ESTUARINE VILLAGE RESORT BHITARKANIKA (Bhitarkanika National Park, Odisha) - Lodge Reviews, Photos, Rate Comparison

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4.0

Very good

55 reviews

#2 of 3 Speciality lodging in Bhitarkanika National Park

Location

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Service

Value

Estuarine Village Resort, as of now, has 11 nicely built rooms - 8 Executive and 3 Deluxe Cottages. Brahmani River flows right in front of the resort and forest is in the backdrop. The Resort provides all basic amenities in clean and natural environment. Food served is quite homely. It is spread over an area of around four acres; in close proximity to the core area of Bhitarkanika National Park - a mangrove forest area recognized as wetland of international importance and included in the list of RAMSAR sites. The resort is meant for those who want to enjoy nature in a serene environment, far from maddening crowd and noises. We prefer to refuse requests for music and dance in our resort, for this area is meant for enjoying nature, wildlife, photography, walks in rural areas, boating in rivers and visit to almost secluded beaches. Bhitarkanika is famous for estuarine crocodiles and large varieties of birds, including some seven varieties of kingfisher.

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Property amenities

Free parking

Public wifi

Restaurant

Bicycle rental

Car hire

Baggage storage

Concierge

Laundry service

Secured parking

Breakfast available

Non-smoking hotel

Room types

Non-smoking rooms

Family rooms

Smoking rooms available

Good to know

Languages Spoken

English, Hindi

Location

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Contact

Nalitapatia Village Nalitapatia Village, Kendrapara District, Bhitarkanika National Park 754248 India

See all nearby hotels

Nearby restaurants

The Crocodile Restaurant

4 reviews

4.1 kmChinese

See all nearby restaurants

Nearby attractions

Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary

110 reviews

6 kmNature & Wildlife Areas

See all nearby attractions

55Reviews5Q+A17Room tips

Reviews

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Gautam Mukherjee wrote a review Jan 2021

1 contribution

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The total arrangements are rubbish, worst quality of food, non maintenance of the campus specifically the behavior of manager Mohanty. The overall experience is rubbish and suggested no one to go there.

Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled with family

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Response from Estuarine Village Resort Bhitarkanika, General Manager at Estuarine Village Resort Bhitarkanika

Responded 2 Jan 2021

Dear Mr. Mukherjee, thanks for your valuable feedback. We appreciate your feedback but these are so very different from what you (or your group member) told me over phone after the trip. In your feedback on TripAdvisor you have forgotten to mention several facts and truths. The review seems more of an expression of hurt ego than based on facts - facts which you, as I said, even mentioned over phone. All problems started with manager refusing to play music beyond 10pm and to serve you dinner in your room after midnight. Let me remind you, I had clearly explained to you before booking that our resort is not a luxurious one and it is not suitable for city type 31st night party laced with loud music. We are located within sanctuary area. This is clearly mentioned on our website also. I had also categorically said that we would not be able to provide room service and all our operations including kitchen and dining are closed after 10.30PM. In corona period, with severe restrictions imposed on us, it is simply not possible to get a number of staff and do everything like during normal times. I had also mentioned that you could take liquor only in your rooms and not in a common areas. You had agreed to all these. These all are also mentioned very clearly in the voucher I sent you and in our e-mail communication. But at the resort the manager still relented and put up the music (a mistake he should not have done in the first place) for your entertainment on 31st night. However, Orissa Government invoked sudden curfew from 10pm to 5am in the morning. The manager got a call from local administration to put off music by 10pm. This was communicated to you guys immediately afterwards, when your function had not even started. But ignoring these you insisted on playing music after 10pm. You also insisted on serving dinner after midnight. All rooms were occupied that night and no other guests made such an impractical demand during corona time when we are running short of staff anyway. When our manager Mr. Mohanty expressed inability to serve you dinner after midnight you took offence to it. You guys shouted at him, abused him and and threatened him that you would damage our reputation online by writing bad reviews on different web portals. This is a gross misuse of a public platform like TripAdvisor. You still played music on your Bluetooth speaker, danced and shouted well beyond midnight near the room areas. You guys created such a ruckus at the resort compound in drunken condition that other guests at the resort made a complaint against your group next morning. Is that a behaviour befitting of gentlemen? Now you please tell us where should we lodge a complaint against you for disturbing our other guests and for creating ruckus in a sanctuary area. I hope TripAdvisor and other such online platforms should also allow accommodation owners such a facility so that guests like you cannot use reviews as a threat. There is always a chance our services and facilities are a complete mismatch to the expectations of Guests. Guests have all the right to complain and they have done so in the past. We have apologized for our mistakes In the past and made improvements subsequently. In service sector guests are prime, that is also true. But this does not permit guests to abuse managers and staff and create disturbances for other guests. And, it is surely not permissible that you use writing reviews as blackmail threat to get all prohibited things done in your favour.

PunyabrataBarma wrote a review Feb 2019

Bardhaman District, India275 contributions4 helpful votes

Estuarine Village Resort

Situated in Bhitarkanika, near to Khola Bridge beside River - consists of many cottages with ample parking space (no sheds for your car). It has a pond inside it's complex. The roof of the cottage are of village style - bamboo and straw (though false ceiling is there). It's non A/C accommodation. Food is basic, not palatable - you have to order 24 hrs prior to serving time. They charge Rs 325 for Veg. Thali and Rs 375 for NonVeg / meal. No transport is available to reach Ferry jetty from the Resort. You have arrange to for yourself. Both Govt and private boats are available in the Jetty. It is situated near the Khola Bridge.

Date of stay: February 2019Trip type: Travelled solo

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Response from VillageResort, Owner at Estuarine Village Resort Bhitarkanika

Responded 7 Feb 2019

Thanks for your response. We are a bit surprised to see how misleading your review is!! There are information which are incorrect. First of all, it seems you assumed the resort is situated in a city where you will get all sorts of urban facilities. How did you assume there will be plenty of transportation facilities available there? You probably forgot to mention autos are actually available for going to Khola Forest Jetty. These can be arranged if you ask us in advance. Most of our Guests who come from Kolkata without their own vehicles do ask us to arrange these autos for them. If guests want to visit distant areas like Pentha our resort manager do arrange Boleros for them. We are also not located adjacent to Khola. We are situated right beside Brahmani River on the outskirts of Nalitapatia Village which is four kilometer from Khola Forest Jetty. Since the area is a remote one, you cannot order anything suddenly to eat and get in our resort. This is why we request guests to order food in advance if they have special requests. It is difficult to get even Paneer there. So we think you should not raise this sarcastically to downgrade us. We mostly prefer to book rooms with all meals included. And, since our staff are all local we have always encouraged our guests to ask our cook to alter the food according to their choices. Guests are all free to choose government boats for jungle safari if they like so. We have tie up with a private licensed boat. We arrange for jungle sightseeing if guests want us to do that. We would, however, like to express sincere thanks for visiting Bhitarkanika and also for writing this review.

Ashirwad wrote a review Jan 2019

1 contribution1 helpful vote

Estuarine is not worth a stay

I left Estuarine in a bad taste. Here are points which doesn't make the stay at Estuarine worthwhile. Have listed point in the order of importance as I experienced them. 1) In the original email following was promised, but only tea was given. Copy-pasting from the email itself. Evening Snacks : · Tea (1 cup) · Biscuits & Vegetable. Pakora / Onion Pakora( 2 to 3 Pcs.). We used packed snacks items we'd bought from Bangalore to eat in the evening and realised that they had not kept their word only on while before we were leaving. 2) We were staying in RoomNo2 and 3 in a 3days-4nights package. It was very very difficult to bolt the main door of both the rooms. If you forcefully close it, it wouldn't open easily. My wife couldn't open it at all. 3) We weren't able to bolt the bathroom door of both the bathrooms. That was really unacceptable. 4) The basic cleanliness in the bathrooms was missing. The tiles where water would sprinkle while taking bath were yellow. The water from washbasins was directly falling into the hole in the ground without a pipe. This was the case in both the bathrooms. 5) The towels were stinking and not well washed. Despite of changing them 3 times we didn't find any difference. We landed up using our own towels. 6) In the Room3 one had to take two steps down to reach the bathroom. Took a day to acquaint with this as in Room2 the bathroom was at same level as the room. 7) Pentha or Udabali beaches were not clean, probably because of the garbage that new-year partying folks had left and we were there just after that. Nevertheless, we didn't find anybody swimming in the beach hence we also didn't take a chance. If you are a beach folk then its not worth going there for the price you pay. We paid 6.5K for Udabali (aka Kanika island) 8) Little amount of training to the staff would be helpful e.g. to knock the door and not peep from the window to call for anything. The only big-PLUS for Estuarine was the hospitality of the staff. The owner was also staying in Estuarine while we were there and I have shared above inputs with him. With all the above limitations it was NOT worth ~36K i.e. an average of Rs.6K per room per day.…

Date of stay: January 2019

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Trip type: Travelled with family

Room Tip: If you have an option, check multiple rooms for basic amenities before you choose one.

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Response from VillageResort, Owner at Estuarine Village Resort Bhitarkanika

Responded 11 Jan 2019

We have completed 7 years of our operation and seen around 5000 guests during these years. we have seen all kinds of guests. But you are one of your kind. We are sorry to say we have not seen anyone more illogical, unreasonable and vengeance seeking guest like you. Since you have access to a forum like TripAdvisor, it does not mean you should misguided others by giving one-sided and half baked versions of the realities. 1) Is it not true that from the very first day the owner and the manager told you to convey in case of slightest of problems? Why did you not tell manager about any one of these complaints you have flaunted in writing here to defame us? You did not tell our manager anyone of these problems on the first day; you did not tell him on the second day either and not even on the third day. 2) Is it not true the owner asked you on the very second day after you have returned from the forest if you have any problems. Then you said you do not have any problems. 3) Is it not true you started asking for discounts after staying two nights. You wanted us discounts on boat trip to Udabali. But you were explained very clearly that boats do not belong to us and they are given licenses by the Forest Department. They charge their own fares and we have pacts with them to be available for our guests. You said you understood this. But you clubbed the boat fare with the room charges. Why and how can you do that? Let me explain this by an example. If anyone staying in a Mumbai hotel decides to reserve a boat to Elephanta Caves and later club the boat fare with room charges, will it be right? But you are doing exactly the same with us. You could have easily opted not to go to Udabali and enjoyed a visit to villages or done some boating in the river or something else. You could have opted to just relax, read books or watch television. We did not force you to go to Udabali. 4) Is it not true you called our booking office in Kolkata office and started complaining about prices after the end of the second day? When booking office refused the possibility of discounts from our end for a service we do not provide, you started complaining about facilities. The booking office asked the manager to sort out all problems on urgent basis. But when manager inquired with you, you told the manager there was no problem and everything was OK. Why did you say this when manager ask you about any problems you might have? He even asked you to change the room if you wanted. But you refused that too. The whole problem and your complaint started from the end of second day when your insistence of suddenly giving discounts on a done deal was turned down by our booking office in Kolkata. The owner had told you on the very day you came. He told you how the place has just begun to come out of remoteness. He explained you how every year is a learning curve for all the staff. We are also committed to giving employment to local people only and we request guests to kindly ask whatever they may need. These prove learning experiences for staff. We have always said clearly even on our website we are a basic budget property. Is it not true we did send you photographs of the rooms very clearly before you booked? Were there any difference between what we sent you and what you saw? There clearly was none. More than 200 persons stayed this very season in the same rooms you stayed and also used our services. No one made any complaint before you. And, had door locking developed any problem it could have been solved by the staff. Or else, your rooms could have been changed. You yourself had seen most rooms vacant then. But you chose not to even mention once to our staff. At the same time, even though we deplore this misuse of TripAdvisor platform to take out your frustration on us, we do apologize for any genuine lapses which occurred on our part. Your visit has been such a big eye opening learning experience for all our staff. You have said our hospitality was good, but you did not convey them any one of the problems you have mentioned here. You simply decided to teach us a lesson by defaming us. This is highly deplorable.

Roving68605377660 wrote a review Nov 2018

5 contributions1 helpful vote

+1

Simply Superb For Rural Visits and Wildlife

Bhitarkanika is simply one of the hidden treasures I have come across India on my multiple visits to India. A perfect place to enjoy nature. Estuarine Village Resort,though not a luxurious resort as they themselves told us before booking,is situated right by the side of the River Brahmani. Rooms are well maintained and clean. Greenery has been nicely kept at the resort. Food served during our visit was simple and spice free - something we just loved. Visit to Bhitarkanika National Park was an amazing experience. It was nice to go around the jungle on foot. Boating across the creeks and watching basking crocodiles is a sight to rever. Spotted deer,wild pigs,and a large bire varieties was all so nice. Visit to nearby village was a lovely experience. I highly recommend a stay at Estuarine Village Resort for enjoying nature and experiencing rural life. I will surely like to visit again.…

Date of stay: November 2018Trip type: Travelled with family

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Response from VillageResort, Owner at Estuarine Village Resort Bhitarkanika

Responded 3 Dec 2018

Thank you so very much for liking your stay at Estuarine Village Resort and your visit to Bhitarkanika National Park. We are trying our best to host our guests as comfortably as possible. This is a remote area of Odisha and it has just started coming out of remoteness, thanks to some sort of infrastructure building in the area in the form of rural roads and development of highways leading to this remote area. We totally agree with you that Bhitarkanika is gem of nature bestowed upon Odisha and India. We extend our invitation to all tourists to come and experience the nature here. We would take this opportunity to also educate prospective guests that this is an ecologically fragile area and nature needs to be respected. This is why we do not allow loud music within our premises. We expect our guests to respect this as well. Guests should also know that this used to be a remote area. Please do not expect luxurious resorts in the area. Despite this we must also inform you that we are upgrading our facilities here constantly.

screen689 wrote a review Nov 2018

Kolkata, India368 contributions71 helpful votes

+1

The Welcome lounge of Bhitarkanika

The resort is well positioned to welcome guests coming through Bhadrak or Bhubaneswar over a long stretch of land overlooking the river. The hospitality is good through their well behaved and cordial staff who provide you comfort though the jungle resort does have limitations to provide regular urban comfort. The arrangements for jungle safari is good. Rooms are comfortable than the tents and cleanly maintained except the bathrooms, which could be better.

Date of stay: October 2018

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Trip type: Travelled with family

Room Tip: Rooms are in clusters and so a group of visitors could enjoy better

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Response from VillageResort, Owner at Estuarine Village Resort Bhitarkanika

Responded 25 Jan 2019

Thanks a lot for liking your stay with us. We are in the process of removing tents slowly. Just four tents are still there and these will also be replaced in the coming years gradually. If more guests come and we have higher incomes, this process would be faster :-) We have noted your suggestion to improve our bathroom decor. Since we are committed to use locals for employment for all kinds, sometimes it becomes difficult to be in tune with recent standards despite our most sincere efforts. The place Bhitarkanika has just started coming out of remoteness. It is virtually impossible for us to be of same standard as you may see in some of the most touristic places. But as more and more guests start coming to this nature gem, things will start improving here. We hope we would have improved manifolds by the time you decide to visit Bhitarkanika again. Please come here to emjoy nature, birds, crocodiles, reptiles and walks in villages, visit to sea mouth and some pristine beaches.

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