We spent a Saturday night in Feb ’09. This place cost us 2, 500 per night. A little pricey - but really worth the money. Highlights:
Closest property to the beach, but not actually on the beach. One can actually hear the waves inside the cottages. View of the water from the resort is hidden by trees/greenery.
Very nice atmosphere, lots of greenery, quiet, private and child friendly.
These are not actually wooden cottages as advertised, but fiber glass cottages built using steel pipe-frames and RCC piles for ground support.
Cottage/room sizes can be a little small, but suited for a couple - we have a couple of kids.
Not much idea about the food - we only had breakfast there. Stuff was good. Breakfast recommended.
People wanting to save money as well as going in for healthier options can try out this guy nearby called Suhas Bapat. He serves Maharashtrian style VEG thaalis. 50 bucks per adult, 30 bucks per child. Clean, tasty and healthy food - homely st. We had lunch and dinner there, but honestly couldn’t take more of it. This guy will only serve you food ONLY if you make an advance booking. Ph #s: 9423837967, 9271127337
Exotica’s service is average - sometimes they are very responsive, sometimes they just don’t bother to do what you want.
Loads of power problems - A/Cs don’t work on generators. But the weather was good (Feb). I dread to think what it must be like after the monsoons.
Beach was clean, but there was litter - the local administration must be filled with morons. I couldn’t see a single trash can in the whole beach. Apparently, volunteer school kids clean the beach every few days. Kids seem to have more sense than adults.
The beach sand is wierd - not the coarse white grainy sand you see in Chennai, but really fine black sticky stuff. Needs a lot of washing before you can get rid of it.
If you’re going with kids, make sure you carry loads of packaged food/snacks, medicines, spare clothes, diapers, beach toys, swimming gear etc. Local eating options may not be suitable for kids and city slickers won’t get fancy stuff out there. It is after all a village. We thankfully thought about all this even though we went only for a night.
We went with another couple with kids. Seems like a place where a group can enjoy too. This of course is subjective and personal.
Overall, a wonderful experience, a great place to stay and a fantastic beach. Enjoy your stay.