Kerala accommodation
| country: | India |
| location: | Kadalikad, outskirts of Cochin, Kerala |
| price: | From £50 - £60 per room per night (double) and £37 - £44 per room per night (single). Price depends on season and includes meals, filtered/bottled water and a gift. |
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description
One of Kerala's best kept secrets, come and stay in one of our four comfortable bungalows in the grounds of a 2.5 hectare organic homestead. Here you will experience the sights, sounds and tastes of authentic Kerala.
Within the heart of this fertile forest area we grow spices, crops and fruit that were once an integral part of the landscape and historically lost to the rubber plantations. We are returning to our roots with a different and more environmentally aware approach compared with farming in the cleared mountain forest ranges or mangrove forests of the backwaters.
The emphasis is on giving our guests a taste of traditional Kerala country life away from the tourist trail. We offer a haven for those who want to relax and experience the friendly village welcome and if you so choose, enjoy our communal area where guests can meet and dine. We invite you to taste the fine flavours of our Eastern Kerala specialities and traditional Indian dishes (vegetarian) prepared with farm grown spices and coconut. All coffee served is also farm grown, and we have a cooking demonstration every evening.
There are also opportunities for the guests to enrol in vegetarian cooking classes, sight see and enjoy Ayurvedic treatments & massages.
In short we are combining local agriculture, traditional wisdom and local cuisine - a truly memorable experience.
Note: Economy packages are available for University students (under 30), prior guests, organic farmers, environmentalists, nature & environmental journalists and members of ecological institutions.
The level will be basic Keralan vegetarian cooking and the maximum number of participants will be 8. For full details please click here.
8 days - From £710 per couple (double room) and £493 per single person (double room) including meals, filtered/bottled water, accommodation, trips, massages, transportation and entry fees.
4 days - From £355 per couple (double room) and £246 per single person (double room) including meals, filtered/bottled water and accommodation.
Within the heart of this fertile forest area we grow spices, crops and fruit that were once an integral part of the landscape and historically lost to the rubber plantations. We are returning to our roots with a different and more environmentally aware approach compared with farming in the cleared mountain forest ranges or mangrove forests of the backwaters.
The emphasis is on giving our guests a taste of traditional Kerala country life away from the tourist trail. We offer a haven for those who want to relax and experience the friendly village welcome and if you so choose, enjoy our communal area where guests can meet and dine. We invite you to taste the fine flavours of our Eastern Kerala specialities and traditional Indian dishes (vegetarian) prepared with farm grown spices and coconut. All coffee served is also farm grown, and we have a cooking demonstration every evening.
There are also opportunities for the guests to enrol in vegetarian cooking classes, sight see and enjoy Ayurvedic treatments & massages. In short we are combining local agriculture, traditional wisdom and local cuisine - a truly memorable experience.
Note: Economy packages are available for University students (under 30), prior guests, organic farmers, environmentalists, nature & environmental journalists and members of ecological institutions.
special things to do and see here
Learn about Indian Permaculture and bio-organic techniques as we show you the plants and spices we grow. - Explore neighboring villages - take walks through working rubber plantations, pineapple groves and rice paddies - climb hills with spectacular views and enjoy the local flora and fauna - picnics at waterfalls - swim in the fresh water river - relax with a book from our small library.
- Ayurveda treatments & massage under the guidance of qualified Ayurvedic doctors are available.
- Sightseeing, shopping - elephant training centre, tea gardens, handicrafts, churches and temple festivals (Nov - May), Kumarakom, Munnar, Thekkady, Cochin etc. We can also arrange interesting 3, 5 and 7-day holiday packages year round
- 4 & 8 day vegetarian cooking holidays (see below)
cooking holidays
These cooking holidays will give you hands on experience of Keralan vegetarian cooking with a special focus on ingredients available in other countries - the different preparations of rice, vegetable dishes, the use of coconut in food, and the preparation of a Keralan festive lunch or dinner known as "Sadya" (7 day programme). All the recipes will be given and we will help you to keep detailed flow charts outlining the cooking process. The level will be basic Keralan vegetarian cooking and the maximum number of participants will be 8. For full details please click here.8 days - From £710 per couple (double room) and £493 per single person (double room) including meals, filtered/bottled water, accommodation, trips, massages, transportation and entry fees.
4 days - From £355 per couple (double room) and £246 per single person (double room) including meals, filtered/bottled water and accommodation.
travellers' tales
The most memorable parts were enjoying cooking lessons with a bat flying over head. Scrubbing baby elephants clean with a coconut shell. Eating the most amazing food in a cosy family atmosphere. (more)
rooms, food and facilities
You will be staying in one of our clean and comfortable ensuite bungalows on our family run farm, overlooking the lush native forest. All bungalows have a veranda, and we have hot water (most of the time) and filtered drinking water. Bathrooms have toilet paper, soap and towels.
The accommodation is away from the communal area, so that you can be as sociable or private as you wish. Facilities for making coffee, tea or fresh lime soda are available in the communal area, together with seasonal tropical fruits.
how to find us
By air: We are 50km (1 hr drive) from Cochin airport.
By train: We are 55km (1 hr 15 min drive) from Ernakulam Junction (to the North) and 65km (1 hr 30 min drive) from Kottayam railway station (to the South).
how this holiday makes a difference
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The Midlands of Kerala are the place where spices, food and fruits were naturally grown in homestead forest gardens that were eventually lost to rubber plantations. Spices were moved up to the hills where the forests were cut and plantations were established, thereby damaging the ecosystems in a significant way (monoculture plantations e.g. tea, coffee, pepper and rubber).
 Here we are making an effort to bring back the glory of the Midlands by establishing a homestead forest garden (bio organic farming) and growing spices in their natural habitat. This is quite different and environmentally more aware than growing spices and crops in the cleared forest ranges in the mountains or the dense mangrove forests in the backwaters as a monoculture. We are also trying to conserve the bio diversity of the region by raising lots of medicinal herbs in the garden itself, a self financed economically viable conservation initiative by the family in the region. We also use solar power for water heating, bio gas for cooking, low energy bulbs in the rooms and outside, minimal use of concrete, hedges for fencing instead of walls and grow bamboo for use on the farm. As part of the conservation activity, we also preserve the recipes of the region and use them on a day-to-day basis which helps sustain the diverse food traditions of the region. The cost of your stay is plowed back into the farmstay, and all the products and services are locally sourced thereby benefitting the local community. We offer something different for travellers seeking authentic experiences. |
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