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Luxury Kerala - Where to Stay for a Memorable Experience of a Lifetime
You can view a hotel room as simply somewhere to sleep at night in which case, all you really need is a comfortable bed and access to a bathroom. For me though, staying in a lovely hotel is as much a fun part of a big trip as the excursions and interactions with local people. This was our first trip to India so we decided to opt for luxury accommodation throughout to ensure we could enjoy the best experience that India was able to offer. We were not disappointed!
Accommodation reviews for the hotels we stayed in on our 3 week trip to Kerala are set out below.
Brunton Boatyard - Kochi
Located on Kochi harbour overlooking the Arabian Sea, The Brunton Boatyard Hotel is a little piece of history as much as a hotel. Resurrected from a colonial era ship building yard, its charming interiors are full of period character and reflect a blend of all the great powers that have had a formative influence on Kochi over the years. Most rooms have a view of the sea and the generously sized swimming pool also overlooks the harbour.
Brunton Boatyard is part of the CGH Earth Group who have 24 properties across Southern India. The brand has good reason to be proud of itself. We stayed in two other CGH Earth properties during our stay and – although each had its own unique character – they were all immaculately maintained and offered a premium, high quality experience. We would definitely look forward to a stay in a CGH Earth hotel if we return to India on a future trip.
As well as comfortable accommodation, at 4.30 every afternoon the Brunton Boatyard offers a complimentary High Tea served in an airy tea lounge overlooking the hotel gardens. The tea lounge is adjacent to the long reception hall lined with punkahs (fans) of a bygone era (they are now replaced by electric ceiling fans) and many paintings of famous characters from Kochi’s hey days. The hotel also offers a complimentary sunset bay cruise departing from their quay at 5.30 – 6.30, which is a fun excursion.
There are 3 restaurants – History, Armoury and Terrace. The Terrace is outside and has a shellfish menu which we did not sample. The Armoury is a café style restaurant and as well as dinner, a generous à la carte buffet breakfast is served there. The History restaurant is an experience in itself with an inventive menu showcasing the best of local cuisine. The First Class British Railway Mutton Curry enjoyed whilst listening to traditional Indian drum/pipe music was a memorable highlight.
Windermere River House - Neriamangalam
The Windemere River House is a beautiful homestay located on the tranquil banks of the River Periyar at the base of the Western Ghats. With only 5 rooms, a peaceful stay is assured. The property has been built and fitted out with great attention to detail by the owner (Dr. Simon) who lives on site and is omnipresent, making sure that everything is run as his house guests would like. Hospitality is his passion and the hotel is as much a way of life as a business concern.
A long, gently sloping, stepped path flanked my immaculately maintained gardens leads down from the house to the pool and open air restaurant area. There is a set menu of traditional Keralan cuisine with a heavy vegetarian emphasis. Although there is no choice, every effort is made to cater for guests’ preferences.
Over 120 bird species occupy this area and at dawn, it seems as though they are all singing at once. There is a Bird Sanctuary nearby to which an early morning visit can be arranged if desired. A selection of local expeditions can be organised according to visitor’s interests. There is no alcohol licence but there is a fridge in the room so you can bring your own and keep it cool. I am sure that Dr. Simon’s other hotel – the Windemere Estate at Munnar – would be equally lovely if your trip is going that way.
Spice Tree - Munnar
We had high hopes of the Spice Tree when we booked our trip and reserved one of the honeymoon suites (Room 501) equipped with a brass Victorian style bath, an outdoor jacuzzi and a love seat. Maybe the expectations were too high, but it was disappointing to find that the beautiful bathtub had no hot water feed functioning so we could not use it. The outdoor jacuzzi plunge pool was cool and failed to ever warm up, so that too was a bit of a let down.
The main pool area is laid with Astro turf – never a point winner for me – and the lock to the door to our room was jammed too. That was eventually fixed, but it took 2 trips in the dark up the extremely long and narrow flight of narrow, twisty stone steps up to reception which we could definitely have done without.
The restaurant requires an hour’s notice to prepare a meal and the wine is an eye watering 5500 rupees (£55) a bottle – the most expensive anywhere on our trip. We passed on that and drank water instead. There is a nice library area with a plunge pool with great views, but we weren’t shown that when we checked in and only discovered it on the morning we checked out. All in all, I would not recommend this hotel and I definitely would not book a honeymoon suite room. Try the Windemere Estate instead.
Spice Village - Thekkady
Spice Village is part of the environmentally friendly CGH Earth Group which we now recognise as a brand to trust in Southern India. The 52 cottage resort is off-grid and powered by Solar. Our tucked away, air conditioned tribal style thatched de luxe cottage was spacious and comfortable and had a lovely garden area for private relaxation. The swimming pool was well maintained and good for lane swimming. Cheeky monkeys are frequent visitors – so keep your doors closed!
There are 2 restaurants – the main restaurant (offering a buffet and à la carte) and the 50 mile diet restaurant which has a fixed menu serving food sourced locally within a 50 mile radius. Try the banana bread at breakfast and if you love it as much as I did, ask the chef for the recipe – he was very happy to oblige!
Coconut Lagoon - Kumarakom
Another CGH Earth Group property – Coconut Lagoon is located on the scenic Vembanad Lake. The resort can only be accessed by water, so you arrive by boat at the private jetty. The charming cottages in the resort have all been painstakingly pieced together from the remnants of old mansions – tharavads – that were once the family homes of India’s nobility.
Our lovely cottage had a walled garden with a small private plunge pool and also access to a private verandah overlooking the lake at the back, which made it a very special place to stay. Several activities were on offer including a sunset boat cruise, weaving, clay pottery, bird watching, yoga and Ayurveda treatments. The huge swimming pool was rarely busy and great for a quiet early morning swim before breakfast. The butterfly garden is truly spectacular – such a brilliant addition to the grounds.
The main restaurant serves an elaborate buffet as well as an à la carte menu. There is also a fish restaurant although we didn’t try it as we were half board and no allowance was offered for dinner, which was a shame.
Lakes and Lagoons Houseboat - Alleppey/Backwaters
Kettuvallams – or Riceboats – were used in the early days to transport goods from the isolated villages to the towns. With the advent of roads, bridges and ferries, the kettuvallums began a long and active retirement, enjoying a leisurely life as tourist attractions. We stayed on a Lakes and Lagoons Lake Royal Houseboat – Honeymoon Suite. A 2 nights stay is great because it means you can get further into the waterways and away from the more congested areas close to Alleppey.
Our houseboat was manned by a 3 man crew – A cook, a driver and a housekeeper/ waiter. They slept on the open front deck and had their living quarters and the kitchen at the back of the boat. The interior decor and furnishings have definitely seen life, but that seemed only to add to the quaintness of the experience. There are a choice of areas to sit – either in the covered lounge area, up on the front of the boat, where you can chat to the driver as you cruise along or up in the private area on top where you get the best views of the spectacular sunrises and sunsets.The private area on the top is linked to the bedroom and bathroom area and is all yours – there is no access except through your bedroom. The shower worked fine – nice and warm and refreshing after the humidity of the long hot days out on deck.
Mosquitos can be a bit of an issue, although they didn’t cause us any difficulties on our trip. There is a mosquito plug in the bedroom and a mosquito net too (which we didn’t feel the need to use). We kept the doors shut at night and retired to the bedroom downstairs soon after dinner.
Set menus of traditional Keralan food are prepared by the on board chef who also prepares a selection of delicious tiffin snacks during the day including pineapple fritters, banana fritters, banana chips and warm cashew nuts and a delicious banana lassi. There is a set menu, but you can choose your level of spice. A selection of traditional milky and warmly spiced Indian puddings (payasam) were served for dessert. For breakfast, we enjoyed a freshly prepared omelette and fresh fruit.
Xandari Pearl - Mararikulam
Location, location, location: The Xandari Pearl Resort is just 200 metres from Marari Beach which makes it a great choice for a relaxing few days by the sea. There are 27 spacious villas which are spread across 18 acres of land which gives each one an intimate feeling. We stayed in the Pearl Suite which had a private garden and its own pool. The air conditioned room was really spacious and beautifully decorated – cool and very comfortable.
The only downside was that there was no indoor shower or toilet – they were both outside in the garden, which was not great given that mosquitos can be a nuisance at night in this region. Despite our initial concerns though, we used the repellent provided and didn’t pick up any mosquito bites during our stay. Not many activities were available on the resort, but there was a large seawater swimming pool and the beach to visit, so it wasn’t really an issue.
The restaurant was buffet style for the first couple of nights as the hotel was full but on the last day, the à la carte menu (which we preferred) was provided at no extra charge for Half Board guests. The Hotel Reception staff were very friendly and helpful which helped to make our experience of the resort a really good one.
The Indian Summer House - Muvattupuzha
Located just an hour’s drive away from Cochin airport, the Indian Summer House make a great place to finish – or start – a trip to Kerala. From the sweet smelling flower garlands and glasses of delicious and refreshing carrot lemonade that were bestowed on us on our arrival, it was clear that the Indian Summer House was going to be a grand finalé to a memorable trip to India. There are only 5 rooms and they are all beautifully decorated with the best of Indian style furnishings. The large swimming pool is immaculately maintained and well shaded.
Originally built as a holiday house by the current owners – hence the name. The suites are now let out to guests as the owners don’t visit as often as they used to. The property is now attentively managed by the resident manager and his small team who look after everything beautifully with great attention to detail. We stayed in the Hanuman Suite which had both an outdoor and an indoor shower, s small kitchen area and plenty of comfortable chairs outside facing the beautiful gardens.
A range of carefully thought out local excursions & activities ranging from yoga to an afternoon tea and a guided tour of the many shops in Muvattupuzha are available to guests. If you love cooking, you can even join the chef and help him to prepare the evening dinner for you and your fellow residents. We enjoyed the company of like minded travellers during our stay, helped by the friendly atmosphere at this hotel. Highly recommended.
