We visit Kumily in the low season so turned up at mickey's cottage and were given a room with no problem. Our room was in the back garden of the house and was beautiful for the price. The were a few mozzies and insects in the room when we arrived, however the owner used a plug in mosquito repellant and a burning coil thing which helped and there is also a nice big, soft mosquito net over the bed. We had a wooden door carved with an image of Ganesh and a swinging seat outside with monkeys in the garden - a novelty for us but apparently can be a nuisance. The owner was very welcoming and brought us some homemade sweets. She introduced us to her neighbour who is a travel agent. I'm not sure how his prices compared to others but as we had limited time in Kumily we booked an elephant ride through him which was good. We later booked a spice tour with 'Go Wild' a travel agent in the town which was really good and we arranged a taxi back to Kottayam for 1500Rs with a really careful and friendly driver. (Anthony)

We stayed here whilst visiting Periyer Wildlife Sanctuary and it was one of the cleanest and nicest places we’ve come across in India. After a hot and dusty bus journey from Munnar we were welcomed with a cup of tea and some information about the various guided tours of the nature reserve by the friendly owners. The beds were comfortable, the sheets white and clean, a generous sized bathroom with plenty of hot water and to top it all it had a private balcony with rattan furniture to lounge around in after trekking and exploring the area. The home stay is in a perfect location as it is in a quiet area but still close to restaurants and the main gate of the Wildlife Sanctuary. We can also recommend the Ambadi restaurant in the hotel with the same name nearby. We would definitely book again at Mickey’s next time we’re in Kumily.

Upon arrival, Sujatha (the owner of this homely little compound), welcomed us with warm tea, 2 slices of pineapple (they were so sweet and good!) and so much zest in her greeting that we felt recharged after the 4hour bus ride from Madurai. She was very friendly, always asking about our day, stopping to chat and laugh with us.

Our room was located upstairs at the rear building. The room was clean, lovely and simple but with an artistic touch here and there. We love the carvings on the door! And also the rattan armchairs right outside our room where we could lounge and read in privacy. One thing fantastic about this place is that there was hot shower 24/7, thanks to the solar panels (or something of that sort - I didn't really bother to figure the science out) they have installed. The only thing that really bothered us were the mozzies (they need to replace their tattered and torn mosquito net). But if you close they windows before 6pm, it should be able to keep most of the mozzies away.

And although there was no meals were provided, there is Chrissie's (fantastic breakfast) and Spice Garden (great service and one of the best dinners we had in India!) just next door. Don't forget to make a trip to Abraham's spice garden and also the tea plantation & factory. Very informative and educational. :)

Mrs Murali, the host, is a lovely warm and friendly lady. She initially put us in the wrong room, having confused us with another booking, but that was quickly rectified. We stayed in the best rooms and it was cozy and clean, with an excellent shower.
The only blips were as following:
1. There seemed to be some sort of slug nest in the sink (ground floor room), and we had to remove 3 slugs on 3 different occasions from the sink area. NOT pleasant.
2. There are no views from the room. I understand some other places just along the road (Greenview?!) have really good views and balconies for a lower tariff.