Pranav Beach Resort

Payamballam beach is my favourite in India, and the property is right on it, with the entrance incredibly close to the sand. The beach has friendly locals and the occasional foreigner. I spent my days walking at sunset, swimming in the clean seawater, reading, or talking about life with Mr. Cariappa. Nearby, Appu's tea shop is a nice place to meet locals and get an excellent snack. There’s an outdoor shower to rinse sand off your toes after the beach. I stayed for 9 days, and they were meaningful. The breakfasts and dinners were delicious, made with love by the 3 cooks. Give them half a day's notice for dinner. Wifi isn't great, but I didn't mind. If you're coming from overseas, BUY AN INDIAN SIM CARD. The owners, Mrs. Nitinya and Mr. Sanjeev, were extremely hospitable and cared for me like their own son. They went above and beyond. Mr. Cariappa, the hotel manager, is a polite, multilingual renaissance man with wisdom and incredible stories. I could listen for hours, and his English vocabulary is better than mine, even though I'm British. Mr. Sudeesh, the day security guard, was the kindest person I met on any of my trips to Kannur. He was so sweet, always smiling, and made sure I was comfortable. Thank you Pranav Beach Resort.

We paid a lot, then spent the whole stay without attention because the staff were busy with a wedding. Guests from the event crowded the resort and kept running around right in front of us. Even basic concierge help got brushed off with, “they are busy due to wedding.” Kariappa, who manages the place, needs to learn how to treat people. The breakfast idlis were harder than cork balls. Consider this resort if you want your vacation ruined.

The place was filthy and had a beach view, but the customer service was the worst I’ve experienced in Kerala. Manager Mr. Kariappa acted as if he were giving the rooms away for free. Choose this only if you want to spoil your vacation.

We spent 3 days here with 5 families and had a terrible time. The resort was poorly maintained and run by unprofessional staff, and renting the whole venue for wedding functions meant event guests used the private areas too. Whenever we needed anything, we had to chase the staff, only to hear, “function is just for 3 hr please adjust.” My vacation was wasted. There are many good resorts around, so I suggest not booking this one.