Neeleshwar Hermitage peaceful and comfortable

“Do not be put off by the proud boast that Monty Don has been a visitor, this is a very nice hotel indeed.
The bungalow style rooms are very nicely appointed, comfortable, and even the cheaper rooms are spacious. When booking, look at the hotel plan on the hotel website and they will try to book you into your selected choice.
During our stay the hotel was occupied almost entirely by English couples of a certain age so do not expect a great deal of exited activity, but that is not the point of this hotel.
It is quiet, peaceful, and a great place to recover from a journey to the subcontinent and recover from jetlag. The gardens in which the rooms are set are beautifully kept.
The staff are a delight, have good english, and nothing is too much trouble for them. The food is very good; there are two restaurants which is a good effort from a relatively small property.
This hotel is highly recommended.
There is one quirk. Visitors to Kerala should know that very few hotels have full liquor licences. Neeleshwar Hermitage supply a very limited but entirely satisfactory choice of wines and very cold beer at a fair price for a top Indian hotel. I don’t think spirits are available at all, soft drinks like Coca cola are strongly discouraged as their own enormous selection of fresh juices are provided.
Try their freshly squeezed orange juice with your contraband duty free gin. There is no fridge in your room.
Booking seven months ahead we were not able to incorporate a trip on their boat ‘Lotus’ so I can’t report on this but it is clearly a popular choice.

Room Tip: Look at the hotel plan on the hotel website and request it on making your reservation”