Tag: India

I stayed here for 2D/1N along with my family, in April 2018.

Got an upgrade from Keys room to keys Indulge room.

Pros:

1. Check-in and Check-out was smooth.
2. Staff (Security, Reception, House-keeping and Restaurant) was extremely courteous and helpful.
3. Breakfast spread was good.

5. We had a partial view of the back water from the room, but there are some good views from the Corridor.

6. Good place to stay during a business / short trip.

7. Fort Kochi and Mattancherry is around 30 minutes from here.

8. Its next to Folklore Museum.

Cons:

1. The Mini Bar in the room was empty (Anyway, I see this trend these days in many hotels)

2. The main road to the hotel is little congested with lot of taxi and other private parking.

3. The basement parking and parking space within hotel campus is limited.

4. All the toiletries (like Shaving and Dental Kits) were not provided in the room.

5. No shops nearby.

6. No Swimming pool (I guess)

Room Tips: Try to get a room as high as possible, and the corner rooms towards the old city. Will get good backwater views from there.

One Line Summary: Nice and affordable stay in Kochi.

We had stayed in this resort for 3 days / 2 nights in November 2017. This resort was inaugurated during the mid of October 2017.

Pros:

1) The property is excellent and has been developed giving full attention to the existing landscape.

2) The pool is really good.. Same depth across the pool.. Kid’s pool also available.

3) Restaurant is good and the managers give special attention to guests.

4) Good activity room with options like chess, kids area and so on.

5) They arrange visit to nearby tribal village / Paddy fields.

6) If you are looking for a place to relax yourself in a silent location, this should be a good option.

Cons:

1) If you are looking for resort having spectacular views from your room, this is not the right place.

2) This is located slightly away from the main Wayanad attractions.

3) Since this is relatively new (a month old), you might find issues in the following, but over a period of time, things should change.
a) Proper attention/ swimming costume at the swimming pool
b) Restaurant staff not fully sure about the menu
c) Lack of proper support/issue addressing from the reception
d) Frequent power fluctuations
e) Lot of trainees been deployed in various departments. So you will see some laziness / inexperience from those guys
f) No Specific connection numbers to housekeeping / restaurant (not sure if its specific to the rooms that I had taken)
h) Issues with Wifi connectivity (not sure if its specific to the days that I have stayed)
i) Main door lock doesn’t work at times

Other points to note:

1) Balcony doors have a slightly different lock mechanism. Contact the resort staff, if you face any issues.

2) Better avoid to and fro journey between 10 PM- 6 Am, as the resort is located in the wildlife area.

3) The wet area (bathroom) should have been a little more bigger.

4) Sterling needs to have more direction boards for guiding people coming from Bangalore via Gundalpet / Bandipur area.

5) All the 120 rooms are not operational yet. Construction work is going on in some places.

6) Spa is yet to be ready, I guess.

7) Special mention to the excellent support from Anu (Manager) and Ajith (Restaurant in charge).

8) Need more guidance from Front office/ activities team in guiding the customers on various tourist attractions.
(Ex: We had driven from resort to Kuruwadeep 46 Kms / 1.45 Hours and then realized that its been closed since many days due to some civil case).

Stayed here for 2D / 1N, along with my family in April 2018.

Took Superior room which doesn’t have a Backwater view.

Key Points:

1) As mentioned by all fellow travellers in various blogs / sites, the swimming pool is the main attraction of the resort and it was very clean. One of the best pools that I have ever seen.

I stayed here for a night with my family in April 2018.

We had taken a Superior Lake View + Breakfast option

Pros:

a) The Location of this hotel is excellent. Great view of Ashtamudi lake.

b) Near to Kollam Boat Jetty.

c) Good Parking available (basement parking also available).

d) They provide a 30 min Free House boat service during Sun Set time.

e) The Breakfast spread was excellent.

f) The Restaurant staff was helpful.

g) The pool is excellent.

h) A Gym facility is also available.

Cons:

(This is especially with Room 108 in the old block)

a) Being a 5 star Property, the room size did not meet our expectation.

b) The connection to Room Service was not working from the Telephone provided in the room.

c) The bath tub was not working properly.

d) Basic items like Dental Kits were not provided.

e) The Minibar was empty.

g) Shower needs a makeover (a very normal one).

h) Room Slippers were not provided,

i) AC was not cooling the rooms even after proper settings.

j) Restaurant menu was not provided in the room.

k) There wasn’t any laundry bag or laundry list in the room.

l) Did not find much outdoor playing options for small kids.

Summary: Overall, apart from the views and location, the resort did not meet 5 Star Expectations. Excellent Resort (in terms of location) but disappointing room and service.

“I travel because it makes me realize how much I haven’t seen, how much I’m not going to see, and how much I still need to see.” – Carew Papritz

This is the first time, am booking a home stay in Kerala.

Was little skeptical while choosing Haris sea shell, but Trip advisor reviews gave me the confidence.

To be frank, this is a very nice property, worth recommending others.

Location is quite nice and have a very good sea view from most of the rooms.

The attractions within Kannur are also not far.

One Line Summary: A nice and decent Sea View Home Stay, Most rooms are Sea facing rooms.

I stayed in Hotel Rainbow Suites in Kannur for 2 nights in October 2018.

It’s a minimum distance (20 Rupees) charge in autorickshaw from Kannur Private Bus stand and its very near (you might have to take an auto, though) to the railway station (in Bellard Road)

Positives:

Restaurant is available. In case if you want to try some other restaurants, ‘Chifonets’ is just 1-minute walk from this hotel.

Rooms are clean and comfortable.

This is a Budget hotel.

There is parking space available in front of the hotel. A couple of vehicles can be parked there.

An auto stand is available nearby.

Service was prompt.

Some of the Kannur Attractions are nearby (like Payyambalam beach is 1.5 Kms)

Negatives:

Restaurant food was slightly costly.

I stayed with my Family for two nights in this resort during June 2014.

Though we hear and read a lot of negative reviews about country club, this resort can be considered as an exceptionally different one which can be recommended to anyone who wish to stay in a jungle resort. It’s a well maintained property. Right from Security personal to manager, the staff was really courteous and helpful.

Pros:

a) Located in a very nice place.

b) Food and restaurant was equally good.

c) Staff is good and supportive.

d) Lot of indoor games available.

e) Swimming pool seems to be clean and well maintained.

Cons:

a) There are lot of shows / activities in the evening. Those who stay here for more than 2 days would feel a little bored with the activities, due to its repetitive nature.

b) Network connection is bad (its anyway not in their hands as the whole area in the forest has that issue).

c) There are lot of monkeys around. So be little careful.

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy M. Goodman

We stayed at this hotel in November 2015.

Pros:

1. They have a restaurant within the campus and food served was tasty and service was quick.
2. Cottages and Bathrooms are spacious but not maintained well.
3. Majority of the rooms are of cottage type and a good garden is been maintained in the front side.
4. Staff was helpful and they have helped us with some contacts while we visited Mookabika temple.
5. Resort is on the Road side (there is not much noise or other disturbances). The attractions like Gokarna OM beach is not so far (around 10-15kms, I guess).

Both AC and NON AC cottages are available.

Cons:

1. I believe this Resort is not maintained properly. The old glory is not there anymore.
2. Bathroom Maintenance was very poor and obviously it was not that clean (not sure about other cottages).
3. Wi-Fi is not available in the room.
4. Not a place for those not having their own vehicle.
5. Be a little careful as lot of stray dogs are there in and around the resort.

Overall, we feel Makara Village is an average property. Its not a beach resort. Carry a Hand sanitizer and if possible, an insect repellent.

One line summary:

 Budget Cottages which needs some better maintenance.

I had stayed with my family, here in November 2015.

Seems like this was one of the best and most loaded hotel, once upon a time.

But now that glory has been completely lost.

We stayed here one night and was very much disappointed with the stay.

They have a restaurant but it’s very costly, infact highly overpriced. You have tons of other options available. Need renovation ASAP.

Pros:

Its very near to Railway Station and not much far from Bus stand.
Staff was Nice and Attentive.

One Line Summary –>  Not recommended, Multiple other options available nearby in that price range.

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley

Pros:

a) Very nice and well maintained resort.

b) Walkable distance to the river.

c) They arrange coracle and Bullock cart ride (obviously with some additional charges).

d) A lot of trees/plants within the premise (natural surroundings).

e) Swimming Pool is really big.

f) Staffs are very polite and helpful.

g) All cottages have a Jacuzzi (Open air), which is something special that red earth is offering.

h) Property is managed well.

Cons:

a) Restaurant –> Takes a lot of time to serve food after the order is placed. But food was tasty.

b) The 2 Kms road from the Main road to the resort is terrible.

c) Overall the room rent is higher, but no offence meant as this is the same case with all the resorts in Kabini (Minimum 7000-8000+/Night).