Tharavadu has great service. The room were very clean. We had booked AC Heritage Room in the main building on first floor. The room had a nice little balcony.. turned into a sit-out. And there were chairs n table outside the room as well where one could relax. The food was good too. Place is worth it for the price they charge.
We stayed there only for 1 day in Kumarokom but the Staff especially Ms Renu was very helpful to us in suggesting which places are good to see and the timings.
We reached Kumarakom pretty late in the day at 330pm and they suggested us to go for a cruise towards the lake in the evening to see the sunset and then another cruise towards the village in the morning. And the suggestions were good. The cruise begins right from this resort which i really liked :) all cruises here end by 6-630 pm. They charge Rs 400 per hour for a couple for this boat cruise and the entire boat was for jst the two of us.
We took an hour long cruise towards the Vembanad Lake - its a huge lake.. u see only water everywhere. And then in the morning we went towards the village. Plan was to take an hour long cruise only & come back soon from the village side itself but we changed our mind and went back via the lake. boat stopped at one place and we bought Toddy from there and had it on our way back on the boat. It was a nice experience on this boat cruise.

Tharavadu is a pleasant enough small hotel in Kumalakom in the backwaters. The best part of this stay was the trip to the bird sanctuary in th early morning. Make sure you go with a guide in the canoe - no motor boats you need to be quiet. We didn't take a houseboat as they seemed expensive - there were lots around - a bit of an oversupply apparantly. The town itself wasn't great, typically small indian town. The staff at the hotel were friendly although I thought they could have been a bit more proactive in suggesting trips, but there are travel agents in town who can help. The room itself was good enough for the price, even a small balcony to sit out. Food was good, chef made a good effort, served on our balcony. - there is no restaurent and nothing much in town to eat at. Remember to order in advance as the chef has to prepare freshly for you (good as its fresh, but a long wait). Beer can be brought in for you.

We booked for five days and were told that they would show us to our room but that tomorrow we were going to be moved to a more spacious room. To be honest the first room was lovely the second was more spacious and had a nice view over the garden. There was some outside space with chairs and a table, a good menu of food which was delivered to your room. We ran a tab for all of our meals and given experiences with overcharging elsewhere we were a little concerned but on checkout we found the bill exactly as we expected. The staff here were all exceptionally friendly and helpful even when we got a huge spider in our room that needed evicting. The only downside of this place is that it’s a little remote although on a bus route and if you are a light sleeper you may find the early morning call to prayer from the mosque a little too much which is why i have marked down sleep quality and location.

We had been here in september:

Pros:
1. Heritage style rooms and unique bathroom.
2. Very spacious Balcony in rooms for relaxing
3. Hospitality and the value for money
4. Can get cycle ( old type ) on request
5. Bus stop right opposite to hotel

Cons:
1. Located little off the lake and need to go about a 2km to reach lake
2. Need to order for food in advance as food is not prepared in same place
3. Do not try the Auyur vedhic massage organised by hotel.