I last stayed here 15 years ago and some things have improved but overall it’s the same. Great location with quiet grounds. The pool is large and usually quiet though not many loungers. Best of all are the lovely doormen who are friendly and helpful, and the excellent Ayurvedic Centre. I had several treatments and all were excellent. Also, breakfast is good. The chefs are friendly and make so many dishes on the spot.

It’s the little details that become annoying after a while. Having to recharge the electronic room key to use the lift on a daily basis was a pain. Bathrooms are tired and haven’t changed since I was here before. Rooms are also a bit old fashioned, but comfortable.

Accepting that the property is quite old and run down, it’s a lovely stay and good value. Location is great. Food is great. Staff are great. Some features that are older are quite nice & quaint, like the tiles around the bath tub, the bottle openers in the bathrooms and the wood paneling. Others less so, the generator hum and the facade could really benefit from a paint. This seems reflected already in the reviews and the price, so we had a great stay. Would recommend taking a pool view room

Generator hum & facade desperately needing a repaint

The packed breakfast before we took our flight was great.

The lunch was overpriced for what we had, which explains why the restaurant was empty. While I appreciate this is a five-star hotel, it makes good business sense to price match against the local area so you can at least attract more clientele. There is no point in having a great venue that is mostly empty.

The hotel is very nicely located, just 5 minutes from the beach and in a location that is not on a main road, so there is no hustle-bustle or noise of the traffic. The breakfast was one of the strong points of the hotel, with huge variety and very delicious.

The maintenance, primarily that of the washroom, could have been better. The toiletries and some general amenities were also missing. It would have been better, if provided.

Except for a disappointing experience at check-in when our twin bed room wasn't available despite a specific reminder the dat before, the experience in all aspects was excellent. The rooms and facilities inside are dated and old (our wash area tap handle was cracked) but these are more than compensated by the friendly staff and excellent service.

Broken and old equipment

The staff are the most pleasant and polite. The rooms are pretty clean, and so are the open areas of the hotel. The ambience of the hotel itself is perfect for relaxation and to step away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The cleanliness of the bathrooms could be a tiny step better. Not to say it was bad or unclean, but it could have been better for a five-star property.

This is not a new hotel, that's obvious ! And it certainly needs new paint at the outside ! But otherwise we appreciated the service, the room, the food, and certainly the swimming pool ! And a perfect location to visit the center of town on foot (or tuctuc), close to the beach and the promenade where thousands of people like to come strolling around in the evening. It's not the most flashy 5star hotel but for that price, we will go back again !

the building needs new paint !!!

Everything from check in to check out was handled professionally..The room was huge...The lightings,air conditioning were just great.The amenities provided were top notch...The bed was fit for a king ,very comfortable ...extra pillows provided as per my request.Room service was prompt even at 3am in the morning.Housekeeping did an awesome job in cleaning up.Its like an old world charm in Calicut.The lawns were well done up

The building exterior looks rundown ....Being a Taj property expected a bit fresher look.

Arranged collection from airport which worked well - they even checked I was in the car ok as we had been delayed. Grounds of the hotel were lovely - both front and back. The ‘doorman’ was particularly good and attentive and helpful

The lovely dark wood made inside over dark for me. There wasn’t much outside seating even around the pool.

Behaviour of staff, pleasing plan, design, looks, landscaping, overall decoration etc, of the facility as far as I could see.

I had to pay for a delayed checkout. Limitation for customised food say for example as absolutely little masala in the preparation, catering to requirements of diabetic patients etc.