Cintacor Island resort Karwar- Worth it? Detailed Review

Cintacor is an island resort off the coast of Karwar in Karnataka. It was in my radar since covid times but their daily rent starting 25k INR per night was beyond my budget so I had delayed my visit. Recently I noticed that room rent drops to 10k per night during off season (like April, May, peak summer), so I decided to check out the Cintacor Resort Island for a night.

Things to know before booking Cintactor Island Resort

• Cintactor Island resort by Little Earth group have a minimum 2 night policy if you're booking on Friday/Saturday. 1 Night booking is allowed only during weekdays. I booked for Sunday Check in and Monday check out, had to take half day leave on Monday.
• Best time to visit Karwar is post monsoon- September to Jan/Feb. Resort is cheaper in off season (peak summer)
• There are some constructions going on in the island- another reason why rates were probably a bit lower 
• Talk to the property directly and book- you might get better deal, as it saves the hotel/resort 20-25% they will otherwise have to give to the likes of MMT or other booking sites as commission.
• Note the ferry timing- you will have to plan around that. Keep 30 mins to 1 hour buffer as boat may get delayed a bit. If you're arriving late evening or have a train early morning it could be tricky. You can plan to spend another day somewhere in mainland Karwar.
• Goa, Hubli are nearest airports. Goa taxi fare will rip you off- plan well- maybe club with a visit to Gokarna, Dandeli, Udupi etc.

My booking experience for a room at Cintacor Island resort.

When I checked, Makemytrip was showing some 12k+ taxes while Little Earth official website listed 10k+ taxes. I called their reservation number, asked for a discount, managed to get 10% off, so booked a night for 9k+ taxes. My booking was for the cheapest O cabin with only breakfast. Had to pay 50% in advance and rest on arrival- much better than paying 100% to MMT

 

Room types at Cintacor Resort Island, Karwar

Cintactor has 3-4 different types of rooms-I went for the cheapest of them, O Cabin. 

O Cabin- All the rooms are named after birds and animals with names beginning with O, such as Orca.

This type of room has about 320 sq meters space, a balcony facing towards sea (view is limited) and standard amenities like kettle, tea/coffee packet, unlimited drinking water, some fruits, chargeable snacks & drinks and standard bathroom.

O Cabin costs 10k+ 18% GST off season with breakfast and can go up to 20000 + tax in peak season. Add 3000 INR+ GST for lunch OR dinner for 2 people.

H Cabin: Very similar to O Cabin, about 60 Sq meters more space compared to O cabin. I had an opportunity to walk into an open H Cabin as guests had just checked out and take a look. Other than a bit of extra space didn't see much advantages.

H Cabin costs 11.3 k+ 18% GST off season with breakfast and can go up to 23000 + tax in peak season. Add 3000 INR+ GST for lunch OR dinner for 2 people.

S/C or M Cabin: Most spacious rooms with about 450 sq meters space. Costs another 1500 more over H cabin. I didn't spot any private pool or other ultra luxurious facilities.

 

Unless you're a large family and need lots of space, you would be just fine with O or H cabins.

Cintacor's room rent includes breakfast. Evening tea & snacks is also complementary. For Lunch & Dinner or Lunch or Dinner- you can either pay for them along with room booking or pay at the restaurant.

 

Cintactor Island resort Ala Carte pricing:

• Chapati, Rotti- 90/100 INR per piece + tax
• Biriyani, Rice items: 400-500 INR + tax

I feel it is better to order ala carte on need basis- 2-3 items for 2 pax will cost around 1500 INR. No point paying 3000 INR extra for lunch or dinner option along with room booking + 18% tax

 

Activities at Cintacor Resort Island, Karwar:

• Nature walk (free, about 1.5-2 kms trail, 2 trails available)

• Infinity Pool (7 AM to 7 PM)

• Private beach

• Watersports - Jetski, banana boat, kayaking, dolphin sighting ride etc (chargeable, 500 to 1500 INR per person per activity) 
• Bar
• Spa
• Temple visit and exploring the island on our own

My Experience

Reached Karwar bridge area for ferry pickup at 11.30 AM, was guided to a house 1 km away to park my bike. Was told it is their office. With some minor delay a speedboat came to pick us up, was about 12.30 when we reached reception, had to pay the balance and we were shown into our rooms. Asked for a upgrade and was told not possible. Our O cabin room was standard and a nice balcony, nothing extra ordinary. Some fruits, biscuits and tea/coffee free, other items in minibar chargeable.

 

We rested for a while, went for a walk in the campus, hiked uphill till the temple, spent some time by the sea and came back. We spent some more time near the infinity pool, then went for evening tea & snacks, some more time in the room and went to sleep.

 

We had some snacks with us so managed dinner with the same.  

 

Staff were nice, food was good.

 

Morning we had a nature walk- a bit of history is told to us and some viewpoints along the trail.

Back to reception, breakfast and we decided to check out. We had to check out by 11 AM max. WiFi was not reliable so I decided to check out early and return. 

 

History of Kurumbad:

The island was under portugal rule when they were ruling Goa and Konkan region. Later local Nayaks & Vijaya Nagara temple had their control over the island. Remains of fort walls can still be seen. I guess island was being used as an early warning system for sea based enemy attacks.

Reasons why Cintacor resort island is a bit expensive

A night at sterling resort Karwar or Jungle Lodges resort would cost half of Cintacor Island- so why stay in island is expensive? Below are the reasons

There is no electricity supply from mainland. Everything is powered via generator, so diesel cost adds up. Cintacor could have planned sonal or wind energy to reduce diesel cost. Also we don't really need AC during Septemer to Feb- A reduced NON AC pricing can bring the cost down, but it will be difficult for a luxury resort to offer NON AC price. So they have to assume 20-30 rooms will run AC all the time and need to budget accordingly

Everything-even freshwater comes from mainland, so logistics cost is high. Little Earth group could have planned a vegetable garden, a borewell or freshwater well to reduce their dependency on mainland

Cintacor island is closed during peak monsoon-June-August, so all their revenue have to come from 8-9 months of business

Cintacor has not gone for volume game. They have about 22-25 rooms in total. They could have easily opened another 40-50 rooms that would have spread the cost across larger customer base. Little Earth Group has chosen not to do it. They have reportedly dismantled tent accommodation they had earlier. This means you won't have large crowds- good for those who want privacy, space. 

There is no competition. On the mainland there're several options but if you're keen to stay in a private island your options are limited. Because of exclusivity Cintactor can command a premium price and still find customers. Their rooms were almost full for most of April.

 

Overall Cintacor Resort Island is good for one time experience if you have 10-15k to spare, as it is bit unique in its location & has its own unique set of value propositions not matched by hotels and resorts in mainland. Long term stay you will easily get bored.

Other visitor information for Karwar:

• Reaching Karwar: Goa (90 kms from GOI), Hubli (170 kms) are nearest airports. Train n bus connectivity available. 
• Cintacor Island Ferry timings:
• Other resorts in mainland Karwar :Sterling, Jungle Lodges have their resorts in Karwar mainland. Devbag beach faces the Kurumgad island 
• Things to see in Karwar mainland: Rock Garden, Naval Museum, parks 
• Possible day trip destinations from Karwar: Gokarna (60 kms), Dandeli (100 kms)

Cintacor Official website: https://www.littlearth.in/cintacor-island-resort/ 

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Similar: Places of interest in Karwar * Donne waterfalls near Karwar * Nagarmadi waterfalls * Baahu waterfalls *