SEEDS Restaurant & Lounge: "Fine Dining In Yangon"
This place is run by a charming and experienced Swiss couple who clearly know what they are doing - the ambience is great the food excellent and the service is good. We meant to go back again for lunch but sadly were not able to fit it in. Well worth a visit and highly recommendedTugu Lombok: "Beautiful"
This is an incredibly beautiful hotel in a stunning location with expansive grounds to walk in and great massage. Very peaceful and relaxing. It has a wonderful white beach, turquoise water to swim in and 2 great swimming pools, one with sea water. The staff could not have been more helpful and welcoming. Service with a real smile and warmth. The food was exceptionally good. My one small complaint would be that the menu didn't change in the 5 days we were there. Although delicious it would have been nice to have some more choice after a couple of days.Tugu Malang: "Probably The Best Hotel in Malang"
"From the moment we arrive until checking out, this hotel has many touches that makes a guest feel special. They even print a post card with your name on it and put them in the bed before you arrive. One of the best attraction of Tugu Hotel is their art collection. There are so many nice painting, statues and art collection in their gallery. Ia also admire how they select the furniture and design the interior. Tugu Hotel most probably is the best hotel in Malang. They certainly is one of the best in Eastern Java. "Rahai’i Pangun: "Absolutely fantastic!"
"We took the two night cruise to see the orangutans and visit the local Dayak river villages. Wow Borneo responded promptly to every question we had. Making reservations was very simple. Top deck of the boat allows a lot of space to walk about and to sit in comfortable deck chairs to enjoy the river cruise. The dining area was at the back on the top deck as well. They have a great cook who prepared wonderful, tasty, local foods. I would say it’s some of the best food we’ve had in the two years we’ve lived in Indonesia. The rooms were basic and the bed was very comfortable. We splurged on a room with air conditioning, which was well worth the added cost after an active hot day in Borneo. While there is no hot water for the showers, that’s not a real problem given that the water temperature was about 28 to 32 Celsius…It felt good to cool off a bit. The visits to the Dayak villages were enjoyable. We took motorized canoes up the tributaries to access the villages, which added to the adventure. The villagers were very welcoming and you could tell that they were proud of their communities. They had a local group of dancers and performers come right onto the ship in the afternoon. They were very proud of the dances that they performed. In fact, there are spirited competitions that the local community group had won several times. They were all wonderful. The orangutans were a blast! We went to the orangutan rehabilitation center to learn about their initiative to return orangutans back into the wild. We took small motorized canoes up the tributaries to access the islands that the orangutans live on. They would come down by the river to watch us as we passed by. It was amazing to watch them as they would swing through the trees. Truly amazing creatures. It was nice to get away from Jakarta to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this still wild area of Indonesia. It was great to stand out on the deck at night and watch all the stars. Ah, and what beautiful sunsets! We had several hours between when the cruise ended and when our flight departed. We asked the crew if they could recommend places to visit in Palangkaraya. They called ahead to their friends and relatives and spontaneously made arrangements to tour the city for a nominal fee. They brought us to the old part of the city, which was fascinating to walk through. This trip was great value for the money. It was an incredible memorable experience. One of the highlights of our stay in Indonesia."Maison Polanka: "Our favourite place ever!"
We have never enjoyed a place to stay - anywhere we have travelled - more than Maison Polanka. This is like staying in someone's home - or the home you might dream about having one day. With large, beautiful gardens and an elegant swimming pool, but only a handful of rooms so it's very peaceful never feels crowded even with other guests around. We also had the best Cambodian food of our trip in their restaurant, which is really just a few tables outside by the pool, but outshone anywhere else we ate. Off menu, they were kind enough to make a special noodle soup (nom banh chok) one day for us for lunch - it was delicious and worth making a special request for (in advance). We stayed in the Khmer House as a treat, and it was beautiful and spacious, though I think anyone would be happy with any of the rooms they have. But the best part of Maison Polanka are the people who work there who are warm, welcoming and willing to help with everything, from tour planning, surprise afternoon cakes by the pool, and a wonderfully memorable trip to the Road 60 night market for a dinner of insects, stuffed frogs and other more familiar foods! Our thanks in particular to Cathy, Chan, and Vong! Don't bother looking anywhere else in Siem Reap, just stay here!The Island Lodge: "Wonderful honeymoon stay at the Island Lodge"
We stayed at the island lodge for one night to give us an opportunity to explore the Mekong delta. Our stay was very relaxing, the room was beautiful and very clean, the pool and sauna facilities were also pleasant and relaxing. We opted to go on a tour to the unicorn and Phoenix islands nearby in My Tho, guided by a member of the hotel staff. The tour was great for finding out more about the Mekong delta culture, and we bought some of the local coconut sweets and honey to take home too!MesaStila: "Top notch"
Beautiful resort with actual villas relocated from the region to this coffee plantation. Tons of antique furniture. Good food, extremely friendly staff. I would highly recommend if you're in the Semarang area, make the couple hour drive up for a weekend retreat. You won't regret it. Also, make time to do an hour tour of the coffee plantation. They do it around 10am, very interesting. Also you can ride horses to the neighboring villages, didn't have time to do it but would have loved it.Mie Cafe: "my number two in Siem Reap"
nice, small restaurant with friendly staff and good, innovative food. We were very well taken care of and left the restaurant happy. And for all those Swiss who know what a "Röstiraffel" is, watch out for some of the lamps. Very nice and an excellent idea which I will copy at home! I can highly recommend this restaurant and I am happy that the owner of Wat Damrak told us to go there.Tugu Lombok: "We were totally spoilt"
Our family of five (kids 19, 16, 9) spent 11 nights at Hotel Tugu in July and it was sensational. We picked Lombok because the weather is perfect at this time of the year, the water is like a bath and we wanted somewhere less commercial than Bali. We had two of the least expensive rooms and they were huge, one accommodated the three kids easily. We spent our days snorkelling (at high tide you can swim out directly in front of the resort to see lovely tropical fish and we saw a turtle once); paddling; reading; eating and drinking; and reconnecting as a family. A day trip around the Gili Islands is a must and the nearby Autore Pearl Farm does a great tour although you'll need LOTS of money to buy their pearls. Instead I bought cheapie freshwater pearls from Ali who sells them on the beach! As with all holidays its the people who set a place apart. The staff at Tugu couldn't have done more for us. Trips to chemists for cold medication, aranging tours, making delicious food that they will serve literally anywhere you like, bringing sun lounges to you when they see you laying on the sand, and a final night display of folded towel animals, the likes of which we've never seen. If you need a real break, Tugu comes highly recommended. If you do go, please consider Lombok's Forgotten Children's Foundation (just google for details). We took over a couple of bags of good quality children's clothes and I'm currently collecting pre-used laptops and phones to send over. It's an incredible grass roots charity making a huge difference and if you're lucky enough to stay at Tugu I'm sure you can also do something small to help when you visit Lombok.Sandat Glamping Tents: "Best service – they go the distance every time"
"I can't say enough for Pak Tengo, Pak Made and the team at Sandat Glamping. They went out of their way to make our stay the most memorable ever. We were here during the month of Ramadan and were observing the Muslim fast, and needed to have our breakfast before sunrise each morning, at 4am, each day of our stay. The chef and wait staff stayed overnight everyday just to be able to prepare our meals for us, which was really very kind of them. They would go out of their way to organise anything at any time, for their guests - we had a massage for all 4 of us set up in the comfort of our rooms, with portable air conditioning upon request as well. I love the views of the vast paddy fields around Sandat, and waking up to the crowing of a cockerel, which just takes you to such a happy peaceful place, far from the madness of Monkey Forest Road and all the other more ""touristy"" parts of Ubud. Emanuela and Federico have done a super job setting up this ""Glamp"" so tastefully, from the unique bamboo structures and the trendy decor throughout the resort (I especially LOVE the ultra long table and wall of mirrors at the restaurant), and they have assembled a team of front office, housekeeping and kitchen staff well worthy of winning many, many more awards. If you've never experienced glamping, you should give it a go here, at least once in your lifetime. It's well worth the trek."
Travel Asia with Secret Retreats
Secret Retreats is a curated community of independent boutique hotel, villas, yachts and river boats keen to share their Asian Homes with travelers, sustainably and responsibly.
Conservation of the environment, culture and traditions of Asia is of paramount importance to all in Secret Retreats.
A community of like-minded hospitality professionals, we offer our guests authentic travel experiences that go beyond typical offerings to unveil the essence of Asia. Supporting the Asia based hoteliers and hospitality professionals and providing incredible holidays in Asia and tailor-made Asia travel itineraries direct to public ad travel agents.
Get inspired and make savings!
By booking direct with Secret Retreats and enjoy peace of mind from our full on the ground support. Contact our concierge and plan then book your Asia holiday now!
