Independent in Kuttikkanam from NZ$44

"Hospitality , dinning ,neatness’s of the property is exceptional . "

"Good staff good service "

"We booked for 4 nights for 4 couples at The Mountain Courtyard but at 10pm the evening before I received an email to say that due to a 'technical fault' we would need to spend two of our nights at the sister hotel, Forest Canopy, just 1km away. Although frustrating, this turned out for the best as the Forest Canopy staff and dining experience is far superior. The rooms at Mountain Courtyard are good - we had a studio - and the surroundings are pleasant. Where the hotel falls down is the standard of service. Staff are not particularly pleasant, nor attentive and not well trained. They really need to take lessons from their sister hotel where the staff can't do enough for the guests. "

"One night stay to experience the Periyar reserve close by. Our room was enormous and located near the very back of the property. Sadly building works are directly next to the property so we heard angle grinding. Mgr tried to stop them but only the rain did. Staff amazing. Food delicious. Great cocktails and beers. Breakfast sumptuous! Many many options to choose. Lovely hotel with nature every where. Peaceful (mostly) oasis. We did the Nature walk. Some confusion over timings etc meant we were late back but the hotel held breakfast for us. Note if you are doing the walk wear long trousers and ideally walking boots or trekking sandals. Brilliant experience with Betsy our guide."

"This hotel being a 5 star is a joke. The rooms are very old and the bathroom had a very bad smell to it. The room was not maintained well and was dirty. I have stayed at numerous 3,4, and 5 star hotels all over the world. This was by far the worst hotel and experience. The hot water did not work properly for showers and the lights went out at least once an hour. The restaurant’s food was very oily and they did not serve proper lunch after 1:30pm so for check in we had very few options. We had to visit nearby hotels during the stay for lunch because this hotel was not very accommodating. After a 10 kilometer hike we would have limited options and went to a nearby lemon tree hotel and the food there was much better. If I had to rate this hotel I would give it 2 or 3 stars and definitely not a 5. Online it says there are 2 restaurants but in reality only one will be open and there is no cafe at all. If you want a mediocre stay then you should stay here but if you want something memorable please choose another hotel. "

"A good property close to main road through Thekkady but removed enough to be lovely and quiet. Beautiful grounds, pool was clean there was some play equipment. The restaurant served a good buffet for dinner and breakfast, with both Indian and western dishes. We chose to eat the Indian food it was served hot and was very tasty. "