Kerala, The Maldives & Mumbai
Our first port of call the beautiful beach resort of Kovalam, here we stayed at The Leela Kovalam Hotel for 3 nights, built on a cliff top overlooking lush greenery this resort has 183 rooms & suites and enjoys a panoramic view of the Kovalam coastline. An array of speciality restaurants & lounges, it is also renowned for its traditional spa treatments. It has 2 stunning infinity pools overlooking the Arabian Sea. The resort centre is a short walk down quite a steep hill (due to its cliff top location) with lots of shops & restaurants to experience. We enjoyed our stay here very much.
Onwards to the back waters, we joined our rice boat experience for a cruise down the back waters and overnight stay on board. This was an amazing experience, to see all the local village life along the river, the wildlife and scenery was just tremendous. We had our own lovely crew on board who supplied us with a lovely lunch, dinner & breakfast and were very helpful to our needs.
After disembarking our river cruise we were then transferred Kumarakom which is a resort on the picturesque backwaters. We stayed at the Kumarakom Lake Resort situated on Lake Vembanad. Renowned for its amazing Spa Treatments for every kind of ailment you could imagine. Such a relaxing beautiful place to stay.
Next stop Cochin for a tour of the city and overnight stay at the fabulous Brunton Boatyard Hotel, resurrected from the remains of a Victorian shipbuilding yard. Beautifully recreated period building in colonial style. We had one of the best seafood meals of our stay in the elegant dining room with fabulous service.
A short onward flight from Cochin to the main island of Male in the Maldives, from here we took an amazing seaplane trip to our paradise island of Kanafushi for 6 wonderful nights Ultra All Inclusive at Atmosphere Kanafushi. We were greeted on arrival and checked in straight away after being given a lovely glass of chilled champagne and cold towels to refresh with. Taken by golf caddy to our private villas, all I can say is WOW!!!! Has to be up there at the top of most luxurious places to stay. Outdoor bathroom with bathtub, shower, his & hers wash basins. The villa itself had privately stocked bar (you choose what you would like it stocked with) super king bed, amazing views with just a few steps across the beach to the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. The restaurants and choice were fabulous, I can highly recommend this place!
Sadly departing our little island paradise we ventured onwards to Mumbai for the last 3 nights of our amazing holiday. Here we stayed at the famous Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai's first harbour landmark and site of the first licensed bar in the city. The hotel overlooks the Gateway of India monument. Our room was in the main building and looked over the beautiful pool area. We arranged a private tour of the city which was a great insight to such a different culture, a fabulous experience and one we will never forget.
There is so much more I could add to this holiday experience, this is just the tip of the iceberg but I hope you get a little insight and I would be very happy to advise and guide you should you wish to have a similar experience. Don't hesitate to get in touch!!