Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Andamans

A 5 star property on Havelock Island accessed by a hour and a half catamaran ride from Port Blair, we lived the ambience, peace and spectacular beach rated amongst the best in the world. The villas, one amongst 70, were large, very well equipped with all possible amenities and had excellent WiFi connectivity. There was no TV barring local free channels but it was not missed. The main deck is complete with loungers and the view looks out over a verdant garden of spectacular trees of enormous height and girth. The main restaurant serving breakfast and all meals was large but lacks internal lighting making it near impossible to read the menu. Range of fare was extensive and covers all tastes. Mexican restaurant was mediocre with unexceptional food at horrendous prices. The high point was the beach with mangrove forests stretching away on all sides. Beach staff Raja and Subhash were brilliant in looking after every need: cold towels, water, shifting sunbeds as needed, full of knowledge of local fauna and tropical fish. We spent most time lounging here or poolside!

Wow! Wow! Wow! What an experience! What service! What people! From the very moment you arrive at the hotel to when you depart from the Jetty, they are there to help you all the way! Some pro tips at the end of the review. All the staff is great, but some people made our stay specially memorable. Shubham made our breakfast & dinners very special. Rajeev ji, Sandeep & Vikas, the restaurant managers took special care of our dietary requirements. Chef Devendra from Bharatpur made our meals very special! Santosh ji, the lifeguard at the beach was also very friendly & made us feel very safe with our toddler at the beach. The dives organised by the activity center, Lacadives was also amazing. About the resort: The resort has been made very thoughtfully so that no trees were cut while building the resort & it is clearly evident once you see the restaurants, reception etc. The hi-teas by the beach are pretty amazing! & best part, it is pure vegetarian! Toddler friendly : The staff is very courteous & very kid-friendly. We visited with our toddler & they made sure we had a very comfortable stay. They have kid bicycles with support wheels too. Freely available beach toys, lifeguards on duty & delicious vegetarian kid food! About the dives : The diving instructor, Ravi & the divemaster Anand were very good! Really enjoyed my first experience Scuba Diving! Pro tips : Dive : Turtle Beach dive site had amazing corals & marine life to see! We saw an octopus, variety of fishes & corals! Food : They have plenty of vegetarian options & a lavish breakfast buffet! If you have any special dietary requirements like vegetarian food, vegan food etc., just ask them & they will help you out. The staff is also very helpful as mentioned above. Arrival & Departure at / from the Jetty : Taj has porters at the Jetty to help you with the luggage at the Jetty when your ferry arrives / departs. Remember to send Taj your ferry details well in advance. Kids : they have lots of free beach toys in the resort for the kids, so that is really great to keep kids busy. Also, they have kids bicycles with support wheels for toddlers too. Beach : The beach is very clean (& let’s keep it so!) & the sunset views are beautiful! Rooms : the rooms are huge, bigger than some apartments! & kids can easily play inside the room, there is good space. Pro Tip for Honeymooners : The private pool villas are not so private as the pool faces the coomon pathways. However, the mangrove facing vills, especially villa no. 82-87 are very private.

I was really pleased with the arrangement Taj F&B team did for my Dads 70th birthday. We had an amazing dinner at Shoreline restaurant and they had prepared the table for us with sea shells and corals making the dinner a lot more special than expected. Additionally, we had Asian - definitely recommend it. Special thanks to Rajiv, Sandeep and Pabitra for this special gesture.

The location and grounds are stunning and the room was fabulous, but I was surprised that there were no robes, no coffee maker and no turn down service. There were also no colourful cushions as per the hotel pictures. The AC was very drafty blowing directly onto the bed and we were disturbed all one afternoon by a very noisy grass-cutter. I also hated the slatted bathroom floor because the cleaners wouldn't be able to access the underfloor area. The service and quality of the food were both superb but we were extremely disappointed with the design of the common areas. So much so that we almost left after our first night. There was a complete lack of atmosphere in both the bar area - which was dingy and unappealling - and the large restaurant which echoed with the sound of screaming kids. We also found the prices to be very high: 500 rupees for a roti is ridiculous. There was another restaurant but that was for just ten people and you had to commit to paying for a very expensive taster menu. The pool was extremely long but as it was all one area, children tended to monopolise the central area and so it was impossible to do laps. We were extremely frustrated by the lack of information and a map of the hotel. We were given a long briefing when we arrived but when you are travel weary and keen to get to your room it's not a good time to take on board a raft of information. We discovered on day three that there was info on the TV but it was impossible to access unless you called someone to show you how to do it.

From the moment we exited the airport in Pt. Blair and were greeted by a Taj staff member, to our departure 5 days later, we were beautifully taken care of in every way. We were greeted upon arrival by Arjama and Sujai, who helped us arrange outings and answered any questions we had. We enjoyed a special High Tea in the organic garden, complete with a tour hosted by Arjama as well. Our villa was spacious and very nice. Housekeeping kept things tidy and fresh, and turn down service was offered each afternoon. We had most of our meals at Shoreline. The Asian food was especially good, and once we assured the chef and servers we enjoyed things full of spice and flavor, we had some really tasty meals. The servers were attentive and friendly and especially enjoyed chatting with Marina and Mercy. The Chef de Partie checked in with us each night and offered his suggestions when ordering. I had a wonderful 2 hour spa treatment the day we arrived. Priyanka was a great massage therapist, and my skin felt amazing for the days following my treatments. I highly recommend hitting the fabulous spa right away when you arrive. It was a perfect way to begin to unwind after a day of travel. The beach, just steps from the villas, is pristine. We spent many hours enjoying lounging and swimming. Santosh and his helper provided towels, cold water and chilled face cloths and were always attentive and friendly. While the beach does draw a small crowd each night to watch the sunset, The Taj provides chairs and loungers and a high tea just for Taj guests at this time. It was fun to watch honeymooners and families taking photos and clowning around as the sun dropped into the sea. The highlight of our trip was the time spent birdwatching and fishing. Guides Amit and Sujoi were both excellent anglers and we fished both near the resort beach and at the Secret Beach on the east side of the island. Further, Amit took us birdwatching one early morning. This is an excursion no one should miss. Amit’s knowledge of and love for the flora and fauna was reflected in his ability to spot scores of birds. Further, binoculars were provided and we were able to find birds as he pointed them out, both in the sky and trees. We saw over 35 species! Amit is an outstanding individual who's enthusiasm is infectious! Finally, on our last night, we also did some stargazing through the big telescope the resort has recently acquired. We saw several planets and had a fun tutorial on the winter constellations. We greatly appreciated the no plastic policy at the resort and always had plenty of filtered water in glass bottles readily available, even on the beach. We had a great vacation at the Taj-Andamans. We loved it so much we hope to return again next year. This place is an unspoiled paradise.

The Propery is beautiful and so are the staff and food and hospitality. There's no one like Taj when it comes to hospitality in India. Travelling with child close your eyes and stay at Taj they will treat your family members like their own. Kudos to the chef and all the restaurant staff who would ensure that everything your child needs or your family needs is taken care of