Description:
River Valley is at the northern end of Palolem, 50m back from the beach under a circle of coconut palms. There are 10 plywood-and-blue tarpaulin huts, each raised a metre above the sand on stilts and arranged in an L shape around a central open space looking out on forested hills and a lagoon. In front of the huts four hammocks are slung between the trees, and in the far corner there’s a common covered seating area with small collection of books and games: chess, backgammon, a volleyball, playing cards, Frisbees, and a carrom board. Opposite, by the gated entrance, is a shared shower block consisting of three cold showers and sit-down toilets in a cold stone building with tiled floors and a corrugated metal roof. Each hut has a porch, table, and chairs outside and a plain interior of two single beds wedged together under a mosquito net, reed mats, a bin, a dim 40-watt light bulb, and a rough coffee table. The four larger, more expensive huts have an extra window, wooden benches instead of plastic chairs, a dining table on the porch, and about a third more floor space, though you hardly feel the benefit as nobody spends much time inside.
River Valley’s small size is its biggest selling point. There’s a real community feeling here with the limited number of huts and the open space in the centre. The staff is helpful and there are lots of nice touches, like a morning newspaper, night security guard, free locks and lockers, and on-site yoga classes twice a day (100 rupees for an hour and a half). Another big plus is the cleanliness: the sheets and mattress were spotless, and the toilets and the area around the huts are cleaned each morning. There’s a small snack menu of toast, omelettes, and drinks, and the prices, though not the cheapest on the beach, are very competitive given the facilities and build of the huts. The only real drawbacks are the music from the Dreamcatcher huts next door, which is both loud and annoying, and the mosquito invasion every sunset.
Rates are 400 rupees for the larger huts and 250 for smaller ones (double occupancy), rising 50 rupees in mid-November and again in mid-December. Singles are 50 rupees less and reductions can sometimes be negotiated on the bigger huts. Checkout is 12pm.
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