Royal Retreat

Royal Retreat is a three star hotel on the Kannan Devan Hills in Munnar, 1.7 km from the centre of the town, about 20 minutes on foot. It lists a 24 hour front desk, laundry, free WiFi, free parking, a garden and luggage storage. Guests score it 3.9 out of 5 from 445 reviews, and that score is the thing to weigh: it tells you the place does the basics dependably, not indulgently.

What Royal Retreat covers

Royal Retreat is a three star hotel, and the facilities it lists are the practical kind: a 24 hour front desk that means a late arrival is not a problem, laundry for anyone staying more than a few days, luggage storage for the hours before a departure, and free parking for a car you have driven up from the coast. Free WiFi is there too, which matters in Munnar because mobile coverage can be patchy on the estate roads.

The garden is the one piece of space to sit in, and it is worth asking for a room that opens toward it. Guest reviews give it 3.9 out of 5 from 445 reviews, a solid rather than glowing figure: people tend to praise the staff and the setting more than the rooms, and the score reflects that. No other facility is on file.

Where it stands

The hotel is at Kannan Devan Hills in Munnar, a town in Idukki district, a tourism hub, in South Kerala. It sits 1.7 km from the centre of Munnar, about 20 minutes on foot, so the town is walkable rather than immediate.

Munnar is a hill destination, rising from 1,500 to 2,695 m. Tea grows from 1,500 metres up to the grassland, laid over hills the Scots planted in the 1880s. Anamudi, the highest point in India south of the Himalaya, sits on the eastern edge at 2,695 metres.

Who should book it

Royal Retreat suits people who want a straightforward, well-run base with parking and a desk that never closes, particularly drivers and walkers who will be out on the estate roads all day and back in the evening. It does not suit anyone hoping for a resort with grounds to lose yourself in: the garden is the only outdoor space listed, and the guest score says competent, not luxurious. Eravikulam, the Nilgiri tahr park, is a short drive away, which is a reason many people come.

When to plan the trip

The season runs from September to May. Outside it, the heavy monsoon months bring closed-in cloud and landslip risk, which is a real constraint on hill driving and walking. January mornings frost here, ninety kilometres from a tropical lagoon, so bring a layer. The estate roads are the best walking in the state, and almost nobody walks them. Eravikulam closes for calving in February and March.

What the property lists

Where it is

About 1.7 km from the centre of munnar, roughly 22 minutes on foot at 4.8 km/h, in Idukki district. The listed address is Kannan Devan Hills Munnar 685612Kerala.

Questions people ask

Where exactly is Royal Retreat in Munnar?

It is at Kannan Devan Hills in Munnar, in Idukki district, South Kerala. The address places it 1.7 km from the centre of Munnar, about 20 minutes on foot, so the town is reachable without a car, though the walk back is uphill in places.

What facilities does Royal Retreat list?

The listed facilities are a 24 hour front desk, laundry, free WiFi, free parking, a garden and luggage storage. Those cover late arrivals, longer stays and anyone driving up. No other facility is on file, so plan around the garden as the only outdoor space listed.

Is Royal Retreat good for a hill holiday?

It suits walkers and drivers who want a plain, dependable base with parking and a desk that never closes. Eravikulam, the Nilgiri tahr park, is a short drive away. It is less suited to anyone expecting resort grounds, since the garden is the only outdoor space listed.

When is the best time to stay in Munnar?

September to May is the season. The heavy monsoon months bring closed-in cloud and landslip risk, which limits driving and walking. January mornings frost here, so pack a warm layer. Eravikulam closes for calving in February and March, which affects some visitors' plans.