Spice Village

Located near Thekkady two thousand feet up in the lush Western Ghats and surrounded by misty plantations of teak, cardamom, tea, rubber and coffee, Spice Village is a wonderful place to come for a few days to enjoy breathtaking scenery, cooler air and the wildlife of nearby Periyar National Park. Spice Village boasts rustic home comforts and excellent facilities, with accommodation provided by one of the 52 individual cottages, many of which are family-friendly, thatched with elephant grass and hidden among the estate’s spices and forest trees. Each has a wide verandah and comes with contemporary tribal-style furniture and modern plumbing featuring solar-powered hot water consistent with the resort’s strong environmental commitment.

The main house serves delicious local cuisine and some western dishes from ingredients all sourced within a 50-mile radius, and you can take a cookery class to learn more about how to use spices.Take a gin and tonic in the evocative Woodhouse Bar with its memorabilia and billiard table, and you will instantly be transported to days gone by. Outside is a large garden with an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and badminton. Spice Village also has a resident naturalist who offers educational walks focusing on the botanical and ornithological riches of the estate, and you can read up and watch videos of the local wildlife at the Tiger Club before or after visiting Periyar.

Other activities easily arranged by Spice Village include boating trips on Lake Periyar, night treks and visits to spice and rubber plantations. You can escape the twenty-first century by jouncing along on a bullock cart ride, or simply spend your time relaxing in the well-stocked library, sipping tea in the dhaba-style Indian roadside chai shop, or getting a restorative Ayurvedic treatment.