It’s not the India people think of when they conjure up images of the country. Instead of colorful frenzy, packed streets, tuk-tuks jockeying for a place in traffic, Kerala, in the country’s southwest, is serene, tropical, dotted with backwater canals. And it’s especially tranquil bordering Lake Vembanad near the village of Kumarakom on the grounds of the CGH Earth property Coconut Lagoon. Recently reopened and restored after the damage caused by historic floods in Kerala last August, this resort blends history, nature and just enough ayurvedic practices to be health inducing but not too austere.
The rooms are in 150 year old traditional tharavad houses, local wood structures that were once threatened with destruction when residents elsewhere in the region planned to tear them down to build more modern ones from concrete or else were falling into disrepair. Composed of beautiful teak and rosewood, they were taken apart, moved here, restored and reassembled, giving the resort the look of a handsome village in an earlier century. Sitting on the terrace of one of the heritage mansions in which duplex suites are housed, watching the kettuvallams, the thatched roof rice boats now used for cruising, glide by is an appealing, gentle start to the day.
Coconut Lagoon has its own kettuvallam for guests to cruise through the quiet canals past fishermen and waving residents sitting on the banks while a panoply of multicolored birds from the adjacent bird sanctuary flutters alongside. So much revolves around the water that there are also motorized canoes and a larger launch for sunset cruises and to ferry guests back to the resort’s jetty—the resort is reachable only by boat which adds to the sense of tranquility and seclusion.
For those who want to venture to the shore, there are bicycles to explore nearby villages to learn about local culture but there’s plenty of opportunity to experience it without leaving the grounds. A woman from the next village comes over every day at 4 to serve chai (tea) and snacks from her canoe. In the restaurants, the culinary offerings are rich and varied, from the a la carte menu to the buffet in the main restaurant Ettukettu and the seafood restaurant Aymanam featuring local dishes such as the local lake fish karimeem, marinated, wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled and konju vattichathu, tiger prawns baked in a clay pot. Even for fans of Indian food at home, the dishes on the buffet table will be discoveries, somewhat on the spicy side but absolutely delicious. And on most nights before dinner, another cultural aspect of the region is on view: dancers and musicians including performances of a particularly expressive dance known as OttanThullal.
For many guests, the draw is the Ayurveda center for analysis by one of the two doctors (invariably, when they describe foods you should and shouldn’t eat, they will discourage some of your favorite foods but it’s for your own good.) The treatments are then tailored to what the doctor suggests but even what I assumed would be a fairly normal massage was unlike any I’d ever had—ayurvedic technique combined with principles of martial arts. Whoever came up with that combination, as odd as it sounds, was brilliant. I understood completely when guests I met there said they were in the spa every day. After a few days there, I also understood why they were regulars, coming here to spend their holidays every year.
How to Get There: You can fly directly in to Kochi by connecting in Doha on Qatar Airways. Given the airline’s recent introduction of QSuites in business class—private, roomy, enclosed suites, some with double beds—and exceptional service, it’s the most comfortable way to go. The Coconut Lagoon jetty is a two hour drive south of Kochi’s airport.
