Hotel Dengan Gym di Kerala, India

I was weary about booking as the website photos looked quite tired. All of the photos are really old - it was an amazing stay and so much better than I expected. I enjoyed the complementary pottery making and the tea cart in the afternoons. The food à la carte was absolutely delicious. I avoided the buffet a bit as I do in all hotels. The pool is clean and there is excellent service, with staff helping you with towels, umbrellas, and drinks. The rooms are really pretty. Good air con. The gym is good and has air con although the air con is not as powerful as in the bedrooms. The gym has two treadmills, a static bike, basic leg press, weight rack and bench, and some of the arm/shoulder machines too. There were only a few downsides. 1) The beach that it backs onto is actually quite gross (there was nappy in the sand and gunk that looked like sewage), but it’s easy to avoid this. 2) The beach has a real drop from the sand into sea so it’s not very safe to swim in unless you want to be smacked against the bank. These two things don’t matter though as the hotel is lovely and there is enough to do that you don’t need to go on the beach. 3) I booked 2 nights in one booking and 1 night in another booking. I asked when I booked the single, third night, whether I can keep the same room. They said they’d let me know at check in.  They didn’t let me know at check in. They said they’d tell me on the second day in the day, but nothing. I kept asking at reception and I called them on the phone twice, and they kept saying they’d call me back. It was 9.30pm on the night before I’d have to move rooms before they told me I could stay. I’m not really sure why it took so long or they messed me around on this as 3 of my exact rooms were available on the website for those nights, so by that logic it would not have been a problem!

Fantastic experience. Fabulous food and modestly priced, friendly staff. Rooms and exterior of the property, although great, could be so much better with a coat of paint and minor plumbing issues resolved in addition to removing stains from the outdoor cushions. Would definitely recommend this hotel. Great location. We also hired the houseboat and that was the highlight of our trip. Food provided was fit for a king and we had our own personal chef with 3 other people waiting on us! A must do for all guests.

Review of O by Tamara Hotel Rating: 3.5/5 stars O by Tamara offers a tale of two experiences: the facilities earn a solid 4 stars, while the service standards hover around 3 stars—creating an interesting contrast that management should address. The Good: The hotel's facilities are genuinely excellent and well worth the visit. The infrastructure and amenities reflect thoughtful design and quality investment. The Challenging: The service execution, unfortunately, doesn't match the facility standards. During our stay, we found ourselves repeating requests multiple times—whether at the restaurant or with general hotel staff. The breakfast service was particularly entertaining in an unintended way: the staff exhibited what I'd call ”Brownian motion hospitality”—lots of energetic movement, but not always in productive directions. Items were frequently forgotten, and follow-ups became necessary more often than expected. The Concerning: We requested a late checkout until 1:00 PM. The front desk approved only a 30-minute extension, yet our bill reflected a 2-hour late checkout. This discrepancy requires immediate attention from management. Recommendations: The property would benefit from comprehensive staff retraining to align service quality with the excellent facilities. Additionally, rooms and common areas could use renovation to maintain the overall standard. Bottom Line: The facilities make this hotel worth considering, but the management team needs to invest in service training and operational consistency. With these improvements, O by Tamara could easily become a standout property. I remain hopeful that management will address these concerns promptly. Thats all!!

The front desk staff were friendly, accommodating, and always willing to help. We stayed at the hotel twice within a five-day period, and on both occasions, the staff provided excellent service. They were courteous, attentive, and very helpful throughout our stay, making our experience pleasant and comfortable. We truly appreciate their professionalism and warm hospitality.

Stayed at the hotel for a night, and it was a great experience. The staff is polite and friendly; always willing to help!  Highly recommend this hotel by the airport.

The Leela, Kovalam is an amazing hotel, which my 11 year old son and I would highly recommend! It is on a cliff top overlooking the Arabian Sea. We upgraded to Club Room, which provides you with access to The Cafe, a restaurant serving Club members complimentary breakfast 7-10:30am and High Tea 5-6pm and additional a La carts chargeable lunch and dinner. The Club room is exceptional, with a balcony with table and chairs overlooking the Arabian Sea, King bed with very comfortable mattress and bedding, fantastic walk in shower, sink and toilet, with all the toiletries. Rooms are cleaned well and the food is wonderful. We ate everything safely with no upset stomached here and the staff were wonderful! We would happily return!

Everything was excellent except the activity room. Nothing is in good condition. Would be good if they can maintain it since it would be very helpful when coming with kids. It's been 3 consecutive years i am coming here. The activity room needs to be improved.

We had a wonderful 3-night stay at the resort. The property is spacious, well-maintained, and offers beautiful views. There are swings for both kids and adults, ***** with a dedicated kids' play area, making it a great choice for families. We booked a Garden View Cottage with a complimentary breakfast buffet, which was good. For lunch and dinner, we ordered à la carte. The overall service was excellent, and the staff was polite, friendly, and attentive. A special thanks to Mr. Nalin from the F&B team. He provided exceptional service and took great care of us throughout our stay. His hospitality truly made our experience memorable. A few suggestions for improvement: The open swimming pool has a minimum depth of 3 feet. A 2-foot shallow section would be much safer and more enjoyable for small children. The other two swimming pools were under renovation during our stay, so I couldn't comment on them. Adding more North Indian food options to the menu would be appreciated. Overall, we had a very pleasant stay and would definitely recommend this resort to families and couples looking for a relaxing getaway.

An unforgettable stay in a stunning location! We had the most wonderful 3 night stay at this beautiful lake resort. From the moment we arrived, the staff went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, so friendly, helpful, and genuinely accommodating. The setting is absolutely breathtaking, and the whole atmosphere of the resort is peaceful and relaxing. A perfect place to unwind and relax. The rooms were lovely, spacious, spotless, and really comfortable, with everything we needed for a perfect break. The food was another highlight, every meal was delicious, beautifully presented, and full of flavour. A special mention to Jeeva in the restaurant, who made our dining experience even more memorable with such attentive and warm service but all of the restaurant staff were excellent and made every meal a pleasure. Also Anju who so lovely and again very attentive but I have to say every single staff member was so pleasant, which made our stay exceptional. Can’t recommend this gem of a place enough, we are already planning our next visit!

We had a lovely stay. I highly recommend this hotel and the restaurants. Especially don’t miss the restaurant on the first floor, where you can get a great traditional Kerala meal in a banana leaf.  The service is also great.