Samanea Beach Resort: "Good hotel"

Review by: George M | Source: Trip Advisor
Our family stayed here for 2 nights and very enjoyed. Lovely hotel with friendly staff. Room is spacious and clean with modern set up. Aircon and hot water is always available. Breakfast is buffet with many dishes from East to West.

Sanak Retreat Bali: "The absolute highlight of our Bali trip"

Review by: mollerCopenhagen | Source: Trip Advisor
"Now this is not the ordinary 5 star luxury resort kind of thing, it is so much better. We had great expectations upfront reading all the positive reviews and honestly were still positively surprised. This place simply is beautiful. The view, the rice paddies, the pool, in fact the whole atmosphere is so relaxed and idyllic, that you can’t help getting in harmony with nature. We stayed for four nights in a two bedroom villa, and it was nice and spacious, with a beautiful view from both balconies. Interior is basic and you won’t find aircon and other modern facilities like television etc. But you won’t need it, as temperature is very pleasant at night and the layout of the villa makes it possible to get fresh air during the day. Only room for improvement is the relatively limited closet space not matching a two bedroom villa, but we just kept most of our luggage in the suitcase. Bathroom and toilet is very basic and especially the toilet a little dark, also hot water is on/off most times, but not a huge issue for us. The restaurant is really great with very good food and on top has an unobstructed view of the valley. Food is as mentioned really great and prices are very moderate despite the remote location. You are served free water everywhere, really a nice touch. Staying at the resort you will probably have most of your meals at the restaurant, and perhaps would like to see a slightly different menu for lunch to get some variation, but there are still lots of option on the menu to satisfy most guests. We used the spa almost every day, and it’s a really great spa experience they offer at Sanak. Definitely the best spa we experienced in Bali. The spa has a really beautiful reception area and treatment rooms, nice welcome and very professional service throughout the spa treatment. Maybe a mirror to use after the treatment could be the final touch towards perfection. The pool is beautiful and the view is fantastic, so you could easily spend hours here just enjoying the beautiful view. Not enough sunbeds though, so a little busy at times and people actually had to sit on the grass, but guess they don’t want to fill up the pool area with more sunbeds spoiling the otherwise exclusive settings. Maybe a few extra sunbeds as backup could be an idea. But who wants to stay at the pool all day anyway, when surrounded by such beautiful nature. They offer a lot of different tours of northern Bali, we visited Bedugul and Jatiluwih but our favorite was the village trek with a local and very informative guide, absolutely a highlight. If possible try not to miss the local kids practice dancing in front of the pool – really fantastic. We have praised the villas, the restaurant, the spa, the pool and the local guided tours, but probably the best thing about Sanak Retreat is their wonderful staff. They are all smiling, positive, helpful and definitely a huge part of the total Sanak experience. They are all living in the local village and there’s no doubt that they are very proud of working at and supporting Sanak retreat, this is probably what makes this place so unique. From the welcome to the departure we were treated like friends. We stayed many nice places around Bali but no doubt that Sanak was the absolute highlight of beautiful Bali."

Tugu Bali: "Amazing Hotel with the kindest Staff ever!"

Review by: mentkapto | Source: Trip Advisor
"I have always been passionate about learning and embracing the local culture whenever I travel and Hotel Tugu brought me the perfect balance between Western commodity and Indonesian Traditions The staff was genuine and friendly and they made sure all our stay was special and unique. From the setup for the breakfast on the outside area to the afternoon tea on the raised bed in the garden area it was all perfectly planned and executed. On our second night we had the pleasure to enjoy dinner while watching a Traditional Balinese dance performance. It was interesting to see such performance while enjoying some delicious traditional food in the majestic entrance hall. They also have a delicious Japanese restaurant next door with an amazing decoration and an original Chinese temple surrounding the tables area that was impressive. The Hotel is walking distance to the beach where we walked to see the sunset and see the surfers catching some waves while enjoying our Balinese coffee. Our room was on the upper floor with a beautiful view over the ocean and the most comfortable king size bed I have ever slept in. The room was completely filled with vintage and local items and a traditional bath tube for a late evening bath after exploring Canggu area. The swimming pool made the perfect spot for my girlfriend to read a book and sunbath. On our last night it happened to be my birthday and the hotel staff surprised me over dinner with a delicious birthday cake. If that’s not the ultimate definition of a perfect hotel, I don’t know what could be. Will be returning again on my next trip to Bali and recommending to my friends back home."

Cabochon Hotel & Residence: "my kwerky home in Bangkok"

Review by: Sam S | Source: tripadvisor.com
Two families one with 5 people and the other with 4 people stayed in the 3 and 2 bed apartments for 3 nights.Definitely the best option for families and the 3 bed apartment had lots of sitting space in. The rooftop pool was long enough for serious lap swimming and very welcome after a hot and muggy day. Unfortunately the hot water system had broken down for the apartments and amazingly we were offered to move into another 3 bed apartment - found later that the owner used this for personal use as an overflow to his own apartment. We were entertaining some other friends the first evening , so had them cover over to us for drinks and we went downstairs to the restaurant for dinner and had our own private dining area.It seemed the restaurant is quite popular with many people from outside coming to eat here. The owner has collected all sorts of objects and paraphernalia which created the "kwerky"decor . The barman made some very good cocktails and his twist on G&T was awesome! It seemed that the whole place was run with only 4 to 5 staff who were jack of all from manning the front, to taking orders in the bar or the restaurant, offering room service and also acting as concierge - our Marigold in Bangkok!

Inle Heritage Stilt Houses: "More than excellent hotel on the lake"

Review by: happypuddie | Source: Trip Advisor
"This hotel far exceeded expectations. We were drawn to this hotel because of their approach - not for profit organization which provides on-site vocational training to young people in the region providing them a skill set in the ever growing hospitality industry. - Property/rooms nicely designed & well-maintained. - Housekeeping staff great. Rooms thoroughly cleaned. Great turn down service. - Restaurant staff also great. Helpful and had good command of English language. - Breakfast and dinner was delicious. Extra star for breakfast - homemade baked goods and jam! I've had over cooked scrambled eggs in many places. But not here! - Gift shop was great. All their products are from disadvantaged community groups around the area so what you buy goes back to support their livelihood. - Loved the organic vegetable garden growing on property. - Only thing average was massage service. Not sure they are properly trained. Only regret is that we didn't stay longer! I was pleasantly surprised to see the caliber of service from these student trainees we received. To the management - whatever training program you have designed, you have done it extremely well! Please keep up these standards! Stayed March 2016, traveled with family"

Cheong Fatt Tze – Blue Mansion: "A Step Back In Time"

Review by: Daniel L | Source: Trip Advisor
Recently visited Cheong Fatt Tze's Blue Mansion in Georgetown. All in all I was glad I went as I learned a lot about the original owner. The tour guide was a fascinating raconteur. I could tell she had told this story a few times in the 18 years she had worked there. The quality of the restoration is absolutely amazing.

Babe: "Great food and Ambience"

Review by: Patiencegin | Source: Trip Advisor
"It was a pre-birthday celebration from a good friend and I am so glad that I finally got to try the food at Babe. The highlight of the meal are the special chawanmushi, oyster with egg, Marble score 9 Wagyu and of course my surprised dessert. The ambience, food and service made my day. Kudos to the team."

Villa Song Saigon: "Peaceful retreat by the river"

Review by: MSMD33 | Source: Trip Advisor
"We stayed for one night but wish we had stayed for longer. The setting, history and design of the hotel are stunning. After a day exploring district 1 it was the perfect spot to come back to, to enjoy a glass of wine sat beside the river. The hotel offers a speedboat shuttle into the centre, which takes about 15 minutes - otherwise it took about 20 minutes off-peak to come back by taxi. The service was very good - we were delighted to be able to check into our room on arrival at 9am. The breakfast was a la carte and excellent - sat right next to the river - what a wonderful start to the day! Our room was quite small - but had a lovely balcony with river views. Stayed March 2017, traveled as a couple"

Le Du Wine Bar & Restaurant: "Fine dining for great value"

Review by: MichaelMunich2015 | Source: Trip Advisor
Unbelievable what they offer for the money. One of the 3 best restaurants I have been to in Bangkok for the last ten years.

Reverie Siam: "Beautiful food"

Review by: Rubylips_13 | Source: tripadvisor.com
"I booked this hotel as I saw on trip advisor it had the best restaurant in pai. And the reviews are correct. I had breakfast lunch and dinner here during my stay. Try the meat and cheese board. Heaven if you've been in Asia for a while and are missing diary treats. Great service in the restaurant too. The night we dined they also were playing live music. Disney favourites! Every one was clapping along to the jungle book. So much fun, great ambience in the room. My room was beautiful furnished , spacious with a balcony over looking the pool. I loved the large bathroom with roll top bath. Very cool style. The resort has a very boutique feel, everything looks quality , the design has looks of attention to detail with I enjoyed. Nice that you have a choice of 2 swimming pools one natural and one standard with beautiful views of pai. Great to sit around the pool with a cocktail or fresh juice from the bar. It is as nice as the pictures on the web site which are pretty inviting. "
instagram youtube linkedin blog tiktok

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!