Gateway Bekal, Kerala

Ambiance, location, food and staff courtesy all were very good

narrow road to resort

Hospitality of the staff

Design and location

The location is good. Very good facilities including cycling, pickleball, cricket and lots of space to walk around. Service was very good in patches.

Service in the restaurant was poor and slow. Room service was slow

Very good service and a well maintained property for families.

Dear Team at Gateway Bekal, Thank you for an incredible stay. From the moment we arrived, the serene beauty of the resort combined with your team’s effortless warmth made our trip truly unforgettable. Extraordinary hospitality comes down to the people, and your team made us feel thoroughly cared for from check-in to departure. We want to share our deepest gratitude for the staff members who made our time so special: Shyamli – Thank you for making our check-in process so smooth, welcoming, and easy right from the start. Indrajeet – We deeply appreciated your flexibility in accommodating our early arrival request and arranging a wonderful room upgrade that set a luxurious tone for our stay. Aburaj – Thank you for listening so attentively when we raised a concern regarding food cuisine and taking swift, personal care to ensure everything was tailored to our satisfaction. John & The Restaurant Team – Your delightful attention at mealtime—especially making sure dessert was served so every dining experience ended on a sweet note—made every meal feel like a celebration. Thappa & Smita – Thank you both for your constant warmth, attentive care, and seamless service throughout the resort. The genuine kindness, responsiveness, and hospitality shown by everyone at Gateway Bekal created memories we will cherish for a long time. Thank you all, and we look forward to visiting again!

Lovely place, comfortable and clean. Wonderful food.

Excellent

Need much efforts to improve breakfasts.

All were excellent

Our stay was superb

Nothing

My overall experience at the Gateway Bekal was excellent. The breakfast spread was too good covering continental to south Indian cuisine along with the live counters. The location of the hotel is one of the highlights nestled between the backwaters . We were upgraded to a superior room without our asking and the staff were courteous and very helpful. I would definitely recommend this hotel to all the travelers visiting this place.

Nothing. Everything exceeded my expectations. Keep up the good work..!!

Excellent location, well maintained property, excellent food and "Taj level" service....what more can one ask for?

The beautiful property

The photos of the property accurately convey what the living experience would be. Staff were very polite and attentive. We loved the free high tea all guests could avail of every day. There were games to play. Spa to relax and rejuvenate and an expansive space to just stroll through. We were also able to get a room upgrade at an extra cost.

Nothing honestly! It's a well maintained property in the true tradition of a Taj Group hotel.

• Refreshing welcome drink on arrival. • A birthday cake slice with a "Happy Birthday" message, which initially felt special. Later I realized it seems to be a standard gesture for many guests, but it was still a nice touch. • Complimentary evening tea and snacks.

1. Unwelcoming Reception Experience The lady who handled our check-in was not welcoming at all. There was no smile, warmth, or effort to make us feel comfortable. We genuinely felt like unwanted guests. Even simple questions such as bird-watching timings were answered vaguely, without any enthusiasm to help. I later noticed similar complaints in other Google reviews, which suggests this is not an isolated incident. A luxury hotel's first impression starts at reception, and Gateway Bekal failed badly in this aspect. 2. Serious Safety Issue – Broken Glass in Room 209 This was the most disturbing part of our stay. On the first night, my 4-year-old daughter found sharp pieces of broken glass on the bed. While checking further, we found more glass pieces on the floor. This means the room was either not cleaned properly or not inspected before allotting it to a family with small children. I immediately informed reception. Instead of immediately shifting us to another room, the duty manager first asked whether housekeeping could come and clean the room. I found this response completely unprofessional. The safety of guests, especially children, should never be compromised. Only after insisting repeatedly was the room changed. This incident alone is enough for me to question the hotel's maintenance and safety standards. 3. Poor Buffet Management Breakfast was chaotic. On Day 1, sambar remained empty for over 30 minutes. Staff were either unaware or not bothered. On Day 2, I waited nearly an hour for an egg omelette. Waiting for such a basic breakfast item for that long in a premium hotel is unacceptable. 4. Overall Experience Most of the staff appeared indifferent and lacked hospitality. The property itself may look beautiful, but good hotels are remembered for service, safety, and attention to guests—not just scenery. This trip was meant to be quality family time, but instead it became a disappointing experience and a waste of hard-earned money.

This is a 5star property spread across 30 acres by the side of the backwaters. The main building and the cottages are built in Kerala style and there is plenty of greenery all around the cottages. The hotel lobby with elephants made out of cane and other artefacts is a reflection of Kerala’s art and culture. The lobby has also a tea cart serving local snacks and tea. Rooms are large and well furnished. Corridors to the room on first floor were not well maintained. High Tide, the bar offered a wide choice of drinks. Bar had a pool table. There are lots of activities to do inside the property; like cycling, boating, paddle boating, kayaking, fishing, big pool with bar, cricket and pickleball court. Other indoor games are Table Tennis, Chess, Carroms etc. What I enjoyed most about this property is walking around and the number of activities that kept us engaged inside the property.

For such a large property, there is only one restaurant, which serves local and global cuisine. Though the breakfast spread was good, the food was nothing great. The South Indian breakfast was mediocre and were not tasting authentic at all. Restaurant was too crowded during breakfast time and there was too much delay for the made to order items. Ambience of the bar was not very appealing. Check-in wait time was too long.

Location is awesome, just next to the back waters. Staff is friendly. We were happy to receive an upgrade.

Frequent electric fluctuations.

Location, landscape and peace in the property

Ok

Management is more money minded. Charging for what is not worth ... Even pool is not temperature controlled. Lot of mosquitos

The atmosphere

Pool timing

The property was good. As we requested for a room with a bath tub for my child much earlier than checking in via bookings.com we were assured this would be provided. However after reaching we got to know we had to pay additional charges if we needed a bathtub and upgrade our room. We weren’t provided a free upgrade and paid for it. Was very stressful check in with a five year old it wasn’t very pleasant. Ms. Nupur insisted they can’t provide a free upgrade/ despite the request of a room with bath tub was made while booking. With a heavy heart we paid for the upgrade. As it was our child’s bday celebration and we had booked a long stay at the property. After reaching the upgraded room. Suite room looked huge as we checked in late evening. The rooms/ floor looked very unclean/ dust everywhere. Pigeon poop in the balcony and on the stairs. We were just settling down, suddenly we realised the tvs weren’t recharged and we had to call for help. Someone walked in to fix it. Again the kettle wasn’t working there was a technical issue and someone walked in to fix it. After having spent few hours behind this we thought of giving our baby a bath and alas the hot water wasn’t working and this time it was very very unfortunate that someone tried fixing it for over an hour with no luck. It was past 9 pm already(despite our check in which happened around 4:30 pm or so. ) we were still not settled and comfortable in the room. This was a big turn off. By now our patience had no more room. We called the front desk and asked for a room change stating all issues. We even requested the team to ensure the next room all mandate checks to be completed as we had a bad experience earlier. We waited for a while longer until all checks were completed of the room before we moved in. However this room provided was old, wallpapers falling off. Not well maintained walls and dusty floors again. Only thing that was good was there was hot water, kettle was working and tv was recharged.

The check in could have been more relaxing, the rooms could have been more clean during check in, suite rooms wallpaper could be redone, as they were old and peeling off, all issues like hot water and kettle could have been fixed before customer arrival pls .

Location

Staff were busy on the phone .even while they are walking they are glued to the mobile. I have ordered Rasam which did not have the typical flavor and taste. Buffet breakfast was average. None of the south Indian dishes reflected original taste except IDLY! Water gets clogged after the shower and shower head had stains. One of the table top had stains Last but not the least someone else’s name was displaying on the TV when i entered the room.! Placed IRD order for french fries and got the call back to reconfirm the flavor ( lack of basic product knowledge) Surprising to see these from Taj a TATA company though they have challenges in their airlines segment as well which i am a regular user. So no complaints… i was expecting these surprises so its fine…

Everything

Good

Very good

Excellent property

Location and surroundings

Nature with river and beautiful cottage.

One of the best in the region

Excellent property, spread across a vast backwater area. Lots of activities to do inside like cycling , boating, kayaking, fishing etc. Spacious rooms , big pool with bar, cricket & pickleball court.. 5-8 mins drive to Bekal Fort and Bekal beach park. Overall a perfect getaway ! Super helpful and courteous team led by Nupur , Diviya !

Nothing

Huge property, very well maintained. spacious rooms, great staff (very helpful). I must mention Amar from house keeping, Sharath from Restaurant and Diviya at the reception. They made our stay very pleasant.

Could have more restaurant options (I understand this is coming up in future as this is a new property)

Well maintained property

No smoking area

The Taj come with high expectations… I’m not sure this one met those. We arrived on Holi - only a few staff in the whole gigantic place. We really struggled to communicate our needs - service was just a bit off. Took us 3 calls and two visits to reception to order a drink to pool area. It’s in a beautiful location but just too big and homogeneous for our liking. Just didn’t capture the essence of India at all.

Very clean and comfortable rooms. Good bed and food available. Overall the staff behavior is very hospitable, caring and warm.

Property is by the backwaters but needs more greenery. Maybe it's a new property so trees are less with time they will definitelyincrease. But, inside the resort it felt more like a densely packed concrete hotel.

Ambience of the property

As per property pics the bedroom was queen size bed but provided with two single beds. Difficult to sleep as couple

Location, rooms,

Nil

The staff were super friendly, the entire property was squeaky clean, the rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the food was really good - the breakfast spread had a lot of options

Nothing

The spread for the breakfast was splendid.Good service from staff.Make to order items were delivered fast.

Not really

Very nice, well equipped room. Spotlessly clean. Excellent food in the restaurant- buffet breakfast and dinner were about the best we’ve ever had. Friendly staff.

It’s a bit isolated - we like to wander around the local area ( but they did call us an auto when we requested, so we could get out and about)

Ambiance too good . Calm staffs everything was too good

Food pricing too high

The breakfast buffet was delicious, with a huge variety of options! The staff were attentive and went out of their way to ensure that we were comfortable.

The cottages are awesome. Tasty food Courteous staff Enormous property for long walks Many outdoor activity opportunities Great for kids, pet friendly too

The non-cottage rooms (superior) lack even a basic/decent view. Skip them while booking

The place is exceptional....a must visit place. The hospitality Staff Food Ambience I can't find a single flaw

We spent a week at Gateway Baker and had a truly excellent experience. The property itself is stunning, beautifully maintained with a serene, peaceful location that made for a perfect getaway. Our room was excellent, with gorgeous views that we enjoyed throughout our stay. The food consistently exceeded our expectations; every meal was delicious and well-prepared. A pleasant surprise came midway through our visit when they received their alcohol license, allowing us to enjoy drinks with our evening meals, which was a nice touch. The complimentary shuttle service to the beach was very convenient and much appreciated. Special mention must go to Divya, the concierge, who was incredibly helpful throughout our entire stay. She assisted us with every single request we had, and we truly appreciated her attentiveness and dedication. We also want to highlight Priyanka at the restaurant, who was absolutely lovely and remarkably attentive to us at all times. The exceptional service from both of them really enhanced our experience.

The pool area could benefit from additional sun loungers. Even with relatively few guests during our stay, there weren't quite enough available, which occasionally made it difficult to find a spot. The laundry service needs some attention. Unfortunately, our clothes didn't come back as clean as we'd hoped, so this is an area where they could improve their standards.

The location was awesome and so was the staff and hospitality.

1. Check in process - Guy kept as waiting as he was not sure on child policy between Booking.com and resort. 2. Booking.com description of room says 1 single bed but we got 2 separate bed. And no one tried to help and update.

Everything was just perfect

Everything

One of the best property visited with top notch hospitality all the way from beautiful views to amazing staff.

I booked not knowing much about the place, the pictures looked nice and I felt that it would be a good way to spend a couple of relaxed days with my parents while on a visit home. The property is situated in a very beautiful calm, region of Bekal with beautiful backwaters, lake and a far sight of the ocean you can glance at during the leisure walks. We stayed in the main building and opted to not take the independent huts overlooking the backwaters as my parents are aged and my priority was to limit the distance they needed to walk or travel (they have buggy service from the huts) to get to the dining areas. The rooms were spacious and well equipped. Beds were comfy and I had all the amenities I would need. The room rates came with buffet breakfast and I would say that they had a good spread of options to take from the buffet or order at the table to be made fresh. They are still new and so the facilities are still getting built, but overall they have a great pool, an indoor play area with Ping Pong and Pool Table. Chess and Uno Cards for those who are interested. Kayaking and boat cruises were also on offer, but I didn't partake. The staff were very pleasant to interact with, and helpful.

It was late November, but still quite hot and so I couldn't really enjoy the outdoor facilities the resort offers. I guess its Kerala, and so I would expect that the resort will need to invest in ways in which they can actually help the guests use the outdoor facilities they have created. They will need to figure out if that is in ways of extending overhead covers for the outdoor areas or installing misters so that you don't feel your skin is being peeled away when outdoors. The same with the internal room temperature control. The air conditioning couldn't handle the heat coming in from the huge glass facades that the rooms have which give it a great view from inside but makes handling the comfort inside the room a bit hard to manage.

Excellent breakfast spread. Excellent food and service. Very courteous and took extra care to go to each guest and ask if they needed anything.

Parking should be covered. At the time of check-out, my car was sizzling hot due to the harsh sun. Air inside the car was supremely hot.

Overall a great property with wonderful facilities. Good view of the river with enough activities to choose from. The staff was genuinely helpful at all times.The breakfast spread and food was good too. Also not far from the Bekal Fort and Beach.

Our cottage had significant leakage after a bout of heavy rain. Though the staff handled it commendably well in the middle of the night.

The food

The location

I stayed at Gateway Bekal for 3 nights as a solo traveler, and overall it was a very pleasant experience. The property is quiet, spacious and feels peaceful, with lots of greenery around. My room was clean, comfortable and well maintained. The staff were genuinely kind and attentive. The biggest plus for me was how incredibly helpful they were with my onward travel. They supported me in planning my next steps, helped me with my train booking, and even arranged a ride to the railway station. This took a lot of stress out of the process, especially since navigating Indian train bookings can be confusing when you're on the road.

GOOD LOCATION NEAR TO BACKWATERS , GREAT BREAKFAST

NOTHING

it was very good good spread lot of varieties and tasty too with good live counters with staff being very courteous and extremely hospitable.

probably arranging cabs and some taxi service

The staffs friendly they really to care of us. They kept checkings if things are okay with us. Durga who attended throughout, was very friendly ensured hospitality was top notch, Restaurant was good, staffs there were really great and made sure we are served with whatever we like to.

You can have more activites, night was dark near the pool, lights were turned off.

L hôtel en lui-même, la décoration, la piscine et les jeux pour enfants, le personnel très souriant et serviable

Rien !

Location, hospitality and facilities

No provision for serving beer or any alclohilic drinks