Guest Reviews

Slow Villas and Spa: "Hidden Gem of a Villa!"

Slow villas is as splendid, as it's name! We were 4 friends that needed 2 days of rest and relaxation and this was the perfect place. Every time we called reception they were more than happy to help us with any request. The staff are excellent! We ordered deliver, hung out by the pool and stayed in our comfy Slow robes the 2 days. We even had the option of yoga and spa treatments. It is the perfect place to stay at on Gili Air for peace & tranquility. We can't wait to go back!!

MesaStila: "One night stay, beautiful srroundings, will return"

"The resort is set in beautifully landscaped grounds with views of volcanoes in every direction. They also have a small coffee plantation onsite and the coffee itself is only available in the hotel. Rooms were huge and nicely fitted out. Would loved to have stayed longer, but was following a tight itinerary through central and eastern Java. Will return for sure. "

Inle Heritage Stilt Houses: "Another world"

Incredible concept to support the local economy. Wonderful and gracious service in one of the best settings on the lake. Food was plentiful and tasty. One hour boat ride from the jetty but fairly central to attractions on the lake.

Manukan Island Resort: "Great relaxing break"

"We stayed 2 nights in hillside villa 11. Boat trip over and back was included in the room cost. After a small mix up we travelled over on a day trippers boat which was fine. We were welcomed off the boat and taken through to the small reception room and given refresher towels and a drink while doing the paperwork. We knew we wouldn’t be able to get into our room straight away so had come prepared to swim. The pool was lovely and was never busy so we always felt like we were the only ones there. We relaxed on the beach until our room was ready an hour early. The room was amazing, beyond expectations. Everything was modern and clean. We were shown through and informed that the soft drinks in the fridge were complimentary which was a lovely touch. The view from both balconies was incredible and as our room faced away from the jetty we really didn’t even know day trippers were there until we went for a walk. The TV had a range of channels, the air con and fans worked well, and the hot water was easy to use just by turning on the switch half and hour before you wanted to use it. We were surprised to find the food was cheaper than at sutera harbour resort and just as lovely. We only had dinner at the restaurant the first night. The second night we decided to try the cheap take away stall near the beach mid afternoon and then just had snacks for dinner. The food at this stall was ok and really cheap. We had rice with beef and black bean sauce for 7.50rm. Breakfast had 6 items to order from but then they also brought extras to your table including fruit, bread to toast over coals, yogurt, juice and cereal. It was one of the more relaxing and enjoyable breakfasts I have had while travelling and certainly plentiful. We decided to travel to Sapi Island to go on the coral flyer and Ben organised for us to go on one of the island hopper boats. It seemed quite expensive to us but we were ok with that. Unfortunately the Coral flyer was fully booked when we got there but we enjoyed a snorkel and look around Sapi anyway. The internet was intermittent. We managed to log on in the mornings and evenings quite quickly but during the day it seemed more difficult. This didn’t really bother us as it is nice to be without internet and not constantly checking it. The things that we didn’t enjoy about Manukan Island were way beyond the resorts control so would in no way negatively review the resort for them, but here they are. The water was very murky. That was probably the biggest disappointment. I’m guessing that time of year and number of boats can affect that but for us it was almost zero visibility. We were fortunate to see a lot of wildlife, some more friendly than others. We spotted the birds the island is named after on our way back from sunset point as well as some fireflies. We saw a rhinoceros beetle and some geckos on our balcony. We spotted a couple of monitor lizards around the island. Now the not so nice ones. We had a snake go across our balcony but were assured it was harmless and Ben said he has only seen a handful in all his years on the island. Then we had a centipede in our bath. As soon as we informed staff it was gone within 5 minutes which was appreciated. When we left we were walked out to the jetty and put on the resort boat and waved off. Amongst the boards of day trippers this made us feel pretty special. We were the only ones on the boat and the trip back was smooth and easy. Over all I would highly recommend Manukan Island as a lovely relaxing get away, just don’t expect to spend the whole time snorkeling."

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..."

Arumdalu: "Great experience"

The best resort on the island, the beach at the back of the resort is totally private, feels like i owned the beach by myself, food at the resort is great, just abit pricey for belitung island... But so far this is the best experience …

Chakrabongse Villas: "Romantic getaway"

"Secluded behind a nondescript door lay the ancient palace grounds of Chakrabongse. Once you step inside you are out of the beaten tourist paths of the surrounding Grand Place and nearby temples. Each of the 6 unique ""rooms"" has its special features. Our Thai house overlooked the main courtyard leading to the river. A lot of space and a generous balcony added to the feeling of your own private residence. The meticulously trimmed gardens and the pool next to the river make this place an oasis. Restaurant facilities are limited though. You are served a set Thai dinner that is generous in portions but leaves no choices or alterations. The wine list is also limited but is designed to compliment the food. Last service is at 8pm. The staff (in our case singular) had troubles to keep up with service. I would recommend this place for a luxury weekend but there might be better food options outside."

Golden Buddha Beach Resort: "Island paradise with luxury eco feel"

Stumbled across Golden Buddha through a family recommendation and had the most fantastic time. The staff were fabulous, food magnificent and the accommodation was truly unique.highly recommend to anyone who wants to getaway from the world for a bit and fully recharge.

The Apsara Rive Droite: "Schönes Hotel in zentraler Lage mit super Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis"

"Wir haben 3 Nächte im Apsara verbracht und fühlten uns sehr wohl. Unser Zimmer war sehr schön und liebevoll in Blautönen eingerichtet, ausreichend groß mit genügend Stauraum. Auch das Badezimmer ist großzügig geschnitten. Zu empfehlen sind die Zimmer im ersten Stock, da bei den Zimmern im Erdgeschoß direkt die Straße bzw. der Gehweg vorbei führt. Von unserem Balkon hatten wir einen schönen Blick auf den Nam Khan und konnten das Straßenleben beobachten. Wir können der letzten Bewertung überhaupt nicht zustimmen, es war zu keiner Zeit laut durch Straße oder Restaurant. Das Frühstück ist a la carte und wird serviert, es ist für jeden etwas dabei (Eier mit Speck, Pancakes, Müsli). Man erhält einen Brotkorb mit leckeren selbstgemachten Marmeladen, Kaffee/Tee und frisch gepressten Orangensaft. So fing der Tag super an. Die Mitarbeiter sind allesamt sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit. Auch der General Manager ist hat immer Zeit für einen kleinen Ratsch. Man kann sich kostenlos Räder ausleihen, welche in einem guten Zustand, können wir nur empfehlen. WLAN ist kostenlos und funktioniert. Das Hotel liegt sehr zentral und alle Sehenswürdigkeiten/Restaurants sind in Kürze und fußläufig erreichbar. Wir würden jederzeit wieder kommen und sind von der Preisleistung überzeugt. Room Tip: Zimmer im 1. Stock buchen"

Nimmu House: "Havre de paix"

Une belle surprise, un havre de paix où il fait bon de se ressourcer lors d'un voyage au Ladakh. Une belle demeure traditionnelle joliment restaurée avec tout le confort occidental sans rien dénaturé. L'hospitalité est le maître mot du séjour. Magnifique et merci !