3rd May 2016
It was fair to say that we were treated like Kings and Queens in Kerala, and one of the perks of this trip being sponsored by Kerala Tourism was the fact we got to stay in some of the best accommodation I have ever been in. In two of the resorts I had my own private pool in the room and the other one was a luxury houseboat where we cruised down the backwaters of Alappuzha . Was I in heaven? Maybe. The best thing is, is they are affordable so anybody on a travellers budget could stay in them too!
My private pool!
Kumarakom Resort was an incredible resort to stay in. This set the bar very high as Prince Charles has also stayed in this resort. As soon as I heard that I knew it would be amazing. The grounds are beautiful and include a swimming pool, yoga centre and Ayurveda Spa. Our room was the highlight though. It was gothic inspired including chunky doors and handles similar to what you might see in the Lord of the Rings films. But the best part was the outdoor bathroom and pool Jacuzzi. I have never stayed in a room which has had its own private pool so this was very exciting for me. I also love outdoor showers, it was beautiful and (I know I’m a weirdo) the soaps and shampoos smelt so good so of course I borrowed them, permanently. At 7am, you can try out Yoga at the yoga centre which overlooks the backwaters and surroundings. There is also an epic swimming pool if you’re own private one is not enough! This place is so tranquil, I would definitely check out this place if you’re in the area!
My experience of staying on a houseboat blew my mind, I never thought I would like it as much as I did. The style of our boat was definitely English with cute single beds with the posts and English styled furniture. We had a huge lounge and dining room with the option of sitting at the front of the boat and dangling your feet over the side as we cruised down the backwaters. The price of a Spice Routes houseboat comes with cooked lunch once you board, dinner and breakfast before you depart with some traditional and delicious Kerala meals. The staff were very friendly and really were part of the highlight for us. I would 100% recommend giving them a tip at the end of it, we paid 250 rupees each just to give you an idea. We travelled to our spot for the night and then parked up on the side of a bank where we got the watch the beautiful sunset, just one of the things I love about India. The sunsets are something I very much miss about that beautiful country!
The last but definitely not the least was the Vyrthiri Village. They made such an effort for us to make sure we had a great time here and were totally comfortable with everything. We were staying in a celebrity pool villa which also had a private pool, lets just say I was extremely happy! Our room was a 5 minute walk away but they were so kind that they insisted on driving us to our villa every time. In our room we had a separate dining area with kitchenette and from our bedroom if you head through the sliding door lead us into our pool room (I feel so fancy saying that) and the bathroom. The property of this hotel was huge, one of the best things you can see is the swing bridge and waterfall. You can even go zip lining from the hotel, past the waterfall and to the other side, something I thought I would never do at a hotel but it happened! We had an amazing traditional lunch which was served on a banana leaf, the food was so delicious. A few of the bloggers that stayed here had massages too and said they recommend getting one! We also got to see a performance from some of the local kids, it was great to see traditional dancing. Don’t forget to have tea and some afternoon goodies on the little houseboat restaurant. A little word of advice, close your windows as the monkeys will no doubt break into your room and eat anything you have! I accidently left one of the windows open in the pool and got the fright of my life when a monkey jumped on the roof and was about 10 seconds away from climbing to our room, cheeky monkey!
I just want to say a big thank you to these hotels for accommodating us and making us feel very welcome. If you would like to book these hotels then make sure you check out Agoda and Booking.com to get the best deals. I would love to know what luxury hotels you have stayed in. I definitely recommend researching these ones if you are in Kerala, India! I was not obligated to write about these resorts, these reviews are purely my opinion and I really wanted to share my excitement and my experience on staying at these amazing places!
