LAKESN'WOODS — Hotel in Kerala

My friend and I spent the last night of a 9 day trip to Kerala earlier this month (Jan 2013). The warm family went out of their way to make us feel as comfortable as possible, and ensured that we had a complete immersion in their surroundings as well as some of the best meals we had in our entire trip.||||We were the only two guests staying there that night, and we learned that our hosts, Johnny and Seena, keep it that way. They only take guests periodically, and rarely have more than two rooms occupied when they do. This means that the place is very quiet and relaxing, and also allows the guests to get to know the family really well.||||They went out of their way to show us how to fish, show us all the different fruits and flowers growing on their property, and even how Toddy (the local drink) is extracted from coconut trees.||||The location is certainly off the beaten path, but very nicely located in the heart of the backwaters. Because of this it is very quiet and beautiful, though wonderfully maintained with en-suite bathrooms, hot water, air conditioning, a common room and lots of activities to keep you busy. And as others have said, Seena's home cooked meals were really among the best of our trip, if not the best.||||While internet access is not available through WiFi, they do have a PC that can be used.||||I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to disconnect and enjoy the nature of the backwaters with a very warm and...

This is probably one of the best places that we stayed on our trip to Kerala. ||||Many homestays that we stayed in were perfectly ok but they couldn't match the location and the welcome we received from Johny, Seena and their family. They just couldn't do enough to help us and made us feel completely at home. We had some fantastic family meals together where the whole family chatted with us and we learnt so much about the area and India in general - and Seena's cooking was some of the best we had had too!!||||The location was stunning. The house is set right in the heart of the backwaters (and so much better than the terrible overnight house boat we went on the day before - don't bother with this expensive and poor experience!). We walked through vast rice paddy fields and Johny took us personally on a canoe trip through the forest and back waters where we saw kingfishers and beautiful scenery. We saw a lot of the village life around where he lived and Johny has a a huge selection of spice plants in his gardens along with cockerels and a lovely dove cote! ||||All in all if you want some where magical and special to stay...

After a few days in Kolkata and a few more in Ft Cochin, we came to Edayadil Tharavadu to relax and unwind. We could not have been more pleased with this homestay. Johny and Seena took us into their beautiful home as if we were family, treated us to the best meals of our entire trip (and that is saying a lot), took us into town and showed us around, and gave us a backwater canoe tour of the village. We walked in the rice paddy fields and in their small plantation of rubber trees, coconut palms, and many other fruits and herbs. Seena is a dedicated chef, proud to show off her skill at preparing Keralan food - you won't go hungry here. She uses fresh ingredients, many from her own garden, and fresh coconut toddy is gathered twice a day too. Johny's family has owned this land for generations, and he is proud to share its history and his family's stories with visitors. All in all, we enjoyed a rich, relaxing experience; it was the perfect way to wrap up our trip to India, and we were sorry to have to leave. We highly recommend a stay if you want a unique experience in Alappuzha. - Robert...