Guest Reviews

Cuca: "World Class Dining with Exquisite Local Ingredients and Flavor!"

"We arrived at the restaurant and welcomed by the vast green front yard. It was a beautiful open yard with tall coconut trees and definitely best spot to host an intimate dinner party. We made booking by phone just couple hours before and happy to find table since we heard it's usually full booked. The menu is served ala tapas, and most of them are very enticing just by reading the name and the ingredients. We decided to go with the Chef's Tasting Menu - which is a 9 dish course handpicked by Chef Kevin Cherkas as the best representative of Cuca's flavor. This was the best decision as first timer here! In the beginning of the course, we were given a cotton candy like with savory taste, served in a pretty ceramic pink paper bag. Here are the 9 dishes: 1. Cuban Corn 2. Roasted Pork Buns* 3. Smoked Butterfish - since I am pregnant and could not eat smoked fish, they happily replaced this with other menu, we chose Fried Chicken 4. Honey Baked Pumpkin Salad* 5. BBQ Octopus* 6. Rice Tempura Soft Shell Crab 7. Meat & Potatoes* 8. Bali Breakfast 9. Cocoa 99 The starred ones are our favorites with Meat & Potatoes the highlight of them all. The potatoes are so silky smooth with such flavorful beef short ribs underneath, definitely a winner. Overall, this was a wholesome dining experience, and to find it in Jimbaran, Bali was just exciting. We could easily compare the experience with those we had in Scandinavia, truly exquisite. The great thing about Cuca is also they use only ingredients from Indonesia! Chef Kevin Cherkas personally dropped by at each table to converse with guest and wow, we even got a great recommendation of Suckling Pig Rebo in Jimbaran that we haven't been before. (And it was really good!) Thank you Chef! Cuca is about to open in Jakarta by 2018, we'll be patiently waiting :) "

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

Babe: "Fun dining!"

Open by michelin starred chef,Jeff Ramsey-Babe is truly a fun somehow fine dining experience.Chef Jeff creativity and idea on food is truly amazing!Worth come to Babe for another type of dining experience.

Les Maisons Wat Kor: "Hidden treasures of Battambang"

I stayed at Maisons Wat Kor for three nights. The people were really nice. The room is amazingly lovely. the garden is unbelievable like a tropical forest.... The pool is something you cant miss. The dinner set on the lotus pond was so memorable. Thank you..I'll come again for sure.

Rak Ko Jae Seoul: "What a great experience"

"I spend 3 nights at this beautiful Hanok and it was an amazing experience ! Rakkojae is in the hearth of Bukchon, in a very quiet alley. But still, its in the centre of Seoul, Anguk Subway Station is just 5 minutes away, and plenty of restaurants, sights, shops etc. are in easy walking distance (...) Dinner and breakfast are included, and are traditional and very tasty. You can also have a continental breakfast with toast and eggs if you prefer. Korean breakfast was with smoked fish (very tasty), abalone porridge (tasty, but a bit too excotic for me as a breakfast dish) and I was glad that on the third morning (I had continental breakfast on the second morning) there was a tasty soup instead of the porridge. The ladies who run Rakkojae are very friendly. I tried the Mud Sauna on the 3rd night and liked it a lot (so I wish I had tried it on the first night already). Overall, I loved it at Rakkojae, and can only recommend it. Its an amazing and beautiful place, that words can really describe. You have to go there and experience it yourself. And if you can, stay for at least 2 nights."

Mathis Retreat: "An Oasis of Calm"

We stayed at Mathis Retreat for 6 nights and loved every minute of it. I found the centre of Ubud very hectic and a little overwhelming but coming back to Mathis every night was heaven. Located around a 5 minute drive from the centre of Ubud, Mathis Retreat overlooks beautiful rice paddy fields and has its own enclosure for the gorgeous ducks (a personal favourite) and it was so peaceful. We stayed in a garden bungalow and it was beautiful, the decor was gorgeous, it was spacious and private. Only minor flaws, we found the lighting very dim, while romantic, it was hard to find things in the bottom of our suitcases and there was a little noise from scooters going up & down the dirt road next to the resort, but this was only minor and as that road only services other accommodation it's usually quiet from 10pm onwards. The food at Terracotta Restaurant was delicious, we loved dining for breakfast and dinner overlooking the rice paddies. The staff were all lovely and very helpful, beautiful smiling faces every time we saw them. As this is a boutique resort it isn't hugely busy like large resorts and nabbing a spot by the pool was easy, no lounge chair reserving needed! Initially I was worried about the volcanic threat at Mt Agung as the alert level had been raised to the highest level, but I needn't be, Mathis is a long way away and life in Ubud carried on as per usual.

Mie Cafe: "Chef’s recommendation"

We ended up trying this restaurant from the recommendation of the head chef of Lecuisine Wat Damnak (another review), and we loved it. Cozy fine dining restaurant, where we ended up trying some of the a la carte dishes instead of the degustation menu. Really enjoyed the food (new Khmer dishes) and atmosphere, and even despite a heavy rainstorm, which caused a semi-flood in the outdoor seating area. Made it extra cozy.

Maduzi Hotel: "Excellent stay"

"Stayed in the Maduzi hotel for 3 nights. I love it. Everything about the room is amazing. Very spacious, comfy bed, jacuzzi, make-up area, separated space to put my luggage. All in very good condition. Wifi works well. Very helpful staff. The location is great too with 5 mins walk to T21 or Asok station or the MRT. No hesitation to stay here again."

Maduzi Hotel: "Great hotel, good staff"

"The hotel is in a great location. It is within 100 of Sukhumvit Road yet manages to be rather quiet. The suites are very comfortable and quiet. I love the no quibble everything is free in the mini bar approach. I love the 24x7 cleaning staff approach. For Thailand, they have a fairly well stocked wine and liquor selection. I have found great inconsistency in the front line staff though. Some of the staff were very well trained and could handle most any request. Others I found to be downright infuriating. I would love to see an improvement in consistency for staff training."

Kinabalu Park: "Some tips for noobs (like me)!"

"Do not rush it. Take some time to enjoy the places in ranau and kundasang as well. We stayed at LODGE 37 for 2 days and its still not enough. Lodge 37 is located at ranau in between kinabalu park and ranau hot spring. Theres few trails inside the foot of mt kinabalu itself (dont need any ticket), so if u guys are up for it spend one whole day there. (Wont still be enough) For RANAU HOT SPRING, spend a day there as well. Theres more to it then just the hot spring, If u continue walking, u'll come across - 1) CANOPY WALK (few metres away) 2) KIPUNGIT waterfall (700m away) 3) BAT cave 4) and another waterfall (3km away) If u plan to go both ranau and foot of mt kinabalu on the same day, keep ur ticket with you. U wont have to pay for entrance of the latter if u show them ur tickets. On the last day, otw back to KK, Go for KIULU WATER RAFTING. Worth it for first timer. Maybe not so much for advanced rafters. And later, hav a lunch at SULAMAN. Where u can get fresh 'lokan' (shells), fried food (rice), and some coconut pudding for ur empty stomach. Then head back to KK. Sunset viewing at KOKOL HILL can be done either otw to ranau, or otw back from ranau. Choose which suits u best. We did it otw to ranau. Hope this helps. Even with few days research i didnt really get to know these facts, only when we are there and try it ourselves that we found out abt all this. Last but not least, just enjoy urselves! Stop worrying abt the time that u cant regain. Live the life, travelers! InsyaAllah."