Indrani Lodge

We stumbled upon the Indrani Lodge by sheer chance and could not believe our luck. The renovation of the ancient barns and buildings is creative and stylish with lots of thoughtful touches. Our room was not particularly large but so comfortable and quiet and I had the best night’s sleep in a very long time. We loved the swimming pool and large gardens and our breakfast was outstanding with home-made yoghurt, apple juice and granola and eggs from their chickens and fruit salad. We didn’t eat dinner there as we already had plans but heard from other guests that it was outstanding. There are lots of lovely walks nearby and so we will definitely return for a relaxing few days.

There are many serious problems with this hotel which disappointingly outweighs the charm of its appearance and contradicts the luxury price tag and image. First, it's under major construction. Seven houses in and around the hotel are being renovated with the dust, mud and noise that goes with it. They do not tell you this before you book and do not give a discount to compensate for it. The outside areas are unkempt with mud and weeds, construction signs and a makeshift main entrance to the hotel. Secondly, the interior feels like a cross between a family roadside motel complete with plastic children's toys in the garden and a business hotel with its charmless mass produced deco art and formula furniture. What a shame! The dining experience was recommended to us but it was closed so we had to drive to another place to eat. No beverage facilities were available such as a bar or tea and coffee facilities despite the many chalk boards listing refreshments. We thought a beautiful old property like this would have an open fire and a bar to relax in the evening but there wasn't. Breakfast was poor quality with no fresh local produce such as free range eggs, croissants or fresh bread. The jam was a dirty old jar dated 2021 with bits of previous guests butter stuck to the sides. Our room oddly had no windows other than one off the bathroom and there was no ventilation making the room stuffy. The carpet was old and dirty. The swimming pool in the barn was very nice but the loungers were stained. Despite the hotels website suggesting a respect for ecology and nature there was little or no sign of sustainability. The best part of our experience was a wonderful massage but it was expensive and interrupted by managements failure to relocate the massages to a quieter part of the hotel. This hotel has a long way to go before it is the oasis of tranquility and luxury it claims to be. I hope it gets there. The potential is enormous. Hard work and a serious reality check is required.