Our stay at Hindustan Beach Retreat in Varkala was a complete letdown. From start to finish, it was a mess. The people working there weren't helpful at all. The pool was so dirty we couldn't use it, and the beach view they promised was nowhere near as nice as they showed in the pictures. The food was terrible - some of it was even uncooked! They kept running out of stuff, and when they did have it, it took forever to get served. Housekeeping didn't care about our requests. We asked for bandages, and they said they'd bring them, but they never did. We had to go looking for them ourselves. The reception was a joke. There was hardly ever anyone there, so if you needed something, tough luck. And to top it off, they charged us way too much for simple things like a can of soft drink but they did not even compensate for the unavailable amenities we were promised and were included in the room charges. Overall, it was a disaster. We paid good money for 4 rooms with good view, which was supposed to be a great stay, but it turned out to be a total waste. Don't make the same mistake we did - steer clear of Hindustan Beach Retreat.