Top 10 Chandrika Hotels

- [ ] We had a wonderful 3 night staycation at the Kumarakom Lake resort recently. The entire experience right from booking was truly professional. The pick up/drop off and service by the chauffeur Mr Mahesh in their well maintained and very comfortable car made the journey enjoyable. The traditional welcome and check in and check out was a breeze. A special mention to Mr Jidhin, Ms Aleena and Ms Devika from the reception. The villas with the private pool are great and are maintained well and worth the upgrade. The rooms are well appointed and are equipped with smart TV’s and a good selection of channels. The housekeeping by Mr Akshay was great with the rooms cleaned at least twice a day on a regular basis. They have lots of activities to keep the guests of all ages engaged. The pottery classes by Mr ***n, speedboat activity and the ayurvedic spa are worth it. The food at their multi cuisine restaurant ’Ettukettu’ offers a great choice and most of their dishes are executed reasonably well with some really great tasting dishes. But what makes the experience really exceptional is the service by all the restaurant staff with Mr Anandhu and Ms Arathi deserving a special mention. A must do activity is the daily evening sunset cruise which is complimentary. Mr Kavi who is the activity coordinator at the resort is always around to help.He is a great photographer and he takes amazing photographs of interested guests while on the cruise. An area of improvement would be upgrading the room air conditioning system to better handle the summer heat. We truly enjoyed our vacation and would definitely visit again. Highly recommended!!

A beautiful place with friendly staff that means well. Part of a group of eco friendly hotels by CGH. If you have low expectation you will love this place, If you expect a top end resort, you will be disappointed Basics: Sleeping - 4/5 bed and sheets are ok, no complaints but nothing outstanding. Shower - 4/5 Charming shower and toilet with open sky. Clean and beautiful. Soap, gel, shampoo are nice, water strength good. A/C - 4/5 Our room had a ventilator and an A/C unit that could have been more quiet. It did its job well Noise - this place is in nature, so expect a lot of sounds. Crickets, other animals during the night Otherwise this is a nice calm place. Smell - 4/5 No unusual smell that sometimes deters visitors. No special smells either Bottom line: Would I come back again - unlikely Would I recommend to a friend - yes with hesitation What I did not like: Extra are extremely expensive Both the spa and the recreation center It’s a shame, as both would be more active and create smiles at lower prices, and it is possible as costs are low. In addition the service is not high end more about both later. Also, though staff is extremely helpful and means well. However, ***y requests need to be de***ded twice or more While we were here the pool and WiFi were undergoing upgrades. It’s a shame it was not known in advance. Also, no alcohol was available though we were provided some beer as a special courtesy This is an old and charming establishment and though it is well kept, ***y things work partially. Much like the WiFi, the electricity in the room works only if the key is inserted a certain way. Not too much, not too little. It’s like a game The fridge as it’s max does not cool. Warm beer is no fun. Again you would expect more. What I did like: Beautiful location and grounds. Right by the lake and with ***y canals in its midst. There is a butterfly garden ***y flowers Respect to nature Friendly staff The restaurant and food were great Morning yoga class The facility has its own water factory - amazing All very nice More about the Spa and Kayak center: SPA Things I will ish to have known: Prices are high, still reasonable by western standard, but surprisingly high. And what you get is not in par The massage itself was good (I had two different ones including a 1hour 45 minutes deep tissue massage) However, I asked for water and got a small glass Sheets were cheap disposable ones that gave an uneasy feeling. Why use them? An eco friendly lodge with a laundry facility could have chosen something nice Steam bath - the equipment works asymmetrically So you body is knocked off balance. This is extremely inappropriate and has strong negative implications The shower facility did not work appropriately kayak center Expensive and unfriendly You can not go out on your own, someone must join you You must wear a floatation jacket The young men who work there are bored and prefer not to go out “Too hot”, “lunch time”, “maybe later” is the com

Had an amazing experience at Niraamya Retreats. We had taken the package where it was 2 days in Kumarakom and 2 days in Kovalam with Niraamaya (all inclusive). Right from the airport pickup to the end of our journey, we were very well taken care of. All the staff members are extremely helpful and friendly. The room size was really good- very spacious. Great view. One thing to be aware of is that since there is so much greenery, there are creepy crawlies around. That is something you just have to get used to if you want to be in nature. Since there are limited rooms, the staff is really able to personalize the experience for guests. By the second day, they already knew our food preferences etc. The food was outstanding (especially the local dishes). Enjoyed the spa experience too. It was very relaxing and the whole atmosphere created was very zen. Would definitely go back.