Serenity

Set on a former plantation estate in the famed backwaters of Kerala, Serenity is ideally placed for both experiencing unique Keralan towns like nearby Cochin and exploring the rich ecosystem of the Periyar National Park. The immediate surroundings are beautiful too, dotted with pepper plants and rubber and papaya trees.

Accommodation at Serenity is spread over 5 rooms – 3 doubles and 2 twins – which are decorated in a traditional style which reflects the hotel’s colonial past. Unique artworks depicting mythical scenes adorn the walls, and rooms feature one-off pieces of furniture like beautiful dark wood four-poster beds. If you book the whole house, an additional twin room becomes available, taking the total sleeping number up to 12.

Cuisine at Serenity blends traditional Keralan and Mediterranean cuisine, with the themed menu changing daily; you will have a say in what’s on offer through consultation with the chef, when you can flag up any dietary requirements or preferences you may have. The restaurant makes the most of the fresh seafood for which Kerala is famous, and many of the vegetables used are also fresh and grown on site. Breakfast, like dinner, combines Continental and southern Indian options.

Serenity is home to a luxurious spa which draws on the ancient traditions of Ayurveda to offer a range of healing treatments including stress preventing steam treatments, facial beauty massages and fresh herb massages. The resort is great for families, and children over 2 are welcome, and bedrooms can accommodate an extra bed or baby cot. Childcare can be arranged on consultation with the front desk.

An absolute must-do experience during your stay is a trip on Kerala’s famously serene backwaters, and there are few better ways to do it than on Discovery, the hotel’s own houseboat. Bikes are available for guests to use to explore surrounding rubber, cocoa, coffee, cardamom and other plantations which dot this fertile area. There are also numerous villages nearby where you can meet local people, or get a taste for Kerala’s rich traditional culture with a visit to the Aranmula cultural centre, where you can watch performances of classical music and Kathakali dance. Other cultural sites in the area include the beautiful Shiva temple Ettumanur and the Christian churches in Kottayam. Back at the hotel, kids will love the resort’s resident elephant, Laxmi, who happily scoffs bananas fed to him by hotel guests and loves to play during his bath time at the end of the day.