The hotel buildings, rooms, grounds and beach are excellent. The location is amazing, you feel as though you are in a world undiscovered by tourists - it is peaceful, the views of the beach, sea and walking in the local area are - all feel as though you might be one of the few people to have travelled there.

The welcome and check-in was a fairly average 4 star experience. The rooms/cottages are stunning, however. The bedroom, seating area and bathroom are huge and very well-appointed. The terrace has a table and chairs in addition to your own sun loungers. The staff were all very friendly and helpful.

The only negative side to the hotel is the food. In theory the variety and choice at the buffet at breakfast and dinner looked great. However, they constantly ran out of fresh fruit and hot items in the mornings, put too much sugar in their juices and service could be a little hit and miss. The same experience occured with the buffet at dinner and we eventually started ordering from the a la carte menu (although you really had to give them a few hours notice of what you would like to eat). When ordering a la carte the food was substantially better but still not five star standard. They do not have a licence for the sale of alcohol and while not big drinkers we would liked to have had a glass of wine with dinner on the odd evening.

The staff at the beach were great (although why the hotel has insufficient sun loungers is difficult to understand) and made you feel looked after and very welcome. The complementary boat trip to see dolphins and the fishermen for 45 minutes was great fun and exciting to be in a working wooden fishing boat. Taking a bike to explore the local area was good fun and the massages at the spa were very good. Be cautious about having a manicure/pedicure as they are not really geared up for the experience you would receive from your usual five-star resort. The large pool is a real bonus and the staff were very helpful with towels and toiletries when showering afterwards and so on.

The only other let downs were the non-a/c gym (despite boasting it had a/c), no towels and bottles of water in the gym and the slow check-out with incorrect items added to our bill.

Finally, we can normally cope with some bad quality evening entertainment but the Carnoustie's was truly shocking. The same gentleman (not sure if from the US or Europe) played the same songs (Lady In Red, etc,), very badly on a sax accompanied by a tape machine. It really started to annoy us by the third night of our stay.

Other than the complaints above, this hotel is still worth visitng because its imperfections are easily forgotten when enjoying the overall experience.

I was there for two weeks, and must say that it was one of the best holidays ever. I have really enjoyed the beautiful views of the beach, amazing sunsets, the flower garden and the villa that we stayed in was fabulous, very spacious and beautifully designed.
The restaurant had a wide variety of food, and I liked that it had so many healthy options. The stuff members were always very polite and helpful.
The ayurverda Spa has been a life time experience, and the doctors there have very helpful!
Overall the New Year and Christmas days were very special, and the food and party was awesome. We had an absolutely great time, would definitely recommend it.

What is not to like at this fantastic resort? A bit difficult to find (took our driver three times to question local people before we got there) but that's no bad thing as it was so quiet, so peaceful, so beautiful when we got there. We came as a family group with one elderly lady and were immediately offered the use of a golf cart whenever we needed it as the grounds are huge and the distance from our villas to the main complex quite long. But the complimentary upgrade to private villas - each with their own private pool - was a wonderful gesture and much appreciated. We had villa 703 at the far end of the complex and it was magnificent. The resort has only recently opened and this perhaps explains why certain features were either not available or not yet in place (the second restaurant, bar, beach bar for example) and why the service in the restaurant was good, but not consistent. At most meals we had to ask for silly things like cutlery, butter for the bread, plates for the sweet (it is all buffet service). Don't get me wrong, all things were provided - but you had to ask for them, and that should not happen if the staff are alert and as attentive as the reception staff who were perfect. I would like to go back in, say, one year to see the place fully operational and with these little issues sorted. Then the resort would be in the top star category in which it aims to be. I make these comments not as a criticism - merely feedback to the management of this fine resort that I would visit again anytime.

A true Beach Resort experience of my week long stay at Carnoustie in Kerala. Me and my family had a most amazing holiday ever.

1. First Impression - We were greeted with a very warm and a traditional welcome ritual by the
staff, so apt for the culturally rich country. You just fall in love with the reception and the
lobby.
It is beautiful and a spacious resort with very well manicured lawns and beautiful landscape.
There are just 32 Villas in all spread over 25 acres of land. You could just be yourself and
not come across any other guest for many hours, "Privacy at its BEST".

2. Rooms - We were booked in the so called base villa "AKUND" which by the way was much
luxurious than many top end Villas and Hotels that I have stayed in. The deck with the lily
pool was a great way to spend some lovely time reading and listening to music lying on the
plush loungers.The bathrooms are a dream come true for anybody from Europe since the
size is as big as our Sitting room with all the modern amenities and comforts. The rooms are
practically breathing the natural environment which compliments the impressively manicured
landscape. Everything is already thought of before you even require it, the Bose dock station
for the Ipods, free WI-FI, TV etc. The high roof/ceiling is very traditional and typical to the
local architecture,which is sure to catch your attention.



3. IDA Restaurant - The most expansive structure in Bamboo I have ever seen. The massive
restaurant made totally of bamboo is an architectural marvel by itself.

The food is "PAR EXCEL-LANCE" and the service is swift yet very friendly. I really
recommend the buffets and A-la Cart. There are plentiful and varied in choices, though I
recommend the local cuisine which is rich in flavours and spices.The breakfast buffet is all
you could hope for with an assortment of fruits, yogurts, pastries,juices and shakes all the
way up to omelets made to order. The breads are baked fresh by the in house bakery which
also makes delicious crispy cookies. Interestingly, the Chef graciously obliged to give me
lessons of how to prepare a few Indian dishes. It is that "Personal" touch that I carried back
with me.

4. Swimming Pool and the "BEACH" - were the two places we spent most of our time at. The
Beach was fantastic with a very friendly lifeguard - Saji, to look after every single detail
besides keeping a watchdog eye on all the guests who ventured into the beautiful ocean.
The service from the restaurant was also very quick both at the beach and the pool.
Feeling truly 'SUN-KISSED' with a perfect holiday tan. :)

5. Ayurveda Spa- the place I really felt like an Indian Queen.
The treatments are client specific and totally natural. The use of local herbs grown specially
on the property, traditional oils and ubtans make these treatments well worth it. An in house
Ayurvedic Doctor, Yoga Instructor and experienced therapists all make the overall
experience WONDERFUL.
The environment at the Spa is very serene and relaxing. By far one of the "BEST" Spa
facility I have been to.

6. Activities : Even though the resort is quite, tranquil and a private paradise we also enjoyed
the fun activities like cycling in and around (local Village treks) the resort. Interestingly we
were shown 2 local enchanting dances -Kathakalli and the Bharatnatiyam !! The
Entertainment hut with a captivating collection of movies, indoor games, Library kept all of us
occupied.
During our eventful stay we were fortunate to be audience to a Violinist Ms Victoria Balan
from the London School of Music and Mr Victor with his flute and the Saxophone.

This was my first visit to Kerala and Carnoustie Beach Resort, but definitely will not be my last. Everyone was so wonderful, professional and caring. I felt very fortunate to have picked this resort as our holiday destination.

ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED !!!!!