'Marari Johns Homestay' Mararikulam, Alappuzha

If you want to soak up the slow life of an Indian village, this is it. It has a fabulous veranda from which you can see the locals getting on with their daily chores as well as a tea shop across the road for colour. The hosts are the most soulful people with an excellent sense of humour. It's very good value for money and the food is excellent.

The property is very close to Mararikulam beach extension and the owner is very helpful. He helped us arrange transportation during the trip and also suggested us with options to explore. The room and the washroom is pretty massive in size and the property also has good outside seating arrangement. The kitchen in the common area is an added plus. The transportation around the area seems good as the property is just a few hundred meters from the mail plying road. Also there is a massive shop just outside the property where one can get everything. Although not a restaurant they serve great tea.

The rooms could have a little bit of furniture on the inside. There is no furniture except the bed and a small cupboard. Also since this is a homestay there is no housekeeping or room cleaning service available. They should keep someone to offer that once in a few days if daily isn't feasible. Also no laundry facility available but generally as mentioned above the owner and his family is very helpful. Overall the facilities could improve. Breakfast was pretty basic and could improve as well. There was also ongoing construction going on in the area which spoiled the experience but thats obviously a problem which would be solved in the future as the construction completes.

The room is nice and clean with a lovely, large & tranquil verandah for guests to relax. The bathroom and hot water is excellent. The home cooked breakfast was tasty. The owners are very friendly and helpful. There was no place for our driver to sleep. The owner's wife made arrangements quickly for a comfortable place at a very nominal cost. I would recommend this place for long-term stay for solo travellers. I was also told that the beach is close by but we did not have the time to go. Also there is a kitchen available for guests to use.

The room could do with more furniture such as a chair, bedside tables and power points to charge devices. The air conditioner was leaking and the water seeped through my suitcase wetting my clothes. This I think was an accident and the owners may have taken action.

It was like a home 🏡 no complaints at all