Woods N Spice is one of the very good properties of Sterling Holiday Resorts. The rooms and cottages have been largely made of wood giving the resort a stunning look.
The resort has a good lawn and a small swimming pool in addition to an Activity Centre, restaurant, two play areas and a thatched chai stall. It is located close to Kumily bus stand making it extremely accessible.
The rooms here are basic which has a bed and bath attached with a television and intercom service but nonetheless comfortable. The lawn is good and you can sit by the pool side with your family. Of course you need to be wary of the monkeys but they don’t trouble you during the day. If you are opening the door early in the morning then you would better check for monkeys just outside the door. There are no lifts so if you are taking elderly people with you then it would be better to request for rooms on the ground floor or first floor.
Most of the staff are extremely friendly. When we arrived there by around 8 am, the receptionist Prabakar received us with a warm smile and said he would try his best to find us a room soon as their usual check in time is 12 noon and check out is by 10 am. Since the room was not immediately available, he offered to give us towels to take a shower and freshen up at a well maintained bathroom located adjacent to the pool but we preferred to wait. He then made arrangements for us to have our breakfast at the restaurant even before we had checked in. Throughout our stay he was very helpful when he was on duty even offering us umbrella just in case it rained. Unfortunately, while checking out we couldn’t convey our gratitude to him as he was not on duty.
There was of course, one receptionist, who always wore a forced smile and came across as a not so friendly person, for reasons unknown. I could see that some other reviewers have also commented about this person. This was a bit surprising as in the hospitality sector a spontaneous smile means a lot to the guests.
At the restaurant, Mukesh and the other staff were extremely friendly. The restaurant has various offers such as an Rs 250 discount if you dine as a couple and further discounts if you eat as a group of three. So do check out for the offers with Mukesh as you would be saving a lot of money. They also offer 20% discount for corporate clients. The restaurant also allows orders on a la carte basis. The choice of buffet and a la carte, however, is limited. The food quality is okay. Some items like dosa and desserts were good. Since the resort is close to the main town, you have cheaper eating options within one or two kilometres provided you have a vehicle as the road is steep and unless you are comfortable walking up a slope, you may find it difficult to walk.
The Activity Centre has a mini table tennis, carom board, chess, board games and books. It also has a small podium and at your request they can set up a karoke or music systems and throw open the dance floor.
The resort staff also facilitate sight seeing but I found that hiring vehicles / jeeps (for Gavi / Sathram) directly from private cab operators works out much more economical. One can look at many sightseeing options such as the Periyar Reservoir boating (better to book online to avoid the crowd though they charge Rs 25 extra), elephant ride (Rs 400 per person), Kallari performance (Rs 175 / Rs 200) and Kathakalai performance (same) – all these within Thekkady main area. It is better to avoid spice plantation visit as the idea behind the initiative is more to sell spices passing them off as organic stuff, than truly educate you.
For those willing to go beyond Thekkady, they can look at visiting Gavi forest (day tour. Per head Rs 1,500 which can be paid online or at the Kerala Forest Department office in Ambady + Jeep hire charges) and a visit to Wagamon and Paranthampura (one day), There are many other options like Sathram jeep safari, visiting view points, etc but I am not commenting on them as we did not go there.
One must spend at least half a day or one full evening at the Sterling Resorts as otherwise you will be missing the joy of lazing around in the resort.