Kerala

The Spice Village

Where

Thekkady, Kerala

Overview

The Spice Village is located in the Periyar wilderness, high in the Western Ghats of Kerala. For centuries, the area attracted voyagers and adventurers, mercenaries and empire builders, kings and merchant princes. Men and women drawn not only by the lure of spices, but by the romance and wild beauty of the land.

The ground-breaking Spice Village property put plantation hotels on the map and showed others how sensitivity to social and environmental issues benefits everyone. It is indeed a world renowned resort that’s consistently won acclaim for its service, cuisine and the unique experiences it offers.

The philosophy of the hotel is based on the ‘less is more concept’ so rooms are non A/C to let heady spice-scents that fill the air and the architecture is inspired by the jungle dwellings of the native hill country tribes of the area using the same materials in construction.

The Spice Village in Pictures

Accommodation

The resort itself consists of 52 cottages, set in eight acres of respectfully tamed forest. Simple pine furniture greets you when you enter your room and beneath your feet is nothing more than plain terracotta floor. The rooms are large, peaceful and comfortable. All have attached bathrooms with hot and cold water.

The original inhabitants of these hills are the Mannans and the Ooralie tribes who still carry on their age old practices of herding and bee-keeping in perfect harmony with nature. They live in tree houses, or huts with a distinctive grey thatch. This is reflected in each cottage, with its brick, split bamboo and elephant-grass design

Facilities

There is a lovely refreshing swimming pool, badminton and tennis courts, an excellent Ayurveda Centre, and a yoga and meditation pavilion.

You can go for a boat ride in Periyar Lake, go trekking in Periyar Forest, visit spice plantations, take a bullock cart ride or ‘learn to cook with spices’ at the hotel.

The Tiger Room, behind the long verandah, features a slide show every evening on the area’s wildlife and nature.

The Periyar National Park sprawls over 777 sq. km. of diverse biosphere, including some of the most pristine tropical rainforests in the world. Its home to   an astonishing variety of life. 140 species of orchid alone thrive here, as do tiger, elephant, leopard, varieties of deer and rare species such as the lion tailed macaque…