Nilaya Hermitage

We booked a week in this hotel to see if we liked the area , good bits was some of the local restaurants were amazing ie Fish dish the down side is the cost to go there with hotel cabs £13 for 2 hours from when you get picked up ...the hotel is really in desperate need of repair roof tiles are falling off and nothing to stop it hitting a guest, no fridges in room to keep water cold ( told they took them out as they didn't want guests to have own drinks in fridge, we did get one in the end as water warm yuck . They don't mention anywhere that its a public pool during quiet times ...bang went our peace and quiet rowdy kids and a very vocal woman who the staff did not know what to do with...in the dining room above the pool a beam fell down and all they did was move it out of the way and let people sit there ...kids were jumping off the wall into the pool , people sleeping in the meditation room yuck the grounds really need upgrading walking along side the pool have steps to rooms below with no railings around the top to stop you falling down into the drop. The manager was only available for our last night ...oh and big problem is the room above reception is dark you cant read a book at night bathroom not finished and next to no water to shower..no safe and staff say you can leave room unlocked then there is outside people walking around ...no fire alarms at all and the cook needs to learn to cook chicken my girlfriends was so dry (but was all she could eat off menu )New owners maybe need to spend some money on the place In its day i bet it was great ...not anymore

Heaven , simply put. In the middle of the forest overlooking apora. Teeming with exotic birds and monkeys . Spa is a must . Staff went above and beyond. I forgot the guide book and just asked them. I shall return . One of my favorite hotels in the world . And I’ve been to a few

I recently visited the Nilaya hotel and spa with three girlfriends to celebrate our friend's birthday. I booked ayurvedic spa massages for each of us. Nilaya staff were very accommodating in accepting my booking but did not inform me that the massage therapists were all male – as always I was expecting female masseuses. Having heard horror stories in the past, I felt vulnerable and uncomfortable when I realised my masseuse was male but I didn’t want to make a scene as we were celebrating my friend's birthday and I wanted this to be a fun experience for us all.  I’ve had many ayurvedic massages over the years but always by female masseuses in India, largely due to spa policies.   My masseuse didn’t speak a word of English which was surprising given this is an exclusive establishment that attracts so many foreign travellers. We were not offered towels to cover our bodies and we did not feel relaxed. I was worried my friends would feel uncomfortable and clearly, my intuition was right.   Unfortunately, my friend who was massaged by the same masseuse after I was indecently assaulted. My friend was shaken and horrified by the experience, but understandably she was equally confused and shell-shocked at the time of the incident. Being the selfless and considerate friend she is, she also didn’t want to spoil our friend's birthday and therefore did not share her experience with us until the following day.   My friend's husband visited the hotel to make a complaint and was shown very little compassion. He was kept waiting for an unreasonable amount of time and the staff denied and brushed off the incident. Later they apologised and assured us the masseuse had been fired, but have never provided us with any proof of his termination. As a bare minimum, the hotel agreed to reimburse our costs, but has failed to do so or subsequently respond to messages.   This entire experience has been incredibly upsetting and scarring for all involved. I am not a person who leaves negative reviews,  I do not believe in spreading negativity, but I feel it would be utterly irresponsible of me not to warn others.   After many back-and-forth conversations with hotel managers Jomy and Jonny, we feel the manner in which this incident has been handled is unjust and unprofessional. To protect other women from suffering the same experience I hope this review will be read and acknowledged by all female travellers planning to visit the Nilaya spa (or any spa for that matter,) for your own safety, please be aware, vigilant and always ask for a female masseuse.