Neeleshwar Hermitage

Our first trip here and we will surely return. What an amazing setting on a never ending beach that is deserted most of the time. The hotel standards are set by the amazing team that look after you - all of them intent on making your stay the most relaxing and pleasant experience. The pool is amazing, the two restaurants both serve incredible food, the spa and yoga centre make sure you relax and that beach is your front doorstep! The cottages are spacious and comfortable and spotless. But it is the staff and their genuine smiles and friendly nature that make this place the special location it is. The message you put on our breakfast table on our last morning is one that works both ways. We miss you and Thankyou to all of you for the most wonderful stay. Andy and Shirlie.

Truly a magical place, we were only there for 3 days and wish we could have stayed longer. After a really hetic few days travelling (expired visa, extra flights, no sleep and so much stress) we arrived weary pale shadows. The vibe is so chilled you can't help but slow down, relax and just inhale whilst watching the amazing ocean from the side of the seriously pretty pool. The huts and outdoor bathrooms (we were in shanti) are gorgeous and so ***y thoughtful details which really make the place unique...I loved the smell of the incense they burn each night and of course they sell it in the shop! Well worth buying a few packets. The food is exceptional and totally obsessed with the lemon rice and traditional flakey bread. We had a trea**ent each day in the spa and Floated out each time! The staff however are what really make this place such a gem. The entire team are so attentive and you feel the energy that goes into make it all so effortless and calm. The biggest thank you from us to the amazing Namra who saved the day and made our start to India so special! And for booking our train tickets too! We are extremely grateful and can't wait to return

Lovely understated small hotel with gorgeous rooms, a lovely restaurant and a super spa. We were upgraded to a lovely pool villa. Friendly and attentive staff and a great breezy spot on the beach . We both had really good massages. Fish restaurant on the beach varied its menu according to the catch of the day. We didn’t try the main restaurant with local food as the fish restaurant was great. Lovely big swimming pool. My only comment would be that our pool villa water perhaps hadn’t been changed since previous guests and was a bit oily. Great relaxing stay before catching the plane home.

This is a v very special place to stay, wonderfully relaxing and the delightful and attentive staff are so kind and made us feel part of their family as soon as we arrived. Fabulous Kerelan fish curries and the chefs special every night was indeed delicious! Relaxing massages at the Ayerverdic centre, miles of beautiful beach to walk, this is a place to totally unwind and find peace whilst being looked after by their charming and wonderful staff. We will miss you all! Francesca xx

We spent nearly a week at Neeleshwar Hermitage as the last stage in our recent holiday in India. Neeleshwar is paradise! The setting is incredibly beautiful, on an endless expanse of beach right by the Indian Ocean. We had a cottage with a sea view: it was beautifully furnished, with a lovely big bed, lots of wardrobe space and a fabulous inside/outside bathroom. We had our own veran***, a wonderful, quiet place to sit, read and watch the sunset over the ocean. The two restaurants were both excellent: we ate at both and enjoyed delicious, fresh food, beautifully presented and courteously served. We also enjoyed several trea**ents at the ayurvedic spa - if you're staying at Neeleshwar these are definitely worth it, with wonderful environmentally-friendly products. We also had some beautiful clothes made by the on-site tailor. Neeleshwar is a truly special, serene place, in the most magical position. You are aware of the guiding ethic, embodied by all the staff and expressed in a service that is caring, courteous and full of unique touches and in the care for the environment. If you have the chance to visit this marvellous place as part of your trip to India then take it!

We have stayed here ***y times but this year we returned with a hint of trepidation because we knew that the operations ***ager who had previously “made everything tick” had moved on. But we needn’t have worried: his successor, Jesse Peter, proved to be incredibly on the ball – focused, responsive and effective. In fact, everything was running so well that there was very little by way issues to resolve, but such minor hiccups as did occur were swiftly and helpfully handled and indeed we felt he was taking very personal care throughout our stay to ensure its success. Similarly Avinash - a new member of staff for us, but in fact the most senior waiter - took exceptional care of us at all three mealtimes. Moral: come here often and they REALLY look after you! The menus for dinner in the Annapurna restaurant (uncompromisingly Indian cooking) and at lunchtime in the Meenakshi restaurant on the beach (cold soups and salads) had both improved on previous years (already themselves very good) with a lot of new recipes that surpassed anything served here before. The new head chef is a star! The one time, however, that we had some grilled fish and vegetables form Meenaskshi for dinner we found them boringly Western and poorly seasoned even on those terms. This was the first time that I had needed to specify a Gluten Free diet and initially this seemed a bit of a challenge to the kitchens and the first time the current team had encountered the issue (itself surprising, given that about 1% of the population suffer from coeliac disease). Other hotels had readily ***aged chapati-style flat breads made from a variety of non-gluten grains (millet, corn etc) but at first even this seemed to defeat them. However, before the end of an eight night stay, they had not only figured this side of things out but were ***aging a very successful toastable bread for breakfasts. It must have taken a good bit of time on Google but they really made an effort and succeeded brilliantly by the end. The gardens meanwhile were looking the best that they had ever been. All in all we left even more determined than usual to return.

We stayed at The Hermitage for 3 nights at the end of a two week tour of Southern India. We stayed in a beautifully appointed bungalow with air conditioning, terrace and gardens. Each morning we attended the complementary yoga sessions before a swim and breakfast. The food at the two restaurants was FANTASTIC- cooked and presented expertly. The seafood was outstanding. All the staff whether gardeners, waiters, therapists or chefs were so friendly, polite and attentive. Its a very relaxing place to stay and was the perfect place to round off our holiday. Highly recommended.

We can’t overstate what an incredible time we had during our five night stay at the hermitage. The location on a pristine and deserted beach among the coconuts and beautiful garden is idyllic. The bungalow with veran*** and hammock superb. But what makes the hermitage a truly wonderful place to unwind are the fabulous staff. Each and every one of them with the most genuine smiles and so helpful always whilst also being unobtrusive. The food is absolutely divine. Although there are two restaurants we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the fish restaurant right on the beach. We even partook in a cooking lesson so chef could teach us a few dishes. The breakfast and complimentary afternoon tea were also delicious. Our biggest dilemma each day was how long to swim in the infinity pool versus the warm Arabian Sea, both minutes from our private bungalow. We did complimentary yoga every morning to the sounds of the waves and birds. It is testament to the wonderful ambience that the hotel has so ***y repeat customers and we certainly hope to come back and even try their sister resort in Kashmir. We landed here after a hectic five or so weeks of touring India so came to chill but there are plenty of half day or whole day trips out that the hotel are happy to arrange. Oh and we were also delighted with the two linen shirts and one cotton dress that their tailor made for us at very reasonable prices. Would highly recommend and although we are not in habit or ‘repeating’ ourselves on holiday we would certainly love to come back to the warm smiles and welcome of the Hermitage

Lovely locations but the hotel is getting tired. The food is very disappointing ; an excess of spices in everything ( despite it being India we have had much better elsewhere ) and breakfast is really poor . No choice of pastries and soggy toast. Some of the staff are charming but they need more direction .