This is another post in continuation to the Offbeat Kerala travel to Kollam and Varkala.
During our trip to Kollam, we stayed at the Aquasarrenne resort which is located as an island (or is surrounded by 3 sides) by the Paravur lake. The property is amazingly built with individual cottages in such as way that each cottage has its own view of the lake. These are spread out widely so as the noise in one cottage doesnt disturb the other.
The good seasons to visit Kearla would be winters or spring, but we went there during monsoons (June) which is the off-season, so we were the only living souls in the entire resort. For me, that was a bonus, since I love secluded places. The lake is just 2 steps from the cottage and it offers complete privacy, I felt as if I am in a over-water villa in a foreign land.
They have a specific taxi that they offer for sightseeing, but he overcharges ~2000 per day or something. We asked the hotel manager to give us the driver's number and directly negotiated with him to make it to ~Rs 1600.
Ambiance - Amazing !! The cottages are fully ecofriendly, with wooden rustic furniture and feel. The bathrooms have a tree inside, and I was surprized to see that there was no roof in the bathroom. So you are basically bathing under the natural sunlight. There is also a huge glass window, if you open the curtains, the long stretches of water and birds can be seen. Also there is a small balcony with wooden chairs where we used to sit endlessly sipping coffee and enjoying the lake.
Food - Well, the menu has lots of options, but food can be much better. The cook everything in coconut oil which actually tastes awesome, the service is also very good. The waiters are polite and take care of individual requests (such we used to ask for lots of customization for our child food). However, the taste is lacking and could be better. This place is so far from the city, that you will have to reluctantly eat at the restaurant here unless you have your own car.
This is a perfect place if you want to unwind and be away from the hustle of city life. I personally enjoyed a lot, this is one of my best trips to Kerala.
Paravur lake is a beautiful lake in the Paravur district of Kerala, which stretches for 6 kms and joins the sea via a small estuary.
Location - Personally, I loved this place due to its secluded nature. It is far from the city, around 40 mins ride by taxi. However, they have pick up and drop service, so when we landed at Kollam station, we had called the hotel in advance to send a car. The driver was waiting for us outside to take us to the resort. It is surrounded by water from all sides (like a island) with a small road connecting it to the city - Hence, if you need to go out of this hotel for food or sightseeing, that might be a challenge.
The lake is just at 2 steps from the cottage and the boundary wall to the lake is upto my ankle (very low), which is dangerous, so we need to be careful with children
Facilities - They offered us complimentary boat ride for half hour in the lake. This was a traditional long wooden boat and our boatman rowed it slowly taking us far away in the backwaters. We were so immersed in the ride that we did not want to come back.
There is also a cute swimming pool, which was closed due to some maintenance. There are small canals within the resort and we could spot multicolored fishes in those canals.
We did some fishing (you can take the fishing rod from reception and dough from the restaurant), and caught 2 fishes as well in the lake - this was the best part, as I have never caught a fish in my life earlier.
12 comments
Beautiful pics. Loved the post.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year 2017
I can sense it being one of your best to Kerala.
ReplyDeleteGood that you did the negotiation...something I missed on my last trip to India and paid heavily on hotel booking!
Lovely capture... wishing you a very happy new year! :)
ReplyDeleteNice place, I say.
ReplyDeleteLoved the post Sneh!!
ReplyDeleteThe first photo is simply breathtaking!
ReplyDeleteamazing shots
ReplyDeletelove the place
Secluded and beautiful, it indeed sounds like your best trip, Sneh!the pics you have taken are excellent specially the opening and the two parting clicks of this post .. the sky looked like a water-colour painting! And, the place sounds really nice even if somewhat lacking in satiating the taste buds!:)
ReplyDeletebeautiful :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice article .... Thanks for sharing this!! :) :)
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