We stayed at this hotel as the Great / GRT Temple Bay Resort did not have availability for all of our stay and it was relatively close to Mamallapuram (as we had a driver).

The hotel could be great; it has a lovely beachside setting and has the layout that could provide the basis of a great hotel. Unfortunately it is badly in need of good management and some investment.

The reception was disorgansied; it took twenty minutes for them to work out where the key was. The room was smelly and badly in need of decorating. The patio doors did not lock and the staff did not see this as a problem - which it was particularly given that the safe woudl not work.

Given the problem with the doors I asked for somebody t come and assist witht he safe; after an hour I called again to be told 'the boy' was on his way. Another hour and three calles later we gave up on anyone coming to sort the safe out - when we got an aggressive phone call to ask why we had not been in the room when the afe was to be fixed - when we had been.

Eventually somebody came to the room and told us to enter the manufacturers ciode for the safe (four of the same numbers), when I said that I was trying to enter my own as per the instructions he said that didn't work - you had to use the default code. Strangely the 'engineer' could not see my concern at having a door that would not lock and a 'safe' that anyone in the hotel could access!

After going to the Taj Fisherman's Cove for dinner (fabulous), we got back to find the largest cockroach I have ever seen; this combined with rubber matteresses, A/C that worked intermittently and sparked did not help us to sleep.

The next day the breakfast was foul; we had three boiled eggs and each of the had gone off and flies surrounded the pre cooked toast.. We could take no more and moved to the GRT, which is worlds apart. On checking out there was another couple who had cut their visit short because of similar problems.