Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Andamans

A 5 star property on Havelock Island accessed by a hour and a half catamaran ride from Port Blair, we lived the ambience, peace and spectacular beach rated amongst the best in the world. The villas, one amongst 70, were large, very well equipped with all possible amenities and had excellent WiFi connectivity. There was no TV barring local free channels but it was not missed. The main deck is complete with loungers and the view looks out over a verdant garden of spectacular trees of enormous height and girth. The main restaurant serving breakfast and all meals was large but lacks internal lighting making it near impossible to read the menu. Range of fare was extensive and covers all tastes. Mexican restaurant was mediocre with unexceptional food at horrendous prices. The high point was the beach with mangrove forests stretching away on all sides. Beach staff Raja and Subhash were brilliant in looking after every need: cold towels, water, shifting sunbeds as needed, full of knowledge of local fauna and tropical fish. We spent most time lounging here or poolside!

Wow! Wow! Wow! What an experience! What service! What people! From the very moment you arrive at the hotel to when you depart from the Jetty, they are there to help you all the way! Some pro tips at the end of the review. All the staff is great, but some people made our stay specially memorable. Shubham made our breakfast & dinners very special. Rajeev ji, Sandeep & Vikas, the restaurant managers took special care of our dietary requirements. Chef Devendra from Bharatpur made our meals very special! Santosh ji, the lifeguard at the beach was also very friendly & made us feel very safe with our toddler at the beach. The dives organised by the activity center, Lacadives was also amazing. About the resort: The resort has been made very thoughtfully so that no trees were cut while building the resort & it is clearly evident once you see the restaurants, reception etc. The hi-teas by the beach are pretty amazing! & best part, it is pure vegetarian! Toddler friendly : The staff is very courteous & very kid-friendly. We visited with our toddler & they made sure we had a very comfortable stay. They have kid bicycles with support wheels too. Freely available beach toys, lifeguards on duty & delicious vegetarian kid food! About the dives : The diving instructor, Ravi & the divemaster Anand were very good! Really enjoyed my first experience Scuba Diving! Pro tips : Dive : Turtle Beach dive site had amazing corals & marine life to see! We saw an octopus, variety of fishes & corals! Food : They have plenty of vegetarian options & a lavish breakfast buffet! If you have any special dietary requirements like vegetarian food, vegan food etc., just ask them & they will help you out. The staff is also very helpful as mentioned above. Arrival & Departure at / from the Jetty : Taj has porters at the Jetty to help you with the luggage at the Jetty when your ferry arrives / departs. Remember to send Taj your ferry details well in advance. Kids : they have lots of free beach toys in the resort for the kids, so that is really great to keep kids busy. Also, they have kids bicycles with support wheels for toddlers too. Beach : The beach is very clean (& let’s keep it so!) & the sunset views are beautiful! Rooms : the rooms are huge, bigger than some apartments! & kids can easily play inside the room, there is good space. Pro Tip for Honeymooners : The private pool villas are not so private as the pool faces the coomon pathways. However, the mangrove facing vills, especially villa no. 82-87 are very private.

I was really pleased with the arrangement Taj F&B team did for my Dads 70th birthday. We had an amazing dinner at Shoreline restaurant and they had prepared the table for us with sea shells and corals making the dinner a lot more special than expected. Additionally, we had Asian - definitely recommend it. Special thanks to Rajiv, Sandeep and Pabitra for this special gesture.

The location and grounds are stunning and the room was fabulous, but I was surprised that there were no robes, no coffee maker and no turn down service. There were also no colourful cushions as per the hotel pictures. The AC was very drafty blowing directly onto the bed and we were disturbed all one afternoon by a very noisy grass-cutter. I also hated the slatted bathroom floor because the cleaners wouldn't be able to access the underfloor area. The service and quality of the food were both superb but we were extremely disappointed with the design of the common areas. So much so that we almost left after our first night. There was a complete lack of atmosphere in both the bar area - which was dingy and unappealling - and the large restaurant which echoed with the sound of screaming kids. We also found the prices to be very high: 500 rupees for a roti is ridiculous. There was another restaurant but that was for just ten people and you had to commit to paying for a very expensive taster menu. The pool was extremely long but as it was all one area, children tended to monopolise the central area and so it was impossible to do laps. We were extremely frustrated by the lack of information and a map of the hotel. We were given a long briefing when we arrived but when you are travel weary and keen to get to your room it's not a good time to take on board a raft of information. We discovered on day three that there was info on the TV but it was impossible to access unless you called someone to show you how to do it.

It is well worth making the detour to visit the Taj Exotica on Havelock Island in the Andamans. We flew to Chennai and then onto Port Blair where we stayed for one night . There are good ferries to Havelock Island which take about an hour and a half. We stayed for four nights at the Taj exotica in a deluxe bungalow, which was extremely comfortable . The room was spacious with extremely attentive staff and a good buggy service to get back to the restaurant and to go to the beach. We were assisted on arrivals by Veera who could not have been more helpful and throughout our stay ensured that all our queries were sorted out. The grounds are immaculate and the beach is stunning and very clean unlike other beaches on Havelock Island. There is a very good pool at the hotel, which is looked after immaculately by Joydeep and his team.

I thoroughly relished my time at Taj Exotica Andaman Islands. It was an immensely peaceful and relaxing time, enhanced by the care and attention offered by staff in all areas of the resort. I appreciated the spaciousness of the resort, beautiful natural wildlife and access to the pristine beach. The staff conduct weekly beach clean-ups and there was a clear commitment to environmental stewardship. I especially appreciated the free, readily accessible, bottled (in glass) drinking water. Although I learned it is difficult to grow many fruits and vegetables on site, there was a small garden mostly boasting herbs. The resort has only two dining options. However, one venue essentially had two restaurants (Middle Eastern lunch menu and Mexican evening menu) and the other has an extensive Indian and Continental menu. The food and drink available were sufficiently varied and very tasty! For coffee drinkers, the rooms only provide coffee powder, but the selection in the restaurants kept me happy for the duration of my six night stay! I opted for an extensive package at the spa so enjoyed a wonderful body scrub, massage and facial. It was absolutely wonderful! The pool is lovely, and quite large. There is a glass screen on one side, which means if you're in the pool and just want to take in the view, you are looking through that to see the forest and ocean. It would have been much nicer if there was a clear view, but it is perhaps to keep out unwanted visitors! There were a range of free and paid options for activities, the latter of which were a little overpriced so I was not tempted to avail. Plus the resort was just so relaxing there was no need! There were lovely little surprises and sweet touches here and there that added to my enjoyment during the stay. The staff were super helpful and always eager to help ensure we were comfortable. They were attentive and responsive. There were a few times when things weren't entirely clear or were not communicated well (i.e. no food and drinks allowed on the beach - except for the daily afternoon tea, or by the pool before 10:00 a.m. and the closure of one of the restaurants one evening due to an event). However, there were valid reasons for everything and once things were explained it was easy to understand how things worked on the island. Overall, it was an incredible stay and I am eager to return to this wonderful resort!