Bolgatty Palace & Island Resort

The location of Bolgatty palace is superb. But the staff attitude and hospitality is not good enough. We can really feel the lack of hospitality.

The Good: Good room service, polite staff, and great ambience are the main draws for this property. The Bad: The property struggles to overcome the negative impression left by the government heritage properties due to maintenance issues. Lake View Cottage: Initially given a room with relatively spacious single beds, we encountered a problem when the bathroom flooded into the room. Despite calling reception multiple times, the promised maintenance team never arrived. After contacting the booking agency, we were eventually provided with another room but we had to wait 2-3 hours. Unfortunately, the alternative room also had issues, including small single beds. The Ugly: At night, upon opening the door, a group of 5-6 people smoked right in front of our room and hosted a party with 10-15 people in a cramped room next to us. I don't know how the management allows so many guests in a small room with no policies. Alarms were unnecessary as water droplets from the AC served as a constant source of noise and nourished the pillow. The unpleasant smell emanating from the AC added its part as well. Sustainable Tourism: The lack of sustainable practices led to unnecessary waste, such as excessive use of plastic and paper wrappers for amenities like tea bags, glass water bottle caps, and dental kits. Despite enjoying the historical ambience, the overall experience leaves me undecided about staying here again. It may be preferable to stay elsewhere and visit the property instead.

Impersonal staff. Poor maintenance. The ceiling in the room needed repairs. The food on our first night was a buffet and was cold for the most part (with the exception of the desert that was melting). The hotel guests would carry their used plates to the buffet line and it was unappetizing to say the least not to talk of basic sanitation. We had a Marine Bay View room - the second day saw the landing of a seaplane for the first time and there was a huge reception with drums, speeches, music etc. that disturbed our peace and I am sure of a lot of the other guests. Perhaps, it is lost upon on the hotel management that the least we look for as guests is some peace and opportunity to relax. This drama continued into the next day with the fanfare starting at 7a not giving us to the opportunity to sleep in a little late. I will strongly recommend not to stay at the hotel. Yes, it is a nice old Dutch palace but it would be better managed by a private hotel chain not KTDC.

I was bit sceptical about this hotel after reading the reviews. But my experience has been amazing. The hotel area is huge and very well maintained. The view is simply Amazing. Also, the hotel has its own jetty so you can go for ferry ride from the hotel premise. The rooms are clean. The breakfast spread is also good. I would definitely recommend this hotel

I really regret of wasting my time..I went with very good expectations and booked the most expensive room. There is NO HOSPITALITY The palace room is full of Dust ,makes you suffocation and sleepless night.I was waiting for morning to go out to breathe and worried about my child. As it's heavy rain,roof top is leaking and room was full of water .. The Ac was not cooling and leaking once you decrease the temperature. Once open door can't be closed, once closed door can't be opened . All Door is stuck here (except main door) Taps can't close properly and water is leaking.. Service is too slow..you have to call many times to front desk for necessities. Electric sockets are too loose,one person has to hold tightly to use .. The view is really nice and connect you to Nature.. Food is Okay Swimming pool is great It's a good place to visit,but not to stay.

We went as a part of a wedding party and stayed here one night. This property was built by the Dutch long ago in an excellent location, surrounded by backwaters. Spread over a vast area and with very less number of rooms, it has all the right ingredients to be a prime hotel of the city. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it is owned and managed by KTDC, with the staff's lethargic attitude, it is nowhere close to it. They are all government employees and seriously lack any motivation to work. The buildings, though elegant in structure, are very poorly maintained. Room sizes are ok and the bathrooms are not upto the mark. Rooms and the furniture inside looks worn out and shabby. This place badly needs a serious renovation and makeover with new furniture and fixtures. We had buffet breakfast and lunch at their restaurant and it was good. Ambience is great during daytime with plenty of walking pavements and good scenery around, but in the night it looks very dull with very poor lighting. There is a lot to improve.