India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (140 page)

Pallivathukal, Ambika Market P.O., Vechoor, Kottayam 688 582.
04829/27-6529,
-6530, or 98950-75130.
www.philipkuttysfarm.com
. 5 units, all with shower only. Oct–May Rs 9,900–Rs 12,000 double, Rs 19,800–Rs 24,000 2-bedroom villa; June–Sept Rs 7,000 double, Rs 14,000 2-bedroom Villa; Rs 3,000 extra person. Children under 6 stay free, Rs 2,000 children 6–12. Rates include all meals, tea, coffee, sunset cruise on country boat, and farm excursions. No credit cards at present; plan to accept MC and V soon.
Amenities:
Dining pavilion; airport transfers (Rs 1,800); country boat; Internet (broadband; free or for a nominal fee); library. In room: Fans, fridge.

Inexpensive

Emerald Isle
Far from the resort crowd, this 150-year-old heritage villa, located on a 3-hectare (71⁄2-acre) plantation, will suit travelers looking for an authentic Kerala backwater homestay experience. The adventure begins when a boatman picks you up in a dugout canoe and rows you to the Job family home. There you are welcomed with filter coffee, tea, coconut water, or toddy. The home is sparklingly clean and old-world charm abounds—wicker chairs on the verandah, period furniture, and all-round quaint rusticity. The en-suite guest rooms are simply furnished; ask for one with an open-air bathroom. Freshly prepared meals are eaten with the family, but you can pick what’s on the menu: Choose among chicken curry and
appams
(lace pancakes),
karimeen pollichathu
(pearl spot fish),
avoli
fry,
neimeen
curry, egg roasts, or catch of the day. The Jobs—truly genuine, honest workaday folk—will organize boat cruises, backwater trips, fishing, walks through paddy and coconut plantations, and village tours; they even have their own houseboat.

Kanjooparambil-Manimalathara, Chathurthyakary P.O, Alleppuzha 688 511.
0477/270-3899,
0477/329-0577, or 94-4707-7555.
www.emeraldislekerala.com
. [email protected]. 4 units. Rs 5,000–Rs 5,500 double; Rs 5,800–Rs 6,300 A/C double. Children 5–10 Rs 350; under 5 free. Rates include boat transfers and all meals. No credit cards.
Amenities:
Dining room, small lounge; Ayurvedic massage; bicycles; boat cruises; cooking classes; fishing. In room: A/C (some), fans.

Our Land
This place gets a star for remoteness and laid-back simplicity—if you need luxury, modern trimmings, or loads of facilities, look elsewhere. Set among mango, gooseberry, cashew, guava, banana and coconut trees on a 2.4-hectare (6-acre) island that’s accessible only by boat, it’s a rough-and-ready sort of place that’s a favorite with birders who come for the solitude and chance to spot 61 species. Accommodations have a slightly old-world, functional feel (despite the modern, dull furnishings), with red oxide floors, large showers in tiled bathrooms, and wooden beds simply, neatly made up; each room has a private porch with chairs and a bed for daytime schmoozing—all of these face directly onto the waterway. Book the honeymoon room, raised up on wooden stilts and with a porch out front providing great vantage over the water. Learn to use the traditional Ottali net to fish, and enjoy regular interactions with the local villagers; this is a good place to learn about paddy cultivation. At press time, the owners are building a houseboat, after which they plan to commence with a much-needed pool (although building here takes awhile, since access is only by boat).

Near Pallathuruthy Bridge, Alappuzha-Changanassery.
94-4779-8108
or 98-4777-1229.
www.ourland.in
. [email protected]. 6 units. Nov–Mar Rs 4,500–Rs 5,000 double; Apr–Oct Rs 4,300. Rates include all meals and activities. No credit cards.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bicycles; bird-watching; boating and backwater cruises; fishing; guided hikes. In room: A/C and fans.

Kerala’s Floating Supermarket

Don’t be alarmed if, while scanning the Backwaters, you suddenly set eyes upon a garish red-and-white checkered miniature ship cruising through the waterways. In fact, you might even want to find a way to get a look at what’s happening on board. It’s India’s first waterborne supermarket, known as the
Floating Triveni,
and was launched on June 7, 2009, as a way of bringing the convenience of everyday retail shopping to the island-bound villagers who live in Alappuzha district’s Kuttanad backwaters. Covering 53 locations and catering to over a million people, the floating minimall carries everything from toiletries to home appliances (which must be ordered in advance, of course) at below-market prices. It’s 16m (53 ft.) long with a staff of eight, and the state cooperative which owns it plans to get it recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. Meanwhile, there are plans for two more island-hopping supermarkets in the Kochi and Kollam backwaters.

Mararikulam: Top Beachfront Options

The best beachfront options are found in an area known as Mararikulam, and provide an excellent alternative to being directly on the backwaters, while you always have access to them. Of the places we’ve reviewed,
Marari Beach Resort
offers the most by way of facilities, and comes with excellent, warm service—it’s also relatively large (although well spread out, so perhaps not the best choice if you’re looking to get away from it all. To do that, look no father than
A Beach Symphony
(also reviewed below), which is the absolutely fabulous reworking of a series of fishing cottages set back from the beach, and luxuriously remodeled for leisure-loving vacationers like yourself. Consider these, particularly if you like a vacation that moves at your own pace.

A Beach Symphony
If the whole resort experience leaves you cold, rent one of these fishermen’s cottages located right on the beach—you all but wake up with the sand between you toes. You can prebook your most-desired cottage, but that hikes the price by Rs 1,500 per night, and frankly, they’re all gorgeous. Violin (an entirely new building—the others are renovated; three more are planned) has a private plunge pool in its own garden, and Como is closest to the beach. The design is fresh and appealing, a blend of traditional art and craft with a slick modern sensibility, and some of the best-looking bathrooms (all open air, with huge showers) in Kerala. No restaurants or soulless buffet spreads here: meals are served on your balcony—lovely light lunches (grilled fish, chicken, or fresh sardines, with salads and homemade dressings) and dinners prepared to order (there’s no menu as such, so you consult with the chef). Stationed here you really do feel as if you’ve been washed ashore on some exotic, luxurious beach idyll, but if you like to keep busy and explore, Belgian owner-managers Jan and Christel go out of their way to help; they’ll arrange anything from tuk-tuk trips to ayurvedic massages at the local hospital.