Cherai Beach Residency — Hotel in Vypin

My extended family (7 of us) booked 3 rooms at Cherai Beach Residency (not to be confused with Cherai Beach Resort down the road) for 3 days right after Christmas 2019. My husband and I have been to almost 30 countries and have stayed at a wide variety of places, but this is up there with the top 5 just because of the sheer warmth and hospitality of the hosts, Jessy & Poly. First off, Cherai Beach Residency is a small place, more like a large house than a hotel, and it is immaculately maintained. The rooms (air-conditioned) and large bathrooms are pristinely clean and comfortable. The staff are very attentive and obliging. That made this place instantly stand out to us. The compound sits across the road from the beach with easy access to the beach. There's a retaining wall that has been built between beach and road but right where this place is, the wall is very low so the beach is much more accessible than from some of the other resorts. [Edit: 2022 - they had to build a higher retaining wall so you do have to climb steps to get to the beach and the sea is visible only from the top floor balconies.]They also put out beach chairs for guests unlike the other resorts. The beach, btw, is one of the cleanest beaches we've been to. Not crowded either. In the afternoons we were the only people there! We hosted a lunch for 14 people the day we arrived, having made arrangements with Poly ahead of time via email. It was well-executed and the food (Kerala food) was very good. For the remainder of our stay, we had almost all meals at the resort (breakfasts are included with the room). We just had to tell them a couple of hours in advance what we wanted off their menu. I highly recommend their Kerala fish dishes -- they buy fish fresh off the fishermen's boats. More than the rooms, the food, the beach access, etc., it is their hospitality that stood out to us. We felt like we were at a relative's home the entire time because Poly and Jessy were so easy-going and flexible, extremely accommodating, and would even join our conversations when they weren't too busy. When Poly saw me filming a toddy tapper in the backyard, he arranged for us to have a taste of the toddy taken from his coconut trees. When we specified the type of fish we would like to eat, Jessy managed to get it. Tea or coffee was made whenever we wanted. When we needed to arrange for a taxi or autorickshaw, they'd do it promptly. When I mentioned that I couldn't handle long car rides for sight-seeing, Poly immediately brainstormed and came up with the idea of a boat tour and arranged for all the tickets within minutes. My 82-year-old mother was so impressed with Cherai Beach Residency that she immediately booked two rooms for January for my sister's visit. I asked my sister yesterday what to write in this review and she said, "Just write a rave review!" Clearly their service is consistent. Their resort is small enough for them to manage beautifully (just 6 or 7 rooms, I think) and it's evident that Poly and Jessy absolutely love what they do. They love meeting people from around the world, and they equally love meeting people who (like my mom and aunt) live in Kerala. Cherai Beach Residency was the best possible choice for a family get-together but my husband and I are equally certain that we will return for a stay by ourselves. We cannot recommend it highly enough! [Edit: I returned in March 2022. Nothing to change this review except that there is now a lovely swimming pool on the premises. Their service is above and beyond. They actually call my mother occasionally to just chat. Amazing. I have booked my third...

Staying at the Cherai Beach residency was an amazing experience. At arrival, sir Polly greeted us with a nice smile and had arranged everything very well. The apartment and the facilities were really amazing. The air conditioning works very good. Sir Polly is always ready to help and arrange things even beyond his own business interests. There wish is to make your stay as pleasurable as possible. And this is what I like the most about staying at the beach residency.

The staff is really friendly and amazing and they are always ready to help with a smile. They adjust to your needs e.g. , if someone prefers to have dinner at the beach or in the garden, they are always ready to set up as comfortable as possible. The newspaper, the other amenities like beach umbrella are perfect. I definitely recommend having food from them as well. The local food is made using almost all ingredients from either the garden or from the sea nearby. The fruits as well as vegetables are from the people around who have it in their own garden. For example coconut, banana, melons are taken from nearby resources. The other things like vegetables, spinach, beans are taken from the local garden and if there are things not in the local garden then they are bought from nearby fisherman or from the fresh local market. The complete package of morning beach walks together with freshly made food together with style tailored for your needs makes the beach residency a perfect choice to stay at. I would definitely come again to the residency if I am...

Although it has been a year since we visited we remember with great fondness our wonderful stay with Poly and Jessy at the Cherai Beach residency. We visited in February 2023. They were always so helpful and happy to arrange trips and give us local knowledge. They were always around if you needed help. ||The pool was superb but the beach drew us every day. The sunbeds were always available and it was only used by the guests so it felt quite private. The sea was warm and calm, and we particularly enjoyed watching the different animals ( birds) and enjoying the sunset every evening. ||Our rooms were air-conditioned, with a fridge and a balcony facing the beach which was a real treat. Poly found us a driver to take us to different places and activities, and he would be with us all day at our disposal. Their local knowledge was invaluable, if we needed something, they would find it for us. ||There are a couple of Ayurveda centers at walking distance, and I had the best massages ever! The ladies did a head-to-toe massage by applying different oils and it was amazing. I also had yoga classes and meditation.||The locals were so friendly and warm, and loved taking pictures with us! we loved the shopping centre Lulu Mall was fabulous, we only planned to go one day but ended one going three times! ||We highly recommend Cherai Beach, make sure you book in advance, especially if you are after the...