Shalimar Spice Garden, Thekkady South India

Shalimar Spice Garden, Thekkady
Price Guide: £
Location
Shalimar Spice Garden, one of the best boutique hotels in Kerala, is set on a seven-acre spice plantation in Thekkady bordering the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Surrounded by aromatic spices, this exquisite hotel is a tasteful blend of traditional Keralan design and modern living within an eco-friendly setting. Shalimar is approximately 100 kms from the Munnar hills to the north, 200 kms from Cochin International Airport to the west, and 140 kms from Madurai Airport to the north-east in Tamil Nadu.
Introduction
Tucked away in the low-lying hills of the south-western Ghats, Shalimar Spice Garden offers a rustic, yet stylish and distinctly spiritual environment in which to relax and unwind. The fragrant scent of aromatic spices fills the air along with the scent of burning oil lamps and incense. A wooden bridge built over a meandering stream and lush vegetation, leads you to the main reception, lounge and dining areas, all decorated with vibrant coloured cushions, sari curtains and artifacts. In keeping with the mood of the place, there are no technological comforts such as televisions or DVD players. Instead, you are invited to participate in more natural activities like visiting the Ayurveda centre for a range of therapeutic massages and treatments or the swimming pool and sundeck for your daily dip and dose of vitamin E. Shalimar Spice Garden is ideal for a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday or even a romantic escape.
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Accommodation
Accommodation is in the form of individual cottages with roofs thatched with elephant grass. There are 10 rooms and 5 cottages, the latter being larger with a separate living area. All are furnished with local fabrics and fresh flowers and have an en-suite bathroom with h/w showers and private verandah. Relax in your own private verandah and listen to the sound of birdcall. Thick vegetation surrounds each cottage providing for ample privacy. A separate cottage down the hill by the stream is ideally suited for a romantic honeymoon.
Facilities
With cosy corners for conversation and log-fires on chilly evenings, the atmosphere in the lounge is particularly intimate. The restaurant, `Mangiatutto' (which translates from Italian as 'eat everything'), serves up delicious Italian, continental and traditional Keralan feasts cooked with freshly picked vegetable, spices and fruits from the garden. Guests can choose to sit indoors or outdoors overlooking the spice gardens. The swimming pool is set amidst trees at the back of the property with a mountain backdrop. The Ayurveda centre is headed by an experienced Ayurvedic physician and offers relaxing massages as well as curative treatments of one to two weeks. Yoga sessions are held dail. Traditional music and dance performances including Bharatha natyam is held on some evenings.
Excursions
Explore the gardens of Shalimar and learn of aromatic spices. Cookery demonstrations using these fresh herbs and spices are held upon request. For the active, trekking trips and camping at Meanear and Valley view is organised. Visit the famous Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the largest in India. The park was first declared a forest reserve by the Maharaja of Travencore. Tigers are a rarity, but elephants, bison, sambar, barking deer, wild boar, and numerous species of birds and butterflies can be seen here. The Forest Department has successfully co-opted the support of the indigenous Mannan community who now conserve this wildlife sanctuary in exchange for much-needed income. Visit a tribal village in Kumili and Thekkady and learn of the rituals and lifestyles of the indigenous Mannan community.
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