Marari Beach Resort

Marari Beach Resort is an ideal first or final stop on a tour of Kerala, being just a few hours from Cochin Airport and close to the famous backwaters and Lake Vembenad. It contains a collection of thatched cottages, resembling the traditional fisherman villages you find in the area. Within the 36 acres of gardens you will find coconut groves, lotus ponds and even a butterfly garden. There are countless places to curl up in a hammock to read a book, or to head onto the beach beyond that is remarkably quiet and unspoilt (although not private). The large salt-water pool is a welcome focal point to spend a few days soaking up the Keralan sunshine.

There are 62 cottages in all, with welcoming raised verandas. The rooms are fairly simple, yet comfortably furnished with terracotta floors. The rooms don’t have TVs, but do have WiFi, air-conditioning and minibars. They feature inside/outside bathrooms. Opt for the higher room categories and you get a private plunge pool. The Deluxe Pool Villas also have their own living room and also a larger 8x4m private pool.

The main restaurant serves a wide variety of dishes, and obviously the seafood is freshly caught daily and is worth trying. The Beach Grill focuses specifically on seafood. There is a also the Beach Shack which serves up light snacks and the Palm Bar which serves drinks (although the licence does not extend to spirits from if you want a G&T it is best to bring along a bottle). Added to that there are tennis and badminton courts and a superb Ayurveda centre offering a range of treatments.