while enjoying the boat ride you are very fast in downtown. We stayed 4 days with a break and we got 2 upgrades. The staff is very friendly motivated and helpful. The breakfast is a selection from the a la carte Menu. Therefore the food is always fresh cooked and very delicious. Yesterday evening this was topped by the dinner. Fantastic and very tasty food. A great thank you to all of you. Stayed April 2017, traveled as a couple"

Rachamankha: "It felt like a dream"

"This hotel is unreal. You will feel like you are in the movie, The best Marigold hotel. Very quite and calm(no offense to kids and parents, but thanks to their no kids policy) serene. Staffs were soooo nice. Their English was short but they tried their best. Location is perfect. Short walk to temples, street food, and sunday market(Must go!!!-food, music and everything is there, it's huge!!) You will get lost because every street looks the same and similar temples are every corner. We got lost so many times but just take tuk tuk back to your hotel. (I recommend writing down hotel addresss in thai since most drivers dont understand English. Room is beautiful, not 5 star hotel way, but more authentic kind of way which I love. The best part that made me almost cry? We had to leave hotel at 4am to catch our super early flight, they prepared us little bag of sandwiches, fruit, cracker, yogurt and soy milk. We arrived at the airport, nothing was opened, I had the sandwich which was made with love. Almost tasted like what mom makes for the kids. With a lot of love. Almost made me cry. I love love this hotel sooooo much. I will be back very soon."

MesaStila: "Exquisite Gem"

This is the perfect place to relax and unwind from the busy city life. Surrounded by beautiful views of the mountains and the forests and ricefields and plantation. The public areas are very well appointed, having taken pains to fill the clubhouse and the bar/lounge with vintage, period pieces. The staff is always helpful and polite. Excellent service by everyone. We even had a private tour of the coffee plantation where we were introduced to the flora and fauna of the place, the organic garden, the coffee area and once more given traditional snacks and more coffee and jamu. One can spend an entire day just lounging by the infinity pool by the jungle. Or playing billiards in the lounge. Or walking around the extensive estate. The spa/hamman facilities and menu are also top-notch. I can't say enough good things about the place. It is a very, very gracious place full of hospitality, warmth and the beauty of nature.

RACHAMANKHA: "This place is so blessed and amazing…and more"

"The #1 TripAdvisor hotel at the time of our visit, this was the most unique of our 8 hotels in all of SE Asia. The Chinese influence in the architecture makes this place stupendous! The room! The pool! The common areas! The restaurant! The driveway! The service! I could go on and on... This place is so glorious and fabulous...one day, we would love to go back!"

Villa Song Saigon: "Perfect end to a fantastic trip"

"What a perfect way to end a fantastic trip to a fantastic country. The riverside setting is an ideal way to relax after the hustle & bustle of the city. We were warmly greeted by the ever so friendly staff who, once again put other countries to shame with their 'can do' attitude where nothing is too much trouble for the guests staying here. We were lucky to get a complimentary upgrade to a villa room with balcony overlooking the pool and can recommend this type of room. The bathroom was a little small to be honest but as we spent our time in the city, the bathroom becomes immaterial as you just use it to shower after all. We had dinner at the waters edge on the 1st night and Kevin (the chef) took his time to explain the dishes and the best wine pairing - spot on Kevin! The setting is so relaxing and even romantic and with great food makes it a perfect end to the day. The breakfasts are plentiful and fresh, and eaten either at the riverside or in the air conditioned restaurant. A platter of fresh fruit, freshly squeezed fruit juice, coffee and your choice from the menu - I chose the full English and the eggs benedict during our stay and they were a great start to the day of exploration of Ho Chi Minh City. The water taxi runs about every couple of hours and is a 20 minute adventure to the city where you feel like royalty cruising up the river in the speedboat. This is a free ride and well worth the experience rather than sitting in a taxi. The last boat back is 7pm which gives you enough time in the city to explore the numerous happy hour cocktail lounges after the heat & humidity of the day. Back to the hotel review......staff were amazing and very attentive and the hotel manager even had one of his staff accompany us to the optician to translate for us as my wife wanted to buy prescription sunglasses - the hotel service was second to none. The complimentary mini bar is so welcomed after a hard days shopping that you forget about the amount of dong that you couldn't seem to get rid of on your shopping excursion - everything is so cheap! The mini bar has water, soft drinks and a couple of beers to relax on the balcony with as you watch the sunset over the city. We were allowed to keep our room on our last day until we left for the airport at 4pm which was great as we could use the pool then get showered without having to sit around waiting, and again, this was free of charge even though the hotel was preparing for a special event that evening. Nothing was too much trouble. A thoroughly recommended hotel just far enough away from the city, set in a very tranquil, riverside location where everything was just about perfect (I know I've used that word many times but the hotel deserves it)"

Tugu Malang: "Excellent stay"

Stayed 4N. Fantastic all round services, food, location, hotel ambience. Highly reccomend. Travel from Surabaya a/p to Malang not so convenient -by car took us 3 hrs. Return to Surabaya by executive train to Gubeng, city station- no stress 2 hrs.

Locavore: "VERY fresh and different"

"My BFF and I went straight to this restaurant for lunch after landing in BAli at 10am. Took us about 45 min to get to Ubud and we walked over from Sens Hotel and Spa to get there in time for our 1pm lunch reservation. Took us about 2.5 hours to finish the multitude of courses! The food was different and oh so very fresh. First time I had deep fried tempura style leaves and other assortments of dishes. I have tried Andre in Singapore before but the way locavore did the dishes were so different. The herb they seem to used allot is Tamarind, it was featured in quite a few of their dishes. Their cocktails were also nice. My friend had the ROJAK cocktail and boy it really did taste of rojak but in a super refreshing way. there are 2 menus only to choose from, either Vegetarian OR Meat & Fish. :) Price difference is about 100K IDR between both."

THE SAMAR: "Ideal spot for exploring!"

"We stayed here for 5 days two days longer than planned but it was so nice here we stayed a couple of days longer. The room was class, very clean and of high quality good shower. Price wise we got a good deal, you can get cheaper and hunt all day long for the best price but we were very happy in that respect. We ate out a lot, breakfast was good just what we needed, good evening meals too, good local food which is what we are here for! Tuk tuks were easily available and the drivers were a right old laff, took us to all the best places to visit, nothing like a local to show you around the temples better than a guide book! All in all we had a fab time and would highly recommend Samar Villa to anyone, can't wait to come back!"

David’s Kitchen: "Amazing food – David has created something truly special in Chiang Mai"

"We were lucky enough to get a table at this amazing restaurant and enjoyed a fabulous meal, and a warm welcome from David who is a legend indeed. The venue is beautiful and spacious, and the menu both extensive and mouth watering. We shared appetizers in order to experience a range, and 3 of us fell for the waygu beef cheek. So meltingly delicious that we went above and beyond ""satisfied"" to well and truly filled to the gills :-) David also recommended our wines and his advice was spot on. Thank you David for making our visit so memorable. Big thanks to Bruce and Rhiannon for an incredible treat!"