Sremethila

We had nowhere to stay in the middle of the night, in a remote area where we didn't know the language. My sister and I had booked a week ahead and paid an advance, but when we arrived the owner wouldn't answer despite our many calls. She eventually called back four hours later and claimed we hadn't booked. Even after we showed the payment and transaction details, she denied it, though she had repeatedly called us when it was time to pay. We are vegetarian, and it was Shivaratri. At the entrance hall, even just trying to sit, we encountered a smell of smoke and what seemed like some kind of alcohol-drinking ritual. We needed to go to the Isha temple and freshen up, so my sister actually washed her hair in the sink outside the homestay. We refused to leave until our money was returned. We had no food, no place to stay, and no water. The homestay is about 100 kms from Isha. We aren't jobless, sitting around writing reviews; we work hard to make a living. We came to seek Shiva's blessings on an auspicious day, and these people tried to take our money in the name of goodness and made comments about us. Please, I sincerely ask that nobody book here. Think of your family in our situation.

They refused to give us the room after we reached the homestay, and I saw several other customers get turned away the same way. It feels like some kind of spam. I was there with my sister, and they didn't return our payment either. Bad management and even worse treatment. Don't book this homestay.

My first-floor room was large and tidy, though there's no lift. The home is very close to the temple(adivaram), and food can be ordered from Zomato. All was good, with decent family people maintaining the place.

We had a delay at check-in because nobody responsible was there when we arrived. After we called the Manager, they gave us a room. It was spacious and clean, as was the bathroom. The place is close to the bus stop, with frequent busses to Marudhamalai temple. There was no wifi or in-house catering, so we managed with zomato.