Suggestions (Kerala)

Made popular by the Instagram culture, Kerala has been a tourist paradise since forever. It sits in the lap of nature. Once you step in Kerala, every moment of your existence justifies why this state is known as God’s Own Country. The striking feature of Kerala to us was that while other cities have trees amidst the concrete, Kerala has houses amidst the trees and forests. The tree cover in Kerala (about 54%) is so high that seldom we saw any house without plants or huge trees. Jack fruit, mango, and coconut trees can be seen a plenty. You must have found many suggestions about Kerala but authentic Kerala can not be found in touristy places. Therefore, we are providing some suggestions based on our experiences in Kerala to help make your trip awesome. Do not forget to read our special tips at the end.

Accommodation

Although we are not recommending these suggestions related to where to stay in Kerala, the places we stayed at were budget and undoubtedly, worth the money. Therefore, we felt obligated to share somethings about the following places in each city:

Kochi: Ebenezer Plaza

This is a transit hotel near Kochi airport. We were travelling by flight which reached late in the evening. We had planned to depart to Munnar early morning the next day. Therefore, it was most suited to book a hotel nearby the airport since the route to Munnar crosses the airport. It is perfect for a night. Rooms were in good condition. Everything was clean and maintained. Toiletries were provided. Staff was good specially the housekeeping, because we troubled them a lot but every time the in-charge helped us with everything. The stay does not have a restaurant of its own but you can use delivery apps to get food delivered. There are many wonderful tiffin restaurants nearby. If your plan is like ours, you may definitely stay at this place.

Munnar: Green Valley Vista Apartments

Munnar has a lot of health retreat centres and ecological stays to choose from given that it suits your budget. Accordingly, you may choose what suits you the best. If your budget allows, then definitely go for the exquisite experiences like glass dome hotels or all-inclusive ayurvedic retreat resorts. We stayed at a modest yet wonderful homestay which had several special features. It had a huge room and a balcony with an amazing view. All the rooms of this homestay have balconies and views. Your sunrise is going to be a wonderful experience from here. It does not have Air Conditions in its rooms as it promotes responsible ecological tourism.

The estate includes huge garden which houses many trees like mango, guava, water apple, avocado, ginger, turmeric, mint, coriander etc. It claimed to be sourcing everything used in the kitchen from their backyard. The kitchen staff is wonderful and the food served is tasty although not very spicy which suited us fine. We had a wonderful time there. It is one of our best suggestions to stay in Kerala.

Thekkady: Kerala Homestay

Thekkady is a small yet very peaceful place. Its calmness made us enjoy the place very much. The homestay we stayed at was at the border of the Periyar Tiger reserve. Our room overlooked the tree clusters of the reserve and the entrance gate of the reserve was at a walkable distance. The caretaker was very sweet and helpful. The rooms are huge but basic. It is just a bed and breakfast kind of stay. The owners are very welcoming and will cook a meal for you on your request. We included this in our stay suggestions in Kerala because of its simplicity and true Kerala vibes. Over all a good stay in very affordable budget. There are many recommended restaurants nearby.

Alleppey: Southern Panorama Houseboat

Houseboats in Alleppey are over rated. You may book directly with the operators or you may get a tour package that includes a houseboat stay. Nonetheless, a houseboat costs minimum of ₹5000 per room. Although meals are included, the food is average. Some are budget which have 6-7 AC rooms but AC operation is only between 6PM to 6 AM. The lobbies and lounges do have AC but they are hardly ever switched on. Some boats run AC between 6PM to 6 AM only. The rooms and washrooms are good. Then there is premium or luxury boats that have 10-12 smaller but better rooms. There is no restriction to operation of ACs and the overall look and feel of these boats is better including the food served on board. Then there are smaller boats with 1-2 rooms that are hired privately by families or groups or couples.

Although our experience was okay, we would like to point out some major issues:

1. Book rooms with full time AC operation.
2. The boats have nothing to offer apart from rooms and views. There is no arrangement for entertainment. Even for kayaking, you need to pay separately
3. There is nothing for the children. They soon get bored of the scenes. Even the fish market they take you to is very expensive and you would end up buying just the snacks.
4. The water stinks. The backwaters as well as the water that runs in your washrooms. Because, the water comes directly from under the boat.
5. At night the boats dock at the same place where they took off from, so they lack experience of anchoring mid lake.
6. You will find many houseboats lining the harbour due to increased demand. These activities are harming the ecological balance of Kerala’s backwaters and there have been numerous complaints regarding this by the environment activists. It is harming the marine life and the village lives nearby.

We have the suggestion that you stay in the resorts near the backwaters. It will cost about the same or lesser for a room but you will have all the comfort in addition to several entertainment options. You will have a complimentary/paid shikara ride by the hotel depending on your booking type which will take you around the backwaters and fishermen villages. So, in our opinion this is much better than staying in the houseboat.

Kovalam: Beach Flora Inn

The homestays or hotels and resorts in the beach area are way more expensive compared to what they offer. It is one or two hotels like the above that are pretty good considering the inflation in this area. This a good stay option near the Kovalam lighthouse beach as it is located right on the beach and has an inhouse restaurant that serves tasty albeit very expensive food. All the restaurants in the beach area are very expensive. The vibes and the food is recommended though.

Transportation

It is our suggestion to hire a taxi for your entire trip from a reputed taxi operator in advance. You may ask them to prepare your itinerary. Alternatively, you may prepare your own itinerary and share with them. Either way, they charge by the kilometre for the return trip to your starting point, no matter where you get down at. For example, even if you start from Kochi and end your trip in Tiruvananthapuram, the taxi operators charge you for return of the car to Kochi. Almost all the taxi services follow the same pattern.

We hired out taxi from Pepper Kerala Holidays. We liked the professional behaviour and good nature of our driver. The car was also in very good condition.  Be aware that although the distance between cities is not much. Still, it takes longer than expected to reach from one point to other because of narrow roads and city traffic. Also, the roads in Munnar and Thekkady have twists and turns, thus, they can make you dizzy and nauseous. Keep medicines for motion sickness because even the ones with no history get motion sick in these places.

A few things about the taxis that irked us are as follows:

1. They take you to places and shops that give good commission to them. You may politely decline and choose to go to shop of your choice.
2. They will insist on some tours like Jeep Safari etc. because the safari operators co ordinate with them to gain customers giving them a cut.
3. Sometimes, you will need to push your driver into taking you to some off beat spots. They only take you to the most popular ones and avoid the rest.
4. They would avoid running the AC while on hilly roads.
5. Keep noting the kilometers when you get off and get in, as you will be charged by the kilometer.

Food

Food is very affordable in Kerala. It is our request to try local food in Kerala. The flavours, the blend of spices and the punch in every item that touches your tongue is mind blowing. In our suggestions, do try the local food. The list of items to try are mentioned in this post.

1. If you are a non-vegetarian, definitely try the Kerala style prawns and fish. Do not forget to try the Mutton/Chicken pepper fry. The Thalassery Biryani has a unique flavour of its own very different from any other Biryani in India. It is a must try dish.
2. Kerala is a seafood paradise but sea food is not cheap by any means. We found out that it costs nearly the same in our hometown and Kerala.
3. If you are a vegetarian, you may try the Sadhya meal. It has up to 26 different items to taste and all served on a banana leaf. Then you have appam, idiyappam and puttu to try for the first time. The local rice used in Kerala is quite tasty on its own.
4. Some of our suggestions for food in Kerala are Saravana Bhawan in Kochi, Sandra or Ambadi restaurant in Thekkady, Oottupura family restaurant near Poovar, Vimmily restaurant in Varkala, and Santana restaurant in Kovalam.
5. Try tender coconut or tender toddy fruit. It helps keep you cool in the heat as well as is very healthy.

Tips:

• Try to book all accommodations with breakfast to save time.
• Beef is a regular food item in Kerala. In fact, Kerala beef curry is one of the most popular food item. The spicy beef roast makes for a popular side dish for drinks.
• Carry your own water bottle always. The weather in Kerala is always near 30°C. If you do not carry a refillable bottle, you will end up paying way more on water bottles and harming the climate additionally.
• The Jeep Safaris are not worth the money. They may lure you into one ride showing the images of lush waterfalls, but remember, in summers the waterfalls dry to a trickle.
• The trek ride through the tea gardens and off roading is also not very fun as the entire time you are in Munnar, you will be surrounded by tea gardens as far as your eyes might see.
• Elephant Junction in Thekkady is also passable as there are a few bred elephants that too not in their natural habitat. They offer you a paid ride on elephants on a short, modified path. It is not very exciting.
• Try to avoid those activities in Kerala that are meaningless. Some activities have been added only due to increased popularity. If you can do the same elsewhere avoid it. It does not do justice to the essence of Kerala.
• Kerala is a spice hub. In our suggestions, buy spices in Kerala from local wholesale stores in Thekkady. There are many in the Kumily area near the Periyar Lake. We are recommending a shop named, Spice Kerala which we found in Thekkady, It had much better spices fresh from the farms and at a much exclusive rate. The owner can ship your orders to wherever you want. We bought our spices from him.
• Same applies for ayurvedic medicines. Avoid buying them from farms. Instead, buy from local stores that are plenty in Thekkady.

In our suggestions, Kerala is a place to be enjoyed and felt because it is so close to nature. Have a relaxed and laid back holiday while in Kerala instead of trying to visit every place possible. We personally skipped many touristy places of Munnar only to enjoy the pleasant surroundings and views from our hotels room. Careless tourist activities do not make you enjoy Kerala. You can do those things elsewhere. While in Kerala, try to do what you can exclusively do there.