The Birchwood Retreat, Madikeri

Amazing place. We had a very good time. We stayed there for one night with our pet and had a great time. The location, rooms , everything gets 5 stars . We only missed the continental dinner though i would like to add that we enjoyed our regional dinner there.

We rented the villa - the most expensive option. We checked that all windows and doors were locked. At some point someone stole from our room while we were out. When I reported it to the reception, they didn’t even ask me any details about the theft. All they said was they would check the cctv, but didn’t get back to me. When I called, they said they saw nothing on it. At no point did the reception staff ask if I needed any help or assistance or ask any details of the theft. Normally these are the first things anyone would ask, so they could be of some help. Nothing. The only person who behaved decently was the gate security guard. The only person who asked if I needed help. I would not recommend anyone go there, either as a group or individual. Theft can happen anywhere, that may not be controllable. But the response of the reception staff says enough. They didn’t get back to me to offer any information, nor did they offer any assistance or help. They did not apologise or take any responsibility. No decency.

we booked villa between 2nd to 4th May...a full villa with 3 bedrooms .. outside temperature was around 32 degress .. when we reached the villa , we ver told the a/c which are installed are not working ..place is neat and clean .. but room service is pathetic .. food ain’t that good either. pool is full of dry leaves which is not cleaned daily .. there is a fixed time for tea /coffee and they do not budge despite our request. we had to call multiple times for room service and finally they cleaned the villa around 7pm.. this is what we get when we pay 60k for 2 days.

Dirty damaged sofas, overly priced for the facilities extended, kitchen has induction stoves but pots which can’t be used on induction. Common area in villas r not air conditioned . Whoever thought that having a common living area is not used when a Villa is booked? Toaster broken in restaurant . Toilet in reception not maintained well( dirty toilet )

Situated amidst all the coffee plantation, lies this resort which served the worst coffee ever. Made by someone who cannot tell hot from lukewarm. We changed our order to tea. No luck there either. Terrible taste. The promised ‘free snacks’ with the beverages were Marie Biscuits! We paid for the onion pakoda, which thankfully was decent. We checked into our villa. But the dirt and the many pests had already checked in before us! Pests everywhere. Scrawling on ground, strolling on the bed…gave us the heebie- jeebies😞 Unclean bathrooms, dirty sofas made us decide to just run away someplace far. And we did just that. Got up, left and went to another resort.

This is a lovely hotel. Located on part of a coffee plantation, you are surrounded by trees and birdsong. Great local cooking, I had an excellent foot massage, the staff were friendly and helpful. We did a nice hike up Kotebetta with the retreat's local naturalist. He also does a daily tour of the coffee plantation and gives a great description of all the trees and plants. Lovely swimming pool plus lots of traditional play activities. We had a lovely room overlooking the pool but the villas also looked to be great for large family gatherings. Recommended.