Holiday Reviews
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same trip can have different views!
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Kerala holiday, tailormade, independent reviews
 Reviewed 27 Jan 2007 by Julia Sherwen |  |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
It was all memorable, and the sheer variety is probably the most important aspect.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Give the operator a really good brief of what sort of people you are, what you enjoy doing, what you want from the holiday and the standard of accommodation you want (I would strongly suggest a mixture of luxury and basic). We had an iterative process getting to our final schedule - and it was just perfect. And also - go with an open mind!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Absolutely 100% yes!
4. Any other comments?
It was a truly amazing holiday and fitted our brief perfectly and I would recommend this operator wholeheartedly to some of my friends – as long as they really give the company a good brief of what they want to do and what they expect (including standard of accommodation). We got so much out of it, but if you are not clear what you want from the holiday and / or fail to actually let them know this, you should not be surprised if it does not match expectations!
Finally – we will certainly look at your website for future holidays – many thanks.
| Reviewed 31 Dec 2006 by Allison Neeland | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
It is hard to identify a single memorable moment. It was the whole experience that made this holiday so enjoyable. Our trip with this operator was unlike the typical tourist experience. Although we were in Kerala for only a few short days, we felt that even in that short time we were able to connect with people and develop a better understanding of their land and resources. As we sipped from fresh coconuts and drifted in the luxurious houseboats we felt relaxed and refreshed.
Our sunset boat trip on the River Nila helped us develop a deeper appreciation of the river as a life-source to the region and an understanding of the urgency of protecting its diminishing waters. Our afternoon spent with local musicians was unlike any musical performance we had ever experienced. We developed a deeper appreciation of the way that music, family, religion, and the environment are so intertwined. Our trip would not have been complete without our final afternoon of ayurvedic massages. It was the way that each of our experiences in Kerala was different yet interconnected that made this holiday so memorable.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't hesitate! Gopi and the operator are not kidding when they say this is a "tailor-made" holiday experience! They worked hard to accommodate our schedule and our interests. If you want a relaxing vacation or an activity-packed adventure, they can make it happen for you!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Without a doubt, this operator is committed to fostering tourism that is environmentally and socially responsible. Although their tour operation clearly benefits the local people with a focus on preserving the environment, the most powerful impact of our experience at the operator was how it shaped our own understanding of responsible tourism. As frequent travelers, the operator helped us to understand how tourism (when responsibly managed) can be a powerful agent for environmental protection and local economic growth.
We value all the work that the operator is doing within the communities along the River Nila, but we also believe their impact is more than on the local level. Now that we have seen how powerful an experience traveling can be when it is organized in a way that benefits the environment and the local people, we will search out more experiences like this in our future trips abroad! Gopi and this operator certainly deserves the accolades that have recently received for their commitment to responsible tourism.
4. Any other comments?
Five stars, for sure!
| Reviewed 7 Jul 2006 by Chloe Cantineau | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Though each and every day was exciting and different, I guess the first day from Wayanad to Nilambur was the most wonderful of all. Crossing three beautiful waterfalls, streams and two swollen rivers (after monsoon) in a day was unforgettable.
Still being able to recollect the names of wild animals and birds and even butterflies (thanks to our interpreters!). Being able to see different terrains ranging from Rain forests, Semi ever green, Shola (not sure of the spelling) grass lands and even wetlands in less than two weeks and being able to see wildlife so close while trekking was also memorable.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
July–August is monsoon time in Kerala. If you like rains, then this trip is wonderful. Otherwise, stick to the regular season starting from October til February. Make sure to ask for the checklist of birds and wildlife. It is fun to check this while trekking or even after the trek. None of us in the group were professional bird watchers nor trekkers. If you love to walk, you will enjoy this trek.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Oh yes. Except for one instance of hiring the service of the interpreter, all the people involved in organizing this trip were locals. It was obvious that the tribal trackers, assistants, the families that cooked food for us, they were all benefiting out of this trip. Along with the economic benefits, I found the confidence gained by local people as the most exciting part (from my point of view). The trip was literally a “leave no trace” trek. We found everyone in the team very conscious of problems of waste.
4. Any other comments?
This was one of the most memorable trips I have had in India so far (I am a student from Belgium living in India).
| Reviewed 21 Apr 2006 by Libby Evans | |
We have just returned from 2 weeks in Kerala organised by this operator. I cannot fault their efficiency, and organisation. Every member of Gopi's team we met was fantastic. They could not have done more to make this such a fantastic experience. 1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
This was my first visit to India and I loved every moment of it from the minute I got off the plane! I am having difficulty choosing from my most memorable moments, there were so many! ....... being woken at 5.30am in my tent, in the middle of a rainforest, to the most deafening dawn chorus - birds, langurs, crickets.
I remember lying on my back just laughing in wonder at the experience. I recorded it on my mobile phone so I shall never forget it!
......Bamboo rafting silently on Lake Periyar - the only other people we saw all day were tribal people - totally surreal! ......Turning a corner and seeing a lone, female elephant - just 100m in front of us.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Tips for other travellers - not to be missed. Make sure you cram as much in as possible whilst you are there, you can sleep when you get home. Take the time to interact with the locals, they are so kind and friendly.
During the summer months take lots of loose cotton shirts, t shirts are too thick. Pack some long trousers and socks for treks in the forests - to stop the leeches getting in! Keep a diary of your time there - my husband kept a detailed one to record all our amazing experiences - shame he left it on the plane though!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes I think the trip did benefit locals - Many of the trekking guides used were ex poachers that have now been rehabilitated. Majority of the hotels we stayed in were run by locals as opposed to large corporations.
In the jungle camp, local people ran, maintained and provided the food. By encouraging tourism in lesser known areas it has allowed old traditions andl skills to be kept alive and passed on to the next generation, eg - River Nila - Folk expressions.
4. Any other comments?
Overall top marks - I am simply reborn! Can't wait to go back, am planning my return already. Can't thank Gopi and his team enough for giving me an insight into this amazing place. Certainly puts your life into perspective.
| Reviewed 3 Mar 2008 by Rachael Chung | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We really enjoyed the variety: travelling to villages, Cochin, tea and spice plantations, jungle and finally the beach. Also it was great to see the positive reaction we got from everyone because we were travelling with young children (aged 2 and 5), though the children sometimes found this a bit overwhelming.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Re: booking - we were initially very wary about paying 100% of the cost of the holiday upfront but were reassured by Responsible Travel that this is quite normal. There was some confusion with the transfer of money so make sure you get very specific instructions from the travel company about how and where to transfer the money.
Re: driver - we were a bit surprised that our driver worked for another company that was subcontracted by the operator - this led to a few problems due to indirect instructions and miscommunication. Also, he was definitely a driver rather than a guide, so if you want a guide this needs to be specified. Re: Cochin - It doesn't really seem necessary to have a driver for getting around as the distances are quite small and it is so easy to get a tuctuc everywhere.
Re: Nila trip - If you go on the Nila trip, you will probably be staying in Cheruturuthy which is the centre for learning Kathakali dancing - unfortunately our guide did not tell us this and it was only on our final evening there that some other travellers told us (too late) about how great the tour of the school Kathakali Kayaloram is - I believe that it can be arranged through the River Retreat hotel. Although the children enjoyed the tribal dancing and visiting the village and it was great to see the community spirit during the trip to Nila I am not sure that I would recommend this part of the trip for people with young kids due to the amount of driving to different locations involved; also midday is not a great time to go on the river trip as it is too hot and there is not so much going on along the river banks.
Re: Haritha Farm - this was not the kind of spacious farm property that we expected - it was much smaller, more jungly and quite close to the main road; also we didn't feel it was great for the kids as there is not that much to do on the property with young children, the rooms are small and, very hot as there is no a/c (however, Jacob, the owner did talk about plans to build a special annex for families). This would probably be a really relaxing place to stay without kids - it was very clean, the food was great and the owner is very informative and helpful.
Re: Munnar - trip to Kolukummulai tea plantation is great - stunning scenery and a lovely old working tea factory to visit, but the jeep ride up there is really, really bumpy! Re: Periyar - the children loved the elephant ride and bathing the elephants at the Elephant Junction; the boat trips on Periyar Lake get really crowded and noisy - try and arrange a smaller boat if possible.
Re: houseboat - this is the only part of our trip that we were disappointed with as the standard of the houseboat we got was poor - tiny bedroom where 4 of us were expected to sleep, we only got given a thin mat to put on the floor for the kids, rooms and furniture were shabby and not that clean. We saw loads of other houseboats that looked much better in comparison and would at least have liked to be given the option to pay for a higher standard of boat (although for the overall price of the holiday we expected the houseboat to be much better).
Pollethai/Marari Beach - watch out for poo if you are going for a stroll along the beach - unfortunately it seems to be used as a toilet by the fishermen. Beware of strikes - Kerala is a communist state and there do seem to be a lot of strikes - we were left a bit stranded a couple of times when our driver joined in the state-wide strikes! Shalimar Spice Resort (Periyar), Raheems (Alleppey) and Pollethai Beach (Pollethai ne Marari) were all great places to stay though quite expensive. Service was particularly friendly at Shalimar, though at times haphazard.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes, particularly the Nila part of the trip. However we were concerned with the amount of waste that was generated by our stay eg water bottles and towels being automatically changed daily in some hotels; there seems to be no formal mechanism for disposal of waste and we were quite shocked (and guilty) to see how much waste there is all over Kerala.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was a great trip - the operator were very helpful and extremely responsive in arranging the itinerary and also helpful and willing to sort things out whenever there was any problem 'on the ground' in India.
Read the operator's response here:
We are happy that by and large you enjoyed the trip to India and thanks for giving us 4 star on overall arrangements. Tourism is all about networking and experiences.Your suggestions are very valuable to us and we will strive hard to improvise on that. I am sorry about your houseboat experience. We should have given you a higher category houseboat. I am extremely apologetic.| Reviewed 5 Jan 2007 by Beth Crook | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Probably a slightly random detour that we took with our allocated driver to an elephant park near a temple somewhere between Wayanad and Mysore where 63 elephants lived and worked (carrying things for their keepers in between their appearances in religious festivals, taking baths, relaxing). It was a very peaceful place to visit and very unexpected. But seeing elephants in the wild with a very experienced guide as part of a challenging day hike in Wayanad, chilling out in the Marari Beach resort, cruising through the backwaters and eating wonderful food on board, as well as relaxing and experiencing the local way of life, including swimming in the river and punting with the ferryman near the farms, was also wonderful. It was good to feel cared for by the company and we had a great relationship with our driver, which certainly also helped. Enjoyed the train journey form Bangalore to Cochin too - great breakfast!!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
We did quite a lot of research before we went and were quite prescriptive about what we wanted. This worked really well for us although I suspect leaving the itinerary in the hands of Gopi would work equally well. We have a couple of things that we would have benefited from in advance of arriving in Kerala. We had a wonderful holiday and I'm saying this in the spirit of helping the operator understand UK customers in order to go from strength to strength rather than to criticise. 1. It would have been useful to have a little more information in advance. We knew our itinerary, but, for example, it should not be assumed that a UK guest will know that the driver who meets them at the airport will be at their beck and call day and night from then on! We spent one 3/4 day period in a beach resort early on when we certainly did not plan to need a driver, but it wasn't clear to us whether he'd be waiting in the city for us, just in case (which he was, it turned out!). Not a problem if that's how things work in Kerala, but the customers should be aware of that. 2. Serenity Lodge, which is advertised on your site, was the only disappointment of the trip. It was a run down lodge with little sign of being 'responsible' or environmentally-friendly (a rubbish dump round the back with glass and all other waste thrown, an inefficient motorcycle as the only transport) and a staff of 2 who didn't well understand the needs of their guests (meals were not offered until 8-10pm, when they headed off the market a good 20 minute drive away, so were served a fair bit later and there were no alternatives for eating there so we were rather at their mercy - in contrast to the choice offered to us on the houseboat, here, eventually one or two simple dishes would be served. They were good, but it tended to be very late and quite limited). We were not clear that no one else would be staying there at the same time. They didn't have any drinks beside water - again, fine once we worked out that we could buy our own beer (to celebrate new year's eve as it happened) in the town earlier, but worth knowing in advance that this would be needed. Also, they only had 2 chairs, one of which was broken - not the most comfortable way to see in the New Year! The day trips from Wayanad were excellent, with a great guide who even took us to his parents’ home for dinner! Serenity could be great, and really serene rather than a bit uncomfortable, with just a bit of TLC going into the property and pride in the level of customer service. All other accommodation was exceptional.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
On the whole. Most accommodation choices showed consideration for the local community, especially the inspiring eco-lodge at Periyar. The Farm also made huge efforts in this respect as did the wonderful Green Hotel in Mysore. The same accommodation choices also scored particularly highly on the environmental front. Environmentally, accommodation tended to be simple and therefore low impact and the Blue Yonder certainly seem to show concern for the environment and local people in the way they reinvest their profits. Car travel is inevitable, and not great for the environment, but it was out choice to travel long distances and at least we had an efficient modern car. Flights - no getting round it, it's better for the environment to go to the Lake District than Kerala. It was a once in a lifetime visit though (our pre-honeymoon - our wedding is in September after which we'll go to Scotland on holiday, but we could Kerala as our real honeymoon!).
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
4-5
| Reviewed 18 Mar 2007 by Mike Thorne | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The high spots were the visits to a game reserve in Wayanad, and the visits we made to cultural activities along the Nila River. The accommodation in Cochin and at Philpkutties farm were very pleasant and relaxing.
The low spots were the sub standard accommodation which we were placed in on three occasions, which were dirty, rat infested in one case, and open to insect penetration.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
To others booking the holiday I'd advise that you make it quite clear that they want accommodation to western standards, unless they're content to eat food prepared in unhygienic conditions and to share a bed with unwanted animal visitors. I'd also advise others to be sure that they can manage curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as there was sometimes no sensible alternative, and the resulting visits to local toilets are frequently a sanitary challenge, especially for ladies.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
The holiday did, I'm sure, benefit local people and I'm pleased in that respect. We were persuaded to take a more environmentally friendly houseboat on the Kerala backwaters than we would otherwise have done, and spent a very hot and sticky night on board as a consequence, but having seen the locals using our watery highway as their bathroom, well and washtub, it seems better not to have been too comfortable (but only just!).
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
My holiday was ** OK. The holiday overall was a great learning experience with some high and low spots. We returned better educated about India, with a sun tan, many photos and memories but with a disinclination to return in the near future.
Read the operator's response here:
I had already been in touch with Mr Mike Thorne soon after the trip and have taken the responsibility for the bad experiences during his trip. We have been running these holidays for the last three years and it is for the first time that we experienced some thing like this. The accommodation we used in Wayanad was a farm stay which was quite popular amongst travellers and unfortunately we made the mistake of trusting the house keeper and the owner to maintain the property.Our team members were there a month before this trip and there weren't any obvious problems and we wouldn't have put them there if we had known that it wasn't well maintained. This doesn't take our responsibility of checking the properties regularly. We have removed both the properties out of our service and from our website and have sent them feedback from the guests. Since Mr Thorne wasn't comfortable seeing the eco lodges in Periyar, we offered him accommodation in a high-end property and covered the expenses for the same ourselves.