“Floating in Paradise.”
We arrived at Club Mahindra Ashtamudi by cab from the Club Mahindra
Poovar resort at around 6.30 pm. Check-in was smooth and quick, and we
were taken to our 1BR floating cottage in a golf cart. By the time we
had settled in it was dinner time, so we went straight to the floating
restaurant, ‘Ripples’. We sat outside in the verandah of the restaurant
and enjoyed their ‘Kerala parottas’ and ‘Kerala style vegetables with
mushroom and peas’, with the warm breeze and twinkling lights of the
lake for company.
Next morning we were stunned by the beautiful scenery of the sunrise from behind the clouds, as we sat mesmerised in the small balcony of our floating cottage, sipping our tea. Kingfishers, cormorants, eagles, and other water birds were a common sight as we sat watching the fishermen row past in their dugout canoes, amongst the Chinese fishing nets. One could easily spend the entire day dreaming out here, were it not for the heat of the rising sun.
The floating cottages and the restaurant are all along the shore of the Ashtamudi Lake, and the other rooms are a little laid back but facing the lake. There are hammocks between the coconut trees where one can chill out. The small swimming pool is beautifully laid out amongst the trees and foliage. The fun zone and travel desk are near the entrance and reception, whereas the spa is at the other end of the campus. Bicycles are available for joy rides within the campus. The resort arranges houseboat rides for a fee. There is also a jetty just beyond the gates where one can catch the local ferry which departs at scheduled times during the day.
Travel Desk arranges the sight-seeing trips, and drops to the station or airport. Outside cabs are not available due to the presence of a strong union. Auto-rickshaws can be picked up by walking out a short distance from the gates, if one wants to visit Kollam city for some local flavour and sight-seeing.
We could not find any local restaurants, apart from a few biscuit and tea stalls, within a 2 km radius of the resort, so there was no choice but to dine at ‘Ripples’. The buffet spread was very good with local Kerala as well as other dishes, but priced on the higher side for small eaters like us. So we ordered from the a-la-carte menu, but found the service to be slow. The restaurant also had limited seating capacity and would become quite crowded by 8 pm.
On our last night’s stay we found that the ac was not functioning properly. After complaining a number of times, and the maintenance crew struggling in vain to repair it, we had to spend the night in the stifling heat of a closed cabin.
Despite these problems I must say that we did enjoy our stay at the resort, because of the sheer beauty and novelty of the lake side setting.
Next morning we were stunned by the beautiful scenery of the sunrise from behind the clouds, as we sat mesmerised in the small balcony of our floating cottage, sipping our tea. Kingfishers, cormorants, eagles, and other water birds were a common sight as we sat watching the fishermen row past in their dugout canoes, amongst the Chinese fishing nets. One could easily spend the entire day dreaming out here, were it not for the heat of the rising sun.
The floating cottages and the restaurant are all along the shore of the Ashtamudi Lake, and the other rooms are a little laid back but facing the lake. There are hammocks between the coconut trees where one can chill out. The small swimming pool is beautifully laid out amongst the trees and foliage. The fun zone and travel desk are near the entrance and reception, whereas the spa is at the other end of the campus. Bicycles are available for joy rides within the campus. The resort arranges houseboat rides for a fee. There is also a jetty just beyond the gates where one can catch the local ferry which departs at scheduled times during the day.
Travel Desk arranges the sight-seeing trips, and drops to the station or airport. Outside cabs are not available due to the presence of a strong union. Auto-rickshaws can be picked up by walking out a short distance from the gates, if one wants to visit Kollam city for some local flavour and sight-seeing.
We could not find any local restaurants, apart from a few biscuit and tea stalls, within a 2 km radius of the resort, so there was no choice but to dine at ‘Ripples’. The buffet spread was very good with local Kerala as well as other dishes, but priced on the higher side for small eaters like us. So we ordered from the a-la-carte menu, but found the service to be slow. The restaurant also had limited seating capacity and would become quite crowded by 8 pm.
On our last night’s stay we found that the ac was not functioning properly. After complaining a number of times, and the maintenance crew struggling in vain to repair it, we had to spend the night in the stifling heat of a closed cabin.
Despite these problems I must say that we did enjoy our stay at the resort, because of the sheer beauty and novelty of the lake side setting.
Room Tip: Go for the floating cottages for the most unique experience.
See more room tips
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Stayed November 2014, travelled with family
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Sleep Quality
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Rooms
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Service
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Ask EkMusafir about Club Mahindra Ashtamudi
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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