January 29, 2015

My TripAdvisor Review No.63: Club Mahindra Poovar, Kerala.

“An enchanting tropical resort.”
4 of 5 starsReviewed yesterdayNEW
Club Mahindra’s Poovar Resort is located at the extreme tail end of the beautiful state of Kerala. It is ideally located for exploring places in the southern tip of India. We used it as a base to go to Kaniyakumari, Suchindram temple, the Padmanabhapuram Palace in Tamil Nadu, and Kovalam, Thiruvanathapuram and Varkala in Kerala.

We went by the Kaniyakumari Express from Pune and disembarked at Neyyattinkara, a small town about 10 km from Poovar village. Even though we reached Neyyattinkara at 10.30 am we couldn’t find a cab and had to squeeze into an auto-rickshaw to get to the resort. The resort is located about 2 km from Poovar village at the mouth of an estuary, on the banks of the Neyyar River. The last 1 km of road to the resort was in a very bad shape.

We reached the resort by 11.30 am and were very happy to be allowed an early check-in. We had booked the 1BR villas which had a private swimming pool, and enclosed by a compound wall to give you a cosy feeling of exclusive privacy. The rooms are well furnished but do not have a kitchenette. The villas have a sloping tiled roof typical of the Kerala countryside. We immediately jumped into the pool and refreshed ourselves after the long train journey.

The resort is well laid out with the Studio rooms housed in conical tiled cottages with a small sit-out. There is a large swimming pool which can be utilised by all the guests, and a table tennis table near the lounge. The Fun Zone and Travel Desk are located near the Restaurant and Reception. The Boat Club was at the sea-side end of the grounds on the banks of the estuary. We could not walk directly to the beach from the resort, and had to take a detour through the village outside the gates.

We enjoyed the a-la-carte meals at their restaurant ‘Kerala House’. Their ‘Karimeen Pollichattu’, marinated fish wrapped and cooked in banana leaf, was excellent. Buffet meals were also available in the main restaurant but priced on the higher side. There was one nearby restaurant outside the gates, ‘Chef Elias Hot Cafe’ serving Kerala and Chinese food at reasonable rates, which was good for a change. Other shops and restaurants were located at Virali village which is 1 km from the resort.

We booked a cab to take us to Kaniyakumari, which is about 80 km from Poovar. On the way we stopped at the Padmanabhapuram Palace, and the Suchindram Temple. It was a full day trip. On the day of our check-out we visited Kovalam Beach, Trivandrum city, and Varkala on the way to Ashtamudi. Travel Desk at the resort can help you plan your sight-seeing trips.

One highlight of our stay here was a fascinating boat ride through the mangroves and backwaters surrounding the resort. We observed the water birds and forests while quietly gliding through the backwater canals. We stopped for breakfast at a river side restaurant on the Neyyar River, and then rode to the mouth of the estuary where the river meets the sea. We walked on the Golden Sand Beach and dipped our feet in the Arabian Sea.

The service at the resort was excellent. However, on one rainy day we encountered some leakage from the ceiling, and the maintenance crew were unable to rectify the problem. We had to keep a bucket to prevent the water from spreading.

On the whole, we had a nice stay and enjoyed our holiday experience at this tropical paradise.
Room Tip: Go for the 1BR 'Pool Villas'.
See more room tips
  • Stayed November 2014, travelled with family
      • 4 of 5 starsRooms
      • 4 of 5 starsCleanliness
      • 5 of 5 starsService

    This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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