“Enjoyed it. No special effort was made to make my stay enjoyable, but no complaint about most basics”
I stayed in a room with AC and an attached bathroom, and the staff—just one person on the premises—was reasonably quick to fix any problems. The thing I liked most was something the host didn't mention, and probably doesn't even know about, my friend Bokul didn't. The 7c bus stop is five minutes from the hotel to the city centre, railway station, main bus stand, and Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple. Bus drivers are considerate and stop, conductors are helpful enough, and there was never a hassle about change; one conductor even gave me ₹5 back when he didn’t have ₹4 change! I must add that my lack of Malayalam was a handicap, Hindi and English were not very easily understood, but they always took the time and made a real effort to communicate. The property was listed alongside other, presumably more upmarket, listings, but it’s not easy to tell from the listing alone. The location of the guest house looked disappointing at first glance, but it’s actually quite alright, especially for basics. (I’ll say boldly that this is typical of Keralam, they hide their strengths!). There were no kettles, no bottled water—every traveler expects that and should get it. I had no clue where to get a breakfast or even a cup of coffee. No hot water. The solar hot water on a 31‑degree and higher day didn’t even produce mildly tepid water in the evening. Bokul, after some complaint and coaxing, lugged a bucket full of hot water upstairs to my room. My room was on the first floor, no lift; that’s not the guest house’s fault, but perhaps it should be mentioned so that us eighty‑year‑olds can make a more informed choice. I carried my luggage up and down but just managed it. The password for their Wi‑Fi that their super‑fast bot gave me didn’t work—it probably is for their fancier properties. I rang and located Bokul, who gave me a much longer 12‑digit password that did work! You are on your own to arrange your travels, say to the airport or railway station. There was mild price gouging to get to the hotel from the railway station.
NEen maand geleden