Hotel Western Park-Port Blair

The rooms are pretty nice, and the interiors and corridors are well designed. Location is a strong point: it’s in the centre of abardeen market, close to the airport and other major areas. There’s a good in-house restaurant and plenty of nearby eateries. For the price, I expected better service. I had to contact staff multiple times to get things done. Housekeeping wasn’t good, especially in the untidy corridors, and during our three nights there was no daily cleaning or fresh towels. The AC vent was dusty and circulated dust around the room, and its circulation wasn’t very good. Some refill bottles of shampoo and body soap smelled off and seemed to have been diluted with water, which may have spoiled them over time.

Mr. Neal and the staff understood what we needed and helped us enjoy our stay. We don’t eat onions or garlic, so we asked for a separate breakfast, and they made us something healthy and tasty. That kind of care hasn’t usually happened for us at other stays. The staff were very cooperative and checked on the details of our comfort. The rooms were spacious and clean. The location was good, with everything we needed nearby, and the atmosphere and temperature were nice too.

The Wi-Fi was the main problem. It disconnected often, and every time we had to get the password from reception again. We called around 2 am for it, but the manager wasn’t available, so we couldn’t reconnect then. The airport cab was available for ₹400, a little above the market price. The location is good, service was good, and the stay was fine overall. Rooms are clean, though if you’re very particular about small details of cleanliness, this may not be the best fit. A decent stay.

The staff were polite, friendly and well behaved, which I appreciated. The room was spacious and clean, and the reception area was shiny and well maintained. Aberdeen Bazaar is a convenient location: autos from the airport cost around ₹100, and Cellular Jail, the stadium and bus stand are all walkable. But check-in took about 30 minutes. There were several problems during the stay. The AC receiver was oddly placed near the washroom, so I had to go there to adjust it. Worse, the AC didn’t work at all for the first 24 hours. Staff checked it several times but couldn’t fix it, and one finally said, “Sir, nahi theek ho raha.” We spent one full night without AC. Hot water wasn’t available 24×7. Each time, I had to call reception to switch on the geyser, then wait about 20 minutes. Wi-Fi was weak in the room, around 2 bars. The username and password were the room number, but electricity went out multiple times a day and the Wi-Fi kept restarting. I then had to fill in the online form and reconnect, which often failed, so I’d call reception for a new username and password. Breakfast on the top floor was decent, though not great. The options were limited, such as banana, idli, upma, bread and tea. When I asked for coffee, I was told they don’t serve it at all. There were no basic items like a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb or slippers, so bring your own. Room service was very slow: it took 1 hour 20 minutes to get plates and spoons, despite calling three times. Better maintenance, faster service, basic amenities and reliable AC and Wi-Fi are needed.