Customer reviews and what they say

The most important thing we can do to improve our service is listen to what our customers have to say, which is why you can now read their comments unedited on our website.

Upon returning from Southeast Asia all our clients are sent a review form and here you can see what they are saying about their experience of travel to the region and of the service we offered both during the trip planning process and in the build-up to the trip.

Search the reviews, check the image gallery and see for yourself how our clients rate the InsideAsia experience.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 451

Julian G
travelled to
3 weeks 1 day ago
★★★★★

From initial enquiry to our final day, everything was expertly curated and seamless, a really great trip

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★★

From initial enquiry to our final day, everything was expertly curated and seamless, a really great trip

Travel consultant
★★★★★★
Robyn Duran

Friendly, informative, great communication - could not be better, a really personalised service

Accommodation
★★★★

La siesta, Ho chi min, had construction noise from early to late
The homestay in Mekong delta was special, authentic welcoming people - lovely massage
Boutique resort hoi an was lovely

Value for money
★★★★
Information pack
★★★★★
Sumo wrestlers standing in circle at sumo tournament
Stephanie M
travelled to
3 weeks 5 days ago
★★★★★

InsideAsia - excellent service both before and during the trip

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★★

InsideAsia - excellent service both before and during the trip

Travel consultant
★★★★★★
Amy Tadehara

Our trip combined Japan and South Korea. In Japan we were joined by our college-age daughter and her friend. Then in South Korea, it was just my husband and I. Amy did a great job of understanding the two facets of the trip and building itineraries that catered to both the larger group and then to a couple. She was very responsive and detail-oriented.

Accommodation
★★★★★
Value for money
★★★★★
Information pack
★★★★★
Michael J
travelled to
1 month 1 week ago
★★★★

We found the temple visits the best part of the trip. We could have spent longer at Siem Reap -...

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★

We found the temple visits the best part of the trip. We could have spent longer at Siem Reap - a real highlight was visiting some of the lesser visited places around Angor Wat - like Ta Som where we were the only visitors. It was especially a privilege to visit Banteay Chhmar near the Thai border - it felt remote, unvisited and was fascinating. The local guide at Banteay Chhmar was incredibly kind, though all of the local guides were excellent - they really took care of us.

The hotels were all excellent. Some were very interesting places - notably Mekong homestay and the hotels in Battambang, Kep and the homestay at Banteay Chhmar. The service in the hotels was very attentive.

If we were to book the trip again we would avoid June - some days were really too humid for much activity for us, though of course this meant that we were more or less alone at some of the sights, which was great. Even Angkor Wat was quiet, which the guide told us is rare.

The itinerary was too packed for us. We would have cut out quite at lot of the activities - e.g. the bamboo train and the morning in Battambang and taken more time to rest in the hotels. We would have liked even more time at the temples to wander around. At our age (59 and 67) we need time to process the experiences and rest.

We had some reservations about the visits to local people's houses. We understand that it is important to engage and contribute at a grassroots level to the local community and this worked well at the community based tourism at Banteay Chhmar - it felt like an Airbnb type experience and the local CBT guide and hosts were great. There was a sense of a genuine exchange of cultures and valuable financial contribution to the local economy and an important local project. However a couple of the visits felt slightly uncomfortably intrusive of the people's privacy - notably in Battambang. However we understand that this is a very difficult balance to strike and it is better to attempt it.

My partner had a back problem mid tour. The local guides were truly excellent in supporting us in visiting the hospital and getting medication. The UK agent, Rhys, suggested a change in the itinerary to allow for recovery time and a less active tour which was organised very well by the local guides and support from agents in Japan and Rhys at no extra cost. The efficiency was impressive.

Travel consultant
★★★★★
Rhys Dedden

Excellent, efficient, friendly service. Always available and went the extra mile in recommending and helping to arrange a last minute change to the itinerary.

Accommodation
★★★★★

As above - excellent and some very interesting places .

Value for money
★★★★
Information pack
★★★★★
Vietnam noodle soup
Ian M
travelled to
1 month 1 week ago
★★★★★

Overall the service is excellent, both in the UK and in Vietnam.

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★★

Overall the service is excellent, both in the UK and in Vietnam.

Travel consultant
★★★★★★
Jon Fisher

The holiday was arranged by Jon Fisher who was succeeded by Lucy Maddocks in April.

Accommodation
★★★★★

All the hotels were as expected and as described. However, both the hotel in Hanoi and the one in Sa Pa were exceptional and certainly much exceeded all our expectations

Value for money
★★★★★
Information pack
★★★★★
Monk in yellow clothes walking along pathway in Koya
Martyn A
travelled to
2 months 3 weeks ago
★★★★

Support from the UK office, and also the local office while we were abroad was very good.

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★

Support from the UK office, and also the local office while we were abroad was very good.

Travel consultant
★★★
Samantha Barrow

Sam was helpful at tailoring the itinerary to accommodate my requests for including certain destinations. Having completed the trip I feel that some aspects of the arrangements were not made as clear to me as they could have been, for example the need for us to make our own arrangements to get from hotel to train platform (or vice versa) with heavy luggage.

In general we were also disappointed with the standard, and sometimes the location, of the hotels. For the most part they were simply bed and breakfast with no communal facilities, even for a drink, and rooms were often quite small. There were a couple of notable exceptions that were excellent, but also one "hotel" that was really dreadful.

Accommodation
★★

See above generalised comments. To be more specific about the exceptions:

Andong: Hotel was excellent. However, we were led to believe we would be staying in Hahoe Village overnight (whether this would have been in the Choga Annex or elsewhere at another hotel).
Jeju: Accommodation was dreadful. It was not a "boutique hotel". The room itself was OK although strangely undecorated, but there was no restaurant and no proper hotel staff on duty (only a couple who were more like caretakers). Breakfast had to be ordered the night before (and we were not told this at check-in so had nothing the first morning). It was in a dead location. Jeju Island is supposed to be a holiday location and we went there after two weeks of sightseeing for a bit of relaxation. There was nowhere to relax at this hotel or in the immediate vicinity (i.e. within
walking distance). A resort-type hotel would have been nice. I cannot believe that you thought this place would be suitable.
Kyoto: This was recommended by Sam to experience a traditional Japanese house. The building may have been old but inside could have been anywhere in the world. It was very cramped, it was a bit of a walk from the city centre, and we didn't book the holiday as a self-catering trip. Kyoto is a large, mostly modern, city and this property was not in an old district.
Takayama: Excellent in every way.
Matsumoto: A nice hotel and the reception staff were very helpful, but it was spoilt by the restaurant arrangements. Two breakfasts we were told there was no table available and we would have to wait. When we tried to book for dinner a day before we were told it was fully booked.
Hakone: Excellent.
Tokyo: In a poor location for restaurants, and the hotel staff were not much help with suggesting places to eat. It advertised its restaurant as only open for dinner on Fri/Sat/Sun. When we asked to have dinner on the Friday (our last evening) we were told it was full. We made a fuss and got a table in an otherwise empty restaurant!

Value for money
★★★
Information pack
★★★★
Phnom Sampeau pagoda at Battambang
Delia D
4 months ago
★★★★★

Very pleasant experience start to finish with a very responsive assistance while abroad (we were in Thailand, Ko Samui, when...

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★★

Very pleasant experience start to finish with a very responsive assistance while abroad (we were in Thailand, Ko Samui, when the hearth quake happened in March 2025).

Travel consultant
★★★★★★
Robyn Duran

Robyn was amazing planning the whole trip taking into account our preferences. She emailed us every time that she had planned trips and re-directed any enquires to a colleague who could help if we needed to reach out. We felt listened to and most welcome from the very beginning!

Red pagoda at Nachi falls, Kumano Kodo
Fora T
travelled to
1 month 3 weeks ago
★★★★★

Working through my Travel Agent, Joan Lynch, I found that all my particular needs (and they changed a number of...

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★★

Working through my Travel Agent, Joan Lynch, I found that all my particular needs (and they changed a number of times) were addressed quickly and to my satisfaction.

Travel consultant
★★★★★★
Juliana Schnell

Everything was great. Joan was always quick to respond to any and all of my concerns and special needs such as event tickets and transportation.

Accommodation
★★★★

It's hard to comment as standards compared to US hotels are very different. The rooms are very small, as is most everything in Japan compared to here. Of the two, the Nikko Hotel Osaka was a bit better; the room, breakfast, and the over-the-top friendly and attentive staff. The location was also perfect. It was literally on top of a train station and walking distance to shopping and sites. The only small comment was that the hotel controlled the AC temperature in the rooms, and it was a bit warm to our liking. The Mitsui Garden Ginza Premier in Tokyo was a bit older, and while about a 10-minute walk to a train station, it wasn't within walking distance of anything much else. Breakfast was a notch below the Osaka hotel. Overall, the hotels were fine and I feel we got what we paid for.

Value for money
★★★★
Information pack
★★★★★
Orange torii gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine, Kyoto
Anson P
travelled to
2 months ago
★★★★★

InsideAsia have been the most amazing travel agent I've ever booked a holiday through, attending to every little detail you...

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★★

InsideAsia have been the most amazing travel agent I've ever booked a holiday through, attending to every little detail you could imagine.

Travel consultant
★★★★★★
Samantha Barrow

Sam was so helpful, friendly and attentive, responding promptly to anything I asked, with nothing seeming to be too much trouble.

Wat Phra Singh temple, Chiang Mai
Donald S
travelled to
1 month 2 weeks ago
★★★★★

The consultants know their stuff so our bespoke trip was delightful and exceeded expectations. Although the travel consultant changed over...

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★★

The consultants know their stuff so our bespoke trip was delightful and exceeded expectations. Although the travel consultant changed over, the level of service and advice remained very high, consequently, we ended up with a tour that ticked all our boxes and avoided some potential pitfalls.

We really benefitted having one tour guide, helped by the same driver and luxury van throughout, which built a relationship and helped him to focus on our interests, needs and preferences. Pat was great, with a lovely sense of humour and a wealth of knowledge. Although his first tour with Inside Asia, his decade of experience, excellent command of English, and a determination to please, made is special.

We were there during the rainy season, and while it was truly torrential at times, it also meant that most of the temples, attractions etc. were almost deserted, which made photography so much better. Also no significant queues.

In summary, it was just what we'd hoped for.

Travel consultant
★★★★★
Rhys Dedden

Constructive, knowledgeable and with a friendly manner. Seamless handover between them. Very happy with the service.

Two people cycling along a quiet street in Udo Island
Halldóra H
travelled to
1 month 2 weeks ago
★★★★★

We were very pleased with your service. You attended to all our needs.

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Ratings

Overall
★★★★★

We were very pleased with your service. You attended to all our needs.

Travel consultant
★★★★★★
Rhian Osborne

Rhian Osborne listened to our needs and wishes and did her very best to design our very memorable trip