I was planning to visit Kodaikanal from a long time. But as is the case with me, the final decision is taken at the last time. This resulted in a last minute hunt for hotels. Some of the best hotels in Kodaikanal (based on my research) are Hotel Villa Retreat, Hotel Kodai Resort, Hote Sivapriya and Hotel Kodai International. These hotels are in great demand and in the holiday season, one has to book 10-15 days in advance, otherwise it is difficult getting a reservation.
Finally my research led me to Tripadvisor’s list of hotels and I saw that Hotel Silver Springs was ranked No.2, I logged on to their web site and liked what I saw. The booking was done online and advance paid and the hotel called me a couple of times to confirm the arrival and also give directions. During peak seasons, hotel bookings are from 9-9 in Kodai, but we could reach Kodai only by 5 in evening.
The Location of the hotel
The hotel is located on Laws Ghat road, which is at the entry to Kodaikanal and is just around half a kilometre from the lake. As you enter Kodai, you come across a location Munjikal, which has a taxi stand. Here you see a hospital after which we can reach the hotel.
Hotel entrance
The hotel is located downhill and the entrance is a steep slope. If your vehicle brakes are not in good condition, you can have a direct entry to the reception! If you dont have a vehicle, this is a problem, because if you want to leave the hotel and go to the main road, there is a terribly steep uphill road to climb, which can be very difficult for children and aged.
Check-in
Check-in was smooth. The reception is manned by efficient personnel who are helpful.
The rooms
The hotel rooms were the highlight and were great value for money. The hotel is a new one and the rooms are really good. The hotel claims to be 3 star, but it is more of a luxury budget hotel. There are three types of rooms. The Royal room (tariff 1500+tax) was where we stayed. There is also a Classic room (with a balcony) and a honeymoon classic (dont know its specialty)
The rooms are really well-maintained with great ambience and decor. It is cozy, spacious and comfortable. The rooms offer a view of greenery and the main road. The bed is large and can accomodate 2 adults and a child comfortably. Housekeeping is good and you can expect high level of cleanliness.
The bathrooms are also clean and well-maintained. Hot water is available from 7:30-10:30 morning and evening and is scalding hot! On various internet reviews I had seen comments about the quality of water at Kodai. But fortunately, we didnt experience anything bad - the quality of water was good.
Another thing about Kodai is that most hotels dont have fans and ACs - you just dont need them even in summer. It rained in the evening on our second day of visit and it became freezingly chilly!
The hotel surrounding
There is sufficient parking place for vehicles. The hotel has around 20 rooms and plenty of space for parking available.
Another highlight of this hotel is the lawn behind the hotel. There is supposed to be a spring behind the hotel, which is why the hotel is named so. But the spring looked suspiciously like sewage water. But the sound of the spring was pleasant on the ear. The lawn has lots of greenery and you can spend lot of time in the lawn and children will love this place.
Food and service
Now to come to the biggest negative of this hotel - service or the lack of it! Since the hotel offered both veg and non-veg, we didnt eat here and preferred to eat outside. But we had to depend on the hotel for coffee. Service at the rooms or the restaurant is amazingly slow. The restaurant doesnt open even by 7:30 morning and an order takes minimum of 20-30 mins. The coffee that follows was extremely tasteless. Dont’ know about the food, but my guess is if you order something, it will take ages.
So if you dont have vehicle and have to depend on the hotel for food, then it could be a problem!
Check-out
Check-out was also smooth and billing was done smoothly and there were no surprises in the final bill, which happens sometimes!
Value for money
The hotel is great value for money. Excellent rooms, great surroundings and very reasonable tariff. This is a great place to relax and enjoy a holiday.
Overall recommendation
My overall opinion of this hotel is great value for money. But if you dont have a vehicle, then you should stay in Hotel Bala or Astoria, which is in the heart of the city. Apart from service, the rest is great!