Lighthouse Beach hotels & places to stay

What I like the most about the Surya Beach Resort is the location where this one is located. Exceptional see view resort I should say. The placing of the balconies is just brilliant. You can enjoy the see view and the cool breeze by zipping your drinks & having your food or snacks as there are quality wooden chairs and teapoy provided in the balcony. We were not expecting this much while booking this one. Only thing that I could see as a negative aspect is the quality of the doors and their locks. Doesn't look too much neat. Also the TV and other electricals including the water heater had some technical glitches. But the staff were immediate to respond to our complaints and fixed minor issues in no-time, although major issues were not. Hopefully they will make proper maintenance and repairing now on. Worth mentioning is the quality and quantity of the complimentory breakfast provided. We were served almost 10 Idly per person and surplus Sambar with Tea. Hats off to Rejith(front office manager) and his room boys for making our stay pleasant with their friendly and helpful behaviour. Looking forward for more happier stays at your place in the future. Hopefully you people will make it even more happier next time by rectifying even the minor faults I have pointed out. :)

Among the hotels during our 7-day visit to Kerala, we got the warmest welcome at this hotel. The front office manager, Mr. Milton Edwin was very friendly and helpful. Check-in was truly fast and our rooms were upgraded to sea view without extra cost probably because it was not the peak season. It is an interesting walk to the beach which is about a five minute walk. Shops selling crystals, costume jewelry and local handicraft are plenty along the beach. Beach is popular among westerners.

The hotel is right in the middle of the promenade of lighthouse beach which is a great location. When we first arrived we were slightly disappointed that we couldn't actually see the sea from our section of the balcony (as advertised) but we were actually quite pleased to be away from the front of the hotel where it may have been more noisy. The rooms were clean and functional, and the only negative we had was that the fan only worked on one setting- high. This was great in the day but at night felt like you were trying to sleep in gale force winds! We also had no hot water but it was so hot it wasn't a big problem. Wifi also didn't work in our room on the first floor, in fact we had to go downstairs to connect. All in all though a nice stay.

I planned this trip quite suddenly ( 3 days ago of starting) and booked this place after seeing reviews here! Pros: Excellent location probably the best as per my opinion in Lighthouse beach in Kovalam. Good restaurant facility fish hoek i.e. their in house restaurant.(But don't order chilly prawn - they don't know how to cook this item , same go for grilled fish) Courteous behavior of most of the staffs. Cons: Sometime sluggish service (to get a shampoo sachet even an off season we need to follow up for 2 days) Sometimes credit card machine might not work - so need to prepare with cash. Asking more money for cab service for airport drop. Wifi in 3rd floor is mostly unavailable and TV - ufff! My baby while taking food watches TV and there is 90% channel is not subscribed :-( Nevertheless I'd like to recommend this hotel except elderly people as the stair case is very steep and if you have elderly person with you and take room 3rd floor as we took, the elders will be having tough time Room Tip: We're in room 304 - excellent view.

The room was very nice, and the hotel is above the beach front giving us lots of privacy and quietness. the pool is almost finished. We could see the sunsets, lighthouse, and surrounding area from our balcony. there is a very long climb up the steps to the hotel from the beach. But was worth doing.The staff was very friendly, and helpful. they don't speak much english. They were not real experienced, but went out of their way to help any way they could. It takes taxis that know the area to find the roads to it, as there is much construction going on . We ate all of our meals on the beach. The whole hotel was very very clean, but the kitchen staff only could fix local foods. We liked the hotel would go back again. They have Ayurveda therapy room, and staff. This treatment very popular here.

We upgraded our room from Love shore (as it was without view) to the next level. Our room was on the ground floor just as one enters the hotel. It had great views of the pool & sea and we could go in & out a dozen times from our room since it was so convenient. The pool is small but clean and great for a dip. I hardly felt the need of going into the sea. Also, despite everybody walking barefoot on the beach and carrying the sand back with them to the hotel, the place does a great job of keeping the premises spic & span and all bed linens v. clean. We interacted with the hotel manager Mahesh, and others such as Sebi and Abhilash. All of them went out of their way to make our trip memorable. I've promised a return trip..hope am able to keep it.

It was just satisfactory. The bedroom was large as was the bathroom. The balcony was also a good size & had a nice outlook. The fridge didn't work,neither did the tv (not that we would've watched it but it was advertised). There was no hot water (despite being told there was) and the bathroom door didn't close. All these issues were reportedt to the management but none were fixed while we were there (3 nights). WiFi was only available in downstairs (3flights) lobby. The pool,located on the adjacent property, was filthy (we paid to use another hotels pool. The hotel was clean enough & the staff were pleasant but commhnication was not easy.

In a beach strip where all the fancy hotels seem to get poor reviews for services, maintenance and cleanliness, Thushara takes the opposite approach. Keep it simple - this is not a fancy hotel, but a basic older property - but keep it very clean, well maintained, and friendly. Pool is so nice and so clean. Balconies are nice. Comfortable bed. Good breakfasts and a la carte meals by the pool (especially Vijay's Daal Fry - best dish I've had in 2 weeks in India!). Don't come with high star expectations, but enjoy this lovey little hotel.

Location: Its the best possible location you can find in the beach area, and you get a view of both the Lighthouse beach & Hawa beach from the rooms on the top floor. There is also an open terrace where you can spend time watching the sea & also shoot a perfect sunset (for photographers). Service: The hotel had just one staff to attend the 4 rooms that they have and he was a very kind and helpful man who even helped carry our luggage, to & from our car. Rooms: The rooms are spacious and equipped with a fridge. You can expect a very neat bathroom and also a spacious bug-free wardrobe. Best room is A4. The only downside is that the AC temperature could not be changed (absence of a remote) & the blankets given to us when asked for, had a bit of smell as if they had been under storage for a very long time. Apart from these, we had the most amazing stay experience.

Location is excellent; balcony overlooking beach with easy access to beach. Staff do try to do their best and are friendly. I had booked a double/twin room & despite a double/twin room being available I was only `allowed` a single room, room 16. No on site eating facilities were available & therefore no breakfast was available for me. (It should be noted that there are plenty of bars and restaurants available within a short walk of Vijaya Varma that offer breakfasts.) Both the A/C unit and fan in the room were very noisy/rattling so therefore I had a choice of enduring the heat or listening to the noise. Room had a fridge that did not work. No bottled water was available in the room. Bed sheets were torn/ripped. No toilet paper in room (I supplied my own). No toilet SEAT in bathroom though this was fixed a few hours after arrival. As I had only had to endure one night in this room, it did not bother me that much (for India, the standard is quite good) but I would not recommend.

Pros Nice big clean room with bath tub. Located behind another seafront building. Great english speaking staff eager to assist. All shops and restaurants at your doorstep. Cons Room walls "thin" as you can hear your neighbours and other quests when the talk. Solar for hot water ineffective. Luckily our room had a bathtub which we could heat the water with a urn in a bucket. If you dont mind having hot water then it is not a problem.