Welcome to Hotel Hell
(aka our accommodations)
in the Andaman Islands

Our trip to the Andamans fell far short of our expectations mainly due to the accommodations which were indicated as FOUR and FIVE STAR hotels. Were these simply 'made-up' designations, tossed-in to sound good to high-paying customers? Whatever the reason for such misleading and deceptive misinformation, it caused us to pack a certain way and to expect certain comforts and service levels which were simply not there. In fact, we should have been given a warning instead. Would we have reconsidered our trip? Perhaps. The prices charged were on par with what we would have spent at a bona fide Four or Five Star resort in The Maldives or anywhere else, even in Bangalore. We feel ripped off. The result of this misinformation is that we had expectations of a hotel with certain basics. We anticipated a relaxing getaway, with good meals, good service, relaxing massages at the spa, and maybe a workout or two at the gym. We never thought we would be "camping out" in a dark and depressing room. We packed nice clothing, makeup, workout clothes, and left behind many bare necessities that in hindsight we wish we'd brought. One of these necessities included more cash. We thought we would find basics such as good soap & shampoo, moisturizing lotion, artificial sweetener for our coffee or tea. We took only a few thousand rupees, just in case we wanted to purchase incidentals outside of our resort. After all, what hotel today doesn't accept a credit card? The answer: OURS! Clearly we were very mistaken. In fact, we were misled. We felt tricked. 

I have attempted to provide a vivid and chronologically accurate description of our Andaman Hotel-Hell.

We tried to book this holiday to the Andamans with a stay at Barefoot Havelock Island Resort, a spot everyone says is very nice, "the best in the Andamans", etc. Due to the high season we were unable to get accommodation there and were instead booked at what we were told is the "second best" place on Havelock Island, Silver Sand Resort, a hotel purported by one of our travel agents (Paramount Holidays) to be a 5-Star facility. If prices were any indication, then this place had to be nice. (Rule #1 in Life - You don't always get what you pay for!) Our main concern before arriving was whether or not we would have Internet access. In hindsight, Internet should have been of little concern, comparatively. Just getting fed or trying to fall asleep were challenges most of the time!

Upon our arrival in the Andamans, we were picked up promptly at the Port Blair airport, just after our 12 o’clock arrival from Chennai. We quickly cleared the checkpoint where we obtained the necessary documentation. Just like visiting The Galapagos Islands, we had to obtain permits to remain in the Andamans Islands for a period not to exceed 30 days. Truth is, we couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.

We were told by our driver that we would be on the 2pm “speedboat” to Havelock Island. So, in the spare time, we asked our driver to take us to lunch, preferably at a nice restaurant. We were taken to the Ananda Restaurant – “A place for ‘High Class North & South India Dishes”. This place was so high-class they didn't even have a bathroom! Leisha told me this. In disbelief, I had to ask for myself whether there was a toilet. The answer was consistently "No". At least I was allowed to change into my shorts in the rear dining room and our amusement began early as we got a kick out of the "high-quality" menu options which included such Indian favorites as “crabe hot bean souce”, “steamad crabe”, “pototo pagoda”, “finger cheeps and” and ”fish catlet”. (Is this the name of the local catfish?) I'm not joking about these names - I can't make this stuff up! 

We could not wait to get to our resort at Havelock Island where surely there would be good food!

After finishing our meal of Dal Makhani and Prawns Manchurian we got back into our waiting vehicle. We were met by another young man who gave us our ferry boat tickets. He told us the “Garden Villa” rooms that we had booked were all sold out. How could this be? We were confirmed and pre-paid!  “But we upgraded you!”  I thought: "great, no problem.  ...“… and you would only have to pay extra thousand rupees.”   I immediately felt I was being bamboozled. With my fleeting Airtel signal I quickly called our agent in Bangalore. Anu at The Travel Bazaar agreed this information was wrong, since we were confirmed for the standard room rate. Five minutes later she called back and told me the upgrade would be at no charge. What a relief. An upgraded room at no charge. I can live with that. Our hopes were high.

Since the "high-class" restaurant had no toilet and we both really needed to "go", we asked our driver to stop at a ‘nice hotel’ on the way to the jetty where we could use a bathroom. This is where we were taken. It was rather disgusting but we "did the needful."

After our quick pit-stop we made haste to the Port Blair jetty to catch our ferry to Havelock. I thought we would miss our ferry because for several minutes the driver was unable to open the back of his beat-up old Maruti van where our luggage was placed.  It was totally stuck. Leisha found shade to stand in as I climbed back into the van to figure out a plan for removal of the rear seat. (It did not fold forward.) I began looking for a wrench or any other tools. After several minutes of effort (our driver's), sweat (Leisha’s) and frustration (mine) the driver opened the back and the two men who were waiting for us helped get our bags (you know, the ones with the wheels on them) to the ferry in time for our 2pm departure. It was crowded and uncomfortably warm in the main seating area below - there was absolutely no ventilation, especially where it was needed. Naturally, I found the nearest escape route and managed to find my way to the upper deck where several people were basking in the sun and breeze. I mentioned to the captain that we were told this was a ‘speedboat’. He began laughing hysterically. A jovial and articulate man, Captain Sudhir welcomed us into the pilot house and allowed us to remain there for the duration of the two-hour journey. There was a nice breeze and plenty of shade required by my fair-skinned wife. We later went outside, on the deck in front of the pilot house to see our ushers to Havelock Island, flying fish and dolphins.

We arrived at the Havelock jetty to find a collection of signs advertising different hotels and dive operations. Silver Sand’s sign was by far the largest - a good sign of things to come, or so we thought. We had plenty of time to read all the signs because we waited on line for nearly a half hour; each visitor had to show their permission slip to an official at the gate. We eagerly awaited arrival at our resort!

The Last Resort

One definition of “resort” found on the Internet:

Resorts offer a complete destination experience. Facilities generally include a spa or fitness center, one or more swimming pools, and superior dining options. Depending on location, recreational activities may include water sports, golf, tennis or skiing. Coastal resorts usually boast ocean views or beachfront access.

Silver Sands Resort, a purported 5-Star hotel

About 10 minutes' drive from the jetty we spotted a modest looking red-roofed structure just a few feet off the main road to the left side. I was surprised to notice our vehicle pulling off into a small dirt driveway to the right. I quickly realized THIS was our "resort" --- with a road running through it. The building on the left is an outdoor ‘dining room’. Reception is across the street, to the right. This did not have the appearance of a resort, but rather, a roadside lodge. To our pleasant surprise, we were greeted with a welcome drink. An umbrella drink? No. Coconut water? No. A glass of cola!  NoThankYou. This didn't feel a resort either, not so far anyway.

Our Room

While the Silver Sands does have beach access, that alone does not qualify it to be called a “resort”. If that were the case, any tent on the beach could be called a resort. In fact, this was a place to stay… on a backbreaking hard mattress with huge, thick pillows that were terrible for our necks. This place has no spa, no gym, no library or games, no water sports facility, no in-room mini bar, no hotel bar, no in-room telephone, no public telephone, and NO CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED! 

We realized rather quickly this was NOT a 5-STAR hotel or anything like it. The room we walked into, though large, was dark and dreary, very poorly lit and missing such basic essentials as a place to hang our clothes. There wasn't even a chair to toss a bag or garment onto, there were no hangers in the closet, not even a towel rack in the bathroom! The stained floor wasn't so inviting either. However, there was a nail outside our room that got lots of use. The place looked like it was still under construction. Maybe the pile of construction debris next to our room gave away this poorly-kept secret. Our bathroom was par for the course with a sloppy, unfinished concrete wall and a window that lacked a (mesh) screen to keep out mosquitoes. To make matters worse, the bathroom was very dark because the lamp above the vanity was missing its light bulb. We made a request to have this fixed.

Keeping clear from the precariously mounted ceiling fan, we sat for a moment on the hard bed, looked at each other and wondered what went wrong. This was not at all what we expected, and so far, not a relaxing or comfortable getaway. There was no massage center, no spa, not even a gym. A mild sort of trauma began to set in as we realized we were to be stranded here for five days. Somehow, we would have to make the best of it. We also wondered why the property seemed so desolate, empty, vacant. Where were the other guests? Usually a restaurant or hotel with high demand means they have something good to offer. The emptiness was suspiciously eerie. How could this place be "sold out"? And if this is an "upgraded" room, we were quite scared to see a "standard" room!

With the few minutes of remaining light we decided to have our first look at the beach. As we stepped off the Silver Sands' property, things were 'back to normal'. At least the beach was 'acceptable'. It was approaching 5:30pm and the moon was already visible... night would soon be upon us. Is this where the beach-side dining is done? Looks like shaky ground. Somebody in their "hotel management wisdom" figured would be fine to leave this broken table by the beach, threatening to collapse to the ground at any moment. This became a "mental icon" for us, an apt representation of the 'broken' Silver Sands "resort". Little did we know things would not improve.

Clearly, not much thought was put into the design of our guest room. Not only is lighting terribly inadequate, the lights above the bed had on/off switches that are not accessible from the bed! Instead, they're about 1 meter from either either side of the bed!  It was like a bad joke. Once we managed to turn off the lights, sleep was quite challenging because of several problems:

• There were mosquitoes in our room. Even though the room was equipped with a "plug-in" mosquito repellent, the bathroom window lacked mosquito mesh (screen) which made our room all too inviting to several types of flying and crawling insects.
• Noisy crickets behind the wall planks kept us up at night. Several times I got out of bed to pound on the dark wooden walls to make them "shut up", which only worked temporarily. Seconds later they were back in full chorus. One was located in the northwest corner of the room and the other, just opposite our bed. They were having a conversation that lasted until the wee hours.
• If that's not bad enough there was a rooster on the premises to wake us up at sunrise 4:30am
• Once the rooster shut up long enough for us to fall back asleep, the sunlight came streaming in through the windows. Even though they had curtains, because someone cut costs by cutting the curtains far too short! Not only did this look stupid, it allowed plenty of sunlight in during the wee hours.

Dining

Upon our arrival was a very long day. included waking at 4:30am to catch our 6:30am flight, we were very tired and hungry. We needed something enjoyable at the end of a long day's journey and we looked forward to a nice dinner followed by an early bedtime. After all, the sun rises in The Andaman Islands around 4:30am! (Though geographically they are approximately two time-zones to the east, the Andamans share the same time-zone as India's mainland. This way the whole country remains on the same time-zone.) Like I said, we were tired and hungry , but mostly tired. We asked what time dinner is served and were floored at the answer we were given. Nine o'clock. 9pm? We thought we didn't hear it right. "Did you say 9pm?" Could this be for real? Night time was nearly upon us and we were not in the mood to wait three and a half hours to begin dinner.  What hotel starts serving dinner at 9 o'clock at night? Ours.  We were tired and hungry and we had no patience for this. Could we call for help? No. Was there telephone or Internet available! Our room didn't even have a TV. It was four walls with a bed, an A/C, inadequate lighting and a space for a mini-bar or refrigerator - MINUS the mini-bar or refrigerator!  Could we drown our sorrows at the hotel bar?  No! There is no such thing here. The place was desolate, the room was stripped and we were stranded. Using the only phone at our hotel (at the front desk) we learned that Barefoot was indeed sold out. We needed to get out of here fast, but how?. Could we go to Barefoot for dinner and check for room cancellations? How far is Barefoot? Leisha, with her trusty guidebook, learned it was far, on the other side of the island. Our Barefoot visit would have to wait till tomorrow. The book pointed us in the direction of the Wild Orchid, which was nearby, about a ½ km up the road, in the direction of the jetty.

With no transport available, we decided to walk up the dark and lonely road. We came upon a nice-looking property with a two-story main building. Up the stairs we went to find the hotel's reception desk with a restaurant (The Red Snapper) just behind it.  Leisha had read about this place in her travel book. It was nice looking but , at the time, empty; they were closed. (Thursday is their "off" night.) The previous night's hand-written menu sure looked delicious with lots of great seafood items. But where could we eat tonight? Just as we felt defeated we were approached by an employee who directed us to the nearby Emerald Gecko, just a few hundred feet south on the same road. We had noticed the sign on the way to the Wild Orchid. Upon our arrival we were pleasantly surprised to see civilization! People! People on vacation. People on vacation having a good time!  People on vacation having a good time drinking drinks and eating food! The atmosphere was VERY DIFFRERENT from our soulless and desolate "resort".  We later came to know the Emerald Gecko is a sister property to the Wild Orchid. This was a property teeming with people, many of whom were seated at a very nicely-lit restaurant/lounge called Black Beard's Bistro. We quickly learned from one of the waiters that a large Marlin was recently caught and would be on the menu that night. We immediately put our orders in and salivated as we watched the chef prepare fresh fish for most of the patrons. We didn't have to wait until 9 o'clock! Our meal was served at 7:40 (dinnertime) instead of at bedtime. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and were finally satisfied.  We thought of the irony: Here we are on our long-awaited trip to The Andamans, booked at an all-inclusive and we end up speinding our money a competing hotel! Our only regret was that we had to return to our own hotel. We joked with each other that, by the time we return to Silver Sands, dinner might not have even started! We were right.

Though we were on the "all-inclusive" plan, we ended up dining OUTSIDE of our hotel on three of the five nights we were there. However, we could not afford to eat out every night since we brought only a few thousand rupees with us. We had to give Silver Sands a chance to feed us, a couple of times at least. Nearly every meal at Silver Sands was a challenge, due to timing, miscommunication or simply no food being served at all during mealtime. When it wasn't a challenge (and even when it was) the food was just "OK".

Visiting the Andaman Islands, we naturally expected to feast on fresh seafood. But not at Silver Sands. Here the meals, when actually being served, could have come from nearly any Indian kitchen on the mainland. Although tasty and well-prepared, the meals consisted of items like aloo gobi, aloo mutter, curry chicken, yellow dal, black dal, fried bHindi with tomatoes, chapatti, and the occasional chili fish which consisted of small pieces of deep-fried fish chunks. Who knows where it came from – could have been from the freezer. Overall, it was nothing special. The worst part of it was not having food when we wanted it; and having to wait for long periods most of the time.

I suppose our first morning could have been worse, at least we got fed!  When I asked a waiter for coffee with no sugar (I'm borderline diabetic) my coffee came out very sweet. During the several minutes we waited to see a waiter again, I slowly sipped my sugary concoction, all the while knowing I was violating my doctor's orders. When I finally asked why it was sweet they answered "because of sugar in the milk". (Thanks a lot guys, for your understanding - NOT!) Realizing they had no sugar substitute (at a "5 Star") I ran back to our room to grab one of the few packets of Splenda that my wife I luckily had in her purse. For the the duration of our stay, I would ration myself on the few packets I had with me. I then ordered a BLACK coffee and some regular milk separately (with no sugar please) so that I could mix things myself.  Several minutes after delivering the hot cup of black (instant) coffee, they brought out a full glass of hot milk! These people just don’t get it!  That's my experience with morning beverages.

My wife's experience was "hazy". Not wanting a prepared tea concoction which might have included milk or sugar (my wife avoids both items) she asked for tea bag and hot water separately. On a whim I decided to have a look inside the "hot water pitcher". What I found was equally perplexing as it was disgusting. The water was murky and dirty! When I reported this to the wait staff they nonchalantly explained, this is the pitcher we heated the milk in.   !!!!

What to do?

Another morning at 8:15am I showed up hoping to get my morning coffee. I find no coffee and nobody to ask for coffee. Here's the "breakfast buffet" at 8:14am. Things don't look much better at 8:15am. We're just looking for some breakfast, maybe some coffee or tea. Something is terribly "broken" about this place. After a few minutes of lurking around the dining room I made my way into the kitchen to request some coffee, only to be told it would take five minutes. Five minutes for a spoonful of cheap, instant coffee mixed with hot water? Should it really take that long? On several days lunch was served quite late; 3pm our first day! We were in disbelief. Another day I asked three people “What time is lunch?” All three consistently answered 12:30. This was surprising to me because now they're staging a 'normal' lunchtime AND everyone’s on the same page… or so it seemed at the time. After a meager breakfast, we returned from our snorkel trip at 1:05pm expecting lunch to be ready. The manager “suggested” we return to our rooms to freshen up. (Note: This is really code for: “We're not ready and need extra time to prepare your food.”) I was OK with the suggestion to freshen up. I'd happily rinse the salt water and sand from by hair and body before sitting down to a comfortable meal. I tried to freshen up but it was impossible. The water in our room was not working!  It was frustration compounded on frustration, which bare necessity shall I sit and wait for, food or water.  As 2 o’clock approached the food came out and the water began working. Another dilemma - I forget which one I chose first.

On the way back from dinner we passed a provision store. Still in a state of shock about the meager amenities at our hotel, we seriously considered purchasing basic items such as shampoo and toilet paper. Leisha thought our hotel lacked toilet paper and was tempted to purchase some at this street side provision shop. I resisted. I thought “they MUST have toilet paper!” (Luckily they did, they just didn’t stock extra in our room. When Leisha ran out a day later, we swiped a roll from the community bathroom by the ‘dining room’... faster than trying to track down a staff member to steal a roll from a nearby room.) We decided to 'make do' with what little shampoo we brought with us and we took a gamble on the toilet paper. Still, we were not looking forward to our return.

Upon arrival to our hotel we noticed, by the reception desk, a box of new light bulbs on the floor. This was a reminder to issue a second request to repair our bathroom light. They immediately asked the ever-helpful and friendly Ranjan to accompany us to our room to 'illuminate' the situation. We had to exercise ample patience though... We were quite puzzled that he insisted on NOT taking one of the new light bulbs from the box. We asked a few times but he insisted on coming empty-handed.   Mystified, we escorted him to our room. Just before entering, he popped into the room next door and 'stole' a light bulb from the adjoining room.  (For all I know, that's how our bulb ended up missing in the first place!) We thought "real classy place"... shifting light bulbs from room to room as needed. At least we could now see what we had in our bathroom. We were NOT  alone.

At the end of a long and frustrating day Leisha decided to rinse off in the shower. As she showered I tried to tidy our room by rearranging our shirts that were hanging from the closet doors, since there were no hangers supplied with our upgraded 5-star room. I immediately heard Leisha shouting from the shower "Come here and look at this shower! There's almost no water coming from it!" The shower had six or seven piercing, needle-thin streams of water coming from its showerhead.  Having experience with such things, I removed the showerhead and discovered the holes were blocked by sediment and rocks. Barely any water came from the sink either. I unscrewed the aerator too and emptied a small handful of rocks and sediment. Problem solved. Except for the times when there was NO WATER running.  As many of you know, Leisha and I are road-warriors; professional travelers. There are several things we enjoy about patronizing "classier" (FOUR or FIVE STAR) hotels. We actually look forward to trying out the different bathroom products; including soaps, shampoos, lotion, and whatever else might be provided. (In fact, Leisha's Christmas gift was a large bottle of Kama bath-gel that she discovered and fell in love with at the Oberoi in Kolkata.) Our classy Andaman hotel was supplied with the very cheapest products possible. We were not at all interested in the metallic-blue stuff that oozed from this packet. (Shhhh.... I took an extra packet of "Clinic Plus" to give as a birthday present!) Once I completed my repairs, showering was not unbearable, however, it was mildly frustrating. As trivial as it might seem, it’s really quite irritating to have no spot to place one's soap or shampoo sachet, except the floor. I found my solution in the toilet. I mean that figuratively! The toilet seat became my soap dish. Classy ain't it? We were camping!

With lots of sun & sea and the resulting dry skin, moisturizing lotion is a real necessity. We brought no moisturizer with us because we fully expected to find it at our hotel. After a couple of days enjoying sun and sea our skin was very dried out. I finally located a stick of Chapstik lip balm in my own bag that we used on our heels! That's right - I said we're camping!

Here’s the rub, if we were not expecting a “Five Star” hotel we would have packed differently; brought fewer nice clothes or makeup & rollers, etc. and more bare essentials like my own shampoo and soap, more hanging clips to hang our towels and our own washcloths. Had we known our hotel doesn't accept credit cards (I'm still mystified by this), we would have brought ample cash, enough to spend at the competing hotel/restaurants!  Basically, we would have prepared ourselves both mentally and practically for ‘roughing it’. Not only did this so-called “5 Star resort” lack a massage center, a gym, Internet or water-sports, (things that generally cause a hotel to be called a "resort") it lacked basic fundamentals such as furniture, ample lighting, or even a towel rack in the bathroom! Our room was more of a lodge than an ‘upgraded hotel room’ as was told to us. Several times, we lost electricity and running water, and meals were always a challenge, not because of WHAT was served, but because nothing was served at what are generally considered "regular" meal times. 

One evening, as we walked toward the dining room with mounting frustration, we were approached by a Punjabi man who I assumed was a hotel guest. He asked if we liked the place. Not knowing who he was and not wanting to unload on a stranger, I simply replied. "It's OK".  He then proclaimed "This is my place." I was relieved that I had not opened disclosed my true feelings. The proverbial can of worms would have to wait... until now.  We simply proceeded to the "dining room" to eat. The owner is a friendly man from Delhi who goes by the name of "Bobby". He was part of a large party that checked in during our second day at Silver Sands. This was a large group of about 25 couples, all friends from Delhi. They were having a good time eating and drinking and singing and dancing. Though the noise of the blasting Hindi-pop was a bit irritating at  times, it was very nice to see a bunch of old friends having such a good time. We met and made friendly conversation with several of the guests - all Bobby's friends from Delhi.

I really was under the impression that this place had just recently opened, not because anything looked "new" (it did not) but because things were so out of place. It also seemed as if it were run by people who had never run a hotel before. I was surprised by two things Bobby told me. 1. He comes from a family of hoteliers; they own several properties in Delhi and even Port Blair. 2. When asked how long they've been open (I expected to hear two months) he answered"two years". I figured, after two years, if they've figured out so little about how to run a hotel, there was very little I could do to help them improve their situation. We just kept our complaints to ourselves, noting them down to report later on. We only complained about the most urgent issues, water, electricity, food,... basic needs. Later on, as I got to know Bobby, I shared with him some of the immediate "issues" we had. Bobby is really out of touch with his surroundings. Though he's been doing business there for two years I was surprised how unfamiliar he was with the nearby competition. Upon learning that we already patronized the place several times, he began to 'wake up' and take notice, asking me "What' the name of that place where you're eating?" On the other hand, the owners of 'that other place" (Benny & Lynda) know how to run a hotel and restaurant. They are aware of the neighboring competition which Benny described as "soulless" and "missing something". He was also aware that the owner comes from a family that owns hotels. Somehow this was not ironic. It comes down to awareness. Some have it and some don't. In an effort to be friendly with Bobby while not insulting him, I answered his questions and made suggestions for improvement. I told him why we were spending our money at his competition - good meals served at mealtime, in a pleasant atmosphere (lighting, music, decor) and with good service. I mentioned that his wait-staff has apparently had NO TRAINING. He was quick to agree. I further detailed several examples including when one young man brought us some extra chapatti on a plate. Upon arrival to our  table, with his bare hand he took the bread from his plate and dropped it on mine. Real nice. I told Bobby to visit the Wild Orchid, to take note of the pleasant atmosphere created by the decor, the lighting, and music system that, during mealtime, played contemporary music through a system that works, at a sound level that allowed people to converse with one another while enjoying their meals. The music adds to the ambiance. On the other hand, the operators of the Silver Sands' music system felt compelled to blast it at its loudest volume all the time. (No wonder it's broken.) The sounds of the speakers only making matters worse as the blasting of full-volume Hindi-pop persisted through distorted speakers. I told Bobby the selection and volume was NOT AT ALL conducive to a relaxing beach-side resort, nestled among the palm trees and bougainvillea. Instead these "kids" were trying to make the place into a discotheque!  Some people just don't get it.

On our last day, we came to learn the standard rooms were much better appointed with chairs, sofa, TV, refrigerator, and hangers in the closet, etc. We called others' attention to this, saying: "the upgraded room is supposed to be nicer, than the standard rooms, not stripped". Ranjan brought us two chairs and four hangers, a nice gesture and good to have but little consolation at this point. The damage was done and we left there with a bad taste in our mouths.

The Property

The Silver Sands is located on a nice piece of real estate. The grounds are quite beautiful, for the most part. It is located along a nice beach with a soft (not rocky) sea bed lying just offshore. Our most pleasant times here were during the afternoons when we enjoyed walking on the beach, meeting the beach dogs and local goat girls. They were so cute. We also enjoyed the extremely low (spring) tides. We ventured far offshore during the afternoons in ankle deep water, far past the anchored boats, trying to step clear of tiny crustaceans, soft corals and sea cucumbers. However, once we returned to the hotel premises, our note-taking resumed.

I don't know whether this hotels problems were the result of an effort to save money or just plain ignorance and oversight.  I suspect, the latter, though several problems could have been solved with very little expense. One thing we've come to expect from beach resorts is a way to keep sand out of our guest room. Upon returning from the beach, there was no place to rinse our sandy, salty feet except in our own bathroom, after trailing sand across our hotel room floor. Placing a simple, fresh-water rinse pan near the beach or just outside each room is not only smart, to keep rooms cleaner, it's very easy to implement and costs almost nothing. But it's one of many basic amenities that were overlooked at Silver Sands. Others included regular upkeep of the grounds. For days we looked at particular pieces of trash that remained untouched during our entire stay. One of these was (what appeared to be) an egg in a plastic bag just outside our door. Another was a pink napkin carelessly discarded by a patron just off the main walkway. It sat in one place for at least three days and was finally picked up before we left. After the Holi celebration where Ranjan served coconut water, a pile of coconut husks remained for about a day but was eventually cleared, except that nobody cared enough to pick up the plastic straws that remained! While unsightly, stepping on a straw with bare, wet feet isn't so dangerous. However, their amateurishly rigged extension cord is another story. Dangerous!

One day we took a boat trip to Elephant Beach for snorkeling. Ranjan was our boat captain. (Ranjan basically keeps this whole place operating.) Their dilapidated boat lacked even a cover to shield poor Ranjan from the scorching sun. But he knows how to deal with it. One thing that none of us could deal with was the OPEN exhaust system on the boat motor. The lack of a muffler (silencer) on this boat's very loud engine made our trip dangerously and deafeningly loud and very uncomfortable... Leisha sat as far forward as possible while remaining in what little shade she could find and we had to shout as loudly as possible just to communicate during our 45-minute trip around the island. A small muffler can't cost THAT much! Besides, other boats have them! Why not on our vessel owned and operated by a "5-Star" hotel?

We arrived at Elephant Beach, a secluded area with a nice reef just off the beach.  Not long after we arrived Bobby arrived with a boatload of his guests/friends from Delhi.  This place is visited by both coral lovers and coral ENEMIES, ignorant fools who think nothing of dismantling the reef with their bare hands, nevermind that it takes hundreds of years to regenerate! Then, in an equally disgusting display of selfishness and arrogance, I saw one of Bobby's guests toss their own trash onto the beautiful, secluded beach. This was after having received NO guidance from hotel staff on the environmental impact of their presence. I picked up his napkin and told Bobby that it's HIS (or his staff's) responsibility to brief all guests that they should strive to minimize their impact on this beautiful spot, that they should never touch coral and never throw their trash onto the beach. I told the guest who tossed his napkin to the ground that unless servant is following him around to pick up after him, he had to act like an adult. I think the sarcasm was lost on him.

Bobby joined us for the boat ride back to the hotel. Meeting the proud owner of the hotel was a double-edged sword, I huge irony. Being face-to-face with Bobby, a truly nice man, afforded me the opportunity to lodge our many complaints. However, it would have been inappropriate to share with him our long list of issues. I couldn't tell him everything, but I offered constructive criticism whenever possible. On the way back, I shouted to him (the only way to communicate) that it would cost very little to supply this boat with a simple muffler. This would make boat trips much more pleasurable for guests. I explained to him that "a high-end place such as the Silver Sands" deserved a vessel that guests would enjoy being on. I realize there's only so much that can be done but a loud, blasting engine on a boat designed to transport guests was simply unbecoming of such a classy resort. He heard me and agreed... at the time.

Excerpt from a comment I left on a competitor’s website, after returning home.
Though my wife and I were on an "all-inclusive plan" at another hotel (boo hoo) most evenings we ended up dining at either Wild Orchid's "Red Snapper" restaurant or Emerald Gecko's "Black Beard's Bistro". All meals consisted of something we were not getting at our hotel, fresh fish, good service, and pleasant ambiance!

We were happy to be back on the ferry, and on our way to Port Blair and new next 'resort' which would hopefully live up to its 4-Star rating.

After arriving in Port Blair we were luckily able to get a 1500 rupee loan from the tour operator there. We were later taken to an ATM where we could repay the cash loan.

Peerless Inn, a purported 4-Star hotel

The Peerless Inn might have been considered a 4-Star hotel a very long time ago, but right now it's a "has been". Today it's a dreary, dirty, run-down hotel that we couldn't get away from fast enough. It is situated in a picturesque locale on the outskirts of town and quite far from the city, or anything else for that matter. Getting away from there wasn't so easy. A three hundred rupee car fare was quoted to us several times just to take us downtown. This was frustrating because, if it were actually a nice place to be (if it were actually a resort) then it wouldn't be so uncomfortable just being there. All we could do was try to spend as little time there as possible. Though surrounded by attractive grounds, the actual building(s) are in a terrible state of disrepair with a very depressing atmosphere. Certain areas are just plain dangerous. The lighting in our room had all the character of 1940's hospital room with tube lights and old everything! Furniture, bedding, windows, bathroom, you name it, everything was old and beat-up. The electrical fixtures from bygone days. Even their "Business Center" was deporable, with nothing better than a dialup Internet connection at this hotel. Although our trip was almost over, this was the spot where Leisha's trauma peaked. Several times I heard "Get me out of here!". But we had nowhere else to go.

The pillows were as hard as rocks and were actually heavy to lift. My arm literally tired as I went to the manager to show off ours and request some newer, softer, cleaner pillows. Not only were these 'bricks' hard and heavy, they were stained with years' worth of guest drool.  Sickening!  I asked the manager on duty if he would sleep on such a pillow and he admitted he would not. A few minutes later a boy delivered more pillows to our room but they were exactly the same type; old, heavy rocks with clean pillowcases. Clearly there was a breakdown in communication. To my pleasant surprise I found two "extra" pillows in our room, of the newer, softer, usable variety. After removing the saliva-stained ones from our beds we were finally able to fall asleep. For awhile.

That is, until moving my head in my sleep and being awakened by smashing it into a lamp that was stupidly mounted just inches above each bed!  While the Silver Sands designer placed light switches at an inconvenient distance, there was no inherent danger. These lamps were the opposite, too close and quite dangerous! Smashing my head several times into this 'bed lamp' was not only extremely irritating but quite hazardous. Injury such as cuts on the face or electrocution could have resulted. It was really a shocking experience to be in bed with an electrical fixture.  Totally ridiculous!

Near the end of our stay I learned from one of the managers that The Peerless Inn is undergoing an acquisition by a large hotel chain (Sarovar Hotels) and soon it will undergo its much-needed renovation. Maybe then it can be sold as a 4-Star hotel, a place where people actually enjoy spending their time. In its current state, I would highly discourage anybody from staying at The Peerless Inn.

We were never happier to get home from a vacation.