Abad Turtle Beach Marari

This is our 5th visit to Turtle Beach staying 14 nights, we love it here it is a beautiful resort, so peaceful, there are only about 22 cottages spaced out through the 17acre grounds. As well as the tropical plants & Palm trees there is also a butterfly garden, an organic vegetable garden which supply the restaurant with fresh vegetables & fruit daily. We had a wonderful "welcome back" on arrival from the staff we were friends with from our previous visits, it was lovely to see them again. The "welcome back" Gateaux in our room was also very thoughtful, thank you to Anuparma & Srijith for arranging that. This visit we booked the private pool villa, this was a lovely modern room with patio doors leading onto a terrace with pool in a walled garden so it was completely private. This was very welcome to cool off, there is also a a very nice swimming pool in the garden if not staying in the pool villa. The restaurant is excellent, breakfast is buffet offering Indian & western choices, evening meal is usually buffet but also offer an a la carte menu if preferred. Whichever you choose, the meals are always delicious, The service at the restaurant is exceptional, Bibin & his team work really hard to please their guests, they are very good at remembering your preferences. Anitha and her team looked after our villa, we loved the towel art they made each day on the bed! The pool was also cleaned daily. There are an abundance of various birds , palm squirrels, fruit bats etc living in the gardens which we love to see & the bird song at sunset is amazing. I'm sure we will be back again in the future but until then we will keep in touch with our friends in Turtle beach. Thank you everyone for making our holiday so special.

We stayed at Abad Turtle Beach, Marari, for two nights in one of the beach villas and came away with a somewhat mixed impression. Despite it being tail end of the monsoon, the weather was pleasant - slightly humid, but not hot, sticky and sweaty. T

The resort's biggest strength is its excellent location, right next to the beach with easy access to a long stretch of sandy shoreline. We particularly enjoyed our morning walks along the beach. The sea was rough as expected at this time of the year. The grounds are well maintained and include a lovely butterfly garden, a small children's play area, and a good-sized swimming pool. The resort also offers a variety of recreational activities, including badminton, table tennis, and carrom, which should appeal to families and guests looking for some on-site entertainment.

The property has a single restaurant serving buffet breakfast and dinner, along with an à la carte menu for lunch and dinner. We had the breakfast buffet on both mornings and found the selection fairly limited, with food that was average in quality. In contrast, the à la carte menu was excellent, offering a good variety of dishes and consistently delicious food for both lunch and dinner.

One thing to note is that the hotel is not licensed to sell alcohol, although it can be purchased elsewhere and brought in.

Our beach villa was clean and comfortable, but the accommodation felt somewhat dated, particularly the bathroom, which had a noticeable musty smell.

The staff were polite, courteous, and always willing to help. Despite spending most of our time outdoors and dining in the open restaurant area, we were rarely bothered by mosquitoes, which is a credit to the resort's attention to cleanliness and pest-control.

However, a significant downside was the poor and unhygienic facilities provided for drivers, especially when compared with the excellent provisions at the hotel we stayed in Thekkady, just prior to our stay in Abad.

Overall, this resort could be a good choice for families, particularly because of its beachfront setting, well-kept grounds, range of activities, pleasant outdoor environment and excellent service. However, given the shortcomings mentioned above, it may be worth exploring some of the other options in the Marari area before making a final decision.