Guest Reviews

4 Rivers Floating Lodge: "Become one with the jungle"

"This was really good: you are picked up by a boat where the road crosses the river and then you get 30 minutes to slow-down and get into the rhythm of the jungle. Each room is a huge double tent on a floating dock, connected to each other via a walking bridge. The tents have a luxury interior: double bed, closets, TV set - although not working, but who cares? - a lot of fans (no airco) and a jungle-shower. But the most pleasant is the terrace from which you can jump in the water for a swim. Diner is at the riverside or in the tent-restaurant, with super quality food and drinks. Breakfast idem: super! From this place you must visit the waterfalls of Tatai where you can jump of a cliff, swim and get nice food, prepared by the guys on the boat, Room Tip: If you are looking for a place to get some rest, go here"

Satri House: "Beautiful"

"We stayed at Satri Hotel for two nights for our 20th wedding anniversary. We left the kids at home and it was perfect. The staff were kind and helpful without being intrusive and our stay was wonderfully relaxing. The whole hotel is beautifully presented and tastefully decorated. Our room was a good size and had no TV which added to the old world atmosphere. The hotel is a bit out of town (about 10-15mins walk) but there are bikes you can borrow to get you there quicker. Because of this the hotel is peaceful and like an oasis. We would go back again."

Supanniga Eating Room: "Amazing and varied selection of great food"

Great little find this restaurant, fantastic food in a good location that is both quiet and accessible. I highly recommend the Isan-style Pork Steak.

tugu lombok: "One of best hotels in lombok"

"It's nice to see all top 3 hotels in lombok are actually within 10 m drive from each other . All situated on sire beach or beautiful Medana . The tugu is great ! Sharon the new GM is nice and always around . Staff is great here . Grounds amazing and large "

Villa Song Saigon: "Fantastic boutique hotel, plus free speedboat and minibar"

"We absolutely loved this hotel. Beautiful, quaint, great staff, lovely food and wonderful rooms. It's no wonder that this is the top hotel in Saigon on Trip Advisor (at the time of writing). We stayed in a beautiful room overlooking the pool, with a deeply comfy double bed, separate shower room and washing facilities, TV, private balcony and all the usual mod cons included. Their service is second to none. There's a free minibar in all rooms (including beer, water, milk and juice). They serve breakfast at any time of the day (seriously - you could have it at 10pm if you REALLY sleep in), and it's included in the price of the room. And electricity can be left on in your suite when you leave, meaning those devices that keep dying might actually get charged. They have UK plug sockets too. Best of all, as the hotel is not right in the city centre, they put on a speedboat to ferry guests to the main bit of the city, on a first come first served basis. (Although it was never full when we stayed in May). The boat takes approximately 15-20 minutes, but you'd wish it would be longer, because it's brilliant. The last boat is at 6pm, and a taxi back to the hotel should set you back 150,000 VND. If it's more than that, they've got lost! The pool is excellent, as is their restaurant, which is overseen by Kevin the chef from Luxembourg - who will certainly seek you out to say hello, or offer some food and drink recommendations. Food and drink here, incidentally, is a few more pennies by Vietnamese standards, but very fair when compared to the rest of Saigon, and even better when compared to the likes of London. Breakfast, which I briefly mentioned, is very good. The best we had in Vietnam, in fact. And it offers up some really well done variations of Western classics like pancakes or a full English versus your traditional and excellent Pho noodle soup. (If you're really hungry, you can even have both - in fact, it was them who suggested it, which I greedily accepted). Their staff are great, too. When we wanted to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, the front desk organised a speedboat to pick us up from the hotel's own private jetty - and one of the highlights of our trip. If I was to take points off this hotel, and it is being picky, then their airport to hotel transfer service is very expensive in comparison to most hotels we stayed at in Vietnam (all of which have a comparative distance from airport to destination). It was a nice air conditioned private car, but then it was no better than every other hotel provided us. And 1,386,000 VND is a bit steep. Full disclosure: they had quoted this price to me some time before we arrived in Vietnam, and I could have shopped around for cheaper prices, so I can't really blame them for quoting a price to me and then accepting it. But it might be something they could look at in the future! The taxi they booked us for our return to the airport after our stay was much, much cheaper at 300,000 VND. So maybe shop around for your original pick-up. I know there's loads of 'taxi scams' in Vietnam, but you should be able to find a decent service for cheaper transfers if you need. None of that dented out love of Villa Song Saigon, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. I really miss their speedboat..."

Maison Polanka: "Hidden Garden Gem with classic French Charm"

"Greeted at Siam Reap airport by Frances, a very pleasant young man from Masion Polanka private Villas, the chauffeur van waiting, was very comfortable and spacious. Being whisked away through the pleasant Cambodian countryside, arriving at Maison Polanka where a large security gate opened up the most tranquil garden tucked away within 5 minutes of Siam Reap town. We strolled through to reception, a cabana located by the large enticing pool, being greeted by local staff with refreshing hand towels and a long cool drink. Nothing was too much trouble for them, we were given Khmer House a stand-alone elevated original colonial home relocated some years ago to this site, that complemented the master house with its four self-contained luxury rooms. Our stay was magical, the food memorable, the decor was elegant and traditional, with a simple and personal touch from Nathalie (the owner) adding a splash of colour to each room is unique in its creation, Nathalie selects these from her collection of fabric designs out of her stores. We took cooking classes with Maison's Chef and relaxing massages on site, along with local tours to Ankor Wat and many other historic sites. Arriving back for afternoon tea by the pool every day at 3 Pm with freshly baked treats from the kitchen. Maison Polanka fulfilled every expectation of a luxurious holiday and more, we felt very special. Thank you so much for sharing your small space in paradise, we were so sad to have to move on continuing our holiday in Cambodia."

The Island Lodge: "Best way to ‘do the Mekong Delta’"

"I cannot praise this hotel enough. Everything about it was high end. The staff were super friendly, very good English, excellent service, attention to detail, food excellent, rooms spacious, great pool, place is spotless, what more can I say. Owned by a French couple Michel and Françoise, they have brought together everything good about French and Vietnamese hospitality. We had originally planned to stay here as part of a separate tour but I would highly recommend transferring privately from Saigon direct to the hotel and organising private tours through the hotel as they have designated tour guides. We did a scooter tour to the next island reached by a very memorable tiny ferry and also a trip to see the floating market at Cai Be. Both our tour guides Thành and Ksai deserve a special mention as both trips were about 4 hours each but a fantastic way to see life in the countryside in the Mekong and they were both really knowledgable and passionate about showing us the best time. The food at the hotel was terrific. Fish tartare, beef carpaccio, goats cheese salad, duck with a great fusion of French and Vietnamese influence, to me a fusion made in heaven. The waitresses were just great with their service and could not do enough for us in terms of service and attention to detail. There were also little things all through the hotel that were great such as home made fruit jams at breakfast. The design is fantastic with a completely open bar restaurant and reception area with piano and a lot of historical pictures and other trinkets around which add to the atmosphere. The group of staff all felt like a big family so congratulations to the hotel for me to say it is the full package for a relaxing break."

NEELESHWAR: "PERFECTION, PERFECTION, PERFECTION"

"I've been travelling to India for many decades and over the years I have stayed in some amazing places, from Maharaja palaces to colonial mansions. What I can honestly say is that Neeleshwar represents the absolute perfection when it comes to resorts. We stayed for 4 nights and I only wish we could have stayed here for months! The location is heavenly, on the most magnificent, endless sandy beach one can imagine, completely unspoilt by any kind of development. The feeling of peace and quiet is mesmerizing. The architecture and layout of the resort is a model of good taste and sensitivity, with extremely comfortable a/c bungalows in the pure traditional architecture of rural Kerala. Open air bathrooms, supremely comfortable beds, high ceilings, shady verandas and cool interiors create a heaven of understated luxury and calm. This is barefoot chic at its best. The swimming pool is vast and crystal-clear, with plenty of comfortable pool beds and with a lovely view of the ocean. When it comes to food, I can only say that it is simply out of this world: Fantastic and huge breakfasts where one can choose from extensive menus, both international and South Indian. For lunch and dinner there are two exceptional restaurants, especially for seafood -perhaps the best prawn curry I ever had- plus a wide choice of vegetarian dishes and soups that change every day. The Ayurveda massages are truly top notch, and they use only natural organic ingredients. Quite simply, they are the real thing. Very highly recommended! Last but not least, I feel that I have to praise the hotel personnel, that are all impeccable: Extremely polite, eager to help, efficient and professional at the same time. I owe a very special ""THANK YOU"" to the General Manager, Mr. Jayan, who attended to all my needs as if he was an old friend. I am especially interested in the unique Theyyam ritual of northern Kerala and I was planning to publish an article about it. Mr. Jayan did all the necessary enquiries and found out the performances that were held in obscure villages during our stay. He also organized transport and even joined us on one of the late night Theyyams, which was the most amazing, otherworldly, intense experience. Therefore Neeleshwar is not just about having ""the rest of your life"" but also about experiencing a very unique aspect of real India. I cannot recommend this place highly enough and I would encourage anyone to spend a few -or more than a few- days in this Indian paradise "

Tugu Bali: "Tugu Hotel Bali is a luxurious slice of history"

I stayed in a Dedari suite while I was at the Tugu Hotel Bali. I loved having the private plunge pool and outdoor swing daybed. I also quite liked the outdoor bathtub with attached koi pond. However, the hotel decor is what's so amazing here, and it is definitely one of the main reasons for staying at this hotel. Everywhere you look there are beautiful antiques and artefacts. It's a living museum. I also took in the Thursday evening cultural dinner which includes a Balinese dance and music performance. If you are a traveller looking for a truly unique Bali experience this is the place to have it.

Manda De Laos: "mouthwatering and amazing"

The food here is mouth watering. Sure, it is not the cheapest place in Luang Prabang but you get spoiled and life will never be the same....The crispy rice saled and the pork ribs are highly recommended!