Coconut Lagoon

Fittingly, Coconut Lagoon can be reached only over the water. (See map).The great Vembanad lake, an inland sea that stretches clear across central Kerala, forms a breeze-laden watery highway. Your coach transfer happens via a generously clunky wooden boat with a little inboard motor (so as not to disturb the fishes). And the lobby, when you arrive, turns out to be a reconstructed 19th century mansion with a stone jetty attached. Your boat putters sedately through a narrow canal, its banks covered with flowers. Tiled-roof bungalows peer through the foliage. And with a reviving coconut cocktail in one hand, you step off the boat and up to the reception desk, all ready to check in.

Conde´ Nast Traveller once described Coconut Lagoon as one of the 25 best destinations in the world. Our guests tell us that the journey inward is an experience to match.

Fuedal Kerala was a jigsaw of tiny states, principalities and landholdings, creating a unique culture, architecture and way of living.

It is this heritage that echoes in Coconut Lagoons dark timbers.

Until a few years ago, the old 'therawads' or family homes of the area were running to seed, the landed families scattered, the craftmen unable to make a living.

We wanted not only to perpetuate this slowly vanishing world, but to bring it alive for the contemporary traveller. Village craftspeople were invited to restore the work of their forefathers, to transport an ancient way of life to the shores of the Vembanad, and create an experience of ecological living that was shot through with the spirit of ancient Malabar.

We've tried our best to ensure that this spirit reflects in every structure. From the carved woods of the ceilings, to the brasswork on the doors, it's all faithful to a forgotten graciousness. Those with an eye for detail will find much to delight in. Sunlight filtering through the intricate fretwork of a roof shade. A gleaming of brass, a slash of cast iron, a preternaturally gleaming, polished wooden pillar...