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Review: Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi (soon to be Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai)

chiang-mai-villa-deluxe-villa-with-pool-3

On arrival I was immediately welcomed into the (slightly) overwhelming Lanna-style main building, which houses the lavish lobby and a number of drinking and dining options, all with great views of the surrounding gardens and pool.

Although the entire property is beautifully decorated with great attention to detail, my favourite feature of this hotel definitely has to be the rooms. Spread over about 60 acres, guests have the choice of walking, borrowing one of the hotel bicycles or jumping in a golf buggy to make their way across the property to the Oriental’s rooms and villas.

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The hotel has over 18 different types of rooms and private villas, but for me the simple Colonial Suite is the perfect choice. The spacious rooms — split between a living area and a bedroom — are great for single travellers, couples or friends, and are especially suited to families with young kids as a number of the suites are connecting. If you’re looking for something a bit bigger and travelling with older children then one of the Grand Deluxe Villas is an excellent option, with bedrooms and living space spread across two floors and a private outdoor pool and dining area to be enjoyed.

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The hotel is currently changing management and moving away fromthe Mandarin Oriental Group to become simply the Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai. That said, the majority of the staff will remain and the hotel has no plans to make any big changes, so we will definitely be keeping a close eye to see how things progress!… Read more »

Sokha Beach Resort, Sihanoukville – April’s Review

By: April Cole- US Director of Operations and Tours

The Sokha Beach Resort is the best hotel option in Sihanoukville. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this hotel, but I personally didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.

Let me explain:

Sokha Beach Resort in Sihanoukville is a great location for people who want to end their Cambodia trip on the beach. It’s one of the only places in Cambodia (excluding Song Saa Private Island) with a nice sandy beach and a hotel with a few different pools and a playground for the kids. It has multiple restaurants on site with good food, a fitness center, spa, and it even has a casino. It really has everything you need within the resort grounds.

I, personally, felt the hotel was too big and that the rooms were tired. The bathroom wasn’t dirty, but it just looked so old that it didn’t feel really clean. Our room had a queen bed, an extra bed and a cot and we squeezed everything in wall to wall. So, I understand we had a lot in the room, but it felt really small. The design of the room felt like a big chain hotel that was waiting to be upgraded. My ocean wing room did have a nice little sitting area on a balcony, but boasted a view of the parking lot, and I didn’t love the way it was portrayed as an “ocean wing room.”

This hotel is a great option if you plan on spending your days at the beach and you’re not a big lounge in the room person. They do have beautiful ocean front suites which are great for families or those who really want to spend their time at the beach in an upgraded room on the beach.

Now, ask Andrea or Philippa what they think of this hotel and they will say they love it! I think this hotel really is a great fit for some and not for others. I really like my hotel room to live up to the location where I’m staying and I don’t think the room itself did.

For more information about Sokha Beach Resort in Sihanoukville, here’s a link to their website:

http://www.sokhahotels.com/sihanoukville/

 … Read more »

Hotel Reviews: Rachamankha

 Hotel Name: Rachamankha

City: Chiang Mai

Star rating: 4

JW Rating: Everything Off

(Shoes on, socks on, socks off, everything off)

The exterior of Rachamankha

Located in town the Rachamankha boasts 2 acres of quiet property perfect for a charm-filled escape. Rather than the more modern hotels we’re seeing open up, this hotel is a true tribute to the history of the area. Designed and built by a famous Thai architect as a hotel and as his second home this property boasts gorgeous antique pieces throughout and a private and peaceful setting in the heart of the city. Each room is slightly different with the deluxe rooms being the coup de resistance. With huge canopied beds, great rain showers and free WiFi and minibar these rooms have a lovely colonial charm with Thai appeal.

A Deluxe king room

Upside: From the rooms, to the private library, to the pool it feels very private, almost as if you’re a guest in someone’s very nice home.

Downside: It’s a pricier hotel, considering they don’t have a river view or a large spa, but you pay for the atmosphere and the service.

A superior king room

Insiders tip: If you’re interested in local art then ask to meet Paul Walker, the manager, and he can set up a visit to a local artist whose beautiful works adorn the walls of many of the rooms. A professor at the local university, you can visit his studio and chat about Thai Modern Art.

*All photos are from the Rachamankha website 

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Topas Ecolodge Review and Update

Meeting local women while having a drink at Topas Ecolodge

As many of you know I love the Topas Ecolodge in Sapa. The views are amazing, the trekking is right out the back door and I like being away from the sometimes craziness of Sapa Town. With that said, on one of the nights I visit there was an electricity outage and we were forced to eat dinner by candlelight and I never could get the shower quite right, so this is still an ecolodge.

Recently guests have brought to my attention the rather bad reviews on TripAdvisor about Topas and I had one guest tell me that the Western managers had gone home, which might have been the reason for some of the problems.

Since we regularly book this hotel I had Michelle contact and chat with the Manager of Topas. He explained to her what he felt was going on and then wrote a great email addressing some of the TripAdvisor reviews. He took time to do this and I appreciate his service level and am excited that we can continue to send guests to this beautiful property. Please see his answers below and then maybe soon you can judge for yourself!

Dear Michelle,

After reading Trip Advisor I see the following subjects commented in the latest reviews:

Food

I think the food is a subjective matter. as most of my guests contact me personally to tell me about how great the food is.

In my guest book I can read as well that this is one of the subjects a lot of people really enjoy about our place.

Pests

Due to our location in the middle of the rice paddies the pests in the bar is a matter that is hard to get rid of. However we are working on a solution to handle this matter to reduce the problem. We make sure at all times to do a proper cleaning and keep our grosseries in closed boxes etc. to ensure our food storage will not be effected by this problem.

Heating

In the latest period of time it has been pretty cold in the whole Sapa area why the challenge to keep it warm has been great.

We have in this period spend 50 % more on electricity compared to last year to give our guests the best enjoyable stay.

I have as well here had several guests telling me this is a nice and warmer place compared to many other places in Sapa.

Hot water

Our hot water supply is coming from solar power and is boosted by main power to ensure there is hot water all day.

Due to the solar panel system it takes a few minutes from turning on the water until it is hot.

In our deluxe bungalows there is no thermostat but you have to mix the cold and hot water yourself.

In our new executive bungalows we have installed a thermostat regulator which makes it easier for our guests to get the right temperature.

We have made these improvements in our new executive bungalows to improve our product why I can recommend to choose this kind of room.

In general i don’t think Trip Advisor is representative for the general opinion of our place as we have a lot of happy guests here who unfortunately don’t write a review on Trip Advisor.

I have attached a scan of our guest book to show you the latest guest comments and hope you will find it useful.

Fell free to contact us for further explanation.

Peter B. Jensen

Lodge Manager

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Hotel Review: Pavillon d’Orient

First I have to apologize, I am supposed to have my finger on the pulse, but this little gem of a hotel managed to allude me for over a year! However last Monday night Brandon and I had a nice little rendezvous as we checked it out. First things first, it is located in a pretty out of the way place which is why I think I had never noticed it in my wanderings. It is off road number six, but well past Psah Lure and on the back road to the temple. The bad news is that it is a longer drive to get into town. The good news is that the hotel knows this and to make it a little easier they offer complimentary tuk tuk’s from their hotel to town from 6 to 10pm. So really, how can you complain when you can get a free ride. The distance to town is really the only drawback to this hotel, otherwise it is just fantastic! With beautiful gardens that evoke the same oasis quality we are often getting recognized for, the Pavillon feels like a lovely escape as soon as you walk through the front gate. The lobby is open air, and while I do wonder how they handle the rainy season, this time of year it feels cool and serene. The staff were lovely and polite and seemed genuinely happy to be working there. When asked about her boss the front desk woman went on and on about how hard he works and what a good job he does, I think staff loyalty says a lot about a place and they were obviously fans of the manager. The rooms are big with a French feel. The bathrooms have showers and bathtubs and all the rooms have a balcony. The pool is nestled in the gardens and has a lovely waterfall you can hear from the balconies. When I first arrived there was a rather rowdy volleyball game happening across the wall and while I’m all for local ambience it proved to be a bit much for even me, but with the doors closed the noise was shut out and peace and quiet ranged. We had dinner in the restaurant that night and the food was very good, another plus when you’re a little ways from town…just stay in! I had the spaghetti and other had friend rice, curry and ginger chicken, all enjoyed. Breakfast the next morning was also good, though a touch French for meJ I did get some bacon though so I was happy! The final touch was when we checked out we got small necklaces with our Chinese symbol on it. All in all it was a great escape and I am looking forward to having our guests stay.

Rating: Socks Off
Upside: The big airy rooms and the huge bathrooms as well as the personalized service.
Downside: On the other side of town and no restaurants or shopping nearby.
Insider Tip: Tuk tuk’s are free from 6 to 10pm so go in for a night on the town on them. Café Indochine is under the same owner so you get a 10% discount if you eat there!

Pool and Garden
Pool and Garden

Restaurant
Restaurant
Deluxe Room
Deluxe Room
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