Spices, Rice Barges and Tea Plantations

Cochin

The 19-room boutique hotel blends contemporary and colonial styles in a quiet street in Fort Cochin. The hotel is decorated with a Dutch Nautical theme, with scale models of Dutch ships, Batavia and Friesland. The restaurant has a bold menu inspired by the East Indian Company’s ancient trading routes in Asia. Most of the rooms open on to airy patios or balconies. Just the spot to enjoy a morning tea, nap or the fine tropical sea breeze of the Malabar.

Houseboat

Houseboats or Kettuvallams are one of the major tourist attractions in Kerala. Houseboats also known as Kettuvallam or rice boats were used to carry rice bags in the earlier days. These houseboats are uniquely designed using local materials like bamboo poles, coconut finer ropes, bamboo mats, carpets etc. These houseboats invite you to enjoy in a fabulous way to explore the fascinating beauties of backwaters. With their languid grace and quaint design adds another dimension to your cruise in the shimmering blue waters. These boats have single room & double rooms having a private balcony with comfortable chairs. The rooms are fully furnished with attached bathrooms. Each boat has a fully equipped kitchen and an experienced cook to prepare authentic Kerala cuisine with seafood specialties and fresh vegetables, cooked right in front of you.

We chose eco, traditional houseboats as opposed to the now available very modern ones. Your world is a spacious houseboat all your own, your senses filling with silence and space, at their purest and most alluring. So lean back on a cushion and glide beneath the inverted bowl of the sky. Look outside, look within. Look beyond both. The Japanese call it Satori.

Day on a rippling wave

Time on a Spice Boat flows at a languid pace. Recline on the foredeck and slowly get into the natural rhythm of life. Still your mind and let nature work its magic on your senses. Watch the palm trees sway in the breezes coming over the rice fields, as a cormorant passes overhead. Hear the sharp music of the birdcalls and feel the gentle slap of water knocking at your door.

You catch a whiff of fresh fish roasted over a coal fire. A short refreshing nap after lunch and the magic of the evening envelops you. Relax in an armchair with your favourite drink in hand and watch the sky change colour, till it seems to meld seamlessly with the water. Then the stars make an appearance in the dome above. Frogs croak as the birdsong fades and countless fireflies light the path ahead. Dinner made in the traditional way and you come to something rare: the perfect end to a perfect day.

Coconut Lagoon

There are so many facets to the Coconut Lagoon experience. The heritage of the old feudal villages of Malabar. The Vembanad Lake with its majestic canals, weaving an intricate, beautiful web. The gorgeous green of the fringed palms ripple in the blue waters. The shimmering waters of the canals that criss-cross the property. The flavours bursts of home-style cooking.

The distinctive architecture of Coconut Lagoon has its own tales to tell. Some of these mansions are over 150 years old and have been carefully restored. Each piece of furniture is locally sourced from traditional houses and meticulously chosen to give our interiors and individual look.

Spice Village

Spice Village is an ideal place to experience 5000-year old healing Ayurveda therapies. Each cottage features ethnic Kerala décor. This is a place for everyone who loves nature: a place to fill your lungs with fresh mountain air, to savour the rich fragrance of cinnamon and cloves, and to watch young elephants drinking at the water’s edge.

Windemere Estate

Windermere Estate is where the manicured tea gardens merge with the lush green forests of western Ghats. Hallmarked for its exclusiveness and high range hospitality, Windermere is a 60 acre Coffee & Cardamom Plantation. The presence of the Planter’s family next door ensures personal attention and local advice devoid of a hotel atmosphere.

Munnar – breathtakingly beautiful – a haven of peace and tranquillity – the idyllic tourist destination in God’s own country. Set at an altitude of 6000 ft in Idukki district, Munnar was the favoured summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. Unending expanse of tea plantations – pristine valleys and mountains- exotic species of flora and fauna in its wild sanctuaries and forests – aroma of spice scented cool air – yes! Munnar has all these and more. It’s the place you would love to visit – it’s the place you would wish never to leave- so welcome.