Ramas Garden — Hotel in Kerala

Rarely do we stay at hotels when we touch Trivandrum during our India trip. But this time, my grandmother's house had an A/C that abruptly stopped working since last trip in November (4 months ago) and has since been the case so my dad and I decided to stay at this place while my mom stays with my maternal grandmother like usual and the periods we'd go to her house would be some days for breakfast (if we go to a temple in the morning), lunch, and dinner, but we just come here to hang around the A/C. ||||Staff were very friendly and smiled at us, and I especially like Santhosh who took care of everything he could, especially when we requested anything specific. He also went above and beyond in taking initiative in making sure the guests feel welcome at this place and was always happy to talk about anything since we especially were coming from the US. Impressions are that the place is like a service apartment with a Bed and Breakfast (If you want to call it a B&B). We got room 204, and it looked like a modern room. The A/C was there and working at all times which was good. Shower was great with a lot of good water pressure and hot water. The beds were very comfortable and my father and I were able to get a very good sleep. Wifi was very good for the most part though sometimes you had periods when it went out but it usually got resolved by the ISP. ||||One thing that was lacking as opposed to most hotels is service. Sure they're friendly and would like to help you out as much as possible. However, unlike most hotels I've stayed at, they don't put soap or extra shampoo when they clean the rooms. They do put towels which is expected. If you want soap or shampoo, you can request and they'd be happy to give, but the lack of initiative on that kind of bothered me. ||||What also did bother me was the professionalism when it came down to the time of having breakfast. One morning, we had no morning engagement/plans and we decided to eat breakfast. They said breakfast and coffee would typically be there by 8:15, but we come around 8:25, and breakfast and coffee was still nowhere to be found and we asked the front desk who said it is coming. I don't think this is what a guest expects at any place they stay at. ||||Another thing if I like to add is the food. For the most part, except a few items that could be homemade, the regulars like dosa and pongal are bought from Udupi Restaurant a few miles away and you can seriously tell the difference between a dosa made hours ago and a dosa made fresh. They do not give fresh dosa, instead they order and reheat (which is fine), but to a degree, I was expecting fresh dosa. The good thing is we didn't have to pay and breakfast would still be considered "free" to us. Because this ties into the service category for me, I would have to dock a star. ||||Although I do hope in my future trip here, the A/C at my grandmother's house gets fixed, if I have friends or other family wanting to stay at a hotel in Trivandrum, I recommend this place, but do not expect too much service, especially when it comes to the breakfast...

Personification of Professionalism

1. I'd stayed in Ramas Garden for 2 nights in a standard twin room. First and foremost, this hotel is located in a highly strategic location from where you can easily reach out to many tourist spots. For instance, Padmanabaswamy temple is just 450 m away . It served as a great advantage for me to visit this temple during early morning time without any hassle.
2. Secondly the rooms are highly clean and has all the necessary furniture in it. A lower table to keep our luggage that can be quickly accessible. A table and chair for those who use laptop. Mattresses and Bathrooms are well maintained. We had a wonderful stay.
3. This building might appear as if a home has been converted to a hotel, yet it has all the facilities on par with a star hotel.
4. We enjoyed the breakfast as well. May it be the idli and vada served on Thursday or may it be the Appam-Kadalakari and Dosa-Veg Kurma, it was delicious. Fine Dining restaurants like Annapoorna (Opposite to Padmanaswamy temple) are located in walking distance. One suggestion: Please keep Uppuma away from the breakfast menu as many would not like this. Special thanks to Care takers/Receptionists Mr William and Mr Girish for the hospitality !

Area of Improvement: Even though we were fortunate to get a room on the ground floor. Since this hotel doesn't have any lift to access the upper floors, some guests might feel uneasy and that might ruin their experience/stay. Hence management need to do something about the upper...

Spotless Clean ..This is the best way to Describe it ..My standards of cleanliness are very high but the Cleanliness at Ramas Garden has surpassed my Standards..I have never come across a cleaner homestay..The Rooms were very spacious ,extra beds could be easily accommodated, Hot water was available round the clock..There was Enough space for keeping our luggage too..The Buffet breakfast which is served in a cosy dining room on the ground floor was very delicious 😋 Mr.William the Manager is a gem of a person..He has always answered all my queries even on the phone before and after the booking..He even carried our heavy luggage right upto the rooms because the bell boy was on leave..Mr. William arranged for vehicles at the last minute when we asked for a drop at the railway station.(A small note to the Owner: Please keep a young lad to help Mr William carry the luggage..He never once complained but it would be a huge help to him).The only drawback at this place is that it has no lift and only 1 room is present on the ground floor so I will recommend this place only for people who have no joint problems and can climb for atleast 1 floor..Lastly this place is walking distance to the famous Anant Padmanabh temple..Ramas Garden does not have a restaurant of its own but there are a lot of shops and restaurants at walking distance from this place ..Our stay here was delightful and i would definitely recommend this cosy homestay for its a home...