Vanya by Citrine - Resort hotel in Nelliampathi, Muthalamada North - Palakkad, India

Vanya - True to the name. Really, I am serious. We were not aware that the resort was named after the behavior of the staff! The mistake we made was going by the name of the group, Citrine. Little did we know that this was going to be one of the bad, if not the worst stays, we have had. The location amidst trees and nature is the only thing worthy to talk about this place. They claim this to be the only property in Nelliyampathy that has a pool. They have a pool alright, but it is better called a tank with blue tiles. Lack of maintenance shows. Their website talks about the pool facing a vast water body, Either the person who wrote it had his body submerged in the kids pool (yes, the tank has a separation) and was looking towards the deeper part, or he got stuck in this god-forbidden place during the calamitous floods of 2018. Once we checked in (we had booked for 5 rooms of which Makemytrip said that 3 rooms were of triple occupancy and 2 rooms were of double occupancy. All the rooms are of the same dimensions and are made triple occupancy by putting a single mattress on the floor. Simply brilliant, isn't it?), we found that the toilets were also as close to nature as possible. We quickly figured out that it was purely good intentions and was not because it had been ages since a brush found its way inside. After we found the way the rooms were maintained we, even though could imagine how the food would be, had no choice but to depend on the sub standard but overpriced dishes on offer. We were told that the chicken curry would have 4 medium pieces, but we did not know that the size of each piece when it was served would not exceed 2.5 cubic inches. And this was the first time that we had an experience of the staff being more louder and creating a ruckus that none of the guests could match. Their behavior towards some other guests were ruffian-like, where they were threatened that they were at the mercy of the staff and if they had to leave Nelliyampathy, they better oblige. All this for requesting if the campfire could be extended. And knowing that we were at their mercy, we spent some time trying to blow and re-kindle the campfire that had logs that wouldn't burn even after kerosene was poured multiple times. But we still are happy as we were allowed to sing songs to our fill. The staff probably knew that we wouldn't be heard over their voices :). And they were super courteous the next day and had enough confidence in their behavior that they requested us to post video reviews about the property. We had to leave the place with a heavy heart cursing ourselves for not taking a photo of the 'lavish' breakfast spread. Despite the fact the breakfast was served late, only after 8:30 am, and we had to wait for long for the Pooris to get filled, the Dosas with the super watery Sambar kept us busy and engaged. Noticing that one of our friends chose to eat fruits alone, they chose not to re-fill the empty plates for the fear of disturbing him. So, if you are looking to come to Nelliyampathy, book elsewhere. This place is for you only if you are looking for a contemporary looking property in the woods. Except for the swing just beside the reception, nothing to talk about. Forget about talking, nothing even to think about. And yeah, look for the board near the reception where they talk about the daily sightings of animals, with the date too. ROFLMAO, literally.

The room rates are pretty high for the facilities. But since no other good places nearby they did a wonderful job in the location. Food was just ok for breakfast. Pool was average in cleaning. Location was good. Need to take a Jeep for travelling

Travelled with my family and was not even close to being an experience I cherish. What felt is this resort could be a better place, had I chose to book my stay when the place was partially vacant. (When I visited, the place was almost fully booked, and even with many staff I could see, overall management was a mess). For the cost, experience is not even close to what I expected. Need a 4x4 or to take their jeep ride (for me the cost was part of my booking). However, had to pay for parking my vehicle at an uncovered parking which was under lock and key. I am inclined to visit Nelliyampathi once more for the nature and its beauty, but yet to decide if I would choose to stay at this resort. Resort Pro 1. Location 2. Would be better in colder months (I visited in May, and felt it a little cooler) Resort Con I had rented 3 rooms and there were issues 1. One of the bathrooms did not have hot water 2. One of the bathrooms were having too many ants all over and was not usable 3. Rooms we were given rooms right by the side of the play area. Had too many kids check in same day and was too noisy till midnight and from even before 6 AM 4. The rooms had no ventilation at all. 5. Payment was completed at the resort. And I was informed the bill will be shared to my whatsapp. However, to get the bill at hand, it took few days of repeated follow up. Most definitely not something I expect from a corporate run resort.

A very good resort located in dense forest. The staff are very courteous and the food was good taste - Fyi the menu has limited food items but quality of food is never compromised. Also there is small trek around the resort and worth for early morning trek as u can see sunrise. Overall its a refreshing and i would recommend this stay!

We visited this hotel on 11/03/2023-12/03/2023. The information provided in the make my trip website about this property was misleading and far from truth. It was given as "The property has a wide entryway" and "The entire unit is wheelchair accessible", but sorry to say that there is almost no road for more than one km. The hotel asked to keep our vehicle in a pay and park about 3 km behind this property and travel by their jeep to this resort. Inside the resort housekeeping was very poor. The pillow covers were stained very badly and unfit for use. Next- the morning breakfast was of poor quality and they made us to wait for more than 1 hour to have our breakfast due to delay in supply of items. Hotel staff and their behavior was acceptable in nature but the arrogant nature of manager (who was sitting somewhere else) was highly objectionable. They asked for additional Rs 800 for jeep conveyance and Rs 100 for parking fee. We disagreed for payment as it was not mentioned in your website. Then we agreed to pay on receipt of bill for the same. Finally, they exempted this amount as they were not in a position to give a valid bill for additional charges; after troubling us for 1 1/2 hrs., which affected our plans for the rest of the day. This all happened due to hiding of actual facts regarding approach road to this property and facilities available in your website . In total it is the most horrible experience in our entire tour programs till date.

Good resort to hangout with your family and friends at an affordable pricing...also enjoyable for people who love trekking and off road rides ... Apparently, food varieties need to be improved.

Excellent location with beautiful views. Awesome hospitality right from when entered the Resort. The room were very clean and well maintained. Food is great. Overall best choice if you are planning to stay in this property. Thank you team Vanya resort

Pros: Lovely place in the middle of the forest. You can do a walk around the property. The drive to the place is scenic. Cons: Rooms are average for price charged. Costs extra for last mile as you need a 4x4. Food was average and breakfast was pretty basic, with just 2 items. Not much to do around the property itself