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| The Taj Experience– 13 nights |
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 About
this holiday:
This is a two-week holiday that provides you with an opportunity
to enjoy the main highlights of Kerala – the serene backwaters,
tea-growing hills, spice plantations, national parks with elephant
herds and tigers, and palm-tree lined golden beaches –
at a leisurely pace. We have selected the Taj Group of hotels,
India’s most famous hotel management company, renowned
for their consistent quality. The Taj has an excellent portfolio
of properties in Kerala and using a single hotel group ensures
excellent value-for-money. This is a special trip and we recommend
traveling between November and April. But don’t be afraid
to travel outside of the peak season too, especially from mid-July
to September, when the prices in Kerala are very competitive
and the weather is generally good.
Holiday highlights
• Wander around historic Fort Kochi
• Visit St. Francis Church, Mattancherry Palace &
medieval synagogue
• Watch a traditional Kathakali dance performance
• Explore Kerala’s serene backwaters and village
life
• Munnar’s tea-growing hills and Thekkady’s
spice plantations
• One-night stay on exclusive Kettuvallam style houseboat
• Watch elephant herds bathing in Periyar National Park
• Relax on Kerala’s golden beaches
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Depart: Leave London
and arrive at Trivandrum International Airport
Day 1 to 5:
You will be met by a Red Dot representative and transferred
to The Taj Green Cove hotel in Kovalam. Kovalam, a once-charming
fishing village that is now Kerala’s most popular beach
resort, lies just 16km south from Trivandrum, within easy reach
of an international airport. With Goa and Tamil Nadu’s
Mamallapuram, it has become an essential stop on a tour of South
India’s finest beaches. Spend five nights at Taj Green
Cove.
Accommodation profile: This is
one of the plush new-generation Taj properties that offer guests
chic modern Indian-influenced interior design, wonderful food
and slick service. Green Cove also has a fantastic spa, called
Jiva Spa, offering a full range of aromatherapy massages, body
scrubs and treatments. If you are able to drag yourself away
from your room, the poolside or the spa, you can visit the beach.
The hotel itself is not on the beach, although it has sea views
and the distance is not far. There is a serviced area on the
beach reserved for Taj guests.
Day 6, 7 & 8:
After breakfast you will depart for the main backwater
region of Kerala . Kumarakom is an island on the large Lake
Vembanad that is blessed with an idyllic waterfront location.
The area h as attracted several exotic hotels offering backwater
and Ayurveda holidays. There is also a wonderful bird sanctuary.
Check in at the Taj Garden Retreat and spend three nights.
Accommodation profile: Formerly called
'Baker's Bungalow', after English Missionary Henry Baker acquired
the land and built his home here 124 years ago, Taj Garden Retreat
may also be familiar to literary-types as 'The History House',
from Arundhati Roy's novel, The God of Small Things. Forming
the centrepiece of the property, this carefully maintained colonial
mansion is set back from the Lake edge, overloo king a marvelous
man-made lagoon which is lined with a charming collection of
villas, cottages, heritage rooms and houseboats. The property
is renowned not only for its history, beauty and tranquility,
but also for the consistently high service standards.
Day 9:
Relax during the morning at Taj Garden Retreat and wait for
the arrival of your traditional Kettuvallum houseboat (reconverted
rice barges) around noon for one of the highlights of your holiday
– a journey through Kuttanad country, a land of shimmering
waterways, dense tropical greenery and age-old village livelihoods
so vividly described in Arundhati Roy’s remarkable novel
The God of Small Things. Your houseboat, fully staffed with
a friendly and attentive crew, will chug slowly through canals
and creeks allowing you to relax and unwind. Hours slip by easily
as you gaze ashore, soaking up a myriad of views as you pass
homes, farms, paddyfields, playful children, fisher folk in
traditional dugouts and bathing buffaloes. See fish eagles circling
for prey and wise cormorants perched on the riverbank. At 6pm
the houseboat will moor up and the staff will cook a sumptuous
traditional feast. Sleep contentedly in your cabin. Spend one
night on the houseboat. |
Day 10 & 11:
Leave the backwaters and travel east across dramatic ridges
and through thick forests to the spice-growing foothills of
the Western Ghats, an area dubbed Cardamom Hills after its most
important crop. Your destination is the picturesque Periyar
National Park, the leading wildlife park in South India, which
was designated as part of Project Tiger in 1972. The lakeside
sanctuary, best explored by boat or on foot with a trekking
guide, is home to a relatively small population of game but,
encouragingly, thanks to enlightened anti-poaching policies
of the Kerala Forest Department, the game numbers are increasing
fast. The forest department have successfully co-opted the support
of the indigenous Mannan community who now conserve the reserve
in exchange for money from eco-tourism. You are likely to see
elephant grazing by the lakeside and bison, sambar, wild boar
and barking deer are also commonly spotted. But the tigers are
shy and are usually heard not seen, especially during the nights
as they prowl the jungle for their prey. Spend two nights here,
relaxing at the Taj Garden Retreat. We can also organise a spice
plantation tour, elephant rides and even a bullock cart ride.
Accommodation profile: Close
to civilization and yet totally removed from it, these charming
thatched roof villas fit right in with their surroundings—the
famous Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Rich in comfort and natural
materials, this retreat offers a welcome respite of relaxation
and seclusion. Guests can look forward to relaxing comfort and
rustic décor. Spacious and comfortable with fine wood
décor and beautiful natural fabrics. Well equipped with
guest amenities like private balconies, international direct
dial facility, mini-bar, and colour television with satellite
programs, Tea /Coffee kettle. Possible excursions include a
spice plantation and a boat Safari on Periyar Lake.
Day 12 & 13: after breakfast you will travel
to Cochin, an ancient trading port since at least Roman times
that provided a safe port of call for sailors on the main trade
route from Europe to China. The journey from Thekkady will take
approximately three hours before you check-in to Taj Malabar.
After resting at the hotel, dipping into the large swimming
pool, we suggest you wander around the fort in the late afternoon.
Walk along the fort promontory and see the unique Chinese Fishing
Nets and generally soak up the atmosphere of the town. During
the evening you may wish to watch a Kathakali dance performance
– a noisy, colourful and spellbinding 400-year dance-drama.
The following day, hopefully after a refreshing night’s
sleep, we will show you around the fort, the highlights of which
include Mattancherry Palace, a gift to the Raja of Kochi back
in 1557, St. Francis Church, first built in 1510 and the resting
place of Vasco de Gama, and a magnificent synagogue dating back
to 1568.
Accommodation profile: Situated on
Willingdon Island with a magnificent view of Cochin harbor,
the Taj Malabar combines old-world elegance with modern day
convenience. In its heritage wing, built in 1935, graceful Victorian
interiors aptly reflect the inherent beauty of Cochin. Taj Malabar
is a fine hotel. While its modern amenities and excellent service
ensure that your stay is comfortable, the hotel's intricately
carved ceilings and brass oil lamps allow it to retain an enchanting
old-world feel. There is good food and lots of it: the property
boasts four restaurants, serving a variety of local and international
dishes. To top it all off, there is the indulgent Taamra Spa,
making Taj Malabar the ultimate place to soak up the magic of
Kochi
Day 14: Leave in good time for your flight
home. The drive to Cochin International Airport will take Just
under one hour.
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| Cost: TBC |
Package price includes:
• Return flights with SriLankan
Airlines
• 12 night’s BB hotel accommodation
on twin-sharing basis
• 1 night full-board accommodation on non-a/c
houseboat in Kerala
• Airconditioned car and English-speaking
driver for transfers and tour
• Entrance fees: St. Francis Church, Mattancherry
Palace, Synagogue, Kathakali
dance performance, spice plantation tour, one common
boat ride in
Periyar National Park
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