Jane White (Feb 2008)
Our first trip to India - land of contrasts (and form filling!). Lovely friendly people, some amazing scenery, great food and knowing Tijo was at the end of the phone if we had a problem (which we didn't). Hard to pick one - honestly it was pretty much all great. The trek in the Periyar Reserve was memorable tho'.
Kallancherry Retreat : Homestay - very basic accommodation but wonderfully peaceful setting and the family just couldn't do enough to make their guests happy. We really slowed down and were sad to leave.
Rose Gardens, Munnar : Very comfortable room and immaculately clean. Because this homestay is on the national highway it was a bit noisy at times, but the owner, Tomy, is very helpful and arranged a couple of good day tours. Rajee, his wife is a good cook and happy to share her recipes with guests.
Silver Crest, Thekkady : Excellent room (well, suite really) pleasant staff, good buffet food and (oh joy!) a swimming pool when we returned hot and tired from a 3 hour trek in the nature reserve.
Vembanad House : Lovely old house, beautiful spot by the lake, and really excellent food provided by Sandja. This homestay is a real star and is already on the regular circuit for visitors booking through a particular French operated tour company in Delhi.
Hindustan Beach Retreat : Really lovely room with balcony overlooking the sea. Staff are all friendly and helpful and the position of the hotel, right by the beach within a two minute stroll of the beachside restaurants was ideal. We particularly enjoyed the swimming pool (complete with jacuzzi) and the comfort of our cool (a/c) room when the going got too hot!
Fort House, Cochin : Very good room and nice cool verandah with rattan chairs to sit and relax. The eating facilities, beside the water, were not particularly comfortable and the menu was a bit limited (no curries "because they take too long to cook"). The location is very convenient, a short walk from the Chinese fishing nets, and plenty of good restaurants, and the kindness of the staff providing coffee, fruit and toast before our departure at 6a.m. was very much appreciated.
Food was variable - we love curries and at first found some of the local dishes a bit bland. After a few days however, we managed to identify the spices etc. that we enjoyed and then it just got better and better. Great fish.
I would, without hesitation, recommend anyone wanting to visit Southern India, and not be part of a package, to book through Karma Kerala. I would also recommend visitors to take a universal bath plug for the basins!
Our Service
Despite the odd unexpected complication (like a full day strike when we were travelling from one destination to another) Tijo managed to make sure everything ran smoothly from beginning to end. After scanning the package tour options, it was such a pleasure to find your website, talk to Sholto and find out that it was possible to organise the sort of trip and the type of accommodation we wanted, without breaking the bank. Every time I had a query and sent off an e.mail the answer was back by the following morning... no misunderstandings and really nice friendly approach. Loved the website, the fact that I could check out all our various destinations and the travel tips you gave. At one stage I actually wondered if the whole thing was too good to be true - it wasn't! Booking / Payment - Very efficient, detailed breakdown of the costs of each leg of our trip and easy payment system with all the information required.
So good to arrive after a long flight to see the smiling Tijo in the Arrivals Hall with a board bearing our names. He was available by phone throughout the 3 weeks of our holiday and all our accommodation and transfers were organised perfectly, not a single glitch. We had several drivers and all of them were good. The only reason I rate them as good rather than excellent is that the whole driving experience in India was rather "white knuckle". That said, despite the local conditions, they all got us from A to B unscathed, were charming and polite, so perhaps I am being mean not to give them top rating.
just keep up the good work and we look forward to our next visit.
Kallancherry Retreat : Homestay - very basic accommodation but wonderfully peaceful setting and the family just couldn't do enough to make their guests happy. We really slowed down and were sad to leave.
Rose Gardens, Munnar : Very comfortable room and immaculately clean. Because this homestay is on the national highway it was a bit noisy at times, but the owner, Tomy, is very helpful and arranged a couple of good day tours. Rajee, his wife is a good cook and happy to share her recipes with guests.
Silver Crest, Thekkady : Excellent room (well, suite really) pleasant staff, good buffet food and (oh joy!) a swimming pool when we returned hot and tired from a 3 hour trek in the nature reserve.
Vembanad House : Lovely old house, beautiful spot by the lake, and really excellent food provided by Sandja. This homestay is a real star and is already on the regular circuit for visitors booking through a particular French operated tour company in Delhi.
Hindustan Beach Retreat : Really lovely room with balcony overlooking the sea. Staff are all friendly and helpful and the position of the hotel, right by the beach within a two minute stroll of the beachside restaurants was ideal. We particularly enjoyed the swimming pool (complete with jacuzzi) and the comfort of our cool (a/c) room when the going got too hot!
Fort House, Cochin : Very good room and nice cool verandah with rattan chairs to sit and relax. The eating facilities, beside the water, were not particularly comfortable and the menu was a bit limited (no curries "because they take too long to cook"). The location is very convenient, a short walk from the Chinese fishing nets, and plenty of good restaurants, and the kindness of the staff providing coffee, fruit and toast before our departure at 6a.m. was very much appreciated.
Food was variable - we love curries and at first found some of the local dishes a bit bland. After a few days however, we managed to identify the spices etc. that we enjoyed and then it just got better and better. Great fish.
I would, without hesitation, recommend anyone wanting to visit Southern India, and not be part of a package, to book through Karma Kerala. I would also recommend visitors to take a universal bath plug for the basins!
Our Service
Despite the odd unexpected complication (like a full day strike when we were travelling from one destination to another) Tijo managed to make sure everything ran smoothly from beginning to end. After scanning the package tour options, it was such a pleasure to find your website, talk to Sholto and find out that it was possible to organise the sort of trip and the type of accommodation we wanted, without breaking the bank. Every time I had a query and sent off an e.mail the answer was back by the following morning... no misunderstandings and really nice friendly approach. Loved the website, the fact that I could check out all our various destinations and the travel tips you gave. At one stage I actually wondered if the whole thing was too good to be true - it wasn't! Booking / Payment - Very efficient, detailed breakdown of the costs of each leg of our trip and easy payment system with all the information required.
So good to arrive after a long flight to see the smiling Tijo in the Arrivals Hall with a board bearing our names. He was available by phone throughout the 3 weeks of our holiday and all our accommodation and transfers were organised perfectly, not a single glitch. We had several drivers and all of them were good. The only reason I rate them as good rather than excellent is that the whole driving experience in India was rather "white knuckle". That said, despite the local conditions, they all got us from A to B unscathed, were charming and polite, so perhaps I am being mean not to give them top rating.
just keep up the good work and we look forward to our next visit.
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