I stayed at the Leela with my husband in November 2004 and the staff were very friendly indeed. The decor is amazing, and the pool area is quaint, but the fact that there are so many trees shading the pool means that the water is absolutely freezing. There is nothing worse than a lukewarm pool when you want to cool off, but this is heart-attack stuff ! Really, it is too cold.
If you venture out in a tuck tuck beware of the beggars which abound the traffic lights. It is really terrible, and one small kid hit me hard on my leg while begging and we went for a walk to one of the local restaurants and I had a bottle of water ripped from my hand by a small kid. Nothing much to lose, and I was tempted to teach the little thieves a lesson by having vodka in it next time, that’d shock them!
The owner of the hotel strolls about every now and then, doubtlessly keeping his staff in check which must be a bit nerve wracking for them as he didn’t seem the friendliest of characters, backed up by the fact that he virtually ignored us when we said hello as he stalked the pool !
I must say we got the best deal from this hotel by e-mailing direct and getting a very good rate.
Apart from the freezing pool and the beggars I would recommend it wholeheartedly. Oh, I had a massage which left me literally bruised all over my back two days before I was due to fly home, so the staff sent out for a tube of cream for the bruise and then presented me with the (miniscule) bill for the cream. Could have given it to me free, would have been a nice gesture, specially as the pummelling had been so hard as to bruise my back in the first place!
Beauty parlour is a hoot when there is a wedding on, with all the girls getting henna amd being preened.