Halez Sparsa Thiruvannamalai

I thought this was a wonderful resort in a place like Tiruvannamalai. It is about 6km from the main town. So, having a car at one's disposal is recommended. Promoting green and eco friendly atmosphere, everything in the room and the resort adhered to this basic principle. Very well done rooms, great shower, bathroom. The resort has several things to do. You can have a bullock cart ride, pottery experience, cow milking and other experiences. We did the Pottery part and we really liked it. Did not have time for the rest of the stuff. There is lot of greenery around. If there was one thing that would need improvement, it would be the restaurant and the service there. The food was ok. We tried the breakfast buffet , Ala carte lunch and the Dinner buffet. I think the buffet and service left a lot to be desired. On the Ala carte, I would recommend to stick to South Indian food if you can. The choice of menu on the buffet can be better. I would think many foreigners and NRIs who mostly stay here may not be satisfied with menu choice in the buffet. Also the items were not refilled in the buffet regularly and I had to ask several times. If there was one area that needs improvement, I would think it would be the food/service in the restaurant. Otherwise, front desk was good. We were welcomed with a drink and staff was courteous. Swimming pool seemed to be well maintained. Very beautiful and scenic resort. Great job in a place like Thiruvannamalalai.

I had a wonderful stay at Sparsa. The staff was very cordial and efficient and i got a room with a wonderful view of Arunchala. Thought the Dinner (buffet) was a tad little expensive, would be a good idea to ask them for rates ahead of time. The rooms were clean, simple and very tastefully furnished. I had read earlier reviews before my visit that the staff was very loud and that the swimming pool was rented out to external guests making it very crowded. However, i found the premises very quiet and the pool was being sparsely used. Look's like these issues have been addressed. There were no extra charges for broadband connectivity in the room. Sparsa is a little away from town and Ramanashram, it takes approximately 1 hour (5 Kms) of walking from the Hotel. I walked back from the Ashram at about 8 pm on one occassion, i would advice against it as the roads are NOT lit and the walk happens in total darkness. There are no proper sidewalks and precipitous ditches abound!; please plan to have a torch handy in case the prospects of a walk still excites you. Good Luck!!

We certainly enjoyed staying in the clean hotel. I would not rave about the food, though...

This place is absolutely wonderful! The location is amazing, in between rice fields with a great view of the mountain and very close to the nicest part of the pradikshana road, and a quick rickshaw drive away from Ramana ashram. The food is very good and varied. The activities are numerous and fun. The pool is a real gem, super clean and enjoyable. That is where you can meet some wonderful people while enjoying the beautiful Indian sun. The rooms are comfy. It is beautiful, quiet and peaceful. The staff is very friendly and quite attentive to your needs. A special note about the general manager; he is quite exceptional, working so very hard, yet always with a smile on his face and always making sure that you are enjoying yourself, and stopping for a heartfelt moment to find out how your day is going. It seems to me that the quality of Sparsa resort has a lot to do with him and the way he runs the place. Please do not hesitate one second to book here!!!

We enjoyed our stay thoroughly. The ambience was good, people very friendly, food is good. The room was slightly small to accomondate our family of 3 adults and a child. Would love to visit this place again.