The Serai Kabini
Location: No, - 60/1, Nishana, Karapura Village, Antarasante Hobli,HD Kote Taluk,, Begūr, in
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Property Type: Resorts
About this Property
Riverside Luxury Retreat
Serenity by the Kabini River: Enjoy stunning views of the Kabini River from your private or shared patio in our spacious air-conditioned rooms and villas.
Culinary Delights: Indulge in a variety of cuisines at the Wild Grass restaurant, from traditional Indian dishes to Western and Chinese delights, all while overlooking the picturesque river.
Relaxation and Adventure: Unwind with a massage at our spa, work out at the fitness centre, or take a dip in the outdoor pool. Let our 24-hour front desk assist you with tour arrangements for wildlife watching or laundry services.
Experience nature and luxury at The Serai Kabini - Book your stay now!
Important Information
Please note that gates to Kabini from Wayanad (Balla Check Post) closes at 18:00.Payment before arrival by bank transfer is required. The property will contact you after you book to provide instructions.
Policies
Check-in: 02:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Amenities & Facilities
- Health or beauty spa nearby
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Fitness facilities (surcharge)
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Swimming pool
- Restaurant
- Room service
- Luggage storage
- Safety deposit box
- Tour desk
- Ironing service
- Massage services
- Staff adhere to local safety protocols
- Guest rooms disinfected between stays
- Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
- Physical distancing rules followed
- Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
- Cashless payment available
- First aid kit available
- Sanitized tableware & silverware
- Contactless check-in/check-out
- Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
- Guest room sealed after cleaning
- Physical distancing in dining areas
- Food delivered to guest room
- Process in place to check health of guests
- Access to health care professionals
- Screens / Barriers between staff and guests for safety
- Face masks for guests available
- Delivered food - securely covered
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Fitness facilities (surcharge)
- Internet access
- Games
- Reception hall
- Exercise/lap pool
- Japanese garden
- Health or beauty spa nearby
- Swimming nearby
- Bicycle-friendly property
- Accessible train station shuttle
- No accessible train station shuttle
Rooms Available
-
Waterfront Villa
1 Double Bed
325-sq-foot room with a balcony
Layout - Separate sitting area
Internet - Free WiFi
Food & Drink - Refrigerator, minibar (fees may apply), coffee/tea maker, and room service (limited hours)
Sleep - Bed sheets
Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, bathrobes, and slippers
Practical - Safe, free newspaper, and desk; rollaway beds (surcharge) and cribs (free) available on request
Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping
Non-Smoking
Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Minibar
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- Bathrobe
- Refrigerator
- Desk
- Private bathroom
- Slippers
- Bottle of water
- Room service (limited hours)
- Free newspaper
- Daily housekeeping
- Ceiling fan
- Separate sitting area
- Free WiFi
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Bedsheets provided
-
Villa with River View
This spacious, open-plan villa features a private patio with views of the Kabini River. It is air-conditioned and the bathroom includes a hairdryer and free toiletries.
Max Occupancy: 3 (2 Adults)
- Minibar
- Shower
- Safety deposit box
- Telephone
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
- Refrigerator
- Desk
- Seating Area
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Tile/marble floor
- Electric kettle
- Clothes rack
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Body soap
- Feather pillow
- Lockers
-
Waterfront Veranda
The air-conditioned villa features 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom with a shower and a hairdryer. The villa has tiled floors, a seating area, a mini-bar, an electric kettle as well as river views. The unit offers 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Minibar
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Hair dryer
- Refrigerator
- Seating Area
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Tile/marble floor
- Electric kettle
- Clothes rack
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Body soap
- Feather pillow
- Lockers
Guest Reviews
- Sarosh (10/5): - The staff was extremely courteous and helpful..
Especially Mr.Mahesh and Mr.Shekar. Internet connectivity was poor most of the time
- chandrakanth (3/5): -
- Navda (9/5): -
- Ayush (10/5): -
- Pawan (10/5): - My recent stay at The Serai Kabini was meant to be a quiet, riverside escape—a place to unwind and reconnect with nature. What I experienced, however, went far beyond relaxation; it was something deeply personal and memorable.
Set across a vast 60-acre property, with about 12 acres dedicated to the resort, the space feels expansive yet intimate. Nearly every room offers a river-facing view, and I was fortunate to have one overlooking not just the serene Kabini River but also distant hills—an ever-changing canvas of calm and beauty.
The resort offers a wide range of thoughtfully curated activities. From coracle rides, kayaking, and boat paddling on the river to more leisurely options like kite flying, table tennis, carrom, and foosball, there’s always something to do—if you can pull yourself away from simply soaking in the surroundings. The availability of bicycles to explore the riverbed and surrounding areas is a particularly nice touch. The private villas, complete with hammocks, invite you to slow down and truly disconnect.
Morning nature walks are another highlight. If you manage to start early, you’re rewarded with sightings of exotic migratory birds and an unmatched sense of tranquility.
Yet, as exceptional as the setting and activities are, they are still overshadowed by the warmth and hospitality of the people. Mr. Salim, the resort manager, is the heart of the experience. His genuine care and personal attention make you feel less like a guest and more like a member of his extended family. He goes out of his way to ensure not just comfort, but that you truly experience the best the property has to offer.
Dining at the in-house restaurant, Wildgrass, was another standout. Head Chef Mudasar is an absolute gem—his passion, creativity, and willingness to go beyond the menu made every meal special. Along with Luvhey and Prabakar, the team ensured that our culinary experience was both diverse and personalized.
- Muthukumar (6/5): -
- kiran (5/5): Save the reputation of property with efficient staff - Strategically well located and beautiful property also comfort food to dine Inefficient staff being handling guests in lethargic way and false promises really irritating infact invoice to be emailed was promised during check out hasn't yet hit mail box and to top 25 calls to follow up is quite a bit disappointing.
Attitude of front desk staff with shift change excuses will definitely damage reputation safeguarded over decades of existence i seriously want you all to consider my honest opinion on such staff handling sensitive issues .
Never lie or false promise in hospitality industry.
- Bannur (1/5): -
- Manu (8/5): -
- lesley (10/5): A serene location beside the lake with birdsong and privacy - A serene location with nature and birdsong with no disturbance Nothing
- janet (9/5): Peace and tranquillity in beautiful surroundings. - The beautiful, calm and peaceful location, full of birds and birdsong. The friendly and efficient staff and good service. The warm welcome. The very comfortable accomodation and the delicious food. Nothing except the loud noise of leaf blowers in the grounds on the day we arrived. We mentioned it to Saleem the manager in the evening and on the next day silence reigned. He had stopped it. A great response.
- Bhavana (1/5): -
- Rahul (9/5): - The location is excellent! The views from
the villas are really nice. Neatly maintained property. Courteous staff. The Spa is great too.
- Shilpa (10/5): -
- Abishek (9/5): It was an excellent get away. - Great staff Food could have been better
- Jayanth (9/5): -
- Naveen (10/5): -
- Sourav (10/5): - Excellent staff, brilliant location, awesome landscape & maintenance.
- William (10/5): It exceeded our expectations in all respects - The very peaceful location on the banks of the Kabini river. The accommodation was excellent as were the attentive staff. The restaurant was very good indeed with a choice of North and South India menu, continental or Thai all reasonably priced. We were so impressed we have already booked to return. Nothing
- Preetham (10/5): -
- Mousumi (8/5): - Great view from the balcony. Right on the riverfront. Good watersports faciliry Food was not up to the mark. Especially lunch and dinner
- K.S (5/5): -
- Poornima (10/5): Relaxing and peaceful - The property at serai kabini was clean and serene ... the food was good and catered to customisation ... the staff was courteous and kind ... we had a lovely time ... they even took care of safari ride which is the highlight of kabini ... all in all a relaxed trip ...
- Dr. Ralf Hocke (9/5): Lovely place to stay but check if jeep safari is back in service - It is a lovely place with a very lovely and helpful team.
The spot itself is a very beautiful place in the nowhere of paradise.
Our room was very comfortable and clean.
The food in the restaurant was delicious.
The morning walk with Shekhar was very informative and he surprised us several times by identifying birds and otters also over a large distance. Don't miss that opporrunity in the morning.
Further you should not miss the boat safari. Booking of the room and communication with the back office was awful. One should be aware, that you need to pay in advance to keep the reservation. The whole process was not really supported by the back office. They asked for e-mail and phone number, but did not make any use of it. Neither did they communicate well via the booking message service. Only a direct phone call solved the payment issue.
On-site we experienced 2 issues, which doesn't fit to the price category of that hotel class. The pool was cold and the water not really clean.
Further you should check in advance if there will be any jeep safari. Due to a tiger issue the whole jeep safari business was closed and will most likely be closed for political reasons for several days. Thus, if you are aiming for a jeep safari we recommend to check in advance if they are back to service.
- Christopher (9/5): - Very comfortable with good facilities for a safari type break
- Giridharan (3/5): Inadequate for the Serai brand name - The lawn was good although the day we went had mowing in-parallel. Location is good. 1. Compared to Serai Bandipur or Serai Chikkamagaluru, the Serai Kabini lacks the class..!!
2. The room was smaller despite taking around 32,000 per day
3. Staffs could behave better; all looked as if they are not getting paid enough
4. Unusable walkways during rainy season
5. Uncovered parking. (My front windshield got broken)
6. The hammocks behind the room had fungus
- Deepa (9/5): Superb -
- Jassa (9/5): Superb - The naturalist who organised the Safari
- Soumi (10/5): - Beautiful property, serene and tranquil
- Rosemarie (9/5): Superb - The setting, the ambience, the facilities and kind and helpful staff. Ideal place for a family and children.
- Dev (10/5): Exceptional -
- Bhardwaj (9/5): Superb - Our stay at the The Serai Kabini was wonderful, we had a great experience, all the facilities were amazing, the entire staff was very helpful, they were prompt in doing our bookings to safaris and also arranged pick-up and drop for the same.
- Giridhar (8/5): Very good -
- Suraj (5/5): If your goal is to stay in room and do nothing just stare at the river then and then only book this place. Else it’s tot - Only locations was good . No amenities. Not a great value for money. Absolutely boring for kids.
- Wouter (9/5): Superb - Nice and calm location close to Kabini Lake. Very nice pool.
Good facilities for childeren but still peaceful for adults.
Very good breakfast with a lot of variety.
We did two safaris during our stay. We saw a tiger, wild dogs, deer, elephant, paradise flycatcher, eagle, vulture , hoopoe ... Be aware that 20% extra taxes apply on the bill when checking out. This may come as an unpleasant suprise.
- Amit (6/5): Pleasant -
- Jayanth (6/5): Pleasant -
- mythili (10/5): - Excellent place !
- Mohith (9/5): Relaxing and peaceful - Located in a beautiful area by the river
- David (9/5): Amazing location and beautiful hotel - Wonderfully chilled.
Great quality and ambience
Super friendly Restaurant really good and staff great but kitchen needs to offer bone free curries!!
- Pratibha (8/5): Very good -
- Manisha (10/5): Exceptional -
- Purna (8/5): Great place to enjoy nature - Beautiful scenic lake-side location and setting of cabin style rooms on the property. Lack of prevention/management of mosquitos and insects after dusk.
- Vanita (7/5): Good - The stay was nice, food choices were limited.The spa was excellent, the massage lady was excellent. I felt the safari and camera charges were exorbitant, not worth the money..Other places the charges are less and there is a sure sighting but here despite taking so much money there was no sighting and also the people conducting it, didn't look interested, looks like a money making thing.
- Rupali (8/5): A little oasis in Kabini - The location on the lake. The safaris are government controlled, and they have a set number of seats for private Jeep and Canter, even though we requested early in our booking, they were unable to guarantee seats. It still takes 45 minutes - to leave the property before arriving for the start of the safari, so it makes the process longer.
You should also do your research if Tiger sightings are important.
- Gautham (10/5): Exceptional - Everything Nothing
- Archana (10/5): Restful, Peaceful and filled with a sense of adventure. - The service staff were outstanding, the property itself gorgeous and food was great The reluctance of the staff to talk to Guests who are too loud
- Hanuman (9/5): Superb -
- Akshay (10/5): Exceptional -
- A (10/5): Exceptional - The serenity, the calm riverfront. Most importantly the bonfire. The cuisine was nice The price was on the higher side
- Roopa (9/5): Lovely place & should get a 10 with a little more care - Great room, great views, very good food & lovely staff. Gym could be better, bikes on offer rusted, & tie up with other snooty resorts for safari viewings which resulted in us seeing very less.
- Prabhleen (10/5): An amazing weekend getaway - One of the best properties that I have stayed in. It's a really beautiful property though the prices of the room could be a bit high, but the experience makes it worth it.
This is a great place for a weekend getaway for couples and families. I loved how amazing and kind the staff was here. The package also includes a few water activities - Kayaking, paddling, etc.- in the river itself (and that is completely safe, too!). You also get a lot of indoor activities like Archery, foosball, TT, and carrom board (it would be great if you could add a few board games, too).
I loved the options we got in the breakfast buffet every day and the food is great. The entire property is well-maintained. You can add a few of the board games. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of books of different genres in the library, which could be something that could be looked at.
- Ashwin (10/5): - Unique is the location ,which brings a calmness to the place. The service is really good but the Alacarte service can be long based on your order. More menu items can be added as well. The properry has a wonderful pool which is well maintained. Staff are very polite and ever ready to help
- Kathleen (10/5): Serene Serai a perfect sojourn with nature - Serenity of the surroundings, attentive staff and charming accomodations made this a restorative escape from the city. The Oma Signature massage was the perfect beginning to our stay. Arranging a jeep safari in the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve was easy through the reception staff here. Wildgrass restaurant offered a good variety of options, and the bar was a pleasant nook to start the evening. Perhaps our favorite times were spent sitting on the veranda overlooking the lake and listening to the birds.
- Satisha (7/5): Good -
- Devaraja (7/5): Staff was so good,food test was very poor no value for money - Location good Food and activities inside the resort
- Shibu (8/5): Very good -
- Shatadrupa (10/5): Beautiful and Luxurious stay next to the Jungle - The location and the aesthetics Nothing as such
- Srinivas Prasad (10/5): - Tranquil location that is tucked away from bustle of a city. Access to backwaters and the unobstructed view from each room is excellent.
- Anand (9/5): Superb -
- Srikanth (10/5): Exceptional -
- Prasanna (10/5): Exceptional -
- H (10/5): Exceptional -
- Roshan (9/5): Superb -
- Glenys (10/5): Exceptional - They accommodated us and 2 children in one villa which was great. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was lovely and well priced. That we couldn't roast marshmallow on the fire as they use diesal to start it.
- Radhika (8/5): Had a great time - The rooms were really nice, comfortable. The food was great The bathrooms had some issues though they repaired it at once
- Katy (10/5): Beautiful resort, would stay again! - Peaceful, beautiful location, great service, good price for great food, very nice room, just great!
- Vandna (10/5): Outstanding. - Everything at the place was exceptional - the rooms, location, staff, facilities, quality. Exceeding all expectations! We would have welcomed clearer information about safari arrangements ahead of the visit. With lack of clarity we booked safaris elsewhere, but had to cancel once information was provided only on arrival at the hotel itself.
- Abhijit (8/5): 👍🏼👍🏼 - Location
Ambiance Room service
- Lara Christie (8/5): Beautiful property and stay--but keep politics out - Gorgeous property with genuinely lovely staff. The on-site naturalist Chamu was particularly fantastic.
I wanted to address two things that I believe could genuinely help the property improve.
1. Staff seems mainly hired from local community, which is lovely. We found everyone to have the absolute right attitude and approach to service. However, more training is required. None of the staff knew what an iced latte was or how to make any iced coffee drink without adding a ton of sugar. Several Western requirements for food also not catered to or understood. Also, we heard the head chef greet the kitchen staff with a loud, "Jai Shree Ram". Several staff were not Hindu and also, as guests, this felt incredibly unprofessional and problematic. It made us deeply uncomfortable and was likely uncomfortable (to put it mildly) for any non-Hindu staff. This is the absolute most BASIC requirement for staff to show up as professionals and leave political and religious affiliations to the personal domain. This fact alone would be a reason for us not to come stay again.
2. Eco-friendliness--we loved the glass jugs of water in our room instead of plastic bottles. Many resorts are also doing away with individually-packaged bath products. This would be a great win for Serai. Also, to require guests to carry their own water bottles on safaris, instead of providing plastic bottles.
- Snehangsu (8/5): Very good -
- Hina (10/5): Exceptional - Great property and service. The staff is very friendly and accommodating.
- Vivek (9/5): Superb -
- Radhika (8/5): Very good -
- Rajiv (9/5): Superb -
- Krishna (9/5): Superb -
- Shivanand (10/5): Exceptional -
- Satvir (9/5): Superb - Location , landscape, staff and ofcourse the beautiful scenery....food buffet can be much better..room service food... was great...dylan , krishna , bajrangi and mahesh were standout..heaven on earth vibes... Dining restaurant can be better in food and decor
- Gerin (9/5): Superb -
- Vignesh (6/5): Pleasant -
- Rishi (9/5): Superb -
- Nehaa (10/5): Great experience would definitely recommend to give it a try once. - Overall staff was very courteous and helpful. They made the stay very pleasant. The safari bookings were done so seamlessly and the experience was great. Not applicable
- Gandhiprakash (9/5): Superb - Liked the clean fresh rooms....Staff took good care...A special mention abt Mr.Chamrraj who guided us well on the safaris n Manoj who kept the room clean n fresh.... Nil
- Mala (10/5): Irrespective of the material luxuries what makes this stay unique are the staff- from resort manager Abdul Saleem to hou - Super lakeside location. Beautiful villas. Excellent decor. Nothing
- Sanjay (10/5): - Such a wonderful safari resort for families. We stayed two nights and it was wonderful. Very clean and attentive staff. Food options were great and our child with a wheat allergy had plenty of options. My wife enjoyed the spa and the kids enjoyed the play area. We will definitely be back again and only stay at Serai.
- Nakul (6/5): Uncomfortable - Loved the landscaping and garden and riverside areas. The restaurant was nice with an eclectic menu The mattress was extremely uncomfortable, over soft and both my wife and I ended up returning home with literally broken backs. The included breakfast was very average as well. I expected better from Serai.
- Ravi (6/5): Pleasant - Resort ambience, location, good hospitality Food was a major draw back. Not worth the cost. Vegan s have very limited options
- Desavatu (8/5): Very good - Lake and boating experiences Not many activities to do other than safari and boating
- Saroj (9/5): Superb -
- Manish (9/5): Superb - The location was brilliant. But yes, as we had opted for Waterfront Verandah, the view of the river was not that clear as it was covered by the trees.
Breakfast was excellent. Appreciate it.
Thanks. All Good!
- Upendra (10/5): Exceptional -
- Jigna (7/5): Good -
- Manju (8/5): Very good -
- Sujith (10/5): Exceptional -
- CHAKRAVARTHI RAJU (10/5): - Staff, ambience, view!!
- Samiran (9/5): Superb - Excellent location, great food and an efficient, professional staff.
- Vicky (9/5): Superb -
- Ashish (6/5): - This is our 2nd time at Serai Kabini. The service is as good as ever! Special mention to Mr Chamraj, a naturalist who works at Serai! Our main intention of visiting Kabini is to spot the big cats! Although we did not spot the Tiger we did see the leopard on our last day with Mr Chamraj leading us. Pls ask for him always… he is our lucky charm 😃
Such warm hospitality by everyone else too! The bf buffet spread is quite good. Hot dosas n eggs being served. A nice touch was the free cycles provided to ride from reception to the rooms.
The only issue we had was the AC in our room was not working. We buzzed the reception and someone came to service it a couple of times but it was still not working. Hope they fix it soon.
- Emad (6/5): It was good but overpriced - - The resort was peaceful and had good rooms. - The breakfast buffet spread was average. Was not worth the money. Also the breakfast timing can be better something like 6:30- 11 instead of current 8-10
- The safari was also a disappointment as we felt it was ridiculously priced for the experience we had.
- Not having heated swimming pool when your paying such a hefty amount/night is disappointing especially when you have little kids.
- Having mangoes fall from the trees behind the restaurant is a huge safety issue when people are walking out from the back door.
- No flexibility on even an hr of late check out is very disappointing considering we spent close to 100,000 for 1 night.
- Pratik (9/5): lovely - food was nice, location was amazing. a lot of complimentary activities to keep you busy.
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