Montila — Hotel in Maharashtra

We had directly contacted the owner Sharan and booked the bungalow for a weekend outside the city. Seemed very friendly over the phone and promised us that everything will be taken care of.

Upon reaching Lonavla, we found it very difficult locating the place as it is secluded ( off the highway towards Della). If you don't have your own mode of transportation, you would literally be stranded in the middle of nowhere. When we finally found our way to the villa at around 5 pm, after a lot of coordination over the phone with the owner, to our dismay the villa was like a warzone as it hadn't been cleaned after the previous. guests had checked out. Despite multiple opportunities of informing us when we had called for directions, he did not think it was necessary to inform us that the villa hadn't been cleaned yet. When I had earlier mentioned warzone, I really meant it as there were alcohol bottles and glasses everywhere, used plates lying around, the floor sticky, plastic cups and empty food packets in the pool, etc. It was appalling to say the least.

The caretakers had told us that the would require a minimum of 2 hours to clean the villa, this is at 5pm and the check in was supposed to be at 12. Realising that we don't have an option since the entire amount was paid upfront towards the booking, we left for Lonavla to grab a bite. We were hoping that the villa would be cleaned upon our return but it seemed like they had just begun and all we could do was to sit on the couch by the door and watch them. After testing our patience we finally called the owner and gave him a piece of our mind, he accepted his fault and blamed the previous guests for not checking out in time. We had informed him that we were not going to check out till 5 either as the villa wasn't even ready at 7 pm, to which he had agreed.

We soon learnt that the caretaking staff had a backdoor through which they entered the villa and this was something that did not make the girls in the group feel safe. However just to put it on recordthere was so no untoward incident.

Everything was fine after we got the villa and we enjoyed ourselves into the wee hours of the morning. We must have slept at around 5:30 in the morning. To our horror, the staff start ringing the doorbell at 11 despite our clear instructions not to and the late check-out being communicated. They tell us that the owner has told them that another guest is on the way and that we need to checkout.

Upon calling the owner he responds in an apologetic manner saying that the guests had preponed their stay and had arrived (which did not seem very believable). We refused to checkout but he kept insisting and promised us a 50% discount on our next stay and also told us that we should visit his Ali baug property. Finally we relented as the other guests had arrived and made themselves comfortable on the couch while we were still in the villa. The caretakers had let them in and it started getting very awkward. This was not only unprofessional at every step along the way right from not informing us about the villa not being ready, to promising us a late check-out and ultimately allowing the next guests inside and hustling us to leave. However, it doesn't end here, the best is yet to come.

Fast-forward five months down the line. We contacted him to take him up on the promise of the discount. This time we were directed to some dim wit who was newly recruited to be their marketing/sales guy who was very slick in handling the situation. He tells us that the promise of discount is time barred, which not only amused me but also baffled me since a time cap was never mentioned by the owner and also he volunteered the discount as there was a major failure of service from his side. We thought the owner would be more reasonable so decided to talk to him directly but alas, he showed his true colours and did what any coward in his place would do - ignore!

Moral of the story - always be wary of...

We had booked the Horizon villa from 20th - 22nd November for a peaceful weekend getaway with our family. But our experience was anything but peaceful. Ever since we reached the property, we only had to run after multiple issues that we faced at the property. The Villa was not at all sanitized/cleaned properly and the dining area was literally stinking. This is highly unacceptable in a pandemic condition. One of the major factors to book a villa was a swimming pool. We checked in on Friday afternoon and the swimming pool was non-functional till Saturday evening. The pool staff was extremely arrogant when being questioned about this. Even when the pool did become functional, the water was far from being clean. There were cobwebs throughout the ceiling of the villa and on questioning the caretaker, we were told they do not have the right equipment to clean it. The Cable TV in the main room was not functioning. The villa caretakers came up to us with unreasonable demands like heating food of other families staying in adjacent villa in our kitchen. These demands are highly unprofessional considering the current COVID situation. The caretaker was not present in the villa until late evening due to a medical reason on the first day which is ok. But the person left to take charge in her absence was extremely arrogant and had no sense of attending to guests. The microwave in the kitchen was not functioning properly. One of the bathroom locks was faulty resulting into our family member being stuck inside for around 45 mins. There were drums full of empty beer bottles right within the villa premises which ideally should not be present and should be disposed off outside the villa.

On voicing out all of these concerns, all we got as compensation was a complimentary breakfast for just one morning. It was a thoroughly disappointing experience. I would expect better training and maintenance standards to be set at the properties to avoid such inconvenience to guests...

A Disappointing Experience at Lonavala Villa with Staycations

My recent stay at a villa in Lonavala, booked through Staycations, was nothing short of a disappointment. I had high hopes for this trip, considering Staycations' reputation, but the experience fell far below expectations. Here's a breakdown of the issues we encountered during our stay:

Misleading Photos: The villa we stayed in bore little resemblance to the images displayed online. It was a severe mismatch, with the actual villa being significantly inferior in terms of space and amenities.

Lack of Cleanliness: Cleanliness is a basic expectation, especially when booking through a reputed platform like Staycations. Unfortunately, our villa was far from clean. Dust and dirt were noticeable in various areas, making our stay uncomfortable.

Dreadful Service: The service we received during our stay was, to put it bluntly, terrible. Requests and inquiries were met with indifference, and the staff seemed disinterested in providing any assistance. It was a frustrating experience, especially when we needed help with various aspects of our stay.

Appalling Food Quality: The lowest point of our stay was undoubtedly the food. Despite bringing up our concerns and even after the chef was changed, the quality of food remained consistently disappointing. It's disheartening to pay for meals that are subpar, even after raising the issue.

Uncooperative Staff: The staff's uncooperative attitude added to our dissatisfaction. It felt as though our concerns were falling on deaf ears, and there was no genuine effort made to improve our experience.

In conclusion, I regret to say that I cannot recommend this villa in Lonavala, booked through Staycations, to anyone. My overall rating for this experience is a dismal 0. Such a substandard experience is unacceptable, especially from a renowned brand like Staycations. I hope this review serves as a cautionary note for those considering this villa for their stay...