A beautiful Kerala homestay not to be missed - Roger Franzens. Date of travel: Apr 2007
Kerala Village homestay is the homestay to look out for if you are visiting Kerala. It is situated in a typical Kerala village atmosphere. Yet is it not far from the city. The Kerala Village homestay is very near to the Cochin International Airport, just 20 minutes drive by road. The homestay has vast stretches of paddy fields and coconut plantations near to it. I enjoyed walking around the coconut plantations and used to sit down besides the coconut trees to spent time writing. The place is calm and peaceful and it is a good place for relaxation. This homestay is very much suited for travellers of all types--tourists, business travellers, students and writers. The homestay offers special packages for each of the travellers. The host is a very knowledgeable young lady who has done her higher studies from abroad and she has a great interest in knowing and learning about other cultures and she exchanges valuable information about her own Kerala culture and traditions. It was a really valuable experience for me, being a writer myself. She and her family made me feel that I am staying at my own home. I was offered delicious, yet less spicy food unlike the normal Kerala food which is spicy. I enjoyed having the popular steam cake of Kerala known as 'Puttu', the name which I learned from the family. I was also offered different types of unique Kerala breakfast, which I enjoyed thoroughly. The lunch and dinner had Kerala rice served with the typical Kerala chicken curry, beef curry, different types of vegetable curries known as ‘Aviyal’ cabbage curry with coconut grated within it, and so on and on. I still have the taste of their food lingering in my mouth. Besides, the homestay arranges facilities for ayurveda treatments and massages and so I did not have to go around looking for a good ayurvedic place for getting a massage being done. Also the Yoga classes arranged by the Kerala village homestay enabled me to de-stress myself and keep myself fit. I also got to know about ‘Reiki’ in some detail. The host arranged for me to view some typical Kerala dance forms such as Kathakali. I also visited some art museums nearby to get a feel of the Kerala arts. When I stayed at the Kerala Village homestay I used to visit the nearby Cherai beach and this is indeed a delight to spend time on this unique beach. The host and her family arranged for my visits to the nearby tourist attractions such as Fort Cochin/ Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and so on. I stayed at this special Kerala homestay for over a month and I really enjoyed my stay. If you do not get to stay at this homestay, in case the rooms are filled during the busy season, the homestay arranges stay at another nearby place for you, so that you can enjoy all the other facilities of Ayurveda, Yoga and so on being arranged by the Kerala Village Homestay at their homestay. I highly recommend this Kerala homestay to all travellers as it would be a really valuable experience for you to live with a Kerala family who is warm and friendly.