Guest Reviews

Misool Eco Resort: "Spectacular and Amazing vacation"

"Wow, how does one write a review about paradise. This place is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth with diving that surely rivals the best on earth. From A to Z, this place is top notch. We stayed in Water Cottage 1 right by the Dive Shop and loved the proximity to our daily dive ritual. The cottage itself is gorgeous, all made from salvaged local wood. The outdoor bathroom/shower is perfect for the setting, full of eco-friendly bath products. The veranda is amazing with lounge chairs, a bed and a hammock (over the lagoon), offering incredibly views of the lagoon and fish down below, plus stairs down to lagoon for easy access for swimming or snorkeling or just a dip to cool off. The cottage was cleaned and refreshed every morning during our first dive. The bed set up with the AC and mosquito netting is tastefully done and did in fact prevent mosquitos from getting in while keeping us cool and comfortable at night. The food was delicious from morning till night. Fresh bread, tasty homemade granola, egg dishes, smoothies, juices, salads, desserts, fish, chicken, pasta, etc. And I can't forget to mention the fresh baked fantastic cookies served every afternoon. The chef serves a wide variety of great food to keep the guests sustained and ready to spend their days diving or snorkeling. They also serve a wide variety of wine and some beer. The staff in the restaurant provided excellent service. As for the diving, well, it's impossible to really describe other than to say it is out of this world. Since returning I have decided the best way to describe it is like in the cartoons such as Finding Nemo or The Little Mermaid. The incredible variety of coral really is THAT colorful and gorgeous. The fish really are that big and stunning. Tons of schools of all sorts of fish - bump heads, snapper, giant trivially, and batfish. Plus sharks, turtles, eels, sea cucumbers, sea horses, starfish, sea worms, banner fish, clown fish and the list goes on. But the coup de grace of Misool diving is the manta ray. Massive and majestic creatures that are otherworldly. I could dive with them all day and never get bored. The organization of the diving is the best I have ever experienced. Extreme attention is paid to safety. I always felt in good hands thanks to all the staff including Calvin and Sabine, but especially our amazing and caring dive master James. We went diving with him for 8 days on the same boat with the same equipment master and speedboat driver. They were so kind and thoughtful, I wanted to take them home with me. There was something amazing to see on every single dive. The one down side about this place is that we had to leave. And I do believe that I am now forever spoiled. Misool Eco Resort is truly a 5 star destination."

Neeleshwar Hermitage: "Wow!"

"A fantastic stay at Neeleshwar. A unique resort, on the coast of Northern Kerala facing the Arabian Sea. The staff were so attentive and nothing was too much trouble.Unspoilt scenery enhanced by the amount of space between each living area. Fantastically managed gardens with wonderfully, in keeping buildings. The cottages were beautifully furnished. Breakfast served in the beach restaurant, overlooking the sea. Lunch and dinner in a choice of venues. Fish by the beach or a larger selection at the main restaurant. Food to die for and such a choice. We had some clothes made in the resort shop, excellent service. The spa facilities were great. The views from the infinity pool were unbelievable from dawn to dusk. We reluctantly left, to continue our tour of Kerala,a line up of staff to wish us Bon voyage. A real treat! It's not if, but when, we will return. Stayed January 2017, traveled with friends"

Tugu Malang: "Wonderful stay in a slightly eccentric hotel"

"What an experience!! This hotel was perfect, get the best room you can afford - it is so worth it. The hotel is an attraction in its own right, make sure you take the tour to see the VIP suites and function rooms., the bizarre collection of furniture and nick nacks courtesy of the owners. The front desk staff were extremely helpful and all of the trips we took originated from their suggestions and with their help. The piece de resistance is the full day tour to Mt Bromo with waterfall included, organised and accompanied by front desk staff (amazing). Malang itself is a wonderful indonesian city with first rate coffee shops, a great bird market and some lovely streets to walk down. PS(the free afternoon tea is a must)"

Cuisine Wat Damnak: "What a culinary journey"

"Must try/go/taste restaurant in Siem Reap ! Joannes, the Chef, proposes 2 new tasting menu every 2 weeks that will make you discover a high level Khmer gastronomy. Everything here is made to optimize your experience: very very good service,discreet but very efficient, charming authentic refined setting, good wine menu, vegan/vegetarian super friendly and much more but shhhhh.... I let you discover bt yourself this coming explosion of flavors ! ;)"

Maison Polanka: "Charming and eclectic with a wonderful staff"

Wonderful, charming tiny little hotel in a perfect location between the ruins and the main town. We could not have imagined a more perfect place to stay during our visit to Cambodia. The rooms are more like staying in someone's (very nicely decorated) house than being in a commercial hotel, and the food and service were excellent. On the last night of our stay our room had a minor problem with the air conditioning, and the hotel moved us to a nicer room without us even asking so that the problem would be cleanly resolved when we returned from dinner. There are bikes available to ride, you can walk from the hotel to an e-bike rental place, and they also provided free transport to nearby restaurants when possible or you could pay $2 for a Tuk tuk. Highly recommended.

Rachamankha: "Oasis of Tranquility"

We loved our stay at Rachamankha. In fact, it was our favorite hotel on our entire 4 week trip in Asia. Very quiet, great staff, and good location. The grounds and pool are absolutely gorgeous...if you stay be sure to save a day just to enjoy the hotel. The food at the restaurant was very good and reasonable price for a hotel restaurant. Also enjoyed massages which were reasonable. The room itself is not luxurious, but is very nice and cool Thai style. I don't know what they called it, but we got the room one level above the basic room and thought it was worth the money. Breakfast was also very good. Highly recommend this hotel.

4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "A Stunning Place to find where your heart belongs to"

"Very accidentally and surprisingly came across 4 rivers floating lodge while cruising on Tatai river. Still remembered the feeling when the image of 4 rivers floating lodge came into my eyes, from far to close to the site, not just beautiful,but grateful to have you in this place I think the beauty of the place should be discovered by yourself,It's like for a man, you would enjoy to discover by a layer and layer : ) The most impressive part is always the people, especially the owner of 4 rivers, has been struggled a lot to help local community and kids over there, protecting the environment which makes the trip more meaningful to all the visitors. Tips for visiting 4 Rivers: - Best reason is Between October to April, if lucky enough i mean the weather, you will find a lot of fireflies looks like a Christmas tree and a lot of butterflies you have never ever seen before. - you should bring your binoculars and astronomical telescope, you could see many rare birds and gibbons - The most important FACT need to be aware is about the poor connection of the cellphone, recommend to use Melfone SIM card with better connection but not assure it is always stable. - it's like 5h30mins depart from Phnom penh to 4 rivers, 3hrs from Sihanouk ville to 4 rivers by car. Pick-up arrangement is also available for them."

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge: "Magical"

"We lived in Nepal for many years and now visit quite regularly. This has and will always been one of our most favourite spots thanks to Marcus and his team as well as it's most lovely location above Pokhara, in the hills with fabulous mountain views and walks. The local staff are a delight and nothing is too much trouble. The atmosphere is informal and comfortable.The rooms(with attached bathrooms) are tastefully but simply/appropriately decorated and with very comfortable beds. The food is now exceptionally good and there is a choice of meals, which are either enjoyed alone or with other guests and friends. Computers and phones are discouraged in the main reception/dining/living areas which is a breath of fresh air! We spent five nights there on this visit(post high altitude trek) and walked every morning with one of the lodge naturalists, whose knowledge , particularly of the birds, butterflies and trees is exceptional.The local villagers are very welcoming. Thank you all! We will be back!"

The Village House: "A little piece of paradise"

"As the location is quite far out from Kuching we decided to rent a car from the airport which made more sense and was cheaper then taxi's/organised trips. It was a little hard to find when you arrive as the place has no signs. However the location on google maps is correct it just does not look like it. The whole place is stunning. The pool is great, staff are friendly, well decorated, rooms are lovely and the food was delightful. We had the 7 course tasting menu which is expensive for Kuching but the flavours were delicious. They laid the table beautifully with flower petals and it was a really nice way to spend the evening with my partner. They have a selection of wines too. It is nice to stay somewhere which is in a local village and off the tourist trail. They have clearly thought about the place and we could not fault it. The beach is nice to see but the water is dirty and there is not really anywhere to walk too. We only stayed 2 nights and one day we drove to Bako and the other we stayed around the pool. We then stayed two nights in Kuching to be closer to the Orangutans which we visited twice. A must stay place if you are in Kuching and want to get away from the city."

Flower Island: "Could have stayed forever"

What a wonderful stay we had on Flower Island! It was a bit of a trek to get there as we tried a cheaper option (hiring a bangka instead of opting for their speedboat which was quite pricey) but was a little adventure in itself and worth the effort once we arrived! Staff turned up on the beach to welcome us and we found out we were the only people staying on the island with 32 staff! Just an incredible experience. Beautiful cottage with a comfortable bed under a mosquito net. Hammock on our veranda. A lovely dining and bar area. Beautiful beach and free use of snorkelling equipment - we went out for a snorkel just off of the beach and saw loads of coral, fish and even a turtle! It's so dark and quiet at night and the stars are amazing!! The food was delicious - we are both quite picky eaters and could find something we really liked at each meal. The trip to the pearl farm was brilliant and so interesting. The staff were so attentive and friendly, they couldn't do enough for us. Wifi wasn't working when we were there and it was actually quiet nice for us to get away from that side of life for a while but I know might bother some people. Only drawback was that drinks were expensive for the Philippines, including water which is a little frustrating considering you are on an island and there isn't any other option of getting anything to drink. But the island really is paradise and what you pay isn't half of what the other off island resorts and is worth every penny. We were really sad to leave! Such an amazing experience to have our own private island for a few days!