Reviewed 25 Mar 2010 by Simonetta Corti
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Village Home Stay. I recently had the great pleasure in visiting, for the first time, Kerala and the village home stay has been the best way to start my Kerala experience. The home stay is a typical Kerala house (beautiful wooden with terracotta tiles roof structure) set amongst a perfect natural back drop, filled with this wonderful region’s natural treasures: Coconuts, pineapples, cocoa, jack fruit, bananas, rubber trees, an incredible amount of spices and the greatest variety of birds. The family agricultural approach is 'organic' (which I found very refreshing). The accommodation is spacious and very comfortable, furnished with some lovely antique furniture. The location of the village – only at about 40 / 45 min. (by car) from Kochi airport - is just perfect for exploring central Kerala. From here you can easily take day trips to: Thakkekadu bird sanctuary, archaeological museum at Thripunithura, Elephatsl at Kodanadu, Kodungallur, Vazhachal natural Park and many others beautiful places. From here you can also visit local craftsmen, enjoy village walks, visit ancient temples and churches.
The best part of this particular home stay, however, is the host family:
• Jolly’s (by name and disposition) great personality and availability. He very kindly took me to visit local places of interests and craftsmen;
• Rose’s wonderful skills in the kitchen (she is an absolute MASTER CHEF for Kerala recipes and also a great teacher) and warm - brilliant smile. If going to stay in this village home stay YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST GET SOME COOKING LESSONS FROM ROSE!
• Beautiful Anila’s perfect command of the English language, great knowledge of her native Region and incredible patience in showing me around, helping with routes / sights / accommodation, etc.
• Manoj’s fascinating knowledge of pharmaceutical properties of local spices and plants, as his father was an ayurvedic pharmacist ;
• The two young daughters’ (Abigail and Adrin) laughter, beautiful faces and sweet personalities.
Their warmth and assistance helped me incredibly to fully enjoy the rest of my trip ... so much so that I could not leave the Country without going back to them, on my last day, to say my good-byes! I really hope I’ll have more opportunities to visit Kerala and this great family!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Follow any suggestions and indications you get from locals. For a real Kerala experience do not stay in bigger Town / City, but try smaller villages as the pace is much more enjoyable and people much more genuine and helpful. Do visit Kerala KALAMANDALAM School and be a spectator to some of their classes. If interested in Ayurveda: go to real hospitals / clinics rather than the fashionable and very touristic 'massage centres'. If interested in heritage stays and Hindu religious traditions you should stay at OLAPPAMANNA MANA in the village of Vellinezhi. Do take with you a brolly as it will come very useful against the intense sun!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes I did. I enjoyed the fact that my money were 'spread' around the locals (without any UK handling).
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Overall my holiday was a GREAT success! I had a wonderful time, met very interesting people, saw the most amazing natural sights, made some very good friends, had incredibly delicious dishes and came back invigorated (and a bit fatter!).
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
I've just got back from a 3 week holiday in Kerala/ India. The first 5 days of my holiday were spent at this homestay with Anila and her family. It was a wonderful experience as it enabled me to get to know local people and to gain an insight into typical village life. Anila's family home is a very beautiful old building with antique furniture surrounded by tropical vegetation. The family did everything they could to make me feel welcome and I had the opportunity to try unusual, home cooked dishes that I certainly wouldn't have found in any restaurant. I didn't meet a single tourist in the area.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Just follow Anila's advice. I enjoyed all the excursions that she recommended. I went boating, visited the local craftspeople, temples, an elephant training centre, went for walks...
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Very much so. I was encouraged to visit the local weavers and potters. Only local people are employed. The taxi driver and the rickshaw driver are neighbours, however, I only needed their services very occasionally as Anila very kindly wrote instructions that enabled me to travel on public transport. The food is organically grown on the farm. The drinking water comes from the family's well so that I never had to buy any bottled water.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fantastic!
Reviewed 11 Feb 2008 by Michael Mullerworth
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
This was an authentic homestay with a family in a traditional Kerala village. It was a pleasure to be welcomed so warmly by all 3 generations of the family, and to be a part of their daily life. We also met extended family and neighbours nearby who were equally friendly and eager to converse with us.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The accommodation in their small 250-year old house was comfortable and adequate, with Western-style bathrooms including hot water (but not for the shower). The food was excellent (many and varied Keralan dishes) and they are amenable to making suitable salads together with the guests. They accommodated needs for a less "hot" taste and strict vegetarian requirements too. There is a small washing machine and plenty of outside drying space. Relaxing strolls through mixed famland (including pineapple, rubber, areca nut, rice, coffee, cocoa, banana and spices) can be combined with relaxed sitting, reading or bird-watching. or local sight-seeing. The family are Jehovah's Witnesses and invite discussion on religion and morality.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Our holiday provided additional income for the family. Mother is not currently employed elsewhere, but home bringing up 2 young children. Neighbours supplied 3 and 4-wheel taxi transport, and we visited local cottage industries like handloom weaving and pottery. By choosing this homestay we believe we supported small local enterprises while avoiding the larger impacts of high-class travel.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent. It was a highlight of our stay in Kerala, very interesting and relaxing. We enjoyed the personal contacts and the chance to see local crafts including natural rubber processing.
