Kovalam · Beach
The Leela Kovalam
A clifftop resort above two beaches, with proper service and one of the best spas in the state.
Overview
Why stay at Spice Village
Spice Village is located in the Periyar wilderness, high in the mountains of the Western Ghats of Kerala. For centuries, the area attracted voyagers and adventurers, mercenaries and empire builders, kings and merchant princes. Today, it is the rainforests, the animals and the vast silences that attract the modern visitor. The resort consists of 52 cottages set in eight acres of respectfully tamed forest. The architecture is inspired by the jungle dwellings of the area and care has been taken to use the same materials in construction. A number of creature comforts have been added, however, to make your stay a luxurious one. The rooms are spacious and furnished with simple sophistication; terracotta tiled floors, wooden beds and chairs and whitewashed walls. To preserve the environment, the furniture has been crafted using pine from Cochin's historic docks. At the centre of the village is a swimming pool, surrounded by tropical trees and lawns. The resort has more than 50 species of trees including herbal trees, all of which are named in English and Latin and a botanist is at hand to explain the many marvels of the jungle.
Rooms
52 cottages. Garden cottage, Spice cottage.
Dining
One open-sided restaurant using spices and vegetables from the garden.
Facilities
What you will find here
Working spice garden
Pepper, cardamom and clove grown around the cottages.
Garden kitchen
Most of what is served is grown on site.
Swimming pool
Filtered without chlorine, set among the trees.
Ayurvedic treatments
A small centre for massages and short programmes.
Naturalist walks
Morning walks into the reserve with the resident naturalist.
Wi-Fi in the lounge
Deliberately kept out of the cottages.
Location
Where it sits
Spice garden beside Periyar, Thekkady. Our Cochin team arranges transfers and can pair this stay with anywhere else on your route.
What is nearby
- Periyar Tiger Reserve gate5 min drive
Boat trips and guided walks in the reserve start here.
- Kumily spice market10 min walk
Cardamom, pepper and vanilla sold by the growers themselves.
- Cardamom hill viewpoints30 min drive
Plantation roads that open onto the whole valley.
- Madurai3 hrs 30 min drive
The great temple city over the border in Tamil Nadu.
Featured in
Trips that include this hotel
Each is a starting point our Cochin team will tailor around you, and hotels can always be swapped.
Discovery · 13 nights
Classic South Kerala
Experience the best of Kerala with this 13 night Classic Tour: the historic port city of Cochin, an elephant orphanage, the lush tea hills of Munnar, a wildlife resort, a houseboat cruise, a backwater resort by the lake and a finish on the beach.
*Indicative price £1,450 pp
Honeymoon · 9 nights
South Kerala Honeymoon
Designed for couples wanting a genuinely romantic Kerala: a beach resort at Kovalam, a houseboat decked with flowers, a wildlife resort at Periyar, a tranquil backwater resort and the old port town of Cochin.
*Indicative price £1,745 pp
Like the look of Spice Village?
Our Cochin team will build it into a journey that suits how you travel, and tell you honestly if somewhere else would suit you better.
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