I stayed at this resort for two nights over a weekend, as a break from working in Chennai. My company organised it, rather than doing my own research, and didn’t really know what to expect.
I was pleasantly surprised, and it was certainly a welcome break from being in the city during the week. Travel time from the city is about 1hr – 1.5hrs by car, depending on the traffic.
The reception area is very pleasant, although open to the outside on two sides and thus a bit too warm and humid. It would have been nice to sit in a nice air-conditioned area whilst checking in, especially after having travelled in a car for an hour or so. However, the reception staff were fast and efficient, and as expected numerous staff were present to carry luggage and direct you to your room.
I was booked into one of the rooms in the resort (I believe they also do chalet/lodge type accommodation as well), which was on the first floor, in a block of four rooms. It was one of the closest rooms to the sea (probably no more than about 20-30ft), and the view down the beach was very pleasant. I’m not sure, but you may have to request these rooms, as there were blocks of rooms behind the one I was in, and which their view of the beach would have been obscured by my block.
The room was clean and functional, but not exceptionally special or luxurious, which I have experienced in other beach resorts in other countries. It was also of a decent size. The bathroom contained a stand up/walk in shower, and a basin/vanity unit with more than adequate countertop space.
In terms of facilities, there is an on site spa, which offers a multitude of treatments. I booked a body massage for an hour, which was good, and is good value compared to western prices. The resort also has an infinity pool (although doesn’t look as impressive as the pictures on the website – what a surprise), although there isn’t any area where you can do any proper swimming.
The Wharf restaurant located on the beach is also worth a visit for dinner (and much better than the buffet served in the main resort building). Very pleasant and relaxing, and the menu is evenly balanced between Indian and Western cuisine. The breakfast, which is served in the main building, is catered for with a buffet and has a wide selection of dishes/cereals/fruits etc.
I did allow the concierge to book one of the hotel cars for a tour of the temples in the area, and took the option of a guide, which for about £12 for 5 hours for both car and guide was good value. My recommendation would be to do the tour early in the morning once the sites have opened, when it’s a lot cooler and there are less tourists/visitors to the sites. The guide/car will take you to a sculpture school, which is really just a shop, and if you’re not interested in purchasing any carving, can be bypassed.
The only minor downsides I can think of, was that a) when I ordered room service for lunch, some of the options weren’t available, b) there was no bottle opener in the room, so every time you wanted to open the bottle of wine from the minibar, you had to wait 20mins for someone from room service to come and open it for you, c) I did notice security guards patrolling the perimeter of the resort on to the beach when anyone not from the resort was walking along the beach (it’s not blocked off at either end of the beach). However I don’t know how effective this is at night, or how safe the area is. On the latter point, I didn’t feel unsafe at anytime, even when walking back to the room at night after being to the restaurant, but it might be consideration for people who like to be in secure compound, and as I’ve experienced in some African beach resorts I’ve visited.
Overall, it was a welcome break from working in Chennai during the week. If you are a single business traveller, I wouldn’t be hesitant about booking in here for a couple of nights, as I spotted a few other single business travellers who were doing exactly the same thing as I was.
