READING
IT’S TIME TO DO SOME
Looking for more than just a hotel stay in Kerala? From ancient royal mansions and floating houseboats to jungle retreats and artist-led hideaways, Kerala offers deeply immersive stays that go beyond the ordinary. These aren’t just places to sleep — they’re windows into local life, culture, cuisine, and nature. Whether you're craving barefoot luxury, tribal forest adventures, or serene backwater solitude, this handpicked list of 18 experiential stays will help you connect with Kerala in the most meaningful way.
24 EXPERIENTIAL STAYS IN KERALA THAT REDEFINE TRAVEL
1. Spice Routes Luxury Cruises – Alleppey
Experience: Glide through Kerala’s emerald backwaters on a handcrafted private houseboat.
Wake up to misty canals, watch paddy fields float past your window, and savour freshly prepared meals onboard by your personal chef. Each cruise includes village visits, sunset views from the sundeck, and the rhythm of rural life surrounding you.
2. Windermere Estate – Munnar
Experience: A plantation stay steeped in colonial charm and misty mountain air.
Nestled amidst cardamom and coffee plantations, Windermere offers stone cottages with panoramic valley views. Wake to birdcalls, sip estate-grown coffee, and trek along forest trails led by in-house naturalists. Every detail here whispers mountain calm.
3. The Mudhouse Marayoor – Marayoor (near Munnar)
Experience: Go off-grid in eco-friendly mud cottages framed by sandalwood forests.
This stay offers soulful simplicity — hand-built huts, solar power, wild honey tastings, and tribal meals cooked over firewood. It’s not just a stay, it’s a return to earth, guided by tribal hosts and community-based tourism.
4. Brunton Boatyard – Fort Kochi
Experience: Live the layered history of Fort Kochi with a front-row seat to the sea.
Once a Victorian-era shipyard, now transformed into a refined heritage hotel with antique interiors and sea-facing verandas. Explore Kochi’s spice markets, Jewish town, and colonial churches, then dine on Portuguese-Indian fusion cuisine as ships glide by.
5. Kalari Kovilakom – Palakkad
Experience: A spiritual Ayurvedic journey inside a restored royal palace.
Run by CGH Earth, Kalari Kovilakom offers authentic, doctor-prescribed Ayurvedic treatments within the walls of a former 19th-century palace. It’s not a resort — it’s a disciplined healing sanctuary. Guests undergo daily therapies, follow sattvic diets, attend yoga and meditation sessions, and live in mindful silence. With ornate wooden pillars, quiet courtyards, and chanting in the distance, the experience is deeply transformative — perfect for travelers seeking physical, emotional, and spiritual renewal.
6. The Postcard Mandalay Hall – Fort Kochi
Experience: Sleep inside a living art gallery in the heart of Kochi’s cultural quarter.
This 200-year-old Jewish merchant mansion blends restored heritage with cutting-edge Indian contemporary art. Guests enjoy curated in-room artwork, rooftop sundowners, and personal concierge experiences during the Kochi-Muziris Biennale season.
7. Soul & Surf – Varkala
Experience: Embrace a bohemian beach life with sunrise yoga and sunset surf.
With cliffside views, community-style meals, surf lessons, and Ayurvedic massages, Soul & Surf is a global tribe of mindful travelers. Chill in hammocks, share stories at fire circles, or meditate to the sound of the Arabian Sea.
8. Kumarakom Lake Resort – Kumarakom
Experience: Indulge in regal luxury on the edge of Vembanad Lake.
Experience floating villas, infinity pools, and meandering canals within this award-winning resort. Paddle a canoe at dawn, take Ayurvedic treatments, and dine at a lakeside deck while classical music plays softly under the stars.
9. Rainforest Resort – Athirappilly
Experience: Wake up to the thunder of Kerala’s largest waterfall just outside your window.
Overlooking the majestic Athirappilly Falls, this rainforest retreat offers luxury suites and cottages that quite literally frame the falls through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Mornings begin with birdsong and mist, while evenings glow with fireflies and the rumble of water. The infinity pool faces the jungle, and the on-site restaurant crafts local dishes using fresh produce. It’s as close as you can get to staying inside a living postcard.
10. Coconut Lagoon – Kumarakom
Experience: A journey into traditional Kerala life, accessible only by boat.
Stay in restored wooden mansions transported from old Kerala homes, with open-air bathrooms, butterfly gardens, and cultural performances. Learn coconut dehusking, watch a Kathakali show, or birdwatch in the nearby sanctuary.
11. Kayal Island Retreat – Panangad
Experience: Reconnect with silence on a private backwater island.
With only four cottages, this is the definition of solitude. Accessible by canoe, there’s no TV, no distractions — just still water, fishing nets, hammocks, and personalised care from the local family who runs it.
12. Jungle Park Resort – Wayanad
Experience: A treetop sanctuary deep in Wayanad’s forest canopy.
Jungle Park Resort blends adventure and tranquility with its signature treehouses, bamboo cottages, and elevated jungle huts. Guests can enjoy sunrise treks, tribal village visits, and wildlife spotting directly from their balcony. The property is nestled near key Wayanad attractions but feels miles away from modern chaos. Meals are traditionally prepared, served under trees, and often shared with fellow travelers. It’s wild, it’s warm, and it’s deeply rejuvenating.
13. 976 Panangad – Panangad
Experience: Modern Kerala minimalism on the lakeside, just outside Kochi.
Designed by award-winning architects, this hideaway is ideal for writers, photographers, and digital detoxers. Enjoy curated meals, dockside yoga, or simply read all day as the light shifts over the water.
14. Xandari Pearl – Marari Beach
Experience: Barefoot luxury by the sea, where privacy meets purposeful design.
Just 100 meters from the Arabian Sea, Xandari Pearl is a serene beach retreat spread over 18 acres of coconut groves and gardens. The villas come with walled courtyards and private plunge pools, offering total seclusion. Guests can stroll to the beach for yoga at sunrise, join hands-on sessions with local artisans, or dine on hyperlocal cuisine made from their organic farm. The vibe is quiet, sustainable, and healing — an ideal base for a coastal reset.
15. Baymaas Lakehouse – Panangad
Experience: A boutique stay that feels like home — but more poetic.
Framed by palm trees and lakeside breezes, Baymaas offers heritage-meets-contemporary interiors, warm hospitality, and candlelit dinners by the water. Guests are often treated like family.
16. Gavi Eco Lodge – Gavi
Experience: Wake up inside the Periyar Reserve with elephant calls and untouched nature.
Operated by the Kerala Forest Department, this is as close as you can get to the wild. Go on deep-forest treks, camp under the stars, or spot wildlife during jeep safaris. No Wi-Fi. Just the forest breathing.
🔗 ktdc.com
18. Monticle Clamps – Vagamon
Experience: Sleep inside futuristic geodesic domes in one of Kerala’s most peaceful hill stations.
Perched on a scenic ridge in Vagamon, Monticle Clamps offers a surreal blend of minimalist architecture and raw nature. Each dome features a transparent viewing panel that allows guests to stargaze from bed and wake up to drifting mountain mist. Daytime brings options for soft hikes, waterfall visits, or lounging in beanbags with panoramic valley views. At night, bonfires, candlelit dinners, and the symphony of crickets complete the experience. Ideal for couples, solo travelers, and creatives seeking inspiration in silence.
19. Lake Palace – Thekkady
Experience: Sleep like a king in a royal island lodge in the middle of Periyar Lake.
Once the summer palace of Travancore royals, this isolated lodge is accessible only by boat. Wake up with sambar deer grazing nearby and take sunrise boat rides past elephants on the shore.
20. Thottam Farmstead – Kuttikanam
Experience: Live the slow life on a working hill farm surrounded by cardamom, pepper, and orange groves.
Tucked away in the misty high ranges near Kuttikanam, Thottam Farmstead is a heritage farm stay designed for immersive rural living. Guests stay in lovingly restored 19th-century estate houses, participate in farming routines, and explore spice trails led by local hosts. Home-cooked meals feature ingredients from the garden, and evenings are best spent reading on a planter’s veranda with freshly brewed pepper chai. A rare gem for those wanting authentic, off-the-grid comfort.
21. Spice Village – Thekkady
Experience: Live like the Mannan tribal community — sustainably and peacefully.
Thatched roof huts, village-inspired design, and zero-plastic operations. Guests can forage for greens, cook in clay pots, and participate in conservation workshops.
22. Jungle Retreat – Wayanad
Experience: A family-run forest lodge at the edge of a tiger reserve.
Expect real wildlife sightings from your cottage deck, traditional tribal meals, and nature walks guided by the hosts themselves. Wake to elephant trumpets, and fall asleep to cicadas and campfire crackles. Explore our full list of experiential forest stays in Kerala to find where to stay near the wildlife hotspots mentioned above.
23. Clayfingers – Thrissur
Experience: Stay in an artist commune — and get your hands dirty.
Part pottery studio, part forest retreat, part boutique homestay. Join clay workshops, explore the bamboo forest, or just enjoy organic food and stimulating conversations with artists and travellers.
24. Chittoor Kottaram – Ernakulam
Experience: Live like royalty in this one-key palace — it’s yours alone.
Built in the 18th century for the Kochi Raja, Chittoor Kottaram is rented to only one party at a time. You’ll arrive by boat, be served by liveried staff, and live in splendid isolation surrounded by water and history.
Explore the Unseen Kerala
These 24 experiential stays are your invitation to live Kerala — not just see it. Whether you crave soulful silence, tribal immersion, artistic energy, or royal pampering, Kerala has a stay that will move you, ground you, and stay with you.
Need help planning experiential stay at Kerala ?
Contact us or book a discovery call — we’ll curate a journey just for you.
24 Experiential Stays in Kerala That Redefine Travel
Kerala.au offers unique experiential stays in Kerala: luxury houseboats, jungle lodges, and more. Book your unforgettable Kerala adventure today!
SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to be updated about latest news and blog posts and to follow what is happening in a magical land of Kerala.
hello@kerala.au
+61 468 450 701
© 2025 Kerala.au All Rights Reserved
ABN Number: 85147559456
