Asia Holiday and Travel Reviews

Combining two, three or even four countries into your holiday can appear to be an almost impossible task. Throw a limited budget, a long “wish-list” and a limited period of time into the mix and you might well wonder how we manage to do it. Your Selective Asia consultant is an expert in creating multi-country itineraries and our staff in Asia will ensure that every transfer and border crossing runs like clockwork.

'Both Fiona & Phil very helpful regarding recommending an itinerary for our limited time in Vietnam/Cambodia.'

Denise W.

'Lionel was extremely helpful in every aspect of the planning of this trip and also listened to what we (thought!) we wanted and endeavoured to meet that. However I was impressed that he would also point out where our plans might not necessarily lead to success and then he would discuss and explain alternatives. Hugely helpful!'

Ros and John R.

'Highlight - Laos and joining in on Laos New Year celebrations with our guide and his friends!!...watching Vientienne airport staff party around us...including immigration staff while waiting for the plane!! Priceless!!! Angkor Wat-the itinerary was spot on there-i felt we were going to have too long there-but your travel consultant gave the right advice-and I'm glad I listened to him.'

Sarah F.

'We felt we had a chance to relax in pure opulence in Thailand, perfect after a wedding! The history of Cambodia was truly enlightening and the bunny hopping of Vietnam made a pacy end to the trip. Perfect.
Highlight: Chilling in opulence in Thailand over Christmas. The temples of Angkor Wat. The boat trip in the Ginger in Halong Bay.
Lowlight: coming home!'

Kate V.

'Tempted to say the experience of crossing the road in Saigon! Quite exhilerating weaving between the mopeds.But seriously: impossible to chooose between Halong Bay, Angkor Wat and - in a different way - our superb guide at Killing Fields/Genocide Museum. The food was great everywhere.'

Mike B.

'Highlights: Towards the end of our holiday we sat one evening with a Singapore Sling and 20 minutes later we had a long list which was impossible to prioritise. We would go back to Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Luang Prabang, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap but elsewhere there were so many other highlights. If pressed to give one I would say the people of all 3 countries - smiles, smiles smiles and genuine interest in you as an individual. Doing a an impromptu grammar lesson with a receptionist in Hoi An, singing Frere Jacques with an elderly lady in Luang prabang - so many many memories.'

Ian E.

A good guide is essential for a successful and enjoyable holiday in Borneo. They will ensure you are in the right place at the right time, and have a wealth of information to offer.

'Without exception our guides were really great people, who really knew their stuff. They were incredibly friendly and welcoming and spent our time with them helping us to get the best of the short time we had with them.'

Ian C.

'We thought all our guides were wonderful - and felt very fortunate to have had them all. They 'made' our trip and their enthusiasm and knowledge was tremendous - and we made sure to offer appropriate remuneration to each of them accordingly. Mr Dieu who was with us in Saigon was always flexible, informative and thoughtful. A highly intelligent man himself and we had some great conversations. Mr. Trung who joined us at Danang through Hoi An and Hue was another very entertaining, intelligent companion. We were met by Loi in Hanoi and he too proved a very likeable and supportive guide. We met Lien in Luang Prabang and found him to be such a nice man. All of them also had the merit of a great sense of humour too. In Southern Laos we had Kiat (or that might have been Kait??!!) who was also very nice but perhaps not quite so professional as the other guides and a little less 'involved' perhaps. However this is merely an observation and NOT a criticism. Maybe due to tourism being somewhat less developed in the south of Laos than further north?'

Mr and Mrs Reeves

'There are so many hotels to choose from and so many websites offer conflicting advice and often fake or misleading reviews. Our staff have been there, personally inspected the hotels, and often slept in the beds.
Ian and Anne-Marie Birdsey
Great suggestions and great range. Loved Victoria Phan Thiet, Ancient House in Hoi An, and the hotel in Siem Reap (Amanjaya???).'

' We loved: Hanamanalya (Siem Reap) and Blue Lime (Phnom Penh). The junk (Ginger) at Halong Bay was fantastic. Hoi An Hotel was perfect location and great pool.'

Mike B.

Phil was fantastic he responded to all of my (sometimes stupid) questions with timeliness and humour.
I have to say that ALL of our guides were punctual, courteous and very knowledgeable. I will never forget Ling in Siem Reap for his gentlemanly assistance at the Angkor temples. Mr Samhout (sp?) for his honesty and humility. Tan our first guide in Vietnam for his kindness and humour, Nieu for his assistance and kindness at the marble mountain in particular. Our lady guide Hoai in Hanoi/Halong was outstandingly thoughtful, knowledgeable and a lovely person too.
Highlights? Meeting local people really. We went over at the Cambodian new year and were taken to an island in the Mekong to a pagoda where a local english speaking lady invited us and our guide and driver to her family home for dinner . You can't buy the kind hospitality we were shown. Also the elephant ride , and Angkor Wat sunrise actually too many to mention Halong Bay all of it really.
Exceptional Hotels? Day Inn Angkor , loved it, staff were excellent, food great room immaculate. The Pavilion this place was an absolute oasis. The Victoria properties were lovely in Phan Thiet the outside shower was fab. Ancient house was really different but lovely. The Rex in Saigon gets a battering on trip advisor but we loved it. Quoc Hoa in Hanoi was in a fabulous location. Victory boat at Halong was lovely the food was great.

Jayne P. Indochina Tailor-made

Apart from Bangkok (enough said) the drivers your local agents used were terrific. The drivers in Cambodia were superb, but special mention should go to the drivers in Vietnam. I was scared rotten by the mopeds and scooters there, but not by our drivers. The one who brought us from the Cambodian border to Ho Chi Minh City became Anne’s hero and the one in Hanoi had the patience of a saint.

was impressed by Selective Asia’s emphasis on responsible tourism and really enjoyed going to the Friends Restaurant. but it might be worth you enquiring of your Laos local representatives about the working conditions of their guides. I would not want to get any of them in trouble as they were all so helpful and friendly, but I am not sure their employees insure them, or pay for their accommodation when they have to stay away from home (and I was very impressed by the distances some of them had to travel to greet us or leave us on remote borders).

John and Liz H - Indochina and Thailand Holiday

Lionel was most helpful at all times, efficient at replying to all requests and queries, and even suggested a restaurant to us when we emailed from Phan Thiet just to say how wonderful the holiday had been so far.

Penny Howes, Vietnam and Cambodia

We loved crossing the borders by land, a totally new experience to us both. As we said a sad goodbye we were welcomed by another smiling face holding a board with our name on it!

KT - Follow the Mekong