Guest Reviews

Sukoon Houseboat: "Beautiful Houseboat – Wonderful Staff"

"I booked a ""tailor-made"" Sukoon experience, including a ""3 days camp & hike"" in the Aru Valley, a local hiking tour outside of Srinagar, and a 3 nights stay on the houseboat. First of all - the planning and organisation of all these individual parts of my ""Sukoon experience"" was perfectly well done by the Sukoon people. The camp in Aru Valley was luxurious with a ""real bed"" in my spacious tent, carpets, a little table with a mirror and bed side tables. Just outside the sleeping tent there was a ""outhouse"" tent, with a comfy toilet in it, and a washing tent, with towels and hot & cold water in buckets. While Manzoor and Rashid guided me on my hikes and took me to many beautiful spots in the Aru and Lidder Valley, Amin, the cook, prepared the most delicous Indian meals I could imagine. What he created in his pretty basic kitchen tent was just amazing - and I enjoyed every bite of all his heavenly curries and dishes, especially after a day-long hike.... I felt pampered from A-Z. Then I returned to Srinagar where the rest of the Sukoon Crew welcomed me very warmly. The boat itself is a jewel in Dal Lake - with beautiful wooden walls, ceilings and floors, spacious rooms, indoor dining room as well as a deck with an outdoor dining area and sunbeds/umbrellas for relaxing hours. The houseboat is reachable by the Sukoon´s own engine-driven Shikara. Every time you need a ride, the Shikara is made ready for you within minutes. The soul of Sukoon, and what makes this beautiful houseboat so homely, is the Sukoon people, with Bashir, Ashiq, Passang, Bela, and of course the kitchen crew around chef Amin. They just do all they can (and even more) to make every stay on Sukoon a very memorable one. They all live the great Kashmiri hospitality - and guest satisfaction always comes first. Srinagar and Kashmir are so well worth a visit - and I (solo female traveller) felt 100 % safe, wherever I went, in town as well as in the mountains. So - go ahead - and enjoy and discover this unique place!!! THANK YOU dearest Sukoon-housboat-team for making my stay such a wonderful one. (One thing about Reservation/Administration that is done by the headoffice in Delhi - Please be careful when making international bank transfers as in my case the money never arrived. Even though the problem with the payment is not yet solved I am full of admiration how the manager of Sukoon in Srinagar, Mr. Muslim Naqash, is handling this case. THANK YOU!!!)"

Villa Song Saigon: "Beautiful place, thoroughly recommend"

Set on the river in an expat area, gorgeous French villa with giant pool and lively restaurant, service is great, but unobtrusive - shuttle bus into town and lots of staff information and where to eat/shop. Did a Chu chi tunnels tour with Les rives and they pick you up at the jetty - loved the place!

misool: "Beyond expectations"

"My husband and I got certified in scuba to come here, and it was worth everything. Facilities were wonderful considering mission of resort. If I had vacation time and money, I would bring my three kids there tomorrow. House reef was such a lovely snorkel opportunity. Food was delicious, as long as one can let go of Western thoughts. I personally found nudibranchs, scorpion fish, and a frog fish (fist bump!) and saw mandarin fish on dusk dive. For the bird addicts, we saw wild sulfur crested cockatoos on the resort island. I will budget to get here again asap with my kids. Dive master took great care of us... (Hugs to Kiikii, despite my great faith that he was Benny). Wait staff was always ready with an eager selamat pagi for early breakfast. Getting here is difficult, but As noted above, I would come back in a heartbeat. Shout out to Mark, Sue and Calvin. I cried when I left... "

The Apsara Rive Droite: "Charming boutique hotel"

Located just across its sister hotel, The Apsara, the Rive Droithe is located in a quiet part, less touristy area of Luang Prabang. The hotel manager, Hann, is delightful and friendly. Good breakfast, friendly service, charming French colonial style buildings, nice pool, and good dinner selection if you do not feel like venturing into town at night, although please note that the selection is less compared to the Apsara across the river. Also please note, although the wifi is pretty good, not all rooms can receive wifi reception. Overall, a very good boutique hotel in Luang Prabang

The Cabochon Hotel: "This is a true boutique accommodation – wish we hadn’t left"

"We easily found the Cabochon (using transit on our first morning in Bangkok). We were greeted by the staff who took care of our luggage, got us inside for an instant check-in and took us to the little library for a refreshing coconut water drink. We were able to enter our room early with no charge because it was clean and ready. When we travel we prefer to stay in unusual accomodations. We chose well selecting the Cabochon Hotel for our first trip to Bangkok. The Cabochon is like an old mansion from before the war. You enter a quiet world of reduced light, and cool marble floors and steps. Vintage wood furniture and objets everywhere. Lovely people working hard to make you feel comfortable during your stay with them. This hotel is a labor of love. We enjoyed having our breakfast outside on the front veranda under the trees. There is a breakfast area as well as a little restaurant. You can stop by the bar for a drink or a latte. Our room was a nice size - not huge because we're in another era here but not cramped like Japan - with dark wood floors, old style windows, vintage style white tiled bathroom and crisp well made beds. You could see the care the housekeeper had put into making the room nice. We were only steps off busy Sukhumvit Road but couldn't hear it or smell the exhaust. The rooms aren't smoked in so you're spared that too. While we enjoyed being out and about we also needed a refuge to replenish ourselves. I hope this review helps someone find their way to the Cabochon. If you prefer a big sterile room and a hotel with a noisy bar/karaoke/disco scene don't come here. If you want the experience of being a traveler from another time yet with modern comfort you'll love it. This is the place to be. Room Tip: There are no ice machines or noisy people in the halls here. It wasn't too hot when we stayed s... See more room tips Stayed January 2017, traveled with family"

Rachamankha: "Such a great place"

"We were very surprised by the quality of the staff ans hotel itself. Buetifully planned, very well maintained witch charming atmpsphere of an old ""monastery"" type of building. Staff is vert well trained, good English, very helpful and attentive. Rooms are of good size, nicely decorated, very high ceilings, perfect AC, good shower. Breakfast really with plenty of choice both on buffe and menu. Location is quiet, in a tiny street but very close to main attractions. Wifi OK. Nice pool, well maintained greenery. Very much recomendable place. Stayed January 2017, traveled as a couple"

THE SAMAR: "Fantastic place"

Stayed here with with fiance, what an amazing place, great food great hosts and perfect location. We had 2 superb weeks and the weather was amazing. went all over the area and saw lots of interesting things. Would definitely book again.. 5 Stars.

MesaStila Resort and Spa: "Wonderful get away in central Java"

This is a wonderful resort set in the middle of a coffee plantation. A cool respite from the heat of Yogyakarta, the service in this resort is first rate, from the front desk to the restaurant etc. My wife indicated that the massage she received in the spa was one of the best she has ever had. The breakfasts were fabulous, the views awe-inspiring, and the arrange tour to the Borobudur temple was excellent. My only negative is that the fitness equipment was really second rate and not operational when I was there. But everything else was great!

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: "R and R after a hectic trip through Bhutan"

"A haven of peace after Bhutan and other parts of Nepal--a lazy 4 days where the waistline expanded again, inventive food and yummy....Lalu at his best !! As always, a superb stay, the team surpassed themselves under Marcus's steely eye. The weather was none too good but, hey ho, every visit has given us stunning views of the Anapurna range so we couldnt grumble( otherwise the Grand Fromage would probably banish us !! ) Looking forward to our next visit and some chilli dishes !! Room Tip: Any cottage will be a joy"

satrin house: "beautiful antique design"

"Stayed few days in this beautiful hotel! The design is antique and it makes your stay special. Great service in the hotel, nice breakfast. 7 min from the night market/center, and free bicycle in the hotel make it faster. Highly recommended hotel in Luang Prabang "