Janardhanapuram, 695141 Varkala, India
#35 of 79 hotels in Varkala
Guests' ChoiceBased on 236 hotel reviews
7.7Cleanliness
8.3
Comfort
8.4
Location
8.5
Facilities
7.7
Staff
8.9
Value for money
7.0
Free WiFi
8.1
Real Bookers. Real stays. Real opinions.
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End of dialog contentReviewed: February 29, 2024
George
United States of AmericaThere was no direct entrance to the beach from the propery.,and it being old property there was no lift and it was difficult to get around with many steps to climb. even though they have a handicap ramp and offered my 94-year-old mother a wheelchair and assistance.
The hotel has a great view of the sea and nice sunsets from the beautiful balcony, pool, and almost all of the seven rooms we booked for 3 nights. My family liked the one-man band playing very good nostalgic English music and a very good buffet for the gala Christmas Eve dinner party. The pool is well maintained. The daily buffet breakfast was great the rooms were clean and the staff was very friendly. We went out for dinner to the Varkala cliffs and other good dinner venues because we wanted to taste the variety of foods that were being offered with live music. at much lower prices.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: February 27, 2024
Andrea
GermanyClose to the cliff with a nice pool and very good breakfast. The staff is extremely friendly and attentive.
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: February 26, 2024
Annie
United KingdomA few more sunbeds and umbrellas
Great large and comfortable room, brilliant breakfast with Indian and European choices and wonderful pool area with great view and beautifully looked after
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: February 25, 2024
Isabelle
ItalyThe location is stunning and the room was very nice. We had an issue with a lost bag and the staff were extremely helpful. They really went out of their way to help us resolve the issue and it was greatly appreciated.
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: February 13, 2024
Eleanor
AustraliaComfy rooms and nice pool
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: February 4, 2024
Subin
IndiaDinner was not good, but breakfast buffet was good. Delay in room service for dinner coupled with not so good tasting food.
Best resort with excellent facilities like great pool, great staff. Front office staff were helpful and accommodating. Pool maintenance is excellent especially Mr Babu made sure we were all safe and provided suggestions on how to make our trip plan better.
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: January 30, 2024
Richa
IndiaThe food options could have been better
The location, ambience, and staff were great.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: January 21, 2024
Andrew
United KingdomThe staff were extremely nice and helpful- in particular Sudeep, Head of Security, who went beyond the call of duty to help recover my stolen IPhone.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: January 21, 2024
Mary
United KingdomVery poor WiFi. Kept dropping out. Very frustrating
Great swimming pool. Beautiful views. Spacious comfortable room.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: January 17, 2024
David
United KingdomPerhaps more choices for the breakfast?
The location. It’s a bit far away from the promenade but the view is stunning and feel safe and quiet.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: January 6, 2024
Lorenzo
SwitzerlandThe hotel is very nice and quite conveniently located. The room was clean and large….. a special mention to the staff, which was extra helpful and helped us with the organization.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: January 4, 2024
Malathi
SingaporeAt some point, they make it as the Gala dinner in the hotel as compulsory. Well, we were there in Varkala to attend a wedding and the Gala dinner on Christmas eve was impossible. So they were not transparent about the Gala dinner arrangement.
Breakfast was delicious. Only thing, they need to improve the variety. More options on other Asian cuisine will be good. Staff were courteous.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: January 3, 2024
Yunoda
SingaporeOne of the main reasons we booked this hotel was because it had a tennis court. Unfortunately when we arrived, we found out that the tennis court had been taken over by a wedding party for an indefinite period of time and nobody could give us a straight answer as to when the court would be usable again. Eventually we had to speak with the General Manager and he finally assisted us in getting the court cleared and usable but that whole experience was a little off-putting and a bumpy start to the beginning of our stay. Otherwise we would say that the main thing holding this property back are a host of small but pretty easily fixable things such as better training, repairing and better maintaining some of the fixtures and facilities that are suffering wear and tear, and updating some of the decorative features. One of the things we noticed is that the designers of the property inexplicably set all the rooms on a staircase, so for those mobility-impaired guests, this may not be the best choice of hotel. On a secondary note, the design makes it impossible for housekeeping staff to easily access the rooms on our corridor with housekeeping trolley. That means that as a fix, the hotel had a couple of really unsightly housekeeping trollies permanently stationed on the small landing outside our door blocking up the the corridor in order to service the rooms. Also, working keys to our room's terrace door entrance would have been appreciated. Overall, this hotel has a lot of potential and a few small fixes will go a long way in lifting this property up the ratings ladder.
Our stay overlapped the year-end holidays and guests were treated to a complimentary New Year's Eve gala show and buffet dinner. The hotel went to great lengths to make us feel welcome and put us in a celebratory mood and boy, did it pay off! The show was really entertaining and filled with the cultural performances that highlight how truly special Kerala is. The dinner, dancing, countdown and view of the fireworks were great fun and all the staff looked gorgeous as they attended to us in their traditional dress. The hotel management really pulled out all the stops for this party and we really appreciated their efforts. The staff were really the highlight of our stay and they did their best to make us feel welcome, attend to our requests, and make up for any shortcomings in the facilities or training. Another pleasant surprise was our room, which was spacious and well equipped. We even had access to a private deck and garden area for extra space. The hotel is set about a 15 minute walk down a busy and dusty road from Varkala Beach, but to make up for it, you do get a lovely view from the hillside of the sea and the surrounding area. The pool, tennis court, and foosball table were other facilities that we used extensively and enjoyed.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: January 1, 2024
Murtuza
IndiaNothing
Location and view
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: December 28, 2023
Dhimoy
IndiaGreat staff & food. Very nice property
Stayed in November 2023
Reviewed: December 18, 2023
Sanchari
United KingdomSpacious, nice restaurant and good breakfast. Nice pool , clean and good sunbeds. 10 min auto ride to North Cliff
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: December 12, 2023
Nagia
GreeceAll great!
Excellent service, its prime location offers easy access to Varkala's attractions (including the cliff) providing a delightful stay. The view from the lobby is incredible. The room was clean and the bathroom spacious. The staff were very helpful for each of our requests, thank you to everyone at the concierge and Rahna and Tijo from F&B.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: December 3, 2023
Natasha
United KingdomIt was perfect for us but it’s a bit quieter as it’s set back from the main Varkala cliff.
This was our third visit to the Gateway Varkala. It’s a lovely hotel, clean,comfortable and friendly, approachable staff- excellent breakfast. Varkala beach/cliff is stunning and just round the corner. We’ll be back again!
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: November 21, 2023
Julia
United States of AmericaBreakfast could be improved. Limited fruit choices. No cheese. Slow dinner service
Love the room and patio and pool
Stayed in November 2023
Reviewed: October 11, 2023
Sushant
IndiaNot too many options for activities except for a swimming pool and few tables (game) at the lobby area. Even though the sea had a beautiful look and all, it was not conducive for beach fun. People were doing different types of rituals there. Everything else was great.
I think the location is the strongest plus for this hotel. If there is only one thing that you have to choose, I'll choose the view from its main entry. One of the best looking views that you can witness. The hotel was small but comfortable. Every room had a great view. The reception lobby had a view of the entire property (greenery & swimming pool). Right outside the property was a small green belt area (to give you the feeling that you are traveling through a jungle) and beyond that was the view of the sea. All of that was visible from the hotel lobby. Rooms were decent sized and clean. Hotel staff was courteous and helpful. Food was delicious. Outside location was peaceful. Overall a good value for money stay.
Stayed in July 2023
Reviewed: October 3, 2023
Dipu
United KingdomNothing
It was very clean and quiet. Excellent service by all staff, special mention Vishnu, Babu(pool) and Ashathy(reception manager) for their excellent service.
Stayed in October 2023
Reviewed: October 3, 2023
Laurence
AustraliaGreat location, really attentive staff and delicious food.
Stayed in September 2023
Reviewed: September 3, 2023
Sekhar
IndiaThe food could have been way better, the place is not worth the money, there are better properties at this price point is what I feel.
The location and view was amazing. It was serene throughout.
Stayed in September 2023
Reviewed: August 17, 2023
Jabir
QatarNot so close to the beach Mobility Difficult for old people
It’s a bit old property but cozy
Stayed in August 2023
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