Homestays in Kerala, India

I chose this hotel only because it was within walking distance of the airport and reasonably priced, so I didn't have high expectations. But when I tried to check in, they said they didn't have a reservation. They said, ”Don't worry, we have a room for 1900 rupees.” Even though I told them the pin code and reservation number, they just said, ”We don't have a reservation, so just pay quickly.” A manager came from somewhere and checked the system, hitting the front desk staff on the head, so it may have simply been overlooked, but the truth is unknown. I lost about 30 minutes. The room was spacious and the air conditioning worked well, but the bathroom seemed to be cleaned only occasionally. It was good that the hot water was perfect even in the middle of the night. The amenities were a small soap. There was no toilet paper. Bath towels were provided, but they were an old, stiff towel, which is rare even in India these days, and two slightly newer ones. One of the deciding factors was that there was a Saravana Bhawan chain store nearby, which has a global presence, but I'm not sure about using it again. This website states that there is a free shuttle bus to the airport, but it actually costs 200 rupees. It's cheaper than taking a taxi, but it doesn't look good if you think it's free. Of course, it's better than no shuttle bus at all.

Madhu ist ein sehr freundlicher Gastgeber. Das ganze alte portugiesische Haus atmet Musik und *** kann eine wunderschöne Morgen-Raga bei Madhu buchen. Seine Stimme leitet einen in tiefe, heilende Meditation. Ein unvergessliches spirituelles Erlebnis. Empfehlung für Menschen, die eine künstlerische und authentische Umgebung in Kochi suchen, voller Herz und individuellem Charme.

I’m a British/ Australian female traveller who visited India for the first time with my Partner. Kerala is the first place we visited and I was incredibly impressed with how clean, safe and comfy the homestay was. It is in the perfect location, very short walking distance to Princess street. The hosts are incredibly friendly, they helped me with my washing and also made us two delicious homemade breakfasts. The air conditioning worked really well and there is also a fan. Will recommend this place to any traveller and I would definitely stay here again.

Nice and clean

This was the perfect experience. Being a north Indian, and coming here with whole family. The owners treated us so well. The hospitality, The breakfast food, The rooms, everything just so perfect. Highly recommended whether you come with family or friends. And best part, they have artificial rain system here too for perfect experience

Nature at its best! Beautiful property inside the city but also from the hustle & bustle of Kochi city. The rooms are simple and tastefully made at affordable price. Clean, big rooms AC or Non AC for comfortable stay for two people. The highlight is the nice garden they have with some exotic birds, rabbits and it's sure be a stress buster for some. Children and ladies will love the ambience. Ample car parking available. The owner Francis is a nice *** and so is his staff. There are eateries around but not inside the property. Highly recommended for short or long stay.

It was a nice hotel to stat with family. It is nearby temple also. Would recommend everyone to stay if you are planning to visit guruvayur

I’ll start by saying that we only booked this guesthouse as it was pretty much the only one available for our dates in Varkala that seemed well located and wasn’t a hostel in a dorm room (we are a married couple in our 30s and are passed the days of sleeping in a dorm bunk bed!). BIG MISTAKE! Following 7 weeks of travel in India and staying in almost 20 different guesthouses and homestays, this was by far the worst! One of the most expensive out of all the properties we stayed in and by far the worst in terms of facilities, value for money and management. Where to begin… 1. Frequent power cuts on our first day turning the lights and AC off in the room 2. We stayed in two rooms (one AC and one fan). Almost none of the plug sockets worked in either room with the exception of one 3. The shower was practically pointless and the water came out in a tiny trickle in both rooms. Not very practical for showering. We used the bucket for showering (which we have done many times in India, but not expected here considering it cost 2-3x more than other properties we stayed at in India). It’s also a wet room (common in India), but no mop/brush to push all the excess water into the drain (we had this in majority of our other guesthouses) so you’re walking into a soaking wet bathroom every time you enter 4. The rooms didn’t feel 100% clean - we were walking on sand before we even went to the beach and even felt sand in the bed! 5. Speaking of the bed, this was rock hard and super uncomfortable 6. We shared our AC room with 4/5 geckos each night. We are ok with nature and insects so this wasn’t a huge deal for us but just FYI incase you are not. There are vents in the room that allow insects in easily, despite them having some sort of sellotape over them to try and prevent this 7. There was construction work happening (either the property itself or next door). When in the AC room we were woken up quite early each morning with loud banging and drilling practically outside our window. The workmen also left their tools on our balcony 8. We were interested in doing the cooking class offered but were told that this was not available because the owner Suresh was too busy at his other property in Varkala (it’s called Gypsy Walker so will assume is also poor quality). Just as well, wouldn’t have wanted to have given another penny to this property! 9. The property requests that shoes are taken off before entry and left on the designated shoe rack. Respectful of the property’s policies and Indian culture we did just that. On the last day, one of our pairs of shoes was stolen from the rack. We know this happened that day as they were there late morning when we went out but not the evening when we returned to get them. When we informed Suresh of the issue, he was incredibly rude, shouting abuse at us down the phone and accused us of lying to get compensation out of him - incredibly insulting to say the least. We were told that no one has access to the property

I chose this hotel only because it was within walking distance of the airport and reasonably priced, so I didn't have high expectations. But when I tried to check in, they said they didn't have a reservation. They said, ”Don't worry, we have a room for 1900 rupees.” Even though I told them the pin code and reservation number, they just said, ”We don't have a reservation, so just pay quickly.” A manager came from somewhere and checked the system, hitting the front desk staff on the head, so it may have simply been overlooked, but the truth is unknown. I lost about 30 minutes. The room was spacious and the air conditioning worked well, but the bathroom seemed to be cleaned only occasionally. It was good that the hot water was perfect even in the middle of the night. The amenities were a small soap. There was no toilet paper. Bath towels were provided, but they were an old, stiff towel, which is rare even in India these days, and two slightly newer ones. One of the deciding factors was that there was a Saravana Bhawan chain store nearby, which has a global presence, but I'm not sure about using it again. This website states that there is a free shuttle bus to the airport, but it actually costs 200 rupees. It's cheaper than taking a taxi, but it doesn't look good if you think it's free. Of course, it's better than no shuttle bus at all.

Madhu ist ein sehr freundlicher Gastgeber. Das ganze alte portugiesische Haus atmet Musik und *** kann eine wunderschöne Morgen-Raga bei Madhu buchen. Seine Stimme leitet einen in tiefe, heilende Meditation. Ein unvergessliches spirituelles Erlebnis. Empfehlung für Menschen, die eine künstlerische und authentische Umgebung in Kochi suchen, voller Herz und individuellem Charme.

I’m a British/ Australian female traveller who visited India for the first time with my Partner. Kerala is the first place we visited and I was incredibly impressed with how clean, safe and comfy the homestay was. It is in the perfect location, very short walking distance to Princess street. The hosts are incredibly friendly, they helped me with my washing and also made us two delicious homemade breakfasts. The air conditioning worked really well and there is also a fan. Will recommend this place to any traveller and I would definitely stay here again.

I stayed here for three weeks. This is a good value budget option. The hotel is very centrally located and is a safe place to stay. My room was medium sized and I was supplied with a kettle on request. There was a small outside balcony with no view to speak of. There was no fridge. The A/C was very efficient, as was the WiFi. Water was supplied daily. This place is very clean- well done to the hard-working staff who were all delightful: consistently very pleasant and helpful. Highly recommended!

Nature at its best! Beautiful property inside the city but also from the hustle & bustle of Kochi city. The rooms are simple and tastefully made at affordable price. Clean, big rooms AC or Non AC for comfortable stay for two people. The highlight is the nice garden they have with some exotic birds, rabbits and it's sure be a stress buster for some. Children and ladies will love the ambience. Ample car parking available. The owner Francis is a nice *** and so is his staff. There are eateries around but not inside the property. Highly recommended for short or long stay.

The place was very cozy and beautiful. Room was more than what we expected. A suggestion is that please put some more towels for couples. Very d esp that we had to share a single towel for bath. Please put 2 towels in the bathroom.

All the facilities here are good. Food, restaurants, bus stop and railway stop are available in around 700 meters from this place. It is located right next to kochi metro station. All is well.

Madhu ist ein sehr freundlicher Gastgeber. Das ganze alte portugiesische Haus atmet Musik und *** kann eine wunderschöne Morgen-Raga bei Madhu buchen. Seine Stimme leitet einen in tiefe, heilende Meditation. Ein unvergessliches spirituelles Erlebnis. Empfehlung für Menschen, die eine künstlerische und authentische Umgebung in Kochi suchen, voller Herz und individuellem Charme.

I’m a British/ Australian female traveller who visited India for the first time with my Partner. Kerala is the first place we visited and I was incredibly impressed with how clean, safe and comfy the homestay was. It is in the perfect location, very short walking distance to Princess street. The hosts are incredibly friendly, they helped me with my washing and also made us two delicious homemade breakfasts. The air conditioning worked really well and there is also a fan. Will recommend this place to any traveller and I would definitely stay here again.

Nature at its best! Beautiful property inside the city but also from the hustle & bustle of Kochi city. The rooms are simple and tastefully made at affordable price. Clean, big rooms AC or Non AC for comfortable stay for two people. The highlight is the nice garden they have with some exotic birds, rabbits and it's sure be a stress buster for some. Children and ladies will love the ambience. Ample car parking available. The owner Francis is a nice *** and so is his staff. There are eateries around but not inside the property. Highly recommended for short or long stay.

I stayed here for three weeks. This is a good value budget option. The hotel is very centrally located and is a safe place to stay. My room was medium sized and I was supplied with a kettle on request. There was a small outside balcony with no view to speak of. There was no fridge. The A/C was very efficient, as was the WiFi. Water was supplied daily. This place is very clean- well done to the hard-working staff who were all delightful: consistently very pleasant and helpful. Highly recommended!

I chose this hotel only because it was within walking distance of the airport and reasonably priced, so I didn't have high expectations. But when I tried to check in, they said they didn't have a reservation. They said, ”Don't worry, we have a room for 1900 rupees.” Even though I told them the pin code and reservation number, they just said, ”We don't have a reservation, so just pay quickly.” A manager came from somewhere and checked the system, hitting the front desk staff on the head, so it may have simply been overlooked, but the truth is unknown. I lost about 30 minutes. The room was spacious and the air conditioning worked well, but the bathroom seemed to be cleaned only occasionally. It was good that the hot water was perfect even in the middle of the night. The amenities were a small soap. There was no toilet paper. Bath towels were provided, but they were an old, stiff towel, which is rare even in India these days, and two slightly newer ones. One of the deciding factors was that there was a Saravana Bhawan chain store nearby, which has a global presence, but I'm not sure about using it again. This website states that there is a free shuttle bus to the airport, but it actually costs 200 rupees. It's cheaper than taking a taxi, but it doesn't look good if you think it's free. Of course, it's better than no shuttle bus at all.