Maharaju Palace

I stayed here for 16 nights in Dec 2019 and start of Jan 2020. It's a wonderful place to stay. The owner is great and the team of staff are all so friendly and helpful. Rooms cleaned every day and new towels. Decent and filling breakfast.||An oasis of calm just two minutes from the beach. ||Matthew, the Manager, was very helpful with the trains. ||The gardens and communal spaces are lovely and kept immaculately. ||This is truly a home from home and I would not stay anywhere else if I returned to Kovalam.

4 years ago

I stayed here for 12 nights with friends after having spent time, previously, in Tamil Nadu.||||We arrived early Saturday afternoon and was greeted my Martin, who was very pleasant and accommodating. Having single occupancy I was allocated the Honeymoon Cottage!! What a bonus, self contained with a small kitchen area with sink and a fridge. ||||Outside was a seating area with desk, 2 chairs and a 2 seater sofa with cushions. Ideal for pre dinner drinks in the evening and of course a nightcap. Having the fridge was great as could make ice and keep the beers, Gin and Tonic water cold.||||Large comfortable bed 4 poster type in order to accommodate the mosquito nets which cocooned the bed. Although I did not have air conditioning I did have the benefit of a ceiling fan plus a portable pedestal fan, the latter I kept running overnight.||||The bonus of this fan being portable was that it could be plugged in outside the front door in the seating area during our pre dinner drinks sessions.||||Bathroom was good with copious amounts of hot water. But with temperatures of 34 deg c during the day and 25 deg c overnight hot showers were not the order of the day.||||Martin, the owner and Matthew, the Manager were most helpful and nothing was too much trouble for them. If there was something you wanted they would go the extra mile to help.||||Example: I own an Indian Tuk Tuk in the UK and wanted to know if I could buy me wheel trims (or wheel cups as they say in India).||||Later in the day one of the staff had a friend who owns a Tuk Tuk and I was taken into Trivandrum, 35min trip by Tuk Tuk to an accessory shop. To say I was like a child in a sweet store was an understatement. 7 sets of wheel cups and some other accessories purchased I did the return journey to the hotel. This is what I call service.||||Breakfast was fine, served 8am > 11 am. Choice of eggs, fruit salad, porridge, toast, Tea or Coffee and freshly made fruit juices.||||One evening Martin but on a Film event where he showed 2 films on a large screen : Some like it Hot and the Marigold Hotel, nice relaxing atmosphere with other guests and a Juice bar on hand if you wanted.||||Rooms were cleaned every day (Thank you Raju and your lady helper) and bedding completely changed every 2 > 3 days.||||All in all a perfect location only 2 mins walk from the beach but sufficiently away as not to hear the activity.||||Would highly recommend.

6 years ago

Arriving at Thirandrum Airport we where met my a driver as we had pre-arrange transport to the hotel for 1000 rupees, about £10. Although you can get a tuktuk for 400 rupees we had just arrived in India and it was easy and the manager Matthew was very helpful in arranging the transport.||Driving to the hotel feels like you are being taken into the middle of nowhere. Only later did we find the hotel is in a perfect location only about 100m from the beautiful beach and very close to the must-see lighthouse (amazing sunsets).||The rooms where of reasonable size. We stayed in a room with a double bed. There wasn't much other space but there was a desk, cupboard and ensuits. The bed was comfortable and the room and bathroom felt very clean. A welcome tea/ coffee was provided and each room had a bottle of water, towels, soap and toilet roll. The water pressure was good and there was hot water. One of the toilets wouldn't flush though and kept making noises. ||Having been staying in very cheap hostels in Sri Lanka before arriving here this place felt like a palace. There is a nice little seating area outside although the mosquitos do come out in the evening.||For an additional 200 rupees per person you can have breakfast at the hotel, however, we found it was more cost effective and was more scenic to go to the beach and choose from one of the many restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner.||Overall with the very friendly staff and clean and comfortable rooms, although slightly more expensive at about £7 per night, this lovely hotel is defiantly worth it to enjoy and relax on the South Coast for a few nights.

6 years ago

We were fortunate to stumble across this idyllic Dutch-style stay, which featured excellent service from Mr Raju and other stuff even amidst all pandemic-led challenges. ||||Beyond its statue lined and green campus, the main seafront/beach calls invitingly in all seasons short of a two minute walk away. Perhaps my favourite bit about Maharaju’s location were the lines of boho-aesthetic cafes and local eateries you crossed both when turning into, and navigating within the narrow gully where it sits. It’s eye candy for cultural aesthetes. ||||Although you’ll find the rooms to be tight (queen sized bed, cupboard, side table), it’s tasteful woodworked decor and furniture radiate a cozy atmosphere. However, in a family of three, I did find it a little suffocating without the windows open because there isn’t enough room for the entire party to be scurrying around for last minute packing. But, if you opt for an AC room, freshness shouldn’t be an issue. ||||Bathroom was functional, spotless and well maintained.

2 years ago

Clean, cheerful rooms in well positioned guest house set one street back from the beach. The communal gardens create a welcomed cool escape from the hustle of the beachfront. We appreciated the outdoor shower after a dip in the ocean, morning yoga on the rooftop and helpful tips from Martin the owner. Highly recommend.

5 years ago

Travelling around Kerala last year on a mid range budget, this was the best place we stayed at. Lovely staff, amazing breakfast, rooms were top class, also the guests during our stay were really nice. I think this type of place attracts nice people.|If i go back to this part of Kerala i will not want to stay anywhere else

5 years ago

A character property in a very convenient position, two minutes from the beach. Attractive garden like a green oasis. Martien and his staff were friendly and helpful and our room comfortable with some nice decorative touches.

6 years ago

When arrived in the afternoon, no one was present. A few minutes later one staff walked by and pointed to a card indicating that we should phone the printed number. Doesn't look like there is any security. The host finally showed up a few minutes later. In fact the host is unavailable from suppertime onwards Notice there is only one picture of the room, which did not represent the room we were given. The room was small, cramped and dark. One of the bedside light did not work Notice there are no pictures of the bathroom. It is small, the tiny shower area is next to the toilet without a partition. There was no hot water in the sink. Wifi was too weak to use so we moved to another room next door but we had the same result. In this room there was no hot water. The lock on the door was a challenge, At breakfast we got instant coffee. The Kerala items on the menu were not available. I would never stay here again nor recommend it to anyone Read more Date of stay: November 2024

a month ago