It was real value for money, excellent location you never imagined. perfect getaway as the website claims. No driving into this, only accesible through water. Green and clean, nearby beach and seashore. Floating cottages, Lush green, and kerala style of architecture for land cottages. Above all the food is awesome. You get fresh fishes, lot of it! Next time try out this, real joy.

It was from friends that i heard about this wonderful beach resort in Kerala.They had gone there a couple of months back and since then never missed a chance to proclaim the grandeur of the resort.So when we-my wife and myself-were planning for a vacation to India,didnot have to think twice to make it a point to stay at this place.Thus we went to Poovar Island Beach Resort and realised that our decision was not wrong.Infact, it was better than our expectations. The resort was really luxurious and comfortable. The rooms, built in typical Kerala architecture was a wonderful and enjoyable experience as it provided both the traditional look along with all the modern facilities. The view from the veranda was romantic.I just loved spending my leisure time there enjoying the charm and tranquility of the place. Though we very much wanted to get an accomaodation in one of the floating restaurants,they were booked out.(hope, next time we can make it).The view of the backwaters is breathtaking. The Ayurveda massage also was a wonderful experience.The resort also offers swimming pool, watersport facilities, indoor games,boutique shop etc.My wife really enjoyed the cooking class. The food was also highly satisfactory. Though they provide all kinds of cuisine,we preferred trying Kerala traditional food and just loved it. The review will not be complete unless the services of the staff is mentioned.The staff was exceptional and they made each visitor feel special. The only regret we have about this place is that the 5 days we spent there flew like anything. Inshort, the stay at the Poovar beach resort left us with pleasant memories.We would love to go back to the resort at the next possible chance.

Kerala is a land with lots of places in the must visit list , Wayanad in the north of kerala is one among them , Wayanad is often called as the Green paradise in god's own country-Kerala. It's a Hill station district in the northern part of Kerala, with mist claded peaks. The place is famous for it's scenic beauty, wildlife and traditional concepts . Kuruwa Dweep which is 955 acres of green forest on the tributaries of the east flowing river Kabini . The dress code to visit this place is t-shirt, shorts and slippers as you need to cross the river which is usually 2-3 feet depth. We crawled through the river and reached the land and again crawled to go inside the island.We cud have explored Kuruwa better if had hire some tourist guide.Its better to have a packed lunch with you .The island is uninhabited. Rare spicies of birds, orchids and herbs are the sovereigns of this supernal kingdom. Chembra Peak The hills, rocks and valleys, which contribute to the very unique character of Wayanad, provide a lot of adventure tourism. Trekking to the Chembra peak is a risky mountaineering endeavour. Chembra peak, the highest hill in Wayanad, is near Meppady town. Trekking to the top of the peak takes almost a day. Edakkal Caves This location is breath-taking beauty is three kilometers from Ambalavayal which is 25 kms. from Kalpetta. The Edakkal cave in the Ambukuthy Mountain is not a cave in the real sense. As stated in the India Antiquary (Vol.XXX, page - 410) and quoted in the District Gazetteer, Kozhikode, it is only 'a cleft about 96 ft. long and 22 ft. wide in the rock' Muthanga Wild Life Sanctuary Muthanga, which is 16 kms. east of Sulthan Bathery, is located very near to the Karnataka border. Wild forests covering an area of 345 sq.kms. from the Muthanga Wild Life Sanctuary; the biggest abode of wild animals in Malabar. Elephant, spotted deer etc. Pookot Lake It is a natural fresh water lake, brimmed with evergreen mountains. The weather here is salacious; the scenic beauty, hypnotising and the nature, unspoiled. Pookot Lake tourist resort inVythiri is the most sought after tourist spot of Wayanad. There is an aquarium and a green house here. Boating facilities also are available these are few places in the north kerala shall post more about other places too soon .

Kerala is a land of beauty, customs and traditions. Ideally called as "God's own country", this beautiful land has got many places of tourist importance. Foreign as well as tourists from other Indian states flock the state of Kerala during festivals and vacations. The famous Thrissur Pooram and the Annual boat races like Nehru Trophy Boat Race attracts a lot of tourists to our small state. Most of the tourists who visit Kerala will love to have a stay in the Kerala house boats and an enchanting voyage through the serene backwaters. So the Backwater Tourism is prominent in areas like Alappuzha, Kumarakom, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikkode. A lot of people visit Kerala for Ayurvedic treatments and "Ayurvedic holidays" in the resorts of Kerala. Also people from other states and countries visit Kerala for low cost and quality treatment for many health conditions like Cardiac Care, General Surgery, Dental Care, Fertility Treatment, Transplant Surgery, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology and Orthopedic Treatment. This type of tourism is referred to as Medical Tourism. Kerala festivals like Onamand Vishu are a great attraction. The traditions and customs followed during these festivals attracts a lot of foreign tourists. They can enjoy and become part of these celebrations by residing in the Home Stay Resorts where the visitors and the home owners will be staying together and the guests will be served with the home food and homely comforts. The artforms of Kerala like Kathakali, Koothu, Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattom and Ottan Thullal are also like by the visitors to our beautiful state. Many foreigners stay in Kerala to learn our artforms like Kathakali and Ottan Thullal.

Athirapally water falls Looking for a good place to visit around Kerala ,How does a place with pleasant greenery all around, almost nil tourists with water, breeze and birds to give you company sound? Interested ?? OK then, it’s time to pack your bags and head off to Athirapally, the small town in Kerala which boasts of the Chalakudi river flowing between the western ghats with numerous water falls! We recently went on a weekend trip to this place. The Athirapally falls (also popularly known as ’’Punnagai Mannan falls’’) has been and will continue to be the backdrop for many south Indian movies. Some of our friends had earlier visited this place a few months back. Their travelogue and photos inspired us to visit this place. We got ourselves booked at resort arrangemets made by saromaholidays who also organised food, station-hotel transfers and complete sight seeing. The resort was very good. It was scenically located with the Western Ghats and the Chalakudi river as the backdrop. They have individual cottages, beautifully manicured lawns, wonderful gardens and to top it all, a calm and soothing river right in the back-yard!! Hey no, it’s not expensive at all! For all these facilities, the rate they quote sounds very nominal! Here’re some details about this place: Closest Railway station: Chalakudi .This is about 30 kms away from Athirapally. Closest Airport: Cochin (about 80 kms away) Tourist Spots around (that we visited): Athirapally waterfalls, Charpa waterfalls, Vazhachal, Anakayam, Vachumaram and Thumburmuzhi gardens. All the places relate to water and are different spots on the same river. Anakayam and Vachumaram are spots inside the forest area. All these spots (except Thumburmuzhi gardens) are on the same road (the road to Valparai from Athirapally). Thumburmuzhi Gardens are on the way to Chalakudi from Athirapally Each spot was beautiful in its own way. The Athirapally waterfalls were breath-taking! Water falls from a height of 80 feet splashing into the rocks below and creating a mist. My husband called it ’’mini Indian Niagara’’!! You can look at it from the top and from the bottom as well. This was the place we spent the longest time! I don’t think words can describe the beauty of this spot! No photo that I have seen on the Internet could represent its real beauty! The Charpa waterfalls was the most photographed spot during the trip. The height wasnt great.. but the flow was layered and presented an awesome sight. The road is so close the falls and the mist from the falls refreshes you as you stand adoring its beauty Vachumaram is a calm and beautiful lake surrounded by hills. We spotted deers near the lake that had come to quench their thirst but ran away before we could photograph it ! The van driver also told us that wild elephants were close by and he could recognize their odour. There was elephant-dung on the roads and we also felt the strong odour that I remember feeling during visits to the zoo! Although we very much wanted to see them, the van driver warned us it is better not to as they are normally in herds and it is not nice if a group of wild elephants attack us! The only other creature some of us spotted was a snake! Anakayam is another scenic picnic spot a few kilometers from Vachumaram. One side of the river has the road and the other has some rocks that can be climbed easily. We had our lunch here. Vazhacal was the location at the entrance to the forest area. There are lot of rocks at this spot and the river flows over them creating a lot of foam. Although this spot is called ’’Vazhachal water falls’’, it is not a waterfalls in the true sense. The river flows down a slope which has lot of rocks, thus creating a waterfall-like impact. Thumburmuzhi gardens is a garden where the water from the river is re-directed to deep tanks, which overflows to create a water-fall impact. The deep tanks are in a form of a semicircle. The view of water flowing out smoothly from a 270 degree semicircle is fantastic. Other than this there are some flowers and trees around. We also had a long refreshing dip in the river at the back of the resort. The water is shallow and there are rocks too to sit on/lie on! The view was absolutely fantastic, high hills on the side with a calm river flowing in-between! So, this is the place you have to head to if you are tired of Ooty & Kodai! For all the city-dwellers, the greenery and water soothe your tired eyes. For the shutter bugs, your cameras wouldn’t stop clicking. (We took close to 500 photos in just about 36 hours!!) This is one place that has very little tourists and has not yet become one of the crowded and polluted tourist spots... so please ensure that we leave it clean and green as it was before we reached!

Verdant.  That’s become my new word here in Kerala.  You know how a certain song sticks in your head, and just keeps popping up at weird times…Well I have words pop into my head.  Verdant is this week’s vocabulary word.  Within half an hour of disembarking from the plane, I felt as though I had made a mistake by not coming here sooner.  It’s so green, with coconut trees everywhere.  Kerala while being nicknamed “Gods Country,” is actually named after coconuts (Kera-coconut, La-land.)  

Once more, after about half an hours journey through Kerala, there was a feeling that I had missed out on something.  Aside from the beauty of the place, there was also a contrast between the peoples of Kerala and other parts of India.  India is so vast and diverse; it’s hard to keep up with all of the customs and such.  The only thing binding India together in my opinion is the English language.  Many in India feel the same as I.

Cherai Beach.

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Anyhow, the Keralans are the richest people in India, and are a full 30 percent Christian.  There are more Hindus of course, with Muslims living in the northern portion.  There are anti-littering laws in effect.  The roads are paved and orderly (For India), there are no Camel carts or cows wandering the roads (The Christians and Muslims would eat the cows), there are very few hawkers compared to other parts of India as well.  In Kerala, you walk by a market, and people do try to sell you their wares.  They are so gentle and reserved about it though.  If you respond that you’re not interested, they generally leave you alone.  In Rajasthan, people would follow you down the street exclaiming what a dufus you were for passing their shop and not purchasing a thing.  After all the hustle and bustle of the North, and the 13-hour bus ride from the Himalayas to Delhi, it’s simply a real nice place to be.

Sunset.

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I found a driver at the airport, and we made the 40-minute drive to Cherai Beach.  It had been a long day of traveling, and I was ready for some Phi Phi Island style relaxation.  Cherai was a good choice, 15 miles of nearly empty beach.  The sand is the same color as Los Angeles, and the water has that same greenish-blue color.  Difference is, when you go into the water in Kerala, its temp. is around 85 degrees.  If you’ve ever traveled to a tropical destination, only to be upset at the size of the crowds, then Kerala is the place for you.  Cherai beach and most of the others I went to had very few travelers.  It’s mostly coconut trees hanging over the beach.  The backside of the beach is crowded with rivers called “the backwaters,” making Keralas other nickname “Venice of India.”  I sat on the beach, marveling at the fact that only 18 hours earlier, I’d been chillin’ in the Himalayan foothills, and I was now in the south of India, only a few degrees away from the equator.  The next day I had my favorite adventure in India- The backwaters tour…more to come…

Mas sunset.

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As before, I’m behind on the blog.  I’m writing this in Rome, only a few hundred yards from the Vatican (Where I’ve made my home.)  It feels a bit weird, as though I’m writing a novel, not a travel journal.  I was hanging with my friends Julie and Lorraine, for the past week or so, and am only now able to appreciate the fact that I’m here.  To go from South-East Asia, to India, to Rome, is a big journey.  I have been to Rome before several times, and after India, it feels like I’m in Playa Del Rey.  I walk around at ease; know my way around (mostly) and, the food is great!  I love Indian and Thai food, but after six weeks of curry and rice, I needed a change.  To eat pasta and have a salad is sooo cool, no more Delhi belly for me.  See ya soon.

As Faye Dunaway said in " Mommy Dearest, " this ain't my first time at the rodeo. Likewise, this was not my first time giving myself over to the science of ayurveda. Long considered to be the most authentic form of ayurveda, Kerala practioners take great pride in their facilities and skills. These are not witch doctors, nor are they quacks. These men and women are highly educated, skilled and caring individuals who work hard with patients to ease whatever ailment they seek to relieve. I checked into Rajah Healthy Acres and was immediately welcomed with fresh coconut water right from the coconut and then was ushered into an interview with my physician, who had already received my medical history. At Rajah, there are a choice of various accomodations amid rubber plantations, farms and various herbal gardens. The environment is an ecological haven and great care is traken to preserve the integrity of the land, wildlife, the patients and the staff. My hut was in a grove of bamboo trees and the sounds of the wildlife seemed right out of an old Tarzan movie. The regimen was strict, as dictated by my health issues and there was no room for negotiation. I was there for their expertise - a science which dates back 5,000 years and has shown to be effective for many healthcare problems. Forget modesty - believe me. The ladies respected my privacy, but at 54 and having seen better days, believe me, getting " nekkid " except for a cheesecloth g-string was a eye opener every morning. Hey, it works, so who am I to argue ? I am just damned glad I won't end up on You Tube. The diet was structured also to my issues and was very vegetarian, but delicious and hearty. The fresh juices were very fresh and the sense of peace and calm was wonderful. I was massaged, damned near boiled in oil, had enough herbs rubbed into my body to roast my haunches for Thanksgiving dinner and finally flogged beyond belief - but, it did feel good, much to my surprise. The showers ? Forget about it. I was taken to the shower and bathed and they use a home made concoction which made my skin feel like silk and I never had to use a lotion...this from a woman who has The Worlds' Driest Skin. Within days, my mobility was improved and I was no longer dreading those first few waking hours when I never knew how badly it would hurt to walk to the bathroom. I would awaken, walk out onto the porch, watch for the peacocks and enjoy the sunrise. Time passed quickly and it was soon time to go. I miss my ladies. Those wonderful women who view their work as part of their personal credo. I cannot wait to go back.