Uday Samudra Beach Hotel

Overall the hotel was very smart, although a little quiet for us younger ones. A word of advice - watch your valuables. Unfortunately my ipod went missing from the room on the last day. The hotel said they would investigate. The police were no help, still waiting for there crime report! Guess i should of used the safety deposit box but it spoiled the stay slightly. Also many people we met had gotten food poisoning, including myself, so take immodium! The train is a very easy and cheap way to see Kerala.

we arrived early morning on a first choice flight which was very good. hotel check in was swiftly completed, and we managed to get a couple of hours sleep before breakfast. first impressions of the interior of the hotel were good, and all staff are very friendly and helpful. breakfast is plentiful and varied although my husband says they can't fry an egg properly without breaking it, but if you ask for poached eggs they are perfect. we never had a problem getting a table, but sometimes had to wait for cups or cereal bowls which happens at all hotels. we stayed in the new block on the top floom with our room (707) overlooking the pool which also had a sea view. very comfortable room, a/c, coffee maker, tv , fridge and safe. First Choice has all its rooms in this block which is a bonus. Manos has its rooms in the old block which are very poor in comparison. if you are travelling with Manos, i would suggest you pay to upgrade as several people we met did. the hotel has 3 pools which means its never too crowded. we had a bed on the beachfront every day with an umbrella which meant we could watch the locals bringing in their catch of fish. only on our first day did we have a problem when 4 beds had been reserved with books. we were told they had been like that for hours so we removed 2 books and took 2 beds. there is notice saying this is ok if the beds are left unattended for more than i hour. we arranged our trips through the hotel tour desk as it was so much cheaper. we had a 7 seater a/c people carrier with driver, who took us wherever we wanted for the day picking us up at 8 am and returning around 6 pm. the cost was 3000 rupees in total. their were only 4 of us and we had plenty of room. these days out cost approx £9 each, fantastic value. we went out 3 days visiting cape kumari, neyyar lake and dam which is beautiful, and we also went up country to Pommudi whch is in the Western Ghats mountain range. this was a lovely trip as you pass tea, coffee and spice plantations on the way. its very scenic with some bumpy roads, hairpin bends, and breathtaking views. we also went on a trek through forest with a guide to see a waterfall but i wouldn't recommend this part. eating out was very good and cheap. we mostly went to lighthouse beach in the evenings where the choice is excellent. be prepared to wait anywhere for an hour before you get your meal. we used the Kingfisher several times and the food was superb. ask your tuk tuk driver to pick you up for the return trip which they are happy to do. the cost for the round trip is 150 rupees although they will try to charge 200. just tell them its 150 before you go and they will be ok. all in all a very good holiday. i would recommend the hotel as long as you are with First Choice in the new block. i have to give a special mention to PENNY PETTIT our First Choice representative for outstanding service. she went out of her way to meet everyone, and was available at all times. we even joined in the quiz night to raise money for a local charity which was good fun. i heard several people say that Penny was the best Rep they ever had so we are not alone in our judgement. opticians and dentists are very good in Kerala and much cheaper than the uk. i used a dentist recommended by another hotel guest and was delighted with the result. the cost to change a silver filling for a white one, less than £10. a crown cost me £34. they are very up to date using latest technolgy, Brightsmile costs approx £185 versus UK £600. one final thing. if you change your money at the airport, they charge commission and the rate is not so good. best wait till you get to your hotel and change with a local moneychanger. at lighthouse beach there are lots and the rates better still.

Had a lovely time, The hotel was good, Friendly Staff, The room was cleaned daily with a nice pool & sea view in block 600, The hotel beach is a bit non-existent, but a 3 min walk away following a stepped path over a small hill or a walk through Hotel Samudra is a good beach with Restaruant where they will bring your food & drinks to your sunbeds, also if you carry on walking for another 10 mins you will go past Hotel Leela & then come to Lighthouse beach where the main Restaraunts & Shops can be found, or take a cab for 100 rupees. An interseting walk was to turn right out of the hotel along the beach path, you will come to a small village where the local women make rope out of coconut strands, It is a good idea to take some pens for the children. Just up the road from the hotel is a restaruant called "Molly's" which was excellent. All in all a good holiday but a bit too quiet compared to Goa.

This was my first trip to India and I was worried before I arrived at the Uday because of previous comments on this sight. Luckily all bad comments were untrue and I believe written by people who were either blind or just liked to find fault. The Uday was a wonderful place to stay, the room was exactly what you needed, bed, fridge and shower! The staff are more than happy to help and service is always provided with a smile, especially the guy at breakfast who will cook your eggs exactly as you like them. The pools are great and very relaxing but the beach nearby is the best place to be. Although the beach is small and the current of the water strong, every morning you get to watch and hear the locals singing and pulling in their fishing nets by hand. The food is very good at the hotel as well and if you fancy a short walk we went to every hotel near the Uday and never had one bad meal. Outside the hotel you can get a taxi or a rikshaw for pennies. If you want to plan a trip anywhere I would suggest that you ask for Samuel the taxi driver as he is amazing, cheap and very funny. If you want to book him ask how many children he has and if he sais 2 then it is him. You will find as soon as you ask for someone they all pretend to be him, but this is just one of the very amusing things of India. Get a rikshaw to Lighthouse beach but do not pay more than 100 rupees. Light house beach is amazing, the beach is great but so are all the restaurants and jewellery shops. Sunday is recommended as this is when all the families go to walk on the baech and watch the sun go down. There are always a few dodgy locals on the make but all in all I was overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the indian people. I can not fault any of the trip. One small fault was that we arranged a trip through Thomas Cook to wash bathe and feed the elephants and the picture showed them in a river but when we arrived the elephants there was chained up and distressed and washing them was them being sprayed with a hose in a muddy old yard. From there we went to dinner and then on a rice boat but what they failed to tell us was that the time in between trips stuck in the van was about 5 hours. If you want to see elephants get a taxi driver to take you there only.

Had a fantastic 3 week holiday at the Uday Samudra in Jan 2007 (first visit was Feb 2006). This hotel offers real value for money and excellent customer service - the staff are helpful, friendly and never without a smile. Despite comments from other reviewers we actually requested to stay in the old block (room 118) which is right behind the temple, next door to the shop and 5 feet away from the breakfast tables. Yes, it is a basic room but we don't go on this type of holiday to sit in our room. Our room was cleaned every day, and we had fresh sheets and towels also daily. We like to hear the staff getting breakfast ready (saves an alarm call) and the noise from the week long festival at the temple was loud but was all part of our holiday experience and in no way spoilt our holiday. We had quiet, lazy days by the pool (one of 3) at the hotel, never having any problem getting a sun bed. The beach outside the hotel is very small and not suitable for swimming - this wasn't a problem as Lighthouse Beach is only 20 minutes walk or 5 minutes in a tuk-tuk (80-100 rupees). Food is really good at this hotel - breakfast is a buffet and offers Indian, continental, eggs however you like, fruit, cereals, toast - more than enough to cater for all tastes, and you could help yourself to as much as you wanted. Try The Lounge Bar where they serve snacks or meals from the restaurant menu - order yourself 'one more beer' and ring the bell for the excellent service. It does cost more to eat in the hotel but there are plenty of other good restaurants next door - The Third Rock, The Waters Edge to name a couple, also Lighthouse Beach restaurants which are good are Fusion, Waves, and the Swiss Cafe does excellent coffee if you need a pick me up. At the end of the day nowhere is expensive though. In addition to reading these reviews do some research of Kerala so you have an idea what to expect. We will definitely be making a 3rd visit .

Just returned afer our 5th visit in 5 years to the Uday Samudra in Kovalam. Over the last 5 years it has grown in size quite considerably, building work is not yet finished but you can take a 5 minute walk through the grounds of the neighbouring Samudra hotel to Samudra beach, not only is it a wonderful small beach but you are very well looked after by the guys who run the sun beds. I cannot imagine why anyone would want to sit by the pool in the hotel all day when there is such a great beach so close by. Much of the time the only noise is the sound of the sea, no building work to annoy you there. Yes there is a temple next door to the hotel and at the end of January for 1 week the noise is deafening. Every eveinig all the locals come down into the square outside the front of the hotel to watch the plays, bands or dramas etc on stage, this is obviously something very important to them and at the end of the day this will have been going on much longer than the few years the hotel has been there. We normally go for 3 weeks and if we time it right during the second week whilst it`s Temple festival time we go by train up the coast a few hours and stay at Lake Palace on the back waters at Allepy. We ask ourselves every year if we want to go back to the Uday Samudra and we always do, it is in a good location, it is very good value for money, there are so many places to eat out at such good prices. I don`t think I have ever had a poor meal eating out. In 5 years we have never stayed in the hotel at night for a meal. Outside the front of the hotel are all the taxi`s and rickshaw`s. Every time you set foot outside the hotel you will be asked if you want to go somewhere. We have always used Rajeev and he has taken us all over Kerala and he arranges our trips for us at much less cost than through the tour operators. This includes, the Southern Tip "Kanniyakumari", really a sight worth seeing where 3 different seas meet. Periyar National Park, the boat ride on the Lake in the evening is just superb. Coconut Lagoon and Lake Palace on the back waters are wonderful reorts to visit, they are so peacful, at Coconut Lagoon during the late evening the sky absolutely fills up with large fruit bats flying past. We absolutely love the Kerala and for us the Uday Samudra is right where we want to be at the price we want to pay. Already booked for next year.

Just back from 11 days at the Uday Samudra and had the most superb time.Great room,plenty sun beds,food good. After reading some reviews we were a bit concerned but were more than happy and would recommend the hotel. The beach outside the hotel had been washed out a bit but walk up the shoreline towards the Lighthouse beach and there are good sunbathing beaches. What made our holiday were the fantastic people /glorious weather and the low cost of our stay. Highlight of our trip was the 2 day Rice Barge cruise,where the crew moored up for the evening and took us to there houses and parents houses and to meet the village folk. Am tempted to return in a few years before it gets to touristy.

This hotel was outstanding, the food was excellent, the room was lovely and clean and the staff were most welcoming. The only small disappointment was the beach as it was rather small and the sea has a strong rip current - however this wasn't a problem as the 3 pools were all very clean and in excellent condition. An ideal hotel for a holiday - we would ideally recommend it!

Stayed here for a week after an exhausting tour of Kerala. Lovely hotel, our room was on the ground floor feet from one of the three pools. No problem getting a sun bed everyday and towels were provided free of charge. Whole place was very clean and staff very friendly. Although on beach front it was a working beach but a short walk took us to a lovely large beach where we could walk or swim. Ate almost all of our meals at The Waterside Restaurant just feet from the hotel, very good food and much cheaper the the hotel. A dinner with drinks came to less than 20 euro. Got a tuc tuc to lighthouse beach, went up the lighthouse but didn't like the ladder right at the top!

The entrance is like going in to wooky hole - pitch blak - the meals are served on a spit of sand covered in bottle tops and dog ends as the resturant is to small for the number of people - the rooms are smelly with damp and the bathrooms are covered in mould - there is no beach and if you have a room by the pool you find people having breakfast 5 feet from your door. the pool areas are covered all day by sun beds and a collection of food plates and glasses - the security guard walks around with a rifle shooting at the crows - do not look at the mattress on your bed you will have nightmares- It is a backpackers hostle wishing to be a hotel and first choice who we went with say that the rust in the bathrooms on the shower rail - soap dish and towel rails is dust - not a nice hotel