Judges Court

We stayed at Judges Court for 2 nights. We visited as family (4 adults and 1 child) and took 2 double rooms in Dec last week. The property is a heritage villa located on VIP road, just behind Pride Ananya Resort and around 10 min walk from the Blue Flag Beach. There are 4 rooms in total - 2 larger rooms with king beds and 2 smaller rooms apart from a common areas like the living cum dining room, a verandah and plenty of open space. Rooms may be individually booked or villa as whole as per need. The open space is well developed with gardens, trees, lawn, badminton play area and an in-house vegetable garden. This pet friendly location has 2 dogs - Bruno and Penny..they are playful and don't inconvenience visitors. If you require, we can notify the care takers to tie them whenever needed. Food - Inhouse cook prepares food based on your choice from an exhaustive menu (veg + non veg). Food is homely and tasty. You need to share your choice and quantity few hours in advance so that the cook can prepare accordingly. Breakfast is complementary while lunch/dinner is as per request. Prices are reasonable. Care takers - There are 2 caretakers Shibu and Debu for all needs. They are very helpful. Transport - Car with in-house driver is available and services may be requested based on itinerary. Other facilities - WiFi, Mini library, TV, AC etc. What sets this place apart is that is this not a regular hotel..it is a 70+ year old ancestral home of the owner..well maintained with plenty of greenery and supportive staff. It seems like a home away from home. Certainly recommend for stay in Puri. Thanks to the owner Ms Archana Mahapatra for maintaining and operating the stay...it is not easy task to operate a heritage property. And also for providing a very personalized experience throughout the stay. This included with quick support on queries and suggestions beyond the stay such as shopping tips, places to see etc.

Everything started out well, characterful room and helpful reception staff. Lovely lawned area to enjoy a spot of lunch. Then everything went downhill from there. The bar area was loud and the large tv took pride of place. The whole area was very cold to the point I had to return to the room for a fleece! The only drinks available were vodka, beer or Indian wine. At 7.20 we were the only people in a large soulless dining room. Our meal arrived cold on cold plates. The waiter spoke little English so I pushed my finger into my butter chicken and left it there and he realised the problem and shoved his finger in too. The same meal was returned luke warm with the addition of a mosquito.At this point it was beginning to feel like a scene from Fawlty Towers.I returned the meal and gave up. The owner or manager followed us and offered to totally re do the meal. We gave him a chance but the replacement although it was hot didn’t resemble the original choice…shattered drumsticks with shards of bone and inedible. I went without the food and was still charged for it. We were in the Curzon room and it was very noisy, you could hear every conversation in the other rooms. For breakfast we chose toast which I cooked myself and we arranged to cut our visit short and moved to a different hotel. This place needs to train its staff in food hygiene and if there’s a bar at least offer gin! I felt I should have given this place 1/5 but they have a lovely dog so hence 2/5.