Beach Hotel

We did enjoy our stay at Beach at Pollethai. They seem to be relaunching under new management. We were lucky to be the only guests there for our few days - we had cottage number three which was very nice - decorated to a high standard and cleaned meticulously every day. We also very much enjoyed the private beach and the waters of the Arabian sea. The pool is large but needs a bit of sprucing up as do the sunloungers and patio area. I think the main problem is what other people reviewing have flagged up also - the service just isn't quite right. There are a lot of staff around but the 5 star service you might expect as a result doesn't seem to be there. It shows in the small things - having to wait a very long time for our luggage to be delivered to the cottage and being presented with stale cornflakes at breakfast to mention a couple. We were also a bit cheesed off when, on our first day, they presented us with a bill for dinner when we were supposed to be HB. We had had a snack at lunch time and they told us that that counted as the HB instead of the dinner in the evening, which obviously favoured them and smacked of a rip off policy. One real asset they have is a new chef who had arrived two days before us and really produced fantastic food for us at dinner time, culminating in a traditional Keralan celebration meal served on banana leaves on our last night. Hopefully, that is the sign of things to come and our negative experiences a legacy of previous bad practice, who knows? I think the problems with service are much more apparent in beach resorts in Kerala than any other sorts of accommodation because for many holidaymakers, the beach stay is the last stop before you head home and you do want a few days of real relaxation and peace. So a surfeit of staff appearing to be doing very little and waiting staff malingering around whilst you're trying to enjoy your food is really annoying.

We have recently returned from a 27 day tour of India. Our last destination was Pollethai beach. We were there 3 nights. The cottage was spotlessly clean. (No 3) and had everything in it to make the stay a pleasure. The scenery is fantastic, the beach goes on forever, and the pool wonderful to swim in after the heat of the day. The food we found to be very good, and because it was cooked to order extremely fresh. We had stayed in 19 hotels through India, and thought Pollethai no more expensive than any other hotel . Matthew and all the staff were very kind and helpful. It was a haven of peace and tranquility.

I stayed at the beach at pollethai during february and i consider this place to be a gem. It consists of 12 - 13 individual cottages set in beautiful grounds which the local bird and butterfly population love, set on the edge of the arabian sea. Our room was perfect - spacious, clean and romantic with views over the sea, large bathrom, lovely verandah to watch the sunset from. I was aware the the reviews had been mixed but i found the location and tranquility of the Beach at Pollethai far outweighed any small niggles. The staff were very eager to help, if a little haphazard at times, and the food was fantastic. The cottages seemed to have been recently refurbished and fullfilled all romantic expectations. I would suggest that the management concentrate on tidying up the pool area next, to perfect what Pollethai has to offer - which is a peaceful beautiful unique setting where complete relaxation is guarenteed. It is far less stuffy than its slicker neighbour Marari Beach , and therein lies its charm. I loved it

We stayed for 5 days in April with our sons aged 7 & 9 and had a fantastic time. The bungalows are in a gorgeous setting between a river and beautiful beach. This is our 2nd visit to the area, we statyed at Marari Beach on our 1st visit and much prefer Pollethai for its personal service and attention to detail. We had use of canoes and were able to punt along the river on our own ticking off the amazing birds and flora we came across. Mathew is the perfect host and nothing is to much trouble. The Cooking lesson is not to be missed ....the food is delicious and maybe expensive by Indian standards but you are still only talking PS3-PS4 for a main course. The massage is sooooo relaxing and there is even a smaller version of a Chinese fishing net to try which the boys thought was great fun, though they did only catch a couple of crabs!

The 13 cottage style buildings are well spaced from each other, all looking in different directions so there's a good feel of privacy. Our 'cottage' (No3) had a huge uncluttered room with antique furniture and effective air conditioning. Twice daily room service. From our veranda we could see trees, wildlife, the river, and the beach through more trees. Apart from its extensive grounds, the hotel has two prized natural assets: the beach and the river. A short walk through some coconut trees past the breakfast servery is one of the most perfect tree-lined sandy beaches I have seen. Several hundred yards away on either side are fishing boats with intense early morning activity. The river that goes through the grounds (strictly speaking a lagoon) enhances the tranquility and the diverse habitat ensures a profusion of birds.||||Adverse reports about the hotel made us go with some trepidation, so some comments are justified and it was clear that complaints about the service have stirred the senior management into action. The limited knowledge of English by some of the waiters led to minor errors in meal orders and there's a dodgy electricity supply. The rather small towels are harsh as they are sun dried without conditioner, but that's OK for the environment. More towels were instantly delivered on request and they are freely available by the pool and on the beach. There's plenty of hot water although it's not drinkable.||||The food was expensive by tourist India standards as expected. Although some reviewers complained about the waiting, all starters and mains are cooked exactly to order from fresh ingredients. Also, what's the hurry when you can enjoy a beer or gorgeous grape smoothie while waiting? I commend the tiger prawns and if there's red snapper or pomfret as the catch of the day, go for it! These are steamed, covered in marsala marinade then grilled in a banana leaf - delicious. Other than about the language skills of some juniors, we had no complaints about the friendly staff who were keen to help, indeed we had one or two impromptu cooking lessons by the chef. Breakfast on the beach was simple, with a chef to cook things European or Keralan style to order. We tended to miss out on lunch in the heat of the day and be more extravagant in our choices at supper.||||I though that I would put my camera away during a week on the beach, but sumptuous sunsets, bird life and discreet observation of the fishermen kept me busy. The hotel arranged for someone to punt me along the river towards the village in the morning stillness to see the kingfishers, egrets, shags, woodpeckers and kites.||||This hotel is expensive and I agree with other reviewers that it needs to raise its standards to justify its prices. Above all they need to invest in staff training and support. But it's an incomparable setting and we thoroughly enjoyed our week there, a perfect end to touring Kerala.||||One other point: we visited the school by the gate and took some paper and pencils. We should have taken more. It's for the children of the fishermen (one of the very poorest occupations) and the classroom is the dusty playground. The head teacher was delighted to have someone speak to his children in English as first language and is desperate for charitable support. Hopefully other guests will take time to visit the school, be enchanted by the children and humbled by the experience.

We stayed at this small resort in march 09 and had an excellent time. It was peaceful, relaxing and the staff couldnt do enough to make our stay perfect. The cottages are spacious, clean and tastefully furnished. The food was first class and they could get good wine if requested. Be prepared 'the beach is primative and you can see locals in the distance using the beach as a toilet however the beach directly in front is kept clean and has a man perminantly placed to look out for guests. Matthew at the resort was really helpful and could arrange any service needed (ie trips). We booked this hotel directly via website and travelled airindia. You do not need a travel agent to visit Kerala. We booked our hotels via internet and just arranged a driver and car to take us from one place to another. Staff in the hotel receptions can book a car and driver for you and they are offiicially registared. We also visited Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom and Kochi. Easy to do yourself and we worked it out that for two of us it cost PS700.00 less than a tour operator and we had more freedom.

Good points: The private beach and excellent food. We told the staff how much we enjoyed eating Keralan food & they accommodated by 'surprising' us with good quality, well cooked, traditional indian food. We noticed that there was limited choice on the menu (expensive) so used our common sense & asked that the chef cook us meals using local ingredients. The resturant manager was exceptional & very attentive to our needs at breakfast/dinner.||||Pool decent size but noticed that the area needed finishing & tidying up. Not a good idea to find dirty glasses/used towels hanging around the pool from the the day before. Especially when staff have time on their hands. Double room was spacious & clean - veranda was spacious/relaxing space to chill. ||||Bad points: This is an overpriced, expensive so called 5 star hotel. As other reviewers have mentioned, small things that disappoint. Namely the reception staff/management. Our lamp in our room broke on 2nd day, were told that it would be replaced/repaired but was still the same by the time we left. Wanted to use the internet (our flight cancelled at the last minute). Told that it wasn't working but no alternative/suggestions or volunteering to support us i.e. offering to use the phone. Enquired if next resort had inernet but their reply was for us not to bother. When we went to next resort, they were incredibly helpful & couldn't do enough for us. Unlike the staff at Pollethai who just blankly stared at us & shrugged their shoulders. Opted for HB but at breakfast a lot of pressure on us to order lunch, whether we wanted it or not.||||Word of warning - check your bill when checking out, this place is about taking advantage of western tourists by overcharging.

The best thing about this place is the amazing beach - white sand as far you you can see in either direction and blissfully uncrowded. But there are much better hotels in the same area - we left Pollethai and went to the Abad Turtle Beach down the road - so much better.||||The Beach at Pollethai would be fine if they were charging for a 2 or maybe 3 star hotel. But they are not. They are charging 5 star prices and it's simply not worth it. The accommodation is basic and slightly shabby. The canals in the property are full of rotting leaves and harbour swarms of mosquitos (the manager called them "crystal clear" - what a joke). Across the canal from our room were heaps of black plastic rubbish sacks. The manager claimed they were full of leaves not rubbish and could not understand why we had a problem with "the view". One of the doors to our room did not work, the safe did not work, the cleaning was poor. etc, etc. In common with other bad reviews on this site we found the staff - while well meaning - are either incompetent or powerless to do deal with a complaint as they are ruled by the "director" in Cochin who cannot be disobeyed.||||If you are paying downmarket prices then you expect a place to be rough around the edges and you put up with it. But the Beach at Pollethai is having a laugh charging top dollar. It needs a makeover and decent management but until then I cannot recommend it.