Hotels met Pools in Kerala, India

Small little cosy resort. Very convenient location and boat jetty, waterfront, top restaurants are all very walkable and near. The room is clean, has old heritage feel and tasteful furniture. Staff is very helpful, specially Sumith was managing the breakfast crowd nicely and helping everyone. plenty of autos are around the place and do not forget to visit several cafes nearby for old world charm and tasty food. the breakfast was good too.

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 hospitality was excellent and breakfast was sumptuous . They provided hot meals and it was the best. Different types of idly’s served was just awesome. Front office was caring and helpful and provided a very welcoming environment. Check in past midnight was fast and efficient . Rooms were large and the bed and pillow was of high quality . We were able to sleep within 5 mins. Aircon was clean and fresh.

We were in Kovalam at this property for a week. First things first, the rooms we got were nice, had a decent balcony overlooking the front of the property, the air conditioning and hot water worked well. It is really close to a wonderful beach, some small shops and local food joints and only a short walk away from a quiet beach and spots that you could enjoy. The property itself had a lot of work going on, so I can understand that they were preparing for a major tourist season and it might become better. The pool was dry and I was hoping that I'd get to enjoy some pool time but that did not happen. Perhaps due to the low tourist season, the restaurant had limited dish choices but the food was good. The staff is very sweet and nice but the hotel can do with some more thorough upgrades with housekeeping, such as providing fresh towels timely and so on. Otherwise, the hotel is nice but my family and I felt that for the price we paid, we could have gotten more for the price. Nevertheless, it is a good and decent hotel, I wouldn't keep high expectations. It will certainly get 10/10 for it's location and sweet staff. This is not to reflect on the hotel management or staff directly or negatively but it would be nice if they set ground rules for some big tourist groups they get, particularly the Gujarati tour groups, in reminding them of maintaining the calm and quiet on the property. Again, it is more about the tourist behavior than anything on the hotel itself.

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!

We had an amazing stay at this coffee plantation/resort! The hospitality here is unmatched,,,, a huge compliment to the staff who go above and beyond to make you feel completely welcome. Shoutout to Manager Krishna. From the moment we arrived, it honestly felt like going to our own home. The warmth and attentiveness of the team really stand out, which other reviewers consistently rave about as well. Another major highlight was the food; every meal was absolutely delicious and comforting, making us feel completely at ease, just like a home-cooked meal. They have nice hiking trails around the property. couple of practical things to keep in mind. The Drive In: Please know that there is a 1-2 km rugged, unpaved road leading up to the property. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get to the resort from the main gate, so be prepared for a bit of a bumpy ride, and drive carefully! The Spa/Massage: While the rest of our stay was incredible, pool was great. the massage was a complete waste of time and money. It was not pleasant at all, and I definitely don't recommend booking it. Overall, if you skip the spa and focus on the beautiful property, incredible food, and the wonderful staff, you will have a fantastic time. We loved it!