India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (138 page)

Expensive

Coconut Lagoon
If private alfresco showers and hammocks rather than room service and television are your idea of bliss, then this is your kind of lakeside idyll. Some of the reassembled wooden
tharavads
here date from the early 1700s, and each has been reassembled according to ancient carpentry rules known as
thachu shashtra.
The emphasis here is on providing an authentic Kerala feel and having as little impact as possible on the natural environment. Indeed, much of the resort’s rustic charm lies in its simplicity (this was the first place to even think about the impact of tourism on the environment, and they’ve taken huge strides to try and counter the negative effects). The best values are the “standard” heritage bungalows
numbered 219 to 221, 223, and 225 to 228—these face the Kavanar River yet cost no more than those clustered around pathways. Not as fancy as Kumarakom, but with a wonderfully warm and laid-back atmosphere, great sunset cruises with live Indian musicians to serenade the setting sun, and a host of incredible body-curing Ayurvedic treatments at reasonable prices.

Kumarakom, Kottayam 686 563.
0481/252-5834
through -5836. Fax 0481/252-4495.
www.cghearth.com
. [email protected]. Reservations: c/o CGH Earth, Casino Building, Willingdon Island, Cochin 682 003.
0484/301-1711.
Fax 0484/266-8001. 50 units. Nov–Apr 304€–334€ heritage bungalow double bungalow, 364€–389€ mansion double, 509€–579€ deluxe pool villa double, 82€ extra person; May–Oct Rs 10,690 heritage bungalow and mansion double, Rs 15,525 deluxe pool villa double, Rs 2,860 extra bed. Rates include all meals and taxes. Breakfast-only rates also available. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
2 restaurants, bar; airport transfers (Rs 3,000), free boat transfers; excellent Ayurvedic center; cooking demonstrations; cultural performances; houseboats; Internet (at reception; Rs 200/hr.); large outdoor pool; sunset cruise; yoga. In room: A/C, minibar.

Privacy
If you’re more of a “villa” person, crave solitude and hate the impersonal resort vibe, this is a great option: two secluded traditional bungalows situated at the edge of Vembanad Lake. The waterfront “Privacy Suite” is exactly that, with lake views from your bed, while the “Heritage Cottage” is set slightly farther back, behind the pool and deck, with its own, more traditional charm (and friendlier rates). The location and atmosphere certainly live up to its name, with a maximum of only two parties present and even then set quite far apart from each other, meeting only for meals (if you choose) and at the pool. Besides the fabulous location, interiors are in a class of their own, designed by talented owner Joerg Drechsel (of superstylish Malabar House). Privacy may make you feel a million miles from anywhere, but it’s only 45km (28 miles) from Kochi and 15km (9 1⁄3 miles) from the backwater-access town of Alleppey.

Kannankara PO, Alleppey 688 527.
0478/258-2794.
Reservations: The Malabar House, 1/268, 269 Parade Rd., Fort Cochin 682 001.
0484/221-6666.
Fax 0484/221-7777.
www.malabarescapes.com
. 2 units. High season Oct–Apr 220€ Heritage Cottage, 360€ Privacy Suite; May–Sept 150€ Heritage Cottage, 250€ Privacy Suite. 35€ extra bed. Rates include breakfast; 15% taxes extra. Cottage rented to 1 party at a time. MC, V.
Amenities:
Electric country boat; kitchenette; mountain bikes; outdoor pool. In room: TV, fax.

Moderate

Far less luxurious than the resorts reviewed above, but offering lake-facing rooms at a fraction of the price, is
Whispering Palms,
where a lake-facing cottage (make sure you specify “lake,” not “lagoon”) costs only Rs 8,500 double with all meals included (
0484/238-1122;
www.abadhotels.com
; 15% tax extra). The downside is less-than-riveting accommodations. Better-looking, but situated near Alappuzha (on Vembanad Lake but without the sunset views),
Punnamada Serena Spa Resort
(
www.punnamada.com
) offers a handful of lake-view rooms that are charmingly decorated with four-poster beds, straw curtains, and massive picture windows framing the lake, and a real bargain at Rs 10,500 to Rs 15,000 double in high season. Make sure you specifically bag one of these rooms, since other accommodations suffer from some crazy design flaws (in fact there are odd, distracting touches throughout the resort). There’s a large pool, a round-the-clock Ayurvedic center, and now a brand-new spa (open since Oct 2009), which has prompted a name change (this was formerly more plainly called Punnamada Backwaters Resort). Clearly they are aiming very high indeed; they have their own houseboat, too, with well-priced packages that combine a night on the water with another on shore.