Hi All,
I'm not going to do a minute-by-minute review of our wonderful time in Kerala, but will try and give you an overview!
There were 19 of us (4 delightful gentlemen) and Tami Pollard was our excellent TM. Some of us had problems getting to Heathrow due to the weather (Storm Doris and snow!), and one poor girl didn't make it at all. We flew with Jet Airways who I think are very good.
First stop was Cochin and the Crown Plaza Hotel. Be aware Kerala is a DRY state!! However, we always managed to get alcohol, although we had to carry it in our cases on some occasions. This hotel did have a bar, but it was very, very expensive - £10 for a small glass of wine! Hotel was good, but staff very inattentive. Trips down to the Waterfront and the Dutch Palace and time for shopping too. Indian sizes of garments are very small, and you will be charged more for an item that is larger! Lunch at Nimmy Paul's who was a very amusing chef - she also cooked our meal which was wonderful. I personally went mostly vegetarian in India, but they do eat a lot of chicken and fish. In the evening we went to a fascinating Kathakali Dance show, and then back to the hotel for a Sadya dinner which is served on a banana leaf. A large bottle of beer was about £6 in the hotel! There is a lot to do in Cochin and we could have done with another day here.
Quite a long coach journey the next day up into the hills to Thekkady, but with enough stops - at a rubber plantation and also a lunch stop in Kumily. Transfer to the hotel is by jeep. Dry hotel! Infinity pool and a spa. Wonderful views. All rooms, I think, had balconies. Spice plantation visit.
The next day we went to Periyar Game Reserve, and luckily had our own boat for the safari. I personally thought it was a little late in the morning (0930) for spotting elephants, in particular, but we saw a lot of birdlife, a wild boar with a tiny baby, a lone solitary male elephant (evidently very rare), turtles, monkeys, buffaloes etc. etc. Lunch was taken in the Cardamon Hotel which was very good and reasonable. Time for shopping! In the afternoon 9 of us did the Optional Nature trek. Although I thought £46 was rather expensive for this, I was rewarded with wild elephants - one of whom looked as though she was going to charge, and our guide said "run" and boy did we!! We had two guides, one who carried a gun!
The houseboat the next day. One of the main reasons that we all had booked this trip. Another longish trip down the mountain and then transferred by tuk tuk to the houseboats. We were asked if we wanted to share our boats with anyone in particular, and there were 3 - 4 people in each boat. These are old rice boats, and you have your own cabin and ensuite. They describe them as "basic" but they are perfectly adequate - double bed, air con. There are 3 crew members including a chef who cooks all your meals onboard (excellent food!). If you can persuade your captain to stop at the fish market, I would thoroughly recommend the fresh tiger prawns (about £7 each extra) which our chef grilled with ginger and garlic - fantastic! As the crew sleep on deck, you are encouraged to go to your cabins about 9.30 pm. It is wonderful to wake up to a sunrise on the lake and the backwaters, watching the fishermen. An abundance of birdlife (take a bird book with you). Very peaceful. After breakfast you dock about 9-ish, back to the coach via tuk tuks and then on to Whispering Palms hotel in Kumarakom. We were lucky to see a ceremonial elephant on the way - "Happiness is a daily elephant"! - stopped the coach and we all got out to take photos.
There are always stops on long coach journeys, and we stopped at a village, travelled down the backwaters in a small canoe, and had another wonderful sadya lunch. If you are offered the liquid from the banana tree (they make toddy out of it) - don't drink it, it's revolting! The hotel in Kumarakom was another "dry hotel", and is right on the lake and has a swimming pool.
Final hotel was the Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel in Kovalum which has a couple of swimming pools and a couple of excellent spas - ayurveda treatments highly recommended. There is a bar! We had a full day free time here, and some people walked up to the lighthouse. I did a shorter walk and discovered a mosque and also a Hindu temple. Lots of shops, including a good hotel shop.
In summary, Kerala is known as God's Own Country. It is a rich state. There is a strong Christian community - I have never seen so many Christian churches (built in the Hindu style!). The weather was great throughout. There is sufficient time for shopping, but apart from alcohol and tips, you don't need that much money. At the last hotel we put our drinks and lunch etc. on our room and paid by credit card at the end. In terms of money - an "agent" came to our first hotel in Cochin and we changed it with him. We got about 77 rupees to the £.
Two of us did a "tailor made" 3 nights in Mumbai at the end, which I would thoroughly recommend (Travelsphere do this, and I'm trying to persuade JY to do it too), but that's another review in itself!
Any questions, please ask. It is very different from Spirit of India, and more relaxing!
Cheers,
Hils
