Me and my girlfriend planned 4 days trip to Kerala. First 2 days were too good and the excitement had doubled as we had stayed in a wonderful resort in Kumarakom for the first 2 days. The Lemon Tree property is far away from the nearest civilization in Alleppey and there is nothing in and around it. We arrived in Lemon Tree at about 14:00. The "reception" looks like a third grade front desk of a motel and not at all of a star resort. Welcome was not as memorable as it was in Kumarakom but it did not matter much as the excitement was overwhelming from the last resort. As we entered the property the first thing the bellboy showed us was the swimming pool which was simply out of this world and beautiful. He took us to our Suite, there was Jacuzzi which was great. The Suite was exactly in-front of the lake which had a clear view of it.

Day 1:
Found the room beautiful & full of windows in all 3 sides which had plenty of sunlight to let in. The first thing we thought of trying was the Jacuzzi and we simply jumped in. As we turned on the tap and let the water fill the tub, we could smell a strange smell coming out of the water. We first thought the smell was coming out of the gutter that must be below the suite or nearby, but as the tub started filling we could see the color of the water as pale brown in the white tub. So Jacuzzi was now useless. They also had steam in the appliance so we thought steam will be better than this but to our surprise the steam was not functioning either. We personally tried for 10 minutes then called the housekeeping to correct it. They were pretty fast in responding to the call. We thought of going to the pool until they work on the Jacuzzi. We had really good fun at the pool as the pool was up to what they had shown in their pictures. After swimming for an hour we ordered shakes and a veg cucumber sandwich. The shake was prepared from the ready made powders available even at the smallest shop. Did not expect this from a star resort. And be careful of the crows as they snatch away the food even if you slightly turn your eyes away. But the hotel people were kind enough to replace it with a fresh one. We were shocked when we checked the bill, it was Rs 650!! The prices are exorbitantly high for 2 strawberry shakes and a cucumber sandwich which was of such inferior quality. We thanked God that we had taken the most premium package with all meals included. After having a nice time at the pool we got back to the suite for the Jacuzzi. They said they corrected it but the steam was not still working and the water from the Jacuzzi was clearer than the last time but still it was stinking and was lightly pale. We had a great time in the Jacuzzi, had a shower and got ready for the dinner. Our package included a buffet dinner, there was not much choice and was mostly north Indian dishes. We were expecting more of the local food but they had only 2 or 3 out of 15 or 20 items including salads and desserts. Quality of food is terrible, had much better food than this even at a roadside restaurant. Any how we did not have much and went out for a walk. The property is very small and feels very congested. The only place you can hangout is the pool side.The night was clear with a full moon so did not matter much.

Day 2: Had a comfortable night, the bed was very cosy. Woke up early went to the pool at around 8:00 had a swim for 2 hours and got back and I noticed both of the time there was no one from the staff at the pool and not even the life guard or even a security guard. Had a shower at the suite in the stinking water and went for the breakfast. As expected they did not have much choice and was mostly continental and north Indian. Had a clear view from the Citrus cafe of the pool we could see a lot of people swimming in the pool. The most surprising thing I noticed was the pool boy with a white dress standing there making all the pool recliners properly with the towels. And the people who were swimming were all white foreigners and when we were swimming had only Indians. White foreigners mostly come out when the sun is at most and Indians mostly avoid it. I could also see all the fountains turned on in the pool which was off when we were there. I understand that they did not do it deliberately but it shows how they favor the white the most and choose to even ignore the most premium Indian guest. They have only one Premium Suite which was occupied by us. I have traveled to a lot of places and have stayed at some of the world's most highly rated hotels and resorts, I have also stayed at Havelis in Rajasthan which was very far away from the nearest civilization, without a TV and a phone in the room and never felt like missing it as they had a lot of other activities and a very courteous and pampering service. But unlike them this resort was discriminating its customers according to their color which was pathetic and very disturbing. The whole morning went on arguing on what a terrible mistake we made by booking in this resort. The lunch was from the ala carte. We ordered 2 salads, one was with candid pineapples and the other was with Tuna. When we got it on the table after a while, the veg salad was without the pineapple and the the other without the tuna. We were numb and did not know how to react to such incidents happening to us every time. Any how the lunch did not go well but had also ordered a local fish preparation which was comparatively better. We could feel all of that excitement that we brought from the last stay at Kumarakom simply draining away. Did not had much to do in the evening except the swimming pool so the day was simply a waste of time. We requested for another vacant suite, which they were kind enough to transfer us to. The Jacuzzi here too was malfunctioning and did not run for more than 10 minutes. The new suite was smaller in compared to the last one. And the Jacuzzi in this suite could only fit one. All hopes were dropped now. Similarly, did not expect much from the dinner and was pathetic than lunch as it was a buffet. Had some salads and deserts and left.

Day3: The morning had not much difference and the excitement for Kerala had all drained away. The experience at the pool on the third day was not much different than the last, neither the breakfast. We had a drop to the airport in our package and they were kind enough to let us stay in the suite till 13:00.

This hotel was the worse experience. Book this hotel only if you are foreign national and white, if you still wanna book, do not expect much from the staff or the rooms. And be sure to take some medicine for the eyes and skin in case of chlorine irritation, as there is no chemist nearby (within 30 Kms).