Guest Reviews

LEOPARD SAFARIS - WILPATTU: "Highlight of our trip"

"We booked our safari with Noel's leopard safaris after reading the other reviews even though initially we thought it seemed expensive. The whole thing was brilliant, our camp host and safari guide Pila, is a walking encyclopedia and wildlife expert. He also has eyes like a hawk and an amazing ability to spot hidden wildlife. We arrived each morning as the park opened and though there were never many other jeeps he always lost them. Possibly beginners luck, we saw 2 leopards and a sloth bear on our first safari, along with a miriad of smaller mammals and gorgeous birds. Then on our last trip finally saw 2 elephants. This would have been enough but in addition the tents are comfortable and the food delicious. If you are not sure don't hesitate you won't regret it. "

The Island Lodge: "Beautiful boutique hotel next to the river"

"We returned with our 4 yrs old for a second time to the Island Lodge and stayed three nights. I believe it's the best thought through boutique hotel I ever came across in SE Asia. The river view rooms are in 2F, right above the open restaurant, the very good size pool is next to the restaurant and everything is right next to the river. Basically wherever you are and whatever you do, you will have a river view (obviously not from the garden rooms). It is the perfect place for doing absolutely nothing. Food and drinks are good and you should be able to find something on either the French or the Vietnamese menu. The rooms have a good size and are very clean, the pool is great and big and never felt crowded. All the staff are very friendly and they will help whenever they can. The Lodge offers a few tours, which are not so bad if this is your first time to SE Asia. There are some areas which could be improved though. I had the manicure/pedicure which was really not that great. Sitting with hand and feet tucked into tiny bowls for quite a while was not very relaxing. I had the impression they want to offer the service, but the location is not really prepared for it. The manicure/pedicure itself was just ok. The other thing which bothered us one morning 7ish was to wake up to Vietnamese techno music played loudly in one of the neighboring houses. I hope this was because we stayed the days right after new year with all the schools off. Nevertheless, the Island Lodge is a fantastic place and we will be back. Stayed January 2017, traveled with family"

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."

Mathis Retreat: "Un seul mot…fabuleux"

"We fell in love with this intimate hotel with magnificent views of a rice field ... The rooms are spacious and very clean and are limited in number which gives its charme.a hotel. Breakfasts are hearty and fresh. We had dinner every night at the hotel restaurant and the Terracotta entire card is excellent. We recommend the tuna tataki input a killer! The Mathis offers a free shuttle to downtown. Very friendly staff and very caring. In the evening we are surrounded by the sound of crickets and frogs ... the morning woken by birds .. the dream :-) "

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Secluded paradise"

"The resort is a collection of bungalows and a clubhouse built along a pristine stretch of the Andaman coast, along with a more protected bay for swimming (there's a great beach bar on this end). If you're arriving by sea (and not by jeep from the pier) the boat drops you off in the bay, and you wade through the water onto the beach, which sets the tone for the stay. Most of the baans are open air, as is the clubhouse, and you wake up and fall asleep to the sound of waves, the wind, crickets (or whatever the local variant), lizards, birds, and monkeys. Likewise, although the west-facing beach doesn't have any lounge chairs or umbrellas, we were often the only people sitting on our towels under the shade of palm trees, watching scuttling crabs and the receding tide. It truly is designed to bring you as close to nature as possible without actually camping on the beach. The people at the resort are all lovely - Massi, Duang, and all the folks who worked in the clubhouse and the bar are professional and friendly. A special thanks to P'Wam, the head chef, who gave me a great cooking class. The food is uniformly delicious, fresh, and varied a lot from day to day. We were there for four days and didn't see the same dish twice at dinner. Breakfast is plentiful. Everything, from the food to the drinks, was fairly priced and great value considering how difficult it must be to provision the place. A few things that might be helpful to know before going: The waves on the long stretch of beach are quite wild and we didn't find it possible to swim, but it's great for strolls and lying around. If you're going in peak season with kids, don't count on being able to hang out at that beach with them. The bay side was quiet when we were there (in mid December, we felt we had the run of the place) but I can imagine it getting quite crowded around Christmas. The mosquitos and black flies are no joke. I showed up without any DEET and had to buy some immediately, and use it constantly, and even then I was bitten. If you tend to attract bites, plan on covering up and using DEET in the morning and evening. In retrospect I wish we had gone for a beachfront baan as they probably had fewer bugs than ours, which didn't get as much breeze. Our baan was beautifully maintained and felt very private, with an outdoor bathroom and decks. Note that the water is from a well and gives off a strong sulphurous odour, which keeps showers short and eco friendly. All in all, a truly special place that runs seamlessly despite its remoteness and the encroaching jungle and sea around it. We enjoyed our time there and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it or go back."

Maduzi Hotel: "Worth the experience at Maduzi"

"Everything here is excellent! Service is very good. Although some of the young staffs do not speak much English but the senior lady in charge, who speaks good English tries her very best to help with enquiries. Food was great, served in a lovely dining area with relaxing ambience. It's worthwhile to add breakfast into your booking as you are allowed to order 2 dishes + 1 juice + 1 hot beverage. Although it's not buffet style here, the menu is great with seriously delicious French, Thai and Japanese cuisines. I love best the 'Avocado in 4 ways' and the Japanese salmon dish! It's a fresh change from buffet style breakfast in most hotels where one gets many choices of food but nothing really spectacular. The bar near reception serves complimentary drinks and everything in the mini bar of the room is also complimentary with personal coffee machine. There is a fantastic work station plus a luxurious recliner chair too which are so convenient. Bed is really huge, with super comfy sheets and ample big and normal sized pillows. Room is huge, decor is lovely with spacious dressing area + walk in wardrobe area. Only setback for the bed was the comforter which is not big enough for the bed, but it's a negligible issue. The bathroom is creatively designed with infinity jacuzzi bathtub. It's great for most guests but what is lacking here is a good strong shower. It's rain shower here with weak 'splayed out' flow that is not adjustable, and one can almost stay dry standing at the centre. There is no shower head at the jacuzzi bathtub. I had to shower using the strong flow of water coming from the ceiling meant to fill up the jacuzzi tub. Hope this problem will be looked into by the management as taking a strong satisfying shower is vital for some guests! Overall this place is awesome, location is good and prices are reasonable! "

Locavore: "Quite a a culinary experience"

Exceeded my expectations. The presentation of each bursting-with-flavour morsel was very creative and enhanced the dining experience.

Manukan Island Resort: "Wunderbar"

"Die Übernachtungen in der Hill Villa 12 waren wunderbar. Sehr gepflegte luxuriöse Appartments. Großzügige Raumgestaltung, wunderbare Aussicht, Top Personal!!!! Terrasse, Patio und Balkon mit Meerblick über Palmen und den sehr gepflegten Privatstrand. Das Personal erfüllt das Begehr des Kunden noch bevor der Kunde das Begehr begehrt:-) Jederzeit gerne wieder! Ein Traum!!"

Samanea Beach Resort: "Best kept secret resort in Kep"

One of the first thing that caught our eyes upon our arrival at the resort is how green this place is! Everywhere you can see shaded trees, flowers and tropical plants of all sorts and types-all are well manicured and arranged such that they seem to hug the bungalows in such a harmonious way! The resort itself is located on the side of Kep that's away from the tourist crowds! So here all you can hear and see was the soothing sound of crashing waves, of bird singing, and the evergreen color of the nearby mangroves...You truly felt immersed in nature, at peace with yourself and the environment. The staffs working here were just as friendly and comforting as the environment. They all greeted you with a genuine smile on their face, sometimes a little shy which was in itself charming. One of the managers, Jonathan had gone out of his way to make sure we had a relaxing and enjoyable stay: from recommending the best crab restaurant in town to arranging complimentary transport to pick us up from the border crossing with Vietnam. The bungalow room was very spacious with a cozy living area. However, the most charming feature of the room is the outdoor shower and bath! Very relaxing and romantic to say the least! The resort was only five minutes tuk tuk ride from the crab market and restaurants so going out for dinner or shopping was very convenient.

Chakrabongse Villas: "Fantastic stay"

Beautiful peaceful oasis in the middle of noisy Bangkok. We feel lucky to have found this place and can recommend it to everyone, especially those who like to have a more genuine experience of this unique city rather than staying in the big chain hotels. Very clean, neat and pleasant place.