India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (153 page)

Chowara P.O. 695 501.
0471/226-6501.
Fax 0471/226-6505.
www.somatheeram.org
. [email protected]. 66 units. Nov–Apr 80€–92€ standard double, 116€–134€ special cottage double, 158€–180€ Kerala standard double, 210€–242€ Kerala deluxe double, 260€–300€ Sidhartha suite double; May–Oct 56€ standard double, 86€ special cottage double, 120€ Kerala standard double, 148€ Kerala deluxe double, 180€ Sidhartha suite double. 20% extra per person sharing. MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; airport transfers (Rs 675; free for certain Ayurveda packages); Ayurvedic center; cultural performances; Internet (near reception; Rs 2/min.); library; large outdoor pool; room service; tailor; yoga & meditation. In room A/C (in some) and fans, fridge (in deluxe units).

Thapovan Heritage Home
Divided into two distinct properties—one up the hill and one quite close to the edge of the beach—this is a good budget choice with a more salubrious atmosphere, and better looking (if very basic) accommodations, than are found at Nikki’s Nest. It’s also more intimate in terms of room numbers and spread over a good swath of land. The two big drawbacks are likely to be the absence of air-conditioning (but if you’ve come for a rejuvenating vacation with Ayurvedic treatments, then you’ll know that chilled air is ultimately incompatible with good health); fortunately, the sea is near enough for you to cool off there (a good reason to choose the seaside property). So turn on the fans and open all the windows—or find a spot in the garden where you can relax with the dull roar of the ocean not too far off. Beachfront rooms (in a series of sea-facing cottages, two rooms per cottage) have direct beach access (201–204 and 401–404 are best)—a boon for anyone who gets frustrated at being able to see but not touch. Rooms are a little boxy, with basic furnishings and finishes, but very clean and have cane chairs, yoga mats, and a shared porch. This is a relatively well-kept secret, and one of the better values hereabouts.

Nellikunnu, Mulloor P.O., Thiruvananthapuram 695 521.
0471/248-0453,
-2430, or 93-4975-2072.
www.thapovan.com
. [email protected]. Beach Property: 18 units (shower only). 36€ Eagles Nest double, 55€ beach cottage and beach house double, Rs 750 extra bed. Hillock Property: 13 units (shower only). 36€ old house double, 45€ hideout double, 55€ teakwood house and hillock cottage double, Rs 750 extra bed. Rates exclude 15% tax. Wide range of Ayurvedic packages available. MC, V.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; airport transfers (Rs 600); Internet (broadband; Rs 60/hr.); library; yoga. In room: Fans.

Travancore Heritage
This is considered to be at the top end of the Kovalam lodging spectrum, with 51⁄4 hectares (13 acres) of seafront real estate with a mix of hotel-style wings and a sprinkling of Kerala-style cottages set in a vast garden of tamarind and jackfruit trees and coconut palms. The best rooms are the heritage “premiums” (which have sea views); these are for the most part furnished with high, wood-frame beds, old wicker-backed planter’s chairs, and blinds made from gilded white
lungi
material. If you want to be near the beach, you’ll need to book a room in the bland Beach Grove wing, reached—mercifully—by elevator, and with its own pool. Avoid the Premium “Mansion,” which is a similarly bland wing, with no freestanding units; it’s more expensive than the heritage homes and hard to tell why. The Ayurvedic center here may not have the years of history associated with Somatheeram, but facilities look a heck of a lot better, with 45 therapists and none of that depressing rural hospital ambience.

Chowara P.O., Trivandrum 695 501.
0471/226-7828
through -7831. Fax 0471/226-7201.
www.thetravancoreheritage.com
. [email protected]. 90 units. Oct–Mar Rs 5,700–Rs 6,800 Beach Grove double, Rs 7,000–Rs 8,300 Heritage Home double, Rs 7,800–Rs 9,000 Premium Mansion double, Rs 7,800–Rs 9,800 Heritage Premium double, Rs 9,300–Rs 11,800 premium suite double; Rs 14,800–Rs 18,100 pool mansion double, Rs 1,100–Rs 1,500 extra person; Apr–Sept Rs 3,100 Beach Grove double, Rs 3,700 Heritage Home double, Rs 4,400 Premium Mansion double, Rs 5,400 Heritage Premium double, Rs 6,200 premium suite double; Rs 10,000 pool mansion double, Rs 900–Rs 1,500 extra person. Rates include breakfast; 15% tax extra AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
3 restaurants w/bar service; airport transfers (Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200); Ayurvedic center; cultural performances; health club; Jacuzzi; library; 2 pools; room service. In room: A/C and fans, TV, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

Poovar Island

Kerala’s southernmost resort destination (40 min. from Trivandrum), at the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu on a remote stretch of river lagoon, provides a taste of the backwaters, with palm-fringed rivers, together with the ocean views of a beach resort. The sea here is rough, so it’s not a great place for ocean swimming, and with the proliferation of resorts in a relatively small area in the past 7 years, its tranquillity has been compromised. Before the building frenzy began, Poovar Island Resort was the pace to be, but don’t be fooled by the glossy brochures and designs, which fail to mention the ongoing sewage problems of their romantic “floating cottages.” Best of the five biggish resorts here is
Isola Di Cocco
(
0471/221-0008;
www.isoladicocco.com
; standard doubles from Rs 5,500 in high season, breakfast included), mostly due to the fact that it takes its Ayurvedic treatments and packages very seriously at very good value. Not only that, but there’s some semblance of a style that’s fitting with the whole lagoon-cum-beach vibe of the area. Accommodation is perfectly comfortable if a little unimaginative, with no personal touches or design forethought (or, more tellingly, sea views), but everything is spotless and spacious, and there’ve been some extensive refurbishments as recently as 2009. If you choose to stay here, opt for one of the 10 lake-view rooms (16, 17, and 53–60), which fall in the Heritage Category (Rs 4,000–Rs 7,000 double with breakfast, depending on season). Service is friendly, and the Indian food is good.

Right next door to Isola, with more of a concrete hotel resort atmosphere and extensive facilities, is
Estuary Island
(
0471/221-4355;
www.estuaryisland.com
), which does afford views towards the sea (although, as with all the Poovar resorts, you don’t see the ocean but rather a lovely beach that divides the lagoon from the ocean). While the rooms are exceptionally bland, they’re well stocked with amenities, and if you don’t mind forgoing the estuary view from the cheaper standard units (Rs 4,000–Rs 9,000 double), you can get a much larger and more private Estuary Premium cottage (Rs 6,000–Rs 10,000 double, including boat transfers) in a secluded section behind the main block. There’s plenty here to keep children busy (including a kids’ pool and park), and the beer parlor built over the water is a good place to sit with a pair of binoculars and see what the fishermen are up to. Green Leaf–accredited Ayurvedic treatments are available, and there’s a fleet of assorted boats (with or without motor).