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karthik641
Bengaluru, India

Fantastic hotel in the heart of Kodaikanal

Review of Villa Retreat
5.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 12 Feb 2024via mobile
This is a fantastic hotel located in the heart of Kodaikanal. My wife and I booked this place after seeing the pictures and other reviews on the web, and I have to say this place did not disappoint at all.

It is an old bungalow overlooking a valley tracing its roots to the British era, and there is another building which has been added to host some simple rooms. All in all there are 5-6 categories of rooms, some with views of the valley. The dining area is partially open and partially indoors, overlooking the garden. There is ample parking space in the garden, and the property is inside Kodai town, so road connectivity is not an issue. The location is right next to Coaker’s wall viewpoint

We stayed in the signature suite and travellers’s room plus, both rooms were extremely clean, well kept with all necessary amenities and we didn’t find anything lacking. The special highlight of the signature suite is the view of the valley from the window, and of course the fireplace which is loaded with firewood and set up in the evenings, apt for the cold nights in Kodai’s weather.

The restaurant called Wyckoff’s dining room, is a superb place again. The service provided by Chef Shadab Hussain and team, aided by Shankar and Manoj, helped us try amazing dishes and desserts over our 4 days of stay at Villa retreat.

The front office staff Vinod and Rebecca were equally helpful in planning our itineraries for sightseeing and arranging a cab for our day outings in Kodai. All in all, a fantastic hotel to stay in Kodai and I would gladly recommend others to stay here
Date of stay: February 2024
Room Tip: Try the signature suite or the sun view rooms
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Reviewed 6 February 2024

Wonderful hospitality. Delighted!
Location -5
Service -5
F&B - 5
Hygiene -5

The staff are very responsive and patient.
Special mention to the lawn and wyckoff restaurant. The food was very delicious and the service and presentation were great.

Date of stay: February 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank Trail64488538553
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nazar Abdul, Owner at Villa Retreat, responded to this reviewResponded 13 February 2024

Thank you for your fair comments. We are delighted you had a comfortable and pleasant holiday stay in our hotel. It will be a pleasure to have you with us again in the future 😄

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 6 February 2024

First look of Villa Retreat gives you the feel of hotel with old charm. This property rates high with its central location, proximity to Kodai Bus Stand, Coakers walk and a short walk to Kodai Lake.

Coming to the rooms at the property, rooms are spread across two wings. The rooms in the old wing are not the best ones. They don't have any view of the valley. The rooms though are of decent size, comfortable bed and functional washroom. The rooms in this wing may make you feel a little claustrophobic.

The new wing rooms are more spacious and some of the rooms have valley view.

Overall the rooms in old wing seems to be overpriced for the kind of room and views it provides and rooms in new wing with valley view are definitely a splurge considering that only 1-2 rooms have partial valley view.

The in house restaurant in Villa Retreat is a small cosy place where you can have your breakfast, order you meals. The choice of food is decent and taste acceptable. The prices of food though is high compared to city standards.

My stay plan included breakfast. The breakfast had good choice of Indian and continental however the food served was bit cold.

Wifi is only available at the reception and not in your room. May come as let down for travellers needing access to internet in their room.

Overall a hotel to be considered if you are looking at staying centrally in Kodai.

Date of stay: January 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled solo
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank SujirMurlidhar
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zoheb Nazar, Owner at Villa Retreat, responded to this reviewResponded 13 February 2024

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us, we truly appreciate the feedback. By our team, we would like to apologise for not meeting your expectations in regards to your rooms. Please know we value our guests’ feedback and your comments have been shared with our team so we may continuously improve the guest experience.
We would love the opportunity to exceed your expectations and would like to invite you back to the hotel very soon.

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 6 February 2024

Fantastic view of the valley and some great food on offer.
Rooms are near and tidy and the entire staff will ensure your stay is just amazing.
The location is excellent and although the streets are busy, one never feels it inside the retreat.
Food is a la carte for all servings and it was the highlight of our stay here.

Date of stay: January 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank 620vaishakm
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zoheb Nazar, Owner at Villa Retreat, responded to this reviewResponded 13 February 2024

Thank you for your fair comments. We are delighted you had a comfortable and pleasant holiday stay in our hotel. It will be a pleasure to have you with us again in the future 😄

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 20 January 2024

There are good and not good points to villa retreat. The original house is attractive and has a beautifully kept garden with wonderful views of near and distant hills and valleys. The setting and location are excellent. We initially struggled with the menu but the chef, Shadab, was very helpful with good suggestions for us. He is clearly passionate about producing good food and was generous with his time and help in general info too.
This hotel cost us more than we have paid to stay in other, immaculate and beautiful ‘boutique’ hotels in India and more than a couple of the slick, modern 5 stars that we have occasionally used. We prefer small places if possible. On arrival the woman in reception looked at us as though we had interrupted her day and I’m not sure she managed a smile through the whole registration process. We were given a list of rules - everything we should or shouldn’t do rather than what it would be their pleasure to do for us. The room - although with a fantastic view - was poorly furnished and the bathroom had rickety old cupboards that wouldn’t shut so were a shin hazard. Everything seemed of poor quality - from the curtains to the loo paper. It felt as though everything was done on the cheap. We were initially told we would have to pay extra to heat the room (very cold in Kodai early a.m and evenings) but did manage to get an old fan heater - which they control from outside so you can only turn it on when they permit. Even at half the price this place is overpriced. Such a shame as the setting and Shadab and the restaurant staff were really good.

Room tip: Felt like a budget hotel at a luxury price. But the location is great and the restaurant staff were very good.
Date of stay: January 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank FranF619
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zoheb Nazar, Owner at Villa Retreat, responded to this reviewResponded 13 February 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us, we truly appreciate the feedback. By our team, we would like to apologise for not meeting your expectations in regards to your rooms & services. Please know we value our guests’ feedback and your comments have been shared with our team so we may continuously improve the guest experience.
We would love the opportunity to exceed your expectations and would like to invite you back to the hotel very soon.

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 9 January 2024

Rooms are cosy! Views are great... The staff is very friendly right from the housekeeping (humble Josep) the kitchen(Shankar Anna and Manoj) and front desk(Hari vinod Rebecca)! The food is an experience in itself- a culinary delight. The chef's innovation and presentation bring an exciting anticipation to each meal! I visited the place with my grandfather and now after 15 years with my children. The experience calls for repeats!
suggestions? Maybe long stay packages/rebates:and loyalty programs) tempting one to do this again and again!!
When in Kodaikanal stay here and eat here!

Room tip: Weather unpredictable hotel has umbrellas! Great outdoor garden for dining when the weather permits. Limited library- carry your own reads!
Date of stay: December 2023
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
Thank Shruti T
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zoheb Nazar, Owner at Villa Retreat, responded to this reviewResponded 13 February 2024

We are incredibly grateful that you took the time out to leave us a 5-Star review! We take pride in knowing our guests are happy with their experience. We value our guests’ feedback and your comments have been shared with our team so we may continuously improve the guest experience.
Thanks for your support, we really appreciate it! Looking forward to seeing you again soon 😄

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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