Tamil Nadu holidays, tailor made

By supporting locally owned hotels and homestays we are helping to provide employment for local communities. All of the accommodation owners on this tour are extremely proud of their strong policies regarding the environment and ecotourism.

The House at Mahabhs is a traditional house built right next to the beach at Mahabalipuram. The privately owned villa has just 5 guest rooms. It is quiet and idyllic.

The Dune and Elephant Valley are both eco hotels. There is a very long list of environmental benefits offered by the owner and staff of these properties including the fact that they were built using reclaimed and recycled materials, not one tree was cut down, all kitchen waste is converted to compost which they use on their organic farm, they have a ‘heritage seed bank’ etc. In addition to the environmental responsibility The Dune is actively involved with the local communities in the field of education, local capacity building, vocational training and rehabilitation following the 2004 tsunami. These activities are carried out under an Indian trust – ‘Children of the World’ (supported by the French Red Cross).

Anandham is a heritage hotel and offers an authentic Indian experience. The hotel is at Swamimalai just north of Tanjore and even has its own museum. It is India's only winner of the Global Eco Tourism Award.

Visalam is part of CGH Earth which is a group of hotels that has won many awards for their environmental policies. The family that own and manage the group are fully committed to responsible tourism and their hotels have a wide range of environmentally friendly features including – water harvesting, organic gardens for vegetables, worm farms, bio-gas converters etc.

The Gateway Hotel (used to be called the Taj Garden Retreat and still owned by the Taj) at Madurai. The Taj group of hotels, resorts and palaces have a group Environmental Policy Statement that includes a commitment to protecting, conserving and restoring the natural environment. This particular property is more than a century old and has been sympathetically converted into a hotel retaining many original features.

Windermere – this family owned estate is just outside the town of Munnar. It has a small number of rooms and cottages for guests while the owners still live in the original planter’s bungalow. Meals (including some Malayali family recipes) are taken in The Barn restaurant and there is also a traditional Kerala style ‘Hut’ tea-shop. Walks around the cardamom plantation are available for those who are interested.

Dewalokam calls itself a resort but it is more like a homestay or guesthouse as the family live on site. The house is a traditional home with an open atrium but the guest bedrooms all have modern facilities. Dewalokam is a farm, growing tropical fruits and spices as well as Ayurvedic herbs for its Ayurveda centre. Guests are encouraged to go on nature treks in the surrounding forest or along the adjacent river.

The ground handling of this tour is provided by our local agent and we supply him with 90% of his turnover. All of the drivers and staff are local people. Thus we have fifteen local families that are directly financially reliant upon us. Our drivers have a contract and are paid a monthly wage. This is very unusual in South India where most drivers are normally employed on a commission-only basis (not easy for such seasonal work).

All of the guides we use are local. Tailor-made holidays cater for couples or small groups and this means that our customers have the opportunity to interact with the locals. All of our customers are supplied with detailed information about their holiday. We supply general advice relevant to all customers as well as more specific facts about your particular tour. These documents offer our customers lots of advice and guidance including how to obtain an Indian Visa, which immunisations are recommended, how much to tip people, how to dress appropriately and how to behave in National Parks.