Kerala Holidays

Places to Stay

Throughout Kerala we have handpicked a number of accommodation options, largely from our own experiences. We have a choice of wonderfully characterful hotels in Cochin, traditional Ketuvalum Houseboats for cruising the backwaters, captivating resorts nestled amongst the spice plantations, remote mountain retreats around the hill stations and spectacular beach hotels overlooking picturesque bays. For a real taste of Kerala, incorporate a stay at one of our Homestay properties where you will be welcomed into the home of a local Family & partake in traditional local life. Kerala is the home of Ayurvedic health therapies and this can arranged at most places.

Cochin

Malabar House An 18th-century Dutch colonial residence which has been converted into a small luxury boutique style hotel, the Malabar House has retained its calm spaciousness. Based in the historical centre of Fort Cochin, it faces the St Francis Church, the oldest European church in India. This hotel is a haven of tranquillity amidst a bustling harbour city.

Old Harbour Hotel A 300 year-old building that has for long been a heritage monument of this town, now reopened as a boutique hotel. Built in the Dutch style of architecture with hints of Portuguese influences, it was the first hotel of old Cochin. Later it remained a residential home to employees of English tea-broking firms until it was left unused for a period of time.

Old Lighthouse Bristow The Old Lighthouse Bristow hotel is situated right on the Fort Cochin beach. Surrounded by abundant greenery and the great Arabian sea, the hotel couldn’t be in a more perfect location

Brunton Boatyard Over a century ago, George Brunton & Sons set up a boat-building facility in Cochin which grew to become one of the biggest ship-builders in the country.  On the same site, many years after the boatyard was shut down, Brunton Boatyard was built. For what is essentially an intimate sea-facing property, Brunton Boatyard possesses a remarkable sense of scale and takes you back in time to the days of the British Raj.

Trinity Trinity is the second offering by Malabar Escapes for stylish, boutique accommodation in Cochin. Situated diagonally across the Parade Ground from Malabar House, Trinity is a much smaller property offering a high level of privacy.  Not really a hotel but more a cluster of three suites leading off a central first floor room which doubles as reception and communal lounge. Unmistakeable Malabar chic but with a more contemporary edge.

Tea Bungalow A small exclusive luxury heritage boutique hotel in Fort Kochi. An elegant colonial house, set in a lovely garden with  swimming pool. Add to that an unbeatable location in the heritage area of Fort Kochi. Almost a hundred years old, Tea Bungalow lovingly restored to its classical colonial elegance, offers luxury accommodation in ten spacious en suite rooms.

Backwaters

Houseboats The houseboats are converted kettuvalams, the original barges that transported rice and all sorts of cargo through the rivers and canals of the backwaters. Constructed from bamboo and palm fibre, the interior is comfortably fitted out with rattan armchairs, dining table, a spacious bedroom with double bed and a small ‘proper’ bathroom with washbasin, shower and western style toilet. In addition, there will also be an outdoor sitting area, either on an upper deck level or at the front of the boat with cushions for the perfect lounging location. It is the unhurried and silent glide through the canals that makes houseboats so special.

Privacy Privacy is the ultimate stylish ‘backwater’ retreat. Set directly on the palm-fringed shores of Lake Vembanad, just 1 ½ hours south of Cochin, these are heavenly little villas. The original has become a suite, with a dining room, sitting room, long verandah, lush green garden and the most fabulous lake and sunset views. The recently restored heritage bungalow has two bedrooms around a main hall. Like Malabar House both are tastefully and comfortably decked out with art works, colourful fabrics and period furniture.

Coconut Lagoon The Condé Nast Traveller rated the Coconut Lagoon to be among the 25 best get-aways in the world – and not without reason. Set on the eastern shores of the majestic Vembanad Lake, the Coconut lagoon is mostly accessed by the resort taxi boat. The most striking feature of the Coconut Lagoon is its architectural elegance, the structures of which have been built from old houses. With accommodation spread over a 20-acre estate and nestled amidst majestic swaying palms and stunning surroundings, you can really feel nature taking over.

PhilipKutty’s Farm Staying at Philipkutty’s Farm is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the real Kerala experience in a fascinating location (set on an island), with a caring family to look after you. A home stay that has gained accolades from all quarters for the extraordinary service it provides to guests, the Philipkutty’s is a special place and the perfect hideaway for the bespoke traveller. Though the family hosts you, your privacy is assured as the five waterfront villas are entirely independent and away from the family residence.

Emerald Isle Emerald Isle is situated on an island on the banks of the backwaters, around 10 kilometres outside of Alleppey. From the moment you step onto the dug out canoe which transports you across the river to the homestay, you enter into a tranquil world of peace and harmony. Your hosts, Vinod and his Family will welcome you into their home which dates back 150 years. It retains many of its original architectural features, mostly in teak, with splendid wood carvings.

Serenity (close to the backwaters) The Serenity, with its majestic plantation house belonging to the early 19th century, is enclosed by trees and a grand white edifice with open sides that allows natural ventilation. Sitting on a small hilltop, the views over the Blue Mountains of the Western Ghats are breathtaking and the surrounding rubber plantation, along with the shady pool, papaya trees and pepper vines, create a thoroughly tropical feel. You could go for wonderful guided walks through the rubber plantations, enjoy the history of the place or simply spend time with the resort’s elephant, Lakshmi.

Thekkady

Spice Village The resort consists of 52 cottages set in eight acres of respectfully tamed forest. The architecture is inspired by the jungle dwellings of the area and care has been taken to use the same materials in construction. The rooms are spacious and furnished with simple sophistication; terracotta tiled floors, wooden beds and chairs and whitewashed walls. At the centre of the village is a swimming pool, surrounded by tropical trees and lawns. The resort has more than 50 species of trees including herbal trees, The resort is very close to the Periyar Nature Reserve

Munnar

Windermere 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 Cardamom Plantation.

Kasaragod

Neeleshwar Hermitage Located on the lesser known northern coast of Kerala, not far from the fort town of Bekal, Neeleshwar is an altogether different experience from the more famous beach resorts of Kovalam in the south of Kerala. We knew this place was going to be good, we hadn’t quite anticipated just how good. Much more than a stylish resort on a fabulous untouched beach, this is a place to experience inner tranquility and the very essence of Kerala.

Wayanad

Vythiri An exquisite eco friendly jungle hideaway set in a lush tropical rainforest. Rustic themed cottages (and tree houses) in indigenous architecture beside a frolicking jungle stream, splendid tropical birds on overhanging branches, colourful butterflies and the insistent chatter of cicadas, the powerful throb of nature is the only clock you will need here.

Tranquil Tranquil is located in a 400 acre private coffee and vanilla plantation nestled within the remote and lush rainforest of Wayanad, Northern Kerala. If you are looking for a calm and quiet location within an environment of exquisite ecological beauty and unending relaxation, Tranquil, with just eight rooms and two luxury tree houses is a good choice. The Family Treehouse is superb and the only one of its kind that we have come across in Kerala.

Kovalam

Travancore Heritage Travancore Heritage, a beachfront resort set in 14 acres of lush green coconut gardens, is located at Chowara, south of Kovalam, near Trivandrum. The resort stands on a high cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea and a long wide beach,  frequented more by local fishermen than tourists. The resort was conceived and developed as a heritage property which brings to life the age-old traditional architectural splendour of the region with its typical timber houses and ‘Nalukettus’ cottages with tiled roofing.  An ideal choice for a stop-over before flying to Maldives or for a beach resort which gives easy access to Kerala’s other main attractions.

Itineraries

We organise an itinerary specifically to your requirements. Do as much or as little as you like – the choice is yours. Local English speaking guides will ensure that you make the most of your sightseeing time. A private, air conditioned, chauffeur driven car will transport you between your chosen locations & provides an unforgettable experience in itself!

Location

People

>Kerala has a diverse culture enriched by three great religions that have ancient roots here. Hinduism is the religion of the majority, practiced here with a rare rigour that prohibits non-Hindus from entering temples. Christianity, followed by a quarter of its population, was brought here by the Apostle St Thomas, while Islam was introduced by Arab traders in the 7th century.

The 31.8 million of Kerala’s compound population is predominantly of Malayali ethnicity, while the rest is mostly made up of Jewish and Arab elements in both culture and ancestry. Kerala is also home to 321,000 indigenous tribal Adivasis (1.10% of the populace), who are mostly concentrated in the eastern districts. Malayalam is Kerala’s official language; Tamil and various Adivasi languages are also spoken by ethnic minorities.

Kerala is home to 3.44% of India’s people; at 819 persons per km², its land is three times as densely settled as the rest of India. Kerala’s rate of population growth is India’s lowest, and Kerala’s decadal growth (9.42% in 2001) is less than half the all-India average of 21.34%. Whereas Kerala’s population more than doubled between 1951 and 1991 by adding 15.6 million people to reach 29.1 million residents in 1991, the population stood at less than 32 million by 2001. Kerala’s coastal regions are the most densely settled, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated.

Kerala’s principal religions are Hinduism (56.1%), Islam (24.7%), and Christianity (19%). Remnants of a once substantial Cochin Jewish population also practice Judaism. In comparison with the rest of India, Kerala experiences relatively little sectarianism.

We found the Keralan people to be extreamly friendly. This was particularly apparent in the markets where the traders were keen for us to sample their produce and excited to be included in photographs.

The Keralans are particularly well educated with adult literacy approaching 100%. We saw evidence of a continuing British influence in the education system with numerous “British Schools” where all teaching is in English and “O” and “A” levels taken.

Food

A typical Kerala feast, referred to as sadya, is spread out temptingly on a clean green banana leaf. And the food is to be eaten with the fingers. Even the dessert, payasam, that tastes like rice pudding, is served on the leafy plate.

The culinary efforts of the different communities of Kerala result in distinctly different dishes of great variety. While Hindus specialise in delicious vegetarian food such as sambar, rasam, olan, kaalan, pachadi, kichadi, aviyal, thoran and so on. The Muslims and Christians excel in non vegetarian cuisine. The pathiri, a sort of pancake made of rice flour, and biriyani which is a mouthwatering dish of rice cooked along with meat, onions, chillies and other spices are Muslim culinary delights. Christians have interesting recipes to make an array of fish dishes such as meen pollichathu, fish molee and so on. Christian cookery specially caters to people with a sweet tooth – crunchy kozhalappam, achappam, cheeda, churuttu etc.

A typical Kerala breakfast may be puttu, which is rice powder and grated coconut steam cooked together, idli and sambar, dosai and chutney, idiappam (string hoppers), or the most delicious of them all, the appam. Appam is a kind of pan cake made of rice flour fermented with a small amount of toddy (fermented sap of the coconut palm) which is circular in shape, rather like a flying saucer, edged with a crisp lacy frill. It is eaten with chicken or vegetable stew. Kanji (rice gruel) and payaru (green gram), kappa (casava) and fish curry are traditional favourites of Keralites.

Almost every dish prepared in Kerala has coconut and spices added to it – spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric etc. Spices are used in Kerala to tone up the system the way wines aid the digestion of western cuisine. The juice of tender coconut – ‘world’s safest natural soft drink’ – is a refreshing nutritious thirst quencher. The staple food of the masses is rice. Kerala cuisine also has a medley of pickles and chutneys. And the crunchy papadams, banana chips and jack chips can give french fries a run for their money any day.

Keralan Recipes

Roasted Okra
Courtesy of Emerald Isle Homestay

250g Okra
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 onions – chopped
2 tomatoes – chopped
1 stem of curry leaves
Masala powder
Salt

Put oil into pan and sauté the onions for 3 minutes. Add the curry leaves and then the tomatoes and then 1 tbsp of massala powder. Then add the okra and season with ½ teaspoon salt. Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

Beetroot Bachada with curd
Courtesy of Emerald Isle Homestay

1 onion – chopped
7 small green chillies – chopped
½ stem of curry leaves
1 inch of ginger – chopped
1 beetroot – grated
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt
1 cup natural yoghurt

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the ginger and onion. then stir for 1 minute. Add chillies and curry leaves and then beetroot. Season with ½ a teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and cool, then stir in the yoghurt.

Cabbage Thoran
Courtesy of Emerald Isle Homestay

1 tbsp sunflower oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
250g white cabbage – grated
3 tbsp coconut – grated
1 onion – finely chopped
6 curry leaves
3 green chillies – chopped
salt

Mix together all the ingredients except oil and mustard seeds in a bowl. Heat the oil and fry the mustard seeds until they pop. Then add the rest of the mixture, stir well and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes.

Fried Chicken
Courtesy of Emerald Isle Homestay

To Marinate:
1kg chicken pieces
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp chilli powder (kashmiri) – use less if different type of chilli powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp ginger/garlic paste

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, then add the chicken. Mix well and leave to marinade for 30mins – 2 hours. Fry in oil until chicken is browned

Kozy Mappas
Courtesy of Brunton Boatyard, Cochin

200g chicken
15g ginger
10g garlic
5g turmeric powder
25g coriander powder
5g garam masala
5g fennel powder
50ml coconut milk
20ml coconut oil
25g onion
2 green chillies
5 curry leaves
Chicken stock
Sliced shallots
1 red chilly

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add ginger, garlic, green chilly, curry leaves and onion, sauté until brown. Now add the turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix with the chicken and pour in the chicken stock and cook the chicken well. Finally add the coconut milk and tempering (Coconut oil, mustard seeds, sliced shallots, red chilly curry leaves and fennel powder).

Cochin

Cochin, the historical capital of Kerala is a vibrant harbour town with a rich history of trade and culture. Highlights include the ancient tradition of Chinese fishing nets which line the Fort Cochin promenade, the Jewish Synagogue, the St. Francis Church (the oldest European Church in India), the Santa Cruz Basilica, the Dutch Palace & the Spice markets. Not to be missed is a performance of Kerala’s classical dance drama, Kathakali.

Diversity

Kovalam in the south has some of the best beaches in India. The central backwaters area is a fascinating labyrinth of palm fringed canals where traditional village life is ever present on the river banks. As you venture further inland you encounter a more mountainous landscape, carpeted in lush green tea plantations. You will also discover the wonderful spice estates bursting with wonderfully fragrant flowers and spices. This area is also home to a number of wildlife reserves where local park rangers will take you on a guided trek in search of elephants, wild boar, monkey & the elusive tiger.
The northern region is characterised by dense forests populated with rare wildlife and a rare biodiversity. Stay in a Tree House for a truly back to nature experience amongst the fantastic rainforest landscapes of the Western Ghats.

Climate

No other Indian state between the Hymalayas and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nardu, the southernmost point on the peninsula, is so rich in water. In Kerala, the monsoon rain is absorbed by the mountains and the rainwater flows back down into the lowlands in more than 40 rivers.

Thousands of families plant rice in their flooded paddy fields. in this subtropical climate they can harvest two, sometimes even three crops a year.

With 120–140 rainy days per year, Kerala has a wet and maritime tropical climate influenced by the seasonal heavy rains of the southwest summer monsoon. In eastern Kerala, a drier tropical wet and dry climate prevails. Kerala’s rainfall averages 3,107 mm annually. Kerala’s maximum daily temperature averages 36.7°C; the minimum is 19.8 °C. Mean annual temperatures range from 25.0–27.5 °C in the coastal lowlands to 20.0–22.5 °C in the highlands.

As can be seen from the rainfall graph, the best time to go to Kerala is outside of our summer. However, having toured the state in August and experienced very little rain and pleasent temperatures, it is obviously difficult to give exact advice.