Accommodation

Check-in Time:

10:30

Check-out Time:

09:30

During the holiday, you will stay for two nights on a houseboat cruising the Kerala backwaters and five nights at a village homestay in an air-conditioned double room with attached modern toilet and private sit-out.

Along the paddy fields and swaying coconut palms, one of the streams of river Meenachil makes her silent journey to the backwaters of Kumarakam. And there awaits one of the best-kept secrets of the backwater experience, Riverdale Villa.

A cozy home with three bedrooms, a lot of sun and shine to soak into, and above all one gets initiated into curative village experience of the backwaters. The surprises include canoe rides, best home-cooked Syrian Christian cuisine and the simplicity of an entire village.

The Riverdale is a family home of Binoy and Sheena and their only son, Thomachan, and their parents. Binoy moved from Idukki district of Kerala in the early '90s, the hilly western ghats to the backwaters after his pre-college as an assistant at Mozart Gallery, helping Mr. Somu Aymanam, one of the famous watercolor artists and home designers of Kerala.

As he slowly got used to the waterscapes of Kumarakam and its village life he also got in love with Sheena and then it has changed their life. Shena’s parents belong to Kottayam: Mr. Mathew and Anna are from Syrian Jacobite Christian traditions.

Mathew is a trained freshwater fishing expert and he knows the palpitations of the river, the ebbs and tides of the canals as he is an encyclopedia about freshwater fishing. Both Anna and Sheena have great hands-on local Syrian Christian cuisine! It will be a sin if one does not taste their delicacies and curries during the stay at Riverdale.

Program

During this vacation you will have:

5 yoga and meditation lessons (90 minutes morning yoga class with the instructor and two hours yoga practice in the evening)
3 Ayurveda wellness treatments (one-hour Ayurveda massage and one-hour steam bath)
3 cooking lessons (Kerala recipes) (one-hour cooking lessons and one-hour cooking practice)
Consultation with yoga and Ayurveda therapist (after yoga lessons)

Daily schedule

06:00 Pranayama meditation session
06:30 Asana (Hatha yoga practice)
09:00 Breakfast
10:00 Resting time
13:00 Lunch (Kerala traditional vegetarian meal)
15:00 Relaxation therapy or cooking lessons
17:00 Herbal tea and snacks
17.30 Guided local tour
20:00 Vegetarian dinner
21:00 Bedtime

Included excursions

Guided bicycle ride in the village
Guided local tours

Instructors

Kence Georgey

Kence Georgey is well educated in Commerce and Marketing field (B.Com, MBA). He has wide experience in tourism as a resort manager, tour coordinator, tour operator, backwater cruise operator, etc. He has more than 16 years' experience in the field of tourism and dealing with tourists from all over the world.

Location

Riverdale Villa is located at Karipputhatt, at Aymanam Village, in Kottayam district of Kerala. It is a small strip of land with paddy fields alongthe River Meenachil. The nearest village town is Aymanam and the Vembanadu lake is only 20 minutes away from here by car.

Aymanam village has captured the imagination of many well-versed authors. One can see and read the beautiful description of the village in Arundhati Roy’s Booker Prize-winning novel, “The God of Small Things”. Situated within 10 kilometers radius of Kumarakom, Aymanam is a tiny village that has Lake Vembanad to its left and River Meenachil flowing from its right.

The village abundantly blessed with nature’s bounty, almost two-thirds of the land is covered with paddy fields (rice). As in any Kuttanad village, the paddy fields lie below sea-level.

Riverdale Villa is set in the middle of the agriculture farms, fishing ponds, prawns and fresh water hatcheries; it is a house of openness and light, serenaded by birds, shaded by trees and lulled by gentle breeze from the backwaters.

The three sides of the house has moving water body connecting the Vemabanadu lake to the west in Kumarakom. A ride in the canoe through the river and canals to reach Kumarakom boat jetty is indeed very scenic and inspiring.

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Food

Daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening coffee, snacks, mineral water, coffee / tea are included in the price.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Water
Coffee
Tea

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegetarian

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

Birding at Thattekkad
Cycling in forest or village
Enjoy barbecues
Lowland forest trekking
Mayapott candlelit dinner
Motorboat cruise
Plantation visit
River kayaking
Spice gardens and shops visit
Visit forest and wildlife
Visit a local village
Visit nature preserves
White water rafting

What's included

5 yoga and meditation lessons (90 minutes morning yoga class with the instructor and 2 hours yoga practice in the evening)
3 Ayurveda wellness treatments (one hour of Ayurveda massage and one-hour steam bath)
3 cooking lessons (Kerala recipes) (one-hour cooking lessons and one-hour cooking practice)
Consultation with yoga and Ayurveda therapist (after yoga lessons)
Daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening coffee, snacks, mineral water, coffee / tea
7 nights accommodation (2 nights on a houseboat and 5 nights at a homestay)
Guided local tours
Guided bicycle ride in the village

What's not included

Airport transfers

How to get there

Recommended Airports

COK

Cochin International Airport

59 km

Transfer available for additional US$41 per person

TRZ

Tiruchirappalli International Airport

274 km

Transfer available for additional US$94 per person

Arrival by airplane

Please book your flight to arrive at Cochin International Airport (COK). Transfer from and to this airport is available upon request. The transfer from Cochin International Airport (COK) is 35 EUR per couple and from Tiruchirappalli International Airport (TRZ) is 80 EUR per couple.

Airport: Cochin International Airport Airport transfer available: Cochin International Airport (US$41 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

Airport: Tiruchirappalli International Airport Airport transfer available: Tiruchirappalli International Airport (US$94 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 15% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.

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