Guest Reviews

Bassac Cruises: "A “must-do” to really see the Mekong in style"

We took the one night cruise on Bassac 2. The programme is lunch and afternoon cruise, visit to local village, dinner and evening cruise to anchorage, breakfast and morning cruise to disembarkation point with visit to floating market and noodle making. For us this was a perfect itinerary and duration and a great insight into life in this enormous and important area of Vietnam. The food, particularly lunch was fantastic. Continental breakfast also had hot food. The boat is a joy with plenty of seating space even though the boat was full. The guide, An, was brilliant.

Villa Song Saigon: "Must stay"

"I had a chance to come across this hotel as I was sourcing an outdoor venue for a corporate event. Everyone at Villa Song was very helpful with our event. For those looking for a place to have an outdoor wedding, look no further - Villa Song is the place to go to! I had the chance to stay there for a night and I regretted as it's too short!!! I will definitely be back! The room is huge and the bed is very comfortable. They have a great restaurant that is just by the Saigon river that offers 2 completely different views for day and night. Food is awesome as well and you have the choice of either Vietnamese or Western - both are great. They have a great pool as well - though they don't offer any view but they have make the pool very cosy. Just a look at the pool and you will want to stay there. Spa was great too! I had a 75min massage - price is cheaper than the 5-star hotels in District 1. Although the location is at District 2, it is not far from other places. I would recommend staying here for 1-2N for some quiet moments before staying at the downtown area. Just a note that I don't think there is any elevator. Thus if you have problems walking up the stairs, you can request for rooms that are at the ground level."

Sandat Glamping Tents: "Blissful retreat"

Sandat is a hidden retreat on the outskirts of Ubud. The design is something very special, tents and lumbungs nestled in hidden away paddy fields and forests. The attention to detail on design is exceptional and the service is superb. We had a few problems with air conditioning but all was forgiven with how much effort the team went to to resolving the issues and making us comfortable. Truly magical and a must visit.

Arumdalu: "A Treasure wrapped in natural beauty"

"My business partner and I were on our third trip to Belitung and wanted to travel down to the south side to experience the Arumdalu resort that we kept hearing about. We were greeted by Hendrik in the morning,their driver, who was prompt and very helpful in getting us down to the resort in just over an hour. My highlights of the trip was experiencing the Beach, Food, and Culture. The beach is expansive, white, and calming. The private cove allows you to truly relax and enjoy the cooler ocean breezes. You don't want to miss climbing the large granite rock on the right side of the beach to experience some great views, snap some selfies, and just be amazed at the beauty. The food was a gastronomical delight. We had the privilege of staying at the resort when the owners were present and Albert took special care in sharing with us the story of how they created each menu item, along with the specially crafted plates that are unique to each main dish. Finally, we enjoyed learning more about the culture...from hearing stories of how Belitong got it's name (Bali yang dipotong), seeing Batik be made, to the diverse flowers, fruits, and vegetables they are growing in the area. The rooms were well constructed and furnished charmingly. The plunge pool was refreshing and make sure you check out their short nature hike through the jungle on their property. The staff were always willing to help, but were never overbearing. We look forward to returning when the cultural village is up and running."

MesaStila: "My retreat"

"MesaStila is truly a gem! It was a great getaway from the city with breathtaking view of Andong n Mt Merapi! Weather was cool as it was up in the mountains! We tried Turkish Hammam & it was an amazing experience! Totally clean n refreshed after the treatment.. Variety of food was reasonable & very delicious.. we were totally pampered by this resort n their staff! One thing- I thought the pillow n bed was a little too soft.. and perhaps, u might want to include cooking lessons for your in-house activities.. more variety would be great for your guests who are staying for a longer period.."

Manukan Island Resort: "10 idyllic days in paradise"

"Hillside villas: fantastic, bright, airy, separate bedroom and lounge, satellite tv incl movies, huge bathroom with waterfall tap over bath, good warm showers, lovely little touches like slippers, bathrobes, 2 complimentary waters, 2 cokes, and 2 sprites per day. For cheaper and no steps the beach suites are newly renovated, very nice, a couple of minutes walk from the private beach area, 5 minutes walk max from restaurant, view nice but is on edge of busy public beach. Wi-fi was assigned to each room and worked all the time for me. 27 rooms/villas total now. Beach: We stayed on private beach for 10 days - wow! Gorgeous, soft white sand and lovely warm sea, palm trees full of coconuts, views of the rainforest, sunsets, monitor lizard takes a nightly swim. The beach is cleaned immaculately daily. But the seabed does need to be cleaned more from odd bits of rubbish - we mentioned to Ben, the Manager, who is talking with Sabah Parks about it. It did NOT put us off sea swimming. Facilities: huge varied breakfast outside with fans, we had all meals outside with fans - perfect, even on the beach! 16 choices on the menu but Joey the chef made a different vegetarian menu for me every night, at a very good price, our maximum bills were 65MR pp for huge buffet , most meals were less than this, even with starters. We spent under £300 for the 10 nights on food and drink! A bargain. Alcohol expensive, as per Borneo. This is indicative of the personalised service at Manukan - everything is possible, just ask! Quiet bar, pool area very quiet but nice, small parties come for an evening meal from the mainland some nights. 3 piece acoustic & bass band serenade you every night too. Staff: EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE. Friendly, not intrusive, really care about all the clients and their happiness. Small and informal with very high standards of cleanliness and service. Thank you Ben, Welther, Joey, Sabre, Frederick, Yazid, Shima, Jessica, the new Mazilla, Nora, the band,.... The monitor lizards are safe and lovely to watch, hardly any spiders at all, but we used lots of deet against the mosquitoes (not too bad) and sand flies. There are mosquito plug-ins in the villa and a coil is lit at the evening turn-down service so you can continue to sit on the balcony at night. Things to do: we went on a day trip to Kota Kinabalu to see the City Mosque and do some shopping in one of the malls. Management and reception will arrange a boat at a good price 65 mr pp return (£13) or you can use the public one, slightly cheaper. It is only 10 minutes. From Manukan - There are watersports - thankfully they go offshore so it is not noisy, the sea-walking looked amazing, trips to other islands, snorkelling trips (there are not many fish jsut off the beach in comparison to the Maldives but other guests said the 3 island trip was good for fish). Cafe and shop run independently too if you need, but Manukan also sells the necessities, toiletries, drinks, crisps, beer in their shop too. A longer stay, 10 nights, allowed us to really appreciate this island. We had been to Sepilok Sanctuaries and also Turtle island before and were glad to have such peace in magical surroundings. Our memories will last forever. Do not hesitate to ask questions. Jayne and Mark"

4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "Floating Paradise in the Jungle"

In a remote location, I can accommodate in a very luxurious and comfortable place. Breakfast is a lot, can have eggs with bacon and ham with hash brown, and pancakes (the other day is muesli with fruits), and fried noodles (or other day is fried rice). The staffs are modest and helpful. The excursions are wonderful.

Le Du Wine Bar & Restaurant: "Once every now and then, lightning strikes you"

If you want to impress relatives, friends of your boss, make sure to book (in time) a table in this small restaurant. It is quite difficult to find (at the end of small alley Silom 7 take a left) and when you enter, you don't expect an experience you're about to get! The young chef and his team are serving fantastic dishes. We went for the 4-course dinner with wine pairing and were fascinated by both the presentation of the food as well as the quality & taste! Wines that were served (by the glass) matched the dish and so this place - that's number 1 on Bangkok's 10 best.com - has become my new number 1!

Nam Bo Boutique Hotel: "The sort of place where an author could hide away and write a best seller!"

"This is a simply appointed, French influenced, comfortable and very convivial Boutique Hotel with 9 spacious suites just across the road, pier and gardens from the Mekong. Actually, the establishment is more of a restaurant than an hotel because the lower two floors are given over to everyday dining and the rooftop is host to L'Escale, a discreet eatery offering more sophisticated fare. It's also serves Breakfast to guests. Watching early morning activity on the river, we agreed with fellow guests that both breakfast and view were stunning. The two lower restaurants were constantly busy however the sounds of diners having fun did not reach our rooms on the upper floors. You can't please everybody all the time of course and doubtless some will want plushier surroundings, however for us Nambo met key criteria for the Delta: Cool, Quiet, Tasty, Friendly and Reasonable! Internet trouble: no problems; no fuss - Receptionist showed up with a dedicated router - Service with a friendly smile!"

Nimmu House: "a perfect stay"

"after six weeks in Ladakh: Nimmu house was the perfect place to start and to stay. Close to Leh but quiet and authentic. Beautyfull rooms in the house, preserving the style of this house. Excellent food. Most important: the staff is very friendly, helpfull and professional! A must to come back :) Andreas H. Basel, Switzerland"