The Golden Park

We visited with family a few weeks ago. It's a basic place, fine for one or two nights while visiting Madurai. The railway station is close, and autos are always available right across from the hotel. Our room was a decent size, the bathroom had hot and cold water, and the AC worked properly. Reception staff were polite and cooperative, which made the stay better.

We came back from our temple visit around 7:30 PM and decided to leave straight away. When we told the staff why, they just asked for the key at reception. They didn't acknowledge the problems or apologize, which made an already upsetting stay worse for my family. We'd paid in full before checking in at 4:00 PM for one night near Meenakshi Amman Temple. The room was dark because the lighting was inadequate, smelled strongly and unpleasantly like alcohol, and had beds in a poor, unhygienic state. The washroom had no water and the flush didn't work. For a place where families come during a holy visit, that level of neglect was shocking. What should've been a peaceful trip turned unpleasant, and I wouldn't recommend staying here, especially with family.

We had to wait outside on the road because there was no proper waiting area. I arrived at 11:45 AM, just before the stated noon check-in, but the rooms weren't ready until 1:30 PM. The staff were rude and unprofessional, and kept pressuring us to buy their breakfast, lunch, and other items at highly overpriced rates. When we said no, they became uncooperative and unfriendly. I booked an AC Deluxe room and a Non-AC room. Both were dirty, poorly maintained, and far from what the booking had shown or promised. The washrooms and towels were extremely dirty too, making the place feel unhygienic and unsafe for families. The AC Deluxe room only had centralized AC, not a split or window unit, and took a long time to cool in the heat. For the price, it wasn't worth it. There are cleaner hotels near the temple with better service and hospitality. I'm sharing actual photos of the room to show how different its condition was from the online advertising. I strongly advise against booking here, especially for families.

Parking is available, but in a separate area two blocks from the lodge. The rooms were just about okay for a quick night, though the bathroom was hard to put up with. I also noticed that each staff member asked for a tip, and it didn't feel voluntary. The temple, about 1.3 km away, was the only advantage I could see. The sofas in the reception waiting area were dusty and seemed to have become a home for whole families of mosquitoes.