Travel Explorer Magazine (AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 EDITION)

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The hotel’s location in the heart of Fort Kochi offered easy access to various points of interest from its native and colonial history including the Jewish quarter, St Francis Church and a small palace which was once home to the Cochin Royal Family. A tour of the coastal markets also provided an opportunity to see just how fresh the local seafood dishes are, with most of the fish caught in traditional Chinese nets mere feet away from where they are sold. Mountaintop marvels of Tamil Nadu Next up was a day-long road trip up-country and across the border to the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu to Ootacamund – or Ooty as it’s locally known – where my mother was schooled until 10 years old. Nestled deep within the Nilgiri Hills and almost 8,000ft above sea-level, the difference in Ooty’s climate was immediately noticeable. Even for a weather- hardened troop of Scots, it was chilly in the evening. Thankfully we were prepared for this and donned warm attire for our evening curry buffet at the Savoy Hotel. Walking around Ooty’s mountainside streets is a great workout for the legs. The cool temperature also helps, however don’t be tricked as the sun is fiercely strong at such an altitude. While perhaps slightly outdated for particularly modern tastes, the Savoy hotel offers an insight into 19th-century colonialism, with its six-acres of well-kept gardens providing more than a pinch of Old English charm. Our next leg was a journey to the Wyanaad – the linchpin of our time in India. Dropping 2,000ft back into Kerala via a gently meandering mountain road, the land became ever greener, lush and manicured. While the aforementioned tea plantations were the main event for the next few days, our base was an hour south in the jungle-haven Vythiri resort. Suspended rope bridges, dense forest and chattering treelife welcomed us. The warning from the resort’s management to keep our balconies locked was well-founded – the mischievous bonnet macaques which populate the region leave no stone unturned or, in our case, door un-rattled. Vythiri, our verdant forest hideaway, was a short trip to the patchwork quilt-like Wentworth Estate – the piece of my family’s heritage which had drawn us back, one generation on, to reflect on the wonders of Kerala. Spice gardens and houseboats Things took a more relaxed pace in the days that followed our pilgrimage to the Wentworth Estate. A one-night return to Fort Kochi proved to be the gateway to a series of serene experiences. The Shalimar spice garden resort in the Cardamom Hills offered a wildlife cruise on the Periyar reserve, an elephant ride through the forest and the chance to see first-hand where some of the world’s finest spices are grown. In fact, so taken were we by Vivanta’s offerings, we returned four years later to mark the end of our most recent Keralan holiday. Specifically, we booked a meal at Bait, the resort’s seafood restaurant which sits mere metres from where the waves of the Arabian Sea crash against Kovalam’s shoreline. We gathered round the table in the open air, to reminisce on the experiences we had shared as a family four years previously, and to begin reveling in the new memories we had formed on our current trip. Over delicious seafood, and crisp glasses of Chenin Blanc, we gazed out over the crimson sun which in seconds would dip below the watery horizon. This wasn’t the first glorious Keralan sunset we had experienced together, and it won’t be the last. As I said, a love of Kerala runs in my family. KERALA FACT FILE: - Time to go: Kerala’s high season for holidaymakers is September to May. The state’s tropical climate makes it a warm and humid destination for a lot of the year, though it rarely peaks above the mid-30s in the early summertime (April to June), or below the 20s in wintertime (December to February). July and August are often avoided by holidaymakers, given the monsoon’s heavy rainfall. - Be prepared: Visit your GP or holiday clinic at least six weeks prior to your trip to make sure you have the correct inoculations, and for advice on the need to take antimalarial pills depending on what regions you are visiting. - Credit cards are not accepted everywhere in Kerala, so make sure to have cash with you in your travel belt. - Alcohol: In Kerala, alcohol can only be bought in licensed government stores, and it can take local know-how to help find them and to understand the rules and regulations, such as the fact they are closed on the first Monday of every month. Buying bottles of spirits at the airport en-route to the country is to be recommended. - Don’t miss: Kerala is known to many as the land of Ayurveda – one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems. Don’t miss a chance to experience a relaxing and transformative treatment at an Ayurvedic spa (of which there is one practically on every street corner). From head, neck and shoulder massages, to facials and steam therapy sessions, you’ll understand why people flock from all over the world to experience Ayurveda, Keralan-style. Contact RB Collection to book your holiday to Kerala, India. A New Year’s Eve river cruise on the Keralan back waters was a magical experience played out in our very own houseboat, with three en-suite rooms, plus dedicated captain and cook. Not a bad way to bid farewell to the year. And it was luxury all the way in our final destination, the Vivanta hotel – a beautiful Balinese-inspired resort in the beach town of Kovalam, with its lotus-adorned ponds and rich mahogany architecture. 32 | TRAVEL EXPLORER | AUTUMN / WINTER 2016
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Travel Explorer Magazine (AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 EDITION)

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