Zostel Plus Poombarai, Kodaikanal

Breathtaking views and lots of common spaces overlooking the mountains. We stayed in a private cottage and it was very clean complete with tea and coffee setup. Room service is available to your room and the staff in charge of the restaurant, grounds maintenance, and events are very friendly and kind. A waterfall hike was planned and many social events like movie night and game night if you are looking to make friends.

Very cold in the evening and only one thin blanket is provided with no heating in the rooms. Other accommodation we stayed at in this area provided many warm blankets. The hot water tank is very small and takes a long time to heat up, so you must take a very quick shower before the hot water runs out and becomes ice cold. Two people cannot shower after each other. The area is very remote, so you must eat all your meals at the resort restaurant. The food is good, but a little expensive for basic items (200 rupee for dal fry), and everything is spicy. There is some bottled water provided, but once it is gone you must refill at poorly maintained refill stations. We saw mold and slime growing on many of the spouts. There is a private fire pit, but you must wait until 9 for someone to set up the fire. Once you run out of wood it is 500 rupees for more. I took off one star because no one told us that you must message by 8:30 that you would like a fire, or else risk not getting one. So we did not get a fire one night. They also suggested we get more wood without telling us of the extra charge, so we had to unexpectedly pay.

The property is beautiful and well maintained with very clean dorms and washrooms. The views around the hostel are amazing and the atmosphere is very relaxed. Prabhu, the property manager, was very helpful and welcoming throughout the stay. Also, the food at the 4th of July café was excellent.

Nothing major to complain about. The property is slightly remote, but that’s also part of its charm if you’re looking for a peaceful stay.

view from room was great

less response staff/ difficult to reach/ we had a difficult check out early morning, no was available to help with our lugagge, parking. difficult. very average food taste and quakity / limited options. Considering the efforts to reach there, NOT WORTH

The premium category rooms we booked had pretty nice and unique view. The morning sunrise view is probably the main or only best part!

If you are not a challenge-seeker or backpacker with some unique interests in location of the hotel, this is not your place. The property is located around 4 kms off the main road and you have to travel through a terrible off road which even passes through heart of a village. It is not fun nor safe, especially at night. The receptionist’s rude attitude was an immediate put off. We wanted to leave but since it was too late and since it was for just one night, we decided to ignore. He asked us to pay an amount which was about $20 more than what we had booked from Booking.com. When we showed the booking confirmation, he called somebody and agreed for the rate confirmation email had. Then, they don’t accept international card payments. I had to call somebody and seek help to pay using GPay. One of the staff members helped us to carry the luggage all the way to top which was very helpful,but both rooms we booked had no keys. We had to enter through the balcony doors and we were left with no keys to lock the doors! Bathroom was not at all clean, terrible smell! Hot water system never worked. Oh the cafe - worst food or a proper scam! There are many other properties in Kodaikanal for the rate we paid for two rooms at Zostel plus. We vacated next day and found a better place.