Samiira on Ashtamudi Lake

Very small property. Very rude staff. No entertainment at all. They only got a chess board and a carrom board. Not a single fish in the lagoon due to its filthy condition. Food is horrible with almost nothing on the breakfast menu other than bread and dosa. We had a dinner here and paratha we got was the worst one I ever had. You can't sit outside without a fan due to the mosquitos and have to be careful about batshit falling on your head if you roam outside. No privacy in the room as windows can't be properly covered and there are visible gaps in between doors. Even if the place is nowhere close to what you see in ads, they won't allow you to take pictures using your camera - they will warn you that you are permitted to use mobiles, but no camera. However you can see the wedding photography teams and other digital ad teams throughout the day outside your cottage taking photos with their models - as the right for photography seems sold out, destroying your vacation completely. I was not able to sleep at night as the rooms were so close and I could hear people laughing and talking throughout the night. (I selected premium rooms worth 13k per night) If you want to waste your money, spoiling your vacation, then this place is a perfect choice. There is no pool, not even a 100 m walkway not a decent bed. Just horrible.

A small hotel, converted from what was supposedly a boat house, Samiira on Ashtamudi Lake was a decent find while looking for a place to stay for a couple of nights on the Ashtamudi Lake. The property is less than 3 kilometres from Kollam Railway Station and one can easily hire an auto-rickshaw for the transfer. It is right on the Ashtamudi lake, with the more pompous Raviz and Allseason spotted across. We stayed in Room 106 on the first floor of the two-storeyed building. The floor has four rooms, with the common verandah being the place to sit and enjoy the views of the lake. The delectable food, catering to all tastes and palates is the one facet that can more than offset a couple of negatives that I experienced during our stay. While the rooms had ACs, there was no blanket provided, and all that was there were a couple of extra bedsheets to wrap around while sleeping. Even on being explicitly asked for, the blankets did not arrive, and all that we got were a couple more of those bed sheets. A first time experience I would have rather not had. While the staff is usually around and delivering, they seem to get overwhelmed if the small hotel becomes a bit full, let's say with around ten odd people. This is something that we experienced during lunchtime on the day we checked out. With the arrival of a family of around 7-8 people at that time at the property, we were left waiting at the lunch table for quite some time despite being called from our rooms saying lunch is ready. And apart from we two, the newly arrived family were the only guests on the property at that time. I hope that the staff members upskill themselves soon enough to be able to handle what is supposed to be normal workload. And yes, I also expect the rooms to have blankets for a comfortable sleep.

Un endroit parfait pour prendre une pause. L'emplacement au bord du lac est paisible. La chambre très spacieuse et propre. Salle de bain très fonctionnelle. Le personnel est courtois. Les repas aux portions généreuses étaient excellents.