India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [245]
Travancore Heritage This is considered to be at the top end of the Kovalam lodging spectrum, with 51⁄4 hectares (13 acres) of seafront real estate with a mix of hotel-style wings and a sprinkling of Kerala-style cottages set in a vast garden of tamarind and jackfruit trees and coconut palms. The best rooms are the heritage “premiums” (which have sea views); these are for the most part furnished with high, wood-frame beds, old wicker-backed planter’s chairs, and blinds made from gilded white lungi material. If you want to be near the beach, you’ll need to book a room in the bland Beach Grove wing, reached—mercifully—by elevator, and with its own pool. Avoid the Premium “Mansion,” which is a similarly bland wing, with no freestanding units; it’s more expensive than the heritage homes and hard to tell why. The Ayurvedic center here may not have the years of history associated with Somatheeram, but facilities look a heck of a lot better, with 45 therapists and none of that depressing rural hospital ambience.
Chowara P.O., Trivandrum 695 501. 0471/226-7828 through -7831. Fax 0471/226-7201. www.thetravancoreheritage.com. frontooffice@thetravancoreheritage.com. 90 units. Oct–Mar Rs 5,700–Rs 6,800 Beach Grove double, Rs 7,000–Rs 8,300 Heritage Home double, Rs 7,800–Rs 9,000 Premium Mansion double, Rs 7,800–Rs 9,800 Heritage Premium double, Rs 9,300–Rs 11,800 premium suite double; Rs 14,800–Rs 18,100 pool mansion double, Rs 1,100–Rs 1,500 extra person; Apr–Sept Rs 3,100 Beach Grove double, Rs 3,700 Heritage Home double, Rs 4,400 Premium Mansion double, Rs 5,400 Heritage Premium double, Rs 6,200 premium suite double; Rs 10,000 pool mansion double, Rs 900–Rs 1,500 extra person. Rates include breakfast; 15% tax extra AE, MC, V. Amenities: 3 restaurants w/bar service; airport transfers (Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200); Ayurvedic center; cultural performances; health club; Jacuzzi; library; 2 pools; room service. In room: A/C and fans, TV, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).
Poovar Island
Kerala’s southernmost resort destination (40 min. from Trivandrum), at the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu on a remote stretch of river lagoon, provides a taste of the backwaters, with palm-fringed rivers, together with the ocean views of a beach resort. The sea here is rough, so it’s not a great place for ocean swimming, and with the proliferation of resorts in a relatively small area in the past 7 years, its tranquillity has been compromised. Before the building frenzy began, Poovar Island Resort was the pace to be, but don’t be fooled by the glossy brochures and designs, which fail to mention the ongoing sewage problems of their romantic “floating cottages.” Best of the five biggish resorts here is Isola Di Cocco ( 0471/221-0008;www.isoladicocco.com; standard doubles from Rs 5,500 in high season, breakfast included), mostly due to the fact that it takes its Ayurvedic treatments and packages very seriously at very good value. Not only that, but there’s some semblance of a style that’s fitting with the whole lagoon-cum-beach vibe of the area. Accommodation is perfectly comfortable if a little unimaginative, with no personal touches or design forethought (or, more tellingly, sea views), but everything is spotless and spacious, and there’ve been some extensive refurbishments as recently as 2009. If you choose to stay here, opt for one of the 10 lake-view rooms (16, 17, and 53–60), which fall in the Heritage Category (Rs 4,000–Rs 7,000 double with breakfast, depending on season). Service is friendly, and the Indian food is good.
Right next door to Isola, with more of a concrete hotel resort atmosphere