Sleeping on a Private Island
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“You know what I just realized? We are on a private island of our own!”
Sherry cocks her head ever so slightly to consider this. She lets out a laugh! “You are right!”
It is our second day at Soma Kerala Palace, an Ayurvedic Resort that is situated on a tiny private island, on a lake 55km south of Kochi. It is the beginning of the off-season. A Polish lady and the two of us are the only occupants on this 25-room property.
The small island is only accessible by boat. The entire shorelines of the lake are visible, and the distance between you and the closest shoreline is a couple-minute swim away, private, but not removed. We decided to spend a week here to get some writing done before we set off on The Rickshaw Run across the length of India. We were looking for quiet, except being here by ourselves was a bit of a surprise. On our first morning, we silently tracked the Polish lady’s every move. Is that a camera she’s got? I wonder what she is photographing. Is she here by herself? What is she doing? Look, she changed her clothes, where is she going?
Yes. We will happily re-enact “Grumpy Old Men” for you.
As soon as we got over the strangeness of having the entire island resort to ourselves, we perked up!
There is a fantastic (albeit somewhat comically tortuous) yoga class taught by a lovely yoga master, George, every morning. There is an Ayurvedic doctor on site for consultation and the spa offers a wonderful range of treatments. We both tried the Sarvanga Uzhichil (full body massage with herbal oil). Sherry had the Vadanakanthi (herbal facial with a cornucopia of fruit and vegetable pulp), and I tried to open my third eye with Sirodhara (a continuous dripping of warm herbal oil on your third eye for 45 minutes).
The kitchen is miraculous. Don’t be snobbish. At first glance, the menu seems like it’s identical to every other restaurant menu except, oh my god, the food is so good! Everything is fresh and clean, with flavors impeccably balanced and sumptuous. Coconut Rice and Dhal Fry, Kerala-style thali served on a banana leaf, Lemon Rice with Fish Masala and Alu Gobi, and Chicken Chettinad were a few of the dishes we devoured. These might seem like typical Indian food, but oh, you would be wrong to assume so. Not only is Kerala Cuisine in a class of its own, but the chef here at Soma Kerala Palace also makes each dish with such care and precision that I wish I had a tapeworm so I could keep on eating.
The architecture on the resort is magnificent. We are staying in the “Nalekkatt” house. Sree Suryanatayana Pillai owned it around 1800. He was among the Nelekkatt Pillais who were brought to Travancore by the Maharaja from Tamil Nadu’s Vijayanarayanapuram to help him assist in the administration of the state. This Nalekkatt mansion was re-located to Kerala Palace in 2003 and re-fitted as a hotel room.
The white mosquito net contrasts against the four-poster bed with broad dark wood flooring, which is exquisite. Our room has a private outdoor sitting area. It is our temporary office. We write and take an occasional break to watch the pigeons flirt and engage in feather-flying pigeon sex for inspiration.
The perfect temperature pool, hammocks, and the lovely, eager staff are here for us and us alone. Just when you scoffed at the idea of being somewhere off-season, you get to have a private island all to yourself!
Guest post by Charlie Grosso, Photographer and writer at Spy Travelogue – and my partner in crime in India this March/April!
Disclosure: Charlie and I were guests of Soma Kerala Palace; however, all of our opinions expressed here are our own.
Sounds delightful! Just having your own yoga classes sounds great, even without the rest of the island! Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures in India 🙂
Oh how I miss that yoga class!
This sounds like such a lovely, private and restorative place 🙂 I’d especially love to plant myself by the pool!
It was a little slice of heaven Karisa…hard to leave and go back to the ‘real’ India!
Sounds like such a lovely experience! Very relaxing and romantic. It must be nice to have your own private dinners with such delicious food too.
Seems like a good place if you want peace of mind. Thanks for sharing it!
This island looks amazing! I have been to Goa twice and I have to say that I love India. I might even go to your Hotel. But my biggest concern is that my stomach can´t quite cope with the indian cuisine. Do they offer non indian dishes aswell?
Greetings
Joker
This looks unbelievable! And your pics are stunning… Thanks for sharing 🙂
Let me know if you make it out to Korea anytime soon!
Your experiences in Soma Kerala Palace, an Ayurvedic Resort, definitely must have been an absolute retreats. The yoga class, poolside relaxation, and specially the food on the banana leaf must be extraordinary.
It absolutely was! I really miss the daily yoga…I want to go back!
Just stumbled across this as I’m heading out to Kerala in February and was looking for a retreat. This one looks right up my street, pigeon sex and all!! 🙂
Yay! Let me know if you actually make it there Hayley! I really had a super time there – so relaxing. And I miss George our yogi teacher every day still. he had the best smile ever…
Oh wow this looks amazing. The view, the food, the sea, everything. Thanks for sharing all of this with us !
The way you shared your experience, it makes me to think to have another trip to India. The Yoga and Food is my weakness, I can’t stop myself to think how much you have fun over there…
the way you express your experience is very amazing i love it. Kerala is also known as god own land.
The manner in which you shared your experience, it makes me to think to will excursion to Kerala. I want to come Kerla….