Kumarakom Lake Resort

Kumarakom Lake Resort is an award-winning luxury resort that enjoys a stunning location on the edge of Lake Vembanad and effortlessly combines traditional Keralan architecture with modern creature comforts. The hotel played host to (then) HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall during their visit to India in 2013, and it was this resort that the Prince of Wales chose to celebrate his 65th birthday. The 59 rooms and villas are spread amongst 25 acres of lush, peaceful gardens filled with swaying palms and flowering plants created using materials salvaged from abandoned traditional ancestral homes that date back to as far as the 16th century.

The spacious rooms and villas, with their traditional carved woodwork, exotic murals and wicker chairs, blend period-style furniture with modern conveniences. While some rooms and villas overlook Lake Vembanad, others overlook the meandering pool or gardens. The Presidential suite and the Heritage villas have the added luxury of a private swimming pool.

Dining options at Kumarakom Lake Resort include a multi-cuisine restaurant, constructed using wooden columns that once adorned an 18th-century mansion built by the Travancore Maharaja for his martial arts tutor, a speciality seafood restaurant and a bar overlooking the lake. There is also the quintessentially Keralan ‘Thattukada’ in all its rustic splendour, serving tea in traditional style with deep-fried ‘samosas’ and masala vada (south-Indian spicy lentil-fritters). Leisure facilities at Kumarakom Lake Resort include an outdoor pool, gym and a spa offering a range of traditional Ayurvedic massages and therapies.