I had very bad experience from Driver Pradosh . It was my family tour to Kerala planned from Poppins holidays(From Aug 28th 2017 to Sep 03rd 2017).The Driver Pradosh was very unprofessional and has loads of impatience in guiding travellers with psychic attitude.During our first day visit at Cochin Cotanikkara temple, at 5.30 pm in the evening and this is the last site seing place in Cochin for the day as per our iternary, we were inside the temple sitting in the temple premises after Goddess darshan.This guy rushed inside the temple and asking us move on fast and go to hotel room, as Kerala is not safe place for woman to roam outside during Onam days.He did not allowed us to do shopping also, he told that he will take us to his known places as here prices are very high.
After he picked us from Cochin airport @ 10 AM and on the way to Hotel as per iternary we have to visit Adi sankaracharyas places(stupam, birth place etc) by 1 pm we are done in visiting these places, in iternary it is clearly written that we can visit any extra places if time permits if incase places not mentioned in iternary. My mother was very much interested to see the place where KAnasultankadara stotram was first receited by Adisankaracharya.Even though we asked Pradosh about this place, he just kept quiet and dropped us directly @ hotel and asked us to rest in hotel. And in the evening as I earlier conveyed he pushed us to move out of temple scaring us that Kerala is unsafe during Onam days and dropped us @ Hotel.
We were allotted excellent room in Guruvayoor Kanoos Residency, Cochoin in classic comfort .thanks to Poppins here.
While we are heading towards Munnar from Guruvayoor, the plan was to visit Athirapally water falls on the way, we started to Athirapally @ 9.30 AM in the morning from Guruvayoor. We are done with waterfalls site seeing by afternoon 2 PM. Now while heading towards Munnar on the way we have to visit Cheyapara and Velara waterfalls. But the time we reach Munnar Ghat road it was 6.00 pm in the evening, hence we could not see Cheyapara and Velara waterfalls at all. Now Mr.Pradosh drama started from 6.30 pm only, he was asking us to stay at some town this night
taking some hotel and start in the next day morning to Munnar, as this time is not safe to travel in Munnar Ghat road as Elephants and Cheetahs use this road and last week also Cheetah has attacked couple of people travelling on road. He also told that travel guys have allotted resort very far from the Munnar town which is not safe at all. However we told that we are not okay to stay in any town and told him strictly to make us to reach resort at any cost whatever may be the time and we are very brave enough to face whatever situation that we across due to Elephants and cheetahs.This Pradosh tried a lot to his best to scare after that driving very harsh on narrow Munnar Roads and atlast we reached Munnar @ 10.30 pm. Then from travel guys I came to know that all resorts in Munnar are located outskirts only and we were given executive suite in resort from Poppins with excellent view, and its not unusual to travel on Munnar ghat road after 6 pm. Though the room was good, we were not given room heater saying that room heater has some prbm, we spent that night shivering like anything.After complaining to Poppins we were given room heater next night.Our next day started in Munnar for site seeing, the plan was to visit Eravikulam National Park, Mattupetty Dam(optional boating), Eco point, Kundale lake, Top station. Pradhosh gave a valuable suggestion to us that he will drop us at one station where we can take a jeep which charges 3000/- to show all these places in Munnar.I asked him that why this jeep thing is not mentioned in Iternary and let me talk to travel guys on this, now this guy got scared and told not to complaint to travels and he will show these places using this car only.
The next plan as per iternary was to take houseboat(Premium) in Allappey from Munnar. Pradosh’s another drama started, he demanded us to checkout from the hotel without taking breakfast @ 7 am as we will be late again as it happened to Munnar. My question was, why will it gets late for places with in 150 kms distance and Iternary will not be planned considering everything?However we started without having breakfast, and we fell sick vomiting due to turns on Munnar ghat road, at this situation Mr.Pradosh has got sympathy on us suddenly and offering us to see Velara and Cheyapara waterfalls what we missed on the way while heading towards Munnar, we obviously will say no to his great offer at that situation. Pradosh has stopped at one of the spice Garden ayurvedic medical shop saying this is Govt. shop and to get medicine to stop vomits. The medical shop person has suggested us one tonic to stop vomits and can you expect what could be the price of tonic given to us.it is 750 INR:-D, no other option left for us other than taking this tonic. Hope now even kid can predict what could be prices of the things from places he was recommending from what he stopped us to take from earlier site seeing places. He dropped us @ 2 pm in Allappey house boat, the house boat was very dirty and no bolts to wash room and no bolts to main door of the room allotted to us. The boat allotted to us is not fit to say even delux boat, I was surprised to see the boat condition and travels claiming that it is premium boat, immediately I called travels co-ordinator Binish and sent him the snaps of the boat condition on whatsapp. Immediately House boat was changed and boat now alloted looks good with better ambience than earlier boat, my sincere thanks to Binish here for taking quick action. I would also like to Thank Anish, who is the cook of the house boat, he accompnaied us in Allappey that evening for shopping and we could atleast get something as planned in Kerala trip from Allappey. We checked out from boat next morning @ 9.30 am, now Mr. Pradosh appeared infront of us with lots of crooked plans in his mind, he told us that he will take us to the shopping where things will be cheap. We told that we already bought things in last evening in Allappey and now its better we move forward as per plan in iternary.
I have shared all these experience with Binish from Poppins travels and told him that though Poppins has given us fabulous service with decent rooms with good view, but could not enjoy trip upto the expected extent due to Pradosh’s psycic attitude and behaviour. Binish confirmed that poppins has already fired this driver. Iam writing this review to beware of this Pradosh, he may appear as driver from other travels.