Guest Reviews

MesaStila: "Two nights are NOT enough"

Spectacular resort set within a coffee plantation. Think being on yr 60 m2 terrace While facing forest and a Volcano, while you r hearing the Muezzins prayers. Breakfast and Dinners r great with a lot of European food offer (practical if you have kids and you do not want always discuss). Great Service and a lot of activities, such Yoga and Java dance classes, included in the price.

Tugu Lombok: "Amazing , astonishing , unique"

"This hotel has the most incredible features in the rooms, surrounding areas and further Totally recommend this hotel if you appreciate something different Most importantly staff were incredible, management always around and interested in what you were doing and attentive Probably the most remarkable hotel we have ever stayed in Food excellent , surroundings unbeatable , gorgeous beach Serene , quiet, with superb service you will not be disappointed For someone wanting a diving or snorkelling trip a little out of the way but the Hotel makes it easy to get to closer sites Stayed March 2017, traveled as a couple"

The Cabochon Hotel: "An oasis in the middle of chaotic Bangkok"

The Cabochon was heaven. The hotel is wonderfully decorated with antique items and gorgeous little nooks and crannies that make you want to photograph everything. The staff were incredibly kind and helpful, catering to anything we needed. The breakfast was scrumptious - great way to start your day touring around Bangkok. The restaurant served the best food we had during our entire stay in Thailand.

Rachamankha: "Oasis in the midst of Old City"

Your stay in Chiang Mai will be very special when you stay at Rachamankha. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, gorgeous antiques abound throughout, and the guest rooms are spacious and well designed. There is a huge pool with beautiful blue tile, a library offering books as well as brandy, and a restaurant that offers wonderful Asian and Western dishes. The property provides a very peaceful and tranquil environment and children are not allowed as guests to maintain the ambiance for adults. There is a large DVD library available for free viewing. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Please note, it may be hard for taxi drivers to find as it is on a small lane/alleyway - my first driver had to call the hotel 4 times before finally finding it! But it was well worth the effort.

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Paradise and more"

This place is just incredible, after years of searching in Thailand, this is the hidden gem, paradise that I have been looking for. The island is incredible. The hotel is so well run, clean, amazing food and a fantastic yoga teacher. We just had the best time.

Cuisine Wat Damnak: "Extraordinary degustation! MUST do!"

Greeted by the chef on arrival and made feel welcome like your dining at the chefs own home! Incredible local produce and traditional Khmer flavours, prepared using French techniques. The frog legs were an absolute highlight! Affordable fine dining at its best! Can't wait to return! Thank you!

Noel Rodrigo’s Leopard Safaris: "Ethical safari company and wonderful staff; game safaris are a bonus! A++++"

"Summary: If you want a unique and special experience – come and stay here! Seeing a leopard is just a bonus! The safaris, the camp, and the team are brilliant. The company is ethical, environmentally-minded and the staff is knowledgeable, professional and passionate. You will not regret glamping, going on safari and generally having a brilliant time. I would recommend Noel Rodrigos Leopard Safaris to anyone and everyone! We went on a few safaris during our time in Yala but Leopard Safaris was so superior in every sense of the word! My only regret was not staying longer!!! I recently stayed with my husband and 8-year-old son. After a short drive from the pick area, we got received with a warm welcome and a cold towel. Well, Noel Roderigo’s Leopard Safaris, you had me at cold towel.... it continued to get better and better from there. We got a fresh coconut drink and then shown to our tent. The tent Hailing from Australia we are very used to camping. Often, we just throw down a swag or a very thin mattress on the ground. Glamping is the ultimate in camping – you get a real bed and awesome amenities. You get the excitement of camping with the creature comforts. It makes the entire experience so special. The fact that everything is ecological friendly makes this experience even more unique. The fact they have NO plastic made me so proud of them! What a wonderful thing to do and it just shows that Noel walks the talk of eco-tourism! I would say that getting the tent with the a/c is probably a good idea during hot times of the year. We got the unairconditioned tent and we did sweat a bit. Each ‘bedroom’ and the main area did have a small fan and you did get some air flowing through the tent too. If I had to have one criticism, it was the tent zips. I can see how this would be a hard thing to maintain. Sometimes when you closed the tent the zip would pop open. You could do it but you had to have a few goes. Cuisine Wow, just wow! The meals were some of the best we had during our 2.5 months in Sri Lanka. The chef also made a non-spicy variety for our super fussy son. Our son didn’t eat it but that is no reflection on his cooking ability, as our son doesn’t eat much other than bread! Following each meal, there was an interesting explanation of the ingredients or the meals. They were all traditional Sri Lankan meals and utterly delicious. If you do not cope with spice, as one of the other visitors didn’t, you might want to mention this. It was hot and spicy but that is the way we love it! Each meal was different and the selection interesting. The amount of food was generous. They also source all food locally. Each meal was set up at a different location within the camp and it was beautifully decorated each time. Our son absolutely loved making the string hoppers with the traditional press. You do need to realise you are eating under the stars, literally, and I had bugs come say hello. I am not sure why they decided I was the most exciting. But if you fear bugs, I would say maybe you need to go to a more sterile environment! The camp The entire camp was rustic, practical but also gorgeous. There were many areas just to relax and wind down. At night, it was utterly beautiful - You had small lights guiding you everywhere in the camp at night. The lounge/bar area was beyond beautiful during the day but at night, it was light up with candles and was perfect. We got some light snacks, again delicious and wound down with a wine or beer. Its a really nice way to relax prior to dinner. My husband did open the portable A/C unit in this area and did end up jumping about 10 feet into the air when a small brown snake sprung out of the unit at great speed! It was just exciting and great to see that nature was so chilled it popped in for a swim. It could be free and wild even in the camp! The snake was not dangerous. They were building a new addition - a pool! That will be an unreal addition! I can imagine how relaxing that will be. Ecological and ethically minded tourism Everything about Leopard Safaris is well thought out and has a purpose, yet looked awesome too! You can feel good about staying here. Often I feel a little sick when I see water in plastic bottles, here they stored in glass bottles in the camp and in metal bottles on game drives! What a novel idea! It really should be the NORM!! Electricity is from solar panels and a dual battery system in their safari jeeps. When they are driving it will recharge a battery, how cool is that?! I looked around and everywhere was “reduce, reuse and recycle”. You drink from jars, the basins are upcycled from pots, the fences and bridges are from fallen branches etc. etc.I could go on and on about these examples. As I said before, there is no plastic anywhere! You even had a sink that filtered the tooth paste you spat into the small basin! Our son also got to plant a tree in the camp. It was a lovely touch and great to teach kids about carbon footprint in a practical sense. Plus in the future, you can come visit ‘your’ tree. The company also funds a number of environmental and community programs. Just prior to our safari I was reading about them giving aid to those affected by the 2017 floods - transporting supplies. Again, they walk the talk! It is so refreshing to see! We did have one somewhat unnerving experience. The farmer next door used a VERY loud firework to scare away the elephants 4 or 5 times. We had a mobile to call the team but I think maybe they should have called us to say, “don’t worry the world is not ending”. It was so loud! Plus, I could hear the elephant breaking the trees and I am unsure how close it got but the farmer needed to set off way too many to scare the elephant away. It added to the excitement but I am not sure how great that is for the elephants. We got told it was an unusual occurrence though, as the fence near the camp had been broken a few days earlier. Safaris As I said, the safaris are just the bonus! Even though the leopard did elude us, I know we were very close a number of times. It didn't matter though (well I did want to see one!) but we saw countless other animals and birds, and we had an utterly wonderful experience. A highlight was a crocodile trying to climb a tree to get away from an angry buffalo! The Jeep – was very comfortable, drink bottles, cold drinks in an Esky, snacks, guide books and binoculars. It was well maintained and comfortable. Our Naturalist/Guide – Saamera He is a wonderful person and guide. He is so passionate about wildlife conservation and it really showed. He is very engaging and has excellent English. He is well versed and well educated about wildlife. I really enjoyed talking to him at length about conservation during our meals. He has the world’s most sensitive ears and was constantly on the lookout for signs of leopards and all other wildlife. It was great that he also didn’t talk all the time. Silence is golden at times. He had the mix right. If we asked a question, he answered with knowledgeable answers. Again, comparing to other “guides” we met who clearly made up the answers. The driver – Praneeth He was such a great driver. Actually, he was amazing! He drove at a reliable speed and it was comfortable. I felt like he could have a lot to offer in terms of guiding too, he clearly knew his stuff. He heard so many noises and looked for tracks, and knew all the cues. Other jeeps you can just see screaming around the place with no purpose. The team Saamera and Praneeth worked together and would discuss where to go next if they heard a noise that meant leopards were near. You could tell they liked working together. I feel bad I do not know everyone’s name but everyone was great! I guess my only criticism is – where are the chicks at? Maybe they are a distraction? Haha. Either way! I think having some females around the camp would be great! All that said, I would have loved to have met the “Master” himself, Noel! In his absence, his team does a great job. Conclusion We did a 1-night safari with 2 game drives and I really wish we did 2 nights. 1 night was just not enough! I cannot wait to return to see the leopards that did elude us! We were so close several times hearing many warning calls. I would love to return one day soon and even try out the Wilpattu glamping location you offer. I already know the level of care, service, and diligence will be sensational. Thank you, Noel, Saamera and the entire Leopard Safaris team! You are head and shoulder above 99% of the other operators out there. Please do not ever change your spots!"

muang la: "Most charming Xmas Eve ever"

We stayed in this absolutely beautiful small resort for two nights. We were fortunate that we had a short journey, having flown to the nearest town and been picked up by the resort's car and our guide. We thought the location absolutely stunning and the staff even more fabulous. Our trek into the hills on Christmas Eve could not have been better (even down to the picnic lunch we carried with us from the resort) and the Christmas Eve entertainment which ended with us lighting Chinese lanterns was just magic. Thanks to everyone at the resort who made our stay so very special.

Slow Villas and Spa: "Great place to stay"

Staff were really nice, villas are quiet, beautiful and clean. Not far from the sea. Really relaxing, perfect for families and couples and friends. Breakfast were delicious! I was really pleased during the 3 days i stayed. I hope i will have the chance to come back.

4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "A hidden gem"

We only stayed two nights at 4 Rivers Lodge but it was totally worth it and stunning! We have been very much happy with this experience! it's the best way to relax and be in contact with the nature: no wifi, phone, no TV, no computer. We spent our days cooling off in the Tatai River, phishing, kayaking, having a massage, discovering the little island in front of the resort and trying out the excellent fresh food available at the restaurant. All the tents are very private and comfortable. The shower is a gem! It was simply an amazing experience that we'll never forget! we are happy we chose this place for our honeymoon trip! so peaceful and immersed in the wildest nature of Cambodia! Also, the staff is very friendly and nice! An amazing experience!