KTDC Aranya Nivas Thekkady

I’m currently here for one night as part of a tour of Kerala….the food at dinner was shocking and I mean shocking…I refused to eat it..so I went to the bar but the man in there didn’t understand me so i couldn’t get a drink in there,even when I pointed to the beer in the fridge he just looked at me and it became apparent that he has no understanding of English which in India when working in a hotel frequented by English speaking tourists would be useful. You can’t buy and water or food here and the place goes into lockdown at 5.30 pm .. nobody can leave or enter its like a prison but with worse food. The pool is green which I showed to the manager and he said it’s the colour of the tiles.. the photos I’ve taken clearly show murky water with green algae. So I’m stuck here tonight with no food and no water as the water in my room is in glass reusable bottles and I’m not risking drinking water from an unknown source… nobody can understand me here so I can’t clarify the source of the water .. My only saviour was going to be the tv in my room but that doesn’t work either and nobody wants to fix it…so I’ve given up. Just to note Mercury Holidays who I’m travelling with use this place and maybe others I’m not sure ,so be careful when you book a tour of Kerala which has to be said is a beautiful place but this low budget accommodation lets it down massively.

This hotel is inside the NP and because of roaming animals, guests are locked in from 6pm. There is therefore no option other than hotel facilities. The 'bar' serves only beer and a local red wine. You cannot take either into the restaurant. The food selection is incredibly poor - for dinner tonight, there was a chicken korma, watery dhal and a Chinese style stir fried cauliflower plus rice or chapati. The cost is lowish- 4700 rupees but so is the quality. The rooms are large and relatively clean but poorly maintained. Only 2 rooms in the whole hotel have AC and the fans provided in other rooms just move hot air around. No room safe, so you have to carry valuables at all times. The worst hotel of our whole holiday.

KTDC Aranya Nivas is located inside the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady, Kerala. It’s well located adjacent to the boat landing point, which makes it easier for the guests to do the boating trip, which is one of the highlights of the Thekkady visit. The forest check post does not allow entry inside the reserve after 5.30 pm. Hence, you cannot enter or go out of the resort after 5.30 pm. We booked a room with jungle views however; the jungle views were disappointing. As we look out through the windows, we could only see a road with some slaughtered trees by the road side. The room was quite large with a double cot, wardrobe, sofa, chair and table. The furniture and the room looked dated however, it was clean. Room was provided with a TV, mini fridge, electric kettle along with complimentary tea/coffee sachets. Bathroom was also large, neat and was provided with all toiletries. Restaurant was large enough to accommodate many guests. Food options were limited due to shortage of cooking gas, which was a national problem due to the middle east war. However, food was good and catered to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians as well. Breakfast had a nice spread and was also good. Only issue I faced in the restaurant was the noise created by some guests. There is also a small bar adjacent to the restaurant, which served only beer and wine. Restaurant and bar staff were mostly trainees, which was evident from the service provided. We hardly found any trained staff in the restaurant and bar. Property is owned by the State. Though it’s a nice property, it’s quite dated and certainly needs refurbishment. Overall, it’s a nice place to stay inside the reserve.