Guest Reviews

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Relaxing and beautiful"

"This is a stunningly beautiful hotel in an amazing location. The quality of rooms, service and food were all exceptional. Staff were friendly and helpful. We did a couple of birdwatching walks - one in the afternoon and one in the early morning - with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. We also enjoyed a tour of the Glenburn tea factory, a walk down to the river and lesson in how to make momos - all with professional and friendly guides."

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Leopard safari"

This was a wonderful experience in a jungle camp site. Unforgettable and Sarge was a terrific ranger, cannot thank him enough. Outside eating under the stars. Leopards, a. Bear, a jackal, peacocks crocodiles etc. so exciting.

MesaStila: "Hidden treasure – a lovely escape"

"Our party of 19 stayed at this amazing resort on the last leg of our trip. The MesaStila is housed on a vast area that was once a coffee plantation. Imagine lush greenery, manicured lawns and beautifully landscaped plants. These grounds are peppered with bungalows of varying sizes with some having connecting doors. This proved useful for all the kids in the party to visit each others' rooms. We also had the privilege of staying at the Bellavista (also referred to as the Presidential Suite). This palatial residence has a living room large enough to house all 19 of us for dinner without feeling cramped. The amazing staff obliged to our request to have room service served there because of the kids were too tired to head to the restaurant for dinner. The living area also proved useful for group discussion sessions and a good game of hide and seek. The bedrooms were equally mind blowing with the ornate four poster beds and sunken baths. A beautiful blend of antiques and modern requirements - copper sinks and faucets, flat screen TV, wooden bar locks, electric kettle and a bar fridge. The resort kindly obliged to our request for extra beds as some of us had 3 in a group. The rooms were large enough to accommodate the bed without it feeling like space was compromised, The other villas has a variety of bedding combinations including one with a loft bed! Within the Resort, the Hammam Spa was a wonderful escape as I opted for the 90min Intensive Massage Therapy. My therapist managed to work through my knots from the previous day's hike and left me feeling so refreshed, I was tempted to add another 90 minutes! Breakfast is served daily at Java Green. There is a decent selection of local and international food (try to chicken porridge!) but the one thing you must not miss is the daily dose of Jamu (Indonesian Traditional Herbal Drink) served by the loveliest little lady at the entrance of the restaurant. There are several concoctions to choose from - be warned, some taste better than others - but they're all good for the system. And if the lady's appearance is anything to go by, I'd be happy to drink the stuff daily! If you're wondering what to do at the resort, here's a list of stuff we tried: Cycling through the Padi fields and taking a soak at the local ""hot spring"" at the end of the ride The Coffee Plantation tour - very educational with more than just coffee to see Take a swim in the lovely pool Relax at the SPA Play pool at the bar Read a nice book at the clubhouse Ask about the Jeep tour to Merapi (Indonesia's most active volcano) Visit the amazing Borobudur Plenty to see and do! There's also stuffwe didn't have time to try, like batik painting, learning to play the Gamelan, morning Yoga sessions, pony rides, etc. Check with the Reception for the daily activity schedules. While the 8 parents on the trip were quite awestruck by the place, I also have to add that we had 11 boys with us - all aged 12 and some were slightly spooked by the ornate architecture and furnishings when we arrived on the first night. The city boys having just left a rather modern upmarket hotel did take a while to get used to the antiquated outlook of the place. That said, they were very happy to run around once the sun came up and once familiarity set in, they were a bit sad to leave after 3 nights there. I would recommend the establishment for couples, anyone in need of peace and quiet, people who appreciate old architecture or just someone in need of a slightly different holiday."

Sea Dance Resort: "Far from the crowds but close to everything. A beautiful, peaceful, friendly boutique resort"

Sea Dance Resort is a newer property near Choeng Mon town, a less crowded area of the island.It is close to the airport but out of its flight path so it is convenient but very quiet. My two, twenty-something daughters and I were ending our two week trip to Thailand and Siem Reap here and wanted an uncrowded, peaceful place to relax before we headed home. We found just what we were looking for at Sea Dance and spent four nights there. We loved our pristine pool villa as well as the resort's infinity pool and bar. The beach is absolutely beautiful there with plenty of covered and uncovered seating. The place is simply gorgeous, but it is the staff that make a stay there so unforgettable. Art, Faith, Helen, Ping at front desk (may have name wrong), Danny, Kwan and Gome couldn't have been friendlier or more accommodating. Kwan and Gome helped find my daughters when their paddle boats drifted beyond our line of sight! By the end of four days there we felt like we were leaving our family. This boutique hotel is luxurious without being ostentatious. The staff is genuinely friendly and sincere. I would go back in a heartbeat!

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Priceless!"

We were at the Golden Buddha Beach in January and we loved every minute of our stay! A big thank you to Valerie and to all the friendly staff who made our stay unforgettable. Now back to winter I wish I was still there. Amos

Maison Polanka: "A Delight"

We stopped in Cambodia for five days on the way back to Australia from Europe. We wanted a few relaxing days in a warm climate to beat the jet lag and wind down from a busy family-oriented trip to the UK. Maison Polanka was everything we had hoped for from the friendly greeting at the airport from Sopharin, the beautiful compound, stylish and comfortable room and the fantastic staff, including Francis and Cathy . It really is a special place that comes to feel like it might be your very own! The food is wonderful, which can be unusual for in-house hotel kitchens, and we ate in several times as a result. Maison Polanka organised a full day temple tour for us with the delightful and knowledgeable guide Mr Kim Chour and our inimitable tuk tuk driver for the week, Mr Binthoun. Both were friendly and just great. All in all, it was a really good experience and a brilliant hotel - we hope to return ❤️ We would also like to give the Phare Circus a plug, a truly fun night out and a great cause!

MesaStila: "one of the best"

I have traveled extensively all over the world and this is probably one of the most amazing 'hotels' ever. Each room is it's own private house, a house that was bought somewhere in Java and moved to the property and then carefully renovated and modernized. Amazing. Property is just beautiful and the pool and spa area perfect. Nice touches like free afternoon tea with enough food that one has to think about not eating too much. People so nice and courteous.

muang la: "Northern Laos a very special spa resort"

"Situated on a river with hot springs and nestled in beside a small village this Hotel taught us more about high quality cuisine and life in Laos than any other. It was unseasonably cold but with coal fires in buckets (!) at each table and a large fire pit close by we were never cold. Hotwater bottles in the beds, hot thermal tubs on stilts in amongst the trees, a pool on an island, I think you must be getting the picture that this is a pretty special place. From the hotel we visited hill villages and this is a great place to hike from. Picnics, 4x4 vehicles and guides, transfers etc all organised by this hotel. It is a remote part of Laos and therefore very unspoilt. This is a gem of a hotel in such a far away place "

Glenburn Tea Estate: "Mrs"

"Our adventure was with our two best friends & our four children. Be prepared for a bumpy ride to get to Glenburn but once you make it, it's like your very own piece of Eden! The bedrooms are exquisitely decorated with beautiful Indian material & very comfortable all with electric blankets & glorious white cotton sheets. We stayed in the Planters suite which boasts a huge four-poster bed as well as a single bed for our 3 year old daughter & Glenburn provided a travel cot for our younger daughter. We were all very comfortable & warm during our 3 night stay. The staff are exceptional & will stop at nothing to help make your stay the best it can be. They are charming & polite & were fantastic with our children. We even managed a child free day when we did the 2 hour walk to the river & stayed for a leisurely lunch while the children were looked after by the team. On our return they were all happily exhausted from a day of outside playing & two very content couples had a peaceful night! The food is utterly delicious, with lots of it grown from the beautifully kept Glenburn garden - I definitely put on weight over my 3 night stay! One of Glenburns other charms is being able to enjoy a delectable 3 course dinner in the lovely dining room in the company of the other guests who are from all over the world. It is so interesting sharing travelling stories & hearing others different experiences. All in all I cannot rate Glenburn more highly & hope very much that I will return again. Many thanks to you all at Glenburn for making our stay such a happy one - we all loved it!"

Anopura: "A lovely escape"

My mother and I had one of the nicest stays of our trip to India here. The food is excellent. The staff are lovely and the location is peaceful.It was a nice break from the frenetic cities of Rajasthan. The accommodation is excellent. The decor is very tasteful. We regretted not being able to stay a second night. The staff are very well trained. They are helpful without being intrusive.