I just had the opportunity of staying at this place sometime back as I found the site on the internet and the marketing was appealing. However I guess there are a lot of things missing as a professional set up compared to the charges they levy on the guests.
This heritage villa is located about 10 kms from Allepey, a small Kerala town in a place called Nedumudi and is accessible by bus or auto. This place is far off from civilization that way and is very quiet and calm. The main attraction is the river which is about 70 feet away from the villa and gives more the appearance of a backwater. The place is run by a hospitable couple, the Thomases. Hospitality is very nice. However there is nothing like a room service etc. for that matter. For Rs. 3000+ for a days stay, I guess that should be a given.
The place is at a offbeat location meaning you need to approach it by boat or walk through a very narrow winding trail( very difficult/dangerous to walk in the night), so returning after a trip in the nearby areas at late nights is a difficult thing. The food is the most toughest thing here, you absolutely do not have a choice and need to eat whatever the family prepares. The food was a disaster for North Indian vegetarian guests like me and not worth the money at all. The dinner was absolute shambles as the food was served cold . I do like south Indian food after having stayed in Bangalore for about 5 years but this was inedible. The worse part is that there is no other option, there is no other hotel in sight nearby(even if you are ready to venture out in the dark winding trail to the road).
The villa is a refurnished set of 3 rooms, it can house 3 guests at a time only. However it is neat and decent but for the fact that need to change the bedsheets daily. The old mosquito nets on the cot are not comfortable as they tend to fall on your face. The biggest drawback here is that there is no telephone and TV in the room! These again you need to share it with the owners in their drawing room. This is again not done for 3K+ fare(for non A/C rooms).
The ambience however was nice and fantastic in terms of the environment, the owner can arrange for the houseboat and ayurvedic massage for an extra charge. The place was not crowded and had a nice rustic feel with paddy fields etc. They have a small lawn in the front with a couple of hammocks which nice to relax during early mornings.
However I would not recommend this place for such a high price. With the kind of facilities on offer I would say they should not quote above 1-1.2 K tops, as most of lodges in Allepey do not charge over Rs. 400/-. And the quality of food needs to be taken care absolutely fast else a long stay at the villa would be a no no.