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.

During our week long travel in Kerala we stayed our last night att Tharavadu, The location alongside the river is perfect and the old houses are very well kept and the architecture and atmosphere is stunning, We loved staying so in the middle of the village, and the praying sounds from the temple across the river only contributed to the positive experience. Our room was very nice, tidy and clean - the pillows were not so good though :) Our main complaint about this place was the service level. Slow and slightly confused service made us wait for more than one and a half hour to get our dinner served outside our room. The food was Ok though. Compared to many of the other stays on our trip (f.ex the Cardamom Club in Thekkady) the friendly welcome and intimate atmosphere left a lot to be wished for. After all, this place offers great value, we'd expect it to be at least twice as expensive as it was. Definately a memorable stay while in Kumarakom, we recommed you to stay in one of the heritage rooms.

This place lives up to its name "Tharavadu=big house" and we were very happy to stay there for 3 nights. The room was really nice and the best part of it was the balcony that overlooked a very lush garden. We saw more birds from our balcony than at the Bird Sanctury!

The staff, Alex the owner was very friendly and so happy to help with anything- they even gave us passion fruits from the tree outside the reception.
The food that was cooked freshly and it was the best Indian food we have had in our 1 month trip in India! The breakfast was better than any 5* hotels in Delhi or Mumbai. The staff , especially Chris, were really friendly and professional.

We woke up early every morning, as there is a temple in front- but that is their religion and we have to respect it- the earplugs did the job perfectly fine.

The hotel was lovely. Rooms were great, bathroom clean, balconies were lovely, and the food was pretty good and cheap. Service was truly great. They served us dinner on our balcony, directed us to where we could buy cold beer---lovely people.

The big problem is location. There is an active temple right nearby and we woke up around 4:30 a.m. to blaring music from the temple, which lasted until around 5:45 a.m. The noise woke both my husband and me, through ear plugs, and was truly awful at such an early hour. Judging from other reviews written here, it seems that this may not be an every day occurrence but is by no means unusual. I suppose if you're getting up to go to the bird sanctuary then maybe it's not so bad?