Heritage Resort Hampi — Hotel in Karnataka

Heritage Hampi resort is a little oasis nestled by the side of sugar cane plantations (one of Hampis many farm trades). From the moment we arrived, we received a warm welcome of fresh watermelon juice (made from local produce). One of the first things we could tell was that the resort hired only locals to work there which we loved. Sathiya, the general manager gave us some excellent recommendations of what we're the biggest historical and spiritual highlights to see on our short three day stint of this UNESCO protected land. Hanuman halli and Vithaya temple were on top of that list for us. The views from the top of "Monkey temple" as it is known to foreigners are breathtaking, that's even if you have any breath left after the 575 steep steps (tip, get there at least one hour before sunset to climb and be able to take it all in. Coconut blessing offerings are optional for small fee to the local market stall sellers). Our tuk tuk Driver Manju was first class, and so was the interior and comfort of "his baby" as lovingly referred to it, which comes complete with an amazing sound system and lights. Like a party on three wheels. Driving along the rice paddy fields and scattered ruins while filiming from his tuk tuk, made it feel like a travel documentary/music video. He was the most friendliest, most accommodating and add to that one of the most hospitable and warm persons we've ever met. He will happily give you his phone number and pick you up from anywhere you need him too and can, for a very affordable fee, wait for you to do your tourist thing and take you back to the Heritage. Please pay him fairly and tip him handsomely because that is his only means of income and he does this all with a humbling humility. On that note I do hope and very much recommend that Heritage Resort hire and pay him a regular wage as he is a great asset to any establishment and, with the right guidance, will only enhance their customer satisfaction rating. Our room was spacious and accommodated three persons quite comfortably (a third makeshift bed was made but the mattress is quite hard so ask for two layers). It has all the amenities anyone would need and a very powerful shower which after a very sweaty day of sightseeing and shopping, helps to cleanse you thoroughly (I could easily spend an hour under it). We had a pool room which has a smallish 2m length pool, with two sun loungers which is a perfect temperature always and very private. The breakfast is a buffet (very nice choice of local and european food) and dinner is buffet on alternative nights and a la carte on other nights (we preferred the buffet. Better value and choices). The young men are all attentive and very polite especially Manjunath. All local young men trained well under the watchful eyes of seniors. Bravo on so many levels Heritage resort Hampi. You deserve praise always. On a side note friends of ours who chose to stay at a different resort, Evolve Back, did not have a similar experience at all. They chose to hang in our hotel pool instead and loved it. Main Hampi market is a 15 min Manju...

I stayed here out of desperation, as all accommodation anywhere near Hampi seemed to be full. It was 10,000 rupees for the night, which is 2-5x what I've been paying anywhere else in India. But I thought okay why not treat myself to a bit of luxury.

But... it's not luxury. The room is very large but it certainly isn't a "villa", it's just a room with a bathroom. The bathroom is quite grim and had a sort of sewagey smell and had signs of damp or mould on the walls. The bed is enormous and comfortable. The TV is tiny, especially given how far away from it you are. But the room just doesn't feel like it's finished to anywhere near the standard it should be for the price.

There's an overpriced minibar, but my fridge was absolutely roasting hot, even after the it had been switched on for a few hours. The can of coke in there was heavily dented and looked dirty. And the minibar items were all just cheap snacks and drinks heavily marked up. They absolutely should have been complimentary given the price of the room.

Nothing is laid out very well. The only plug socket near the bed and all the switches for fans and lights etc are behind the headboard and hard to reach. There's no sofa and only a small table and chairs, so really no point in having such a big room.

The pool is beautiful but closes at 7pm and looks very shallow.

The shower was cold at 7am (even after letting it run for quite a while, as directed by a sign) and there was some construction noise at 9am in the morning. There was some broken glass outside my door in the morning. Breakfast is a buffet and nowhere near up to the standard it should be for a place this expensive. It's not bad but it's not great.

So overall it was basically a 5000 rupee experience but they double it because it's Hampi. I wasn't very happy but was going to forget about it and carry on. But then during check-out they make you wait while they send someone to have a look at the room, which I've never had happen before and seemed a bit rude.

While I was waiting they gave me a feedback form. So I filled it out honestly, i.e. negatively. The chap at reception reads it as soon as I handed it to him, which is really not how things should be done. Then he calls over a manager to read it and talk to me. I gave a quick summary of the above and ordered a taxi to Hampi, assuming that was the end of the matter. While I was waiting for the taxi a more senior manager came over and said "I hear you are not happy". I said no, but I've explained it to your colleague and don't wish to discuss it further. But she absolutely insisted and made me run through my points again, making various excuses and generally being rather cold and unfriendly. She didn't stop asking me things and eventually I said look, THIS is part of the problem, you shouldn't interrogate guests! It was the strangest and most frustrating hotel check-out experience I've ever had, and is what prompted me to write this ridiculously long review.

Accommodation is hard to find in Hampi but, as it was for me, the Heritage Resort should only be your absolute...

We stayed in 3 resorts at Hampi - Boulders, Heritage and Wilderness, and Heritage resort. We picked up this resort to celebrate our 10th anniversary and also use the time to visit the Hampi temples, places of archaeological significance. Resort has the location advantage compared to it's peers. Very near to Kamalapur and Hampi city. Very green - their organic garden was awesome. The interior gardens were also delight. The mango trees were laden with mangoes and they encourage guests to buy from their produce rather than plucking. Very apt. The mangoes, chickoos were adding to the overall appeal of the place. We stayed in pool villa with a big living room, a well sized exclusive pool and a large bedroom along with a cabinet space. It was truly a villa. The housekeeping team is doing a fab job maintaining the property. You can't find any fault with the room and amenities. The food is awesome. You get a preset menu but the options are fabulous. Breakfast spread is wide and has great options. Even F&B service is great. The small decoration for our candle light dinner was excellent, oozed royalty. It was complementary for our 10th anniversary. The staff went out of their way ensuring a great and memorable meal experience. But on another night dinner, the different F&B staff went way too slow. We finished in 2 hours with painfully slow service and missing staff members. Where we felt the resort can improve a lot is Front Office (FO) service. We were received by a trainee who had no idea of hospitality. She didn't even offer us to sit asking us to fill forms, talking about what's not included in our package. I had to remind her to offer us a welcome drink (part of package). For the complementary decoration, she outrightly rejected. When I raised a complaint, she said she was just a trainee and she will speak to "madam". Except for this, all other experiences were nice. Our kid enjoyed the pool a lot. We were in water for a quarter of our entire stay. The ayurvedic shala is superb. The spa, steam bath was excellent and very detailed. I literally slept 4-5 times during the massage. It was exceptionally relaxing and equally rejuvenating. Lost all tiredness from the long drive from Hyderabad to Hampi. 1 pr reduced so the resort takes notices and improves their FO and F&B services. Rest, it's hard to find any fault. Pool villa is expensive but I think it did live upto it's expectation. Overall an excellent luxury resort that's safe, near to the most important hampi destinations and has an exhuberant...