The Barefoot at Havelock

Our stay at Barefoot was magical. Everything exceeded our expectations from start to finish. Firstly, I would like to thank the staff at Barefoot for making our stay a memorable one. Their dedication to their roles shows through their hard work, attention to the small details (such as remembering our coffee order!) also bringing me food to the room when I was feeling unwell. A special mention to Jack and Suresh - their restaurant service was immaculate. Dev the bartender & his team with their amazing cocktails.Trilochan the chef, he would come and chat to the guests during dinner which was a nice touch. Prathamesh & Rubin the onsite knowledgeable and friendly naturalist guides, with their passion for nature and wildlife. I celebrated my 30th birthday during our stay, my partner and the staff at barefoot organised a surprise dinner on the beach under the stars - a birthday to remember! The rooms are comfortable, rustic and close to nature. The nicest beach on Havelock is a stone throw away from the rooms and you can hear the sound of waves crashing in the early morning. The restaurant food quality is some of the best we had during our time in India (lobster curry is a must!) Highly recommend Barefoot for those looking for a memorable experience on Havelock Island!

This property is set amidst acres of forest, which offers a unique experience, but several crucial details are not disclosed upfront: • No room service or in-room dining. • No direct line to reception. • Poor lighting around the property, requiring torches to navigate at night. • Frequent presence of insects, toads, and spiders in and around the rooms. The beds are infested with bedbugs—after 4-5 days, my body is covered in bites. The bedsheets and blankets appear unchanged for weeks, if not months. Food is below average. The only highlight was the intertidal experience with their staff member, Prathmesh. Not to forget the forest and beautiful beach location they got. They charge 18% GST on everything and issue a kachha bill—unclear if it's properly accounted for. Overall, it's a very basic property in the middle of the forest, offering no amenities for guests who travel all the way to Havelock. Will I ever return? Never. Would I recommend this place? Probably not. I hope they focus less on selling an underwhelming experience and instead invest in improving the property, considering its stunning location and natural beauty.

Let’s first say a lot of things went wrong here. Most of it was fixed, but there is a lot to improve here. On arrival the toilet did not flush properly. This was resolved by replacing the entire bowl for a new one (leaving a nasty stain on where the old bowl used to be). Then there was hot water for like 30 seconds before it stopped. Mentioned it 2x, they ‘fixed’ it 2x, but in the 4 nights I stayed here I only had cold showers (lukewarm would be a better description). Then the airconditioning broke after a power outage. This was solved by replacing some part of the device. I have to say at this point they aknowledged the fact that a lot of things went wrong and they gave us free dinner, which was very nice. Then the next day: I booked a diving trip via barefoot scuba, their sister company. At the desk of the hotel I discussed with them that pick up should be at 7. No pick up. ‘Sorry mam’ was their reaction. They could arrange a pick up an hour later. I was so disappointed by this that at first I cancelled, reconsidered 5 min later and went anyways. Diving was amazing, but the pick up at 13h went at 13.30. The next morning at check out, although it was said that the reception will be staffed 24h, apparently not with people that can let you pay the bill. So I had to wait until someone showed up that could ‘help’ me with that. Leaving us with 30 min to have breakfast (which is served, so it takes a bit longer than a buffet) and check out. The hotel furthermore is just not properly cleaned (mentioned this, part of it, the hairdryer was sort of cleaned, but not really). The main parts like the toilet floor, the bed and shower floor are clean, but don’t look at the walls or deviced like hair dryings or hand dryers. Which also makes us a bit less enthusiastic about taking your shoes off whenever you enter the reception or restaurant. On a positive note and the only reason why it gets a second star, is that the in house naturalists are amazing. We did two intertidal walks with Prathamesh and we really enjoyed outselves. Also Ruben helpt out whit arranging the shuttle for my diving when they did not show up. All in all, I will not return here.

We stayed in Barefoot for 4 nights. We had an amazing experience. Barefoot is idyllic in a sylvan setting and a perfect place to unwind. It is only few minutes from the scenic Radhanagar beach stretching more than couple of kms. The staff in the resort are fantastic, the food is delicious. We are spoilt by the hospitality and want to come back again.

Having come here 18 years ago, this time I was afraid the magic would have gone. But it hasn't - truly lovely spot, bright stars, beautiful forest, morning birdsong, fantastic beach. And the restaurant is good too, with lovely, friendly staff.

The staffs are extremely friendly and they took extreme care for us to have the best hospitality experience. Resort and food is little expensive but would be worth it when you get to enjoy both the beach and the forest stay experience. Must Try!