Marmalade Springs

Nestled in the woods, this is a great place for a peaceful detox. The rooms have a vintage feel, and the path to the resort offers a fun off-roading experience. The staff is friendly, helpful, and accommodating. The nights and early mornings are beautiful. Mr. Sunil, the manager, has excellent hospitality skills and is always prompt and helpful. If you love dogs, Max the beagle is a friendly companion. This place is a must-visit for anyone stopping in Kalpetta.

You have to park your vehicle by the roadside and travel 2 km to the resort in their jeep, which takes about 25 minutes. The road to the resort is in very poor condition, and the jeep bounces a lot, making it risky to travel. If the driver isn't careful, the jeep could topple. The resort is surrounded by greenery and coffee plantations, making it a quiet place, but cleanliness is not maintained. Breakfast is free but ordinary and served only after 9 am. Lunch and dinner are chargeable and require 6 hours' notice. The place isn�t worth more than ?2000 per night. The double bed doesn�t have a headrest, and cleaning isn�t done daily. The staff doesn�t wear uniforms, and there are very few facilities. The area around the resort is in shabby condition. There's also no continuous hot water due to the limited capacity of the geyser. It's suitable only for groups or solo travelers, not families. Overall, it�s not well managed.

The ambiance was good, but the staff lacked professionalism and didn�t value guests' time. We had to wait 1 hour for check-in and 1.5 hours for check-out. If you don't have a 4WD, you need to park your vehicle 2 km down the road and wait for the resort vehicle, which takes a long time. The resort also doesn�t provide accommodation for drivers. The only positives from our stay were the ambiance and the off-road experience.