CGH Spice Village

Imagine a resort where less is really more. No air-conditioning or television or nightclubs - just a mirror, held up to an age old culture and a living harmony. This is Spice Village, a tribal village, reborn for the modern traveller. 

ACCOMMODATION : 52 individual, tribal-styled thatch-roof cottages with verandahs (with modern plumbing, solar-powered hot water and contemporary furnishings). You can choose from: • Standard Villas: these are suite accommodations, with living rooms, a bedroom and a private garden, complete with your own park bench • Deluxe Villas: cozy huts tucked away between fruit trees, herb beds and 50 year-old timbers

CUISINE : Kerala cuisine, with an emphasis on the flavours created by fresh spices • Chef might also serve up some of his special tribal-influenced curries • A fine selection of continental / western style dishes are also on offer.

FACILITIES : Swimming pool • Badminton • Billiards at the Woodhouse Bar • Tennis • Ayurveda • Yoga and meditation center

THINGS TO DO : You can enjoy a boat safari in Lake Periyar, a great way to make a quick, comfortable tour of the vast reserve and sanctuary • Try a half or full-day trek, with our naturalist pointing out some spectacular flora and fauna. You could also do a night trek, stopping in a forest rest-house overnight • Visit a spice or rubber plantation, to see how pepper is harvested, or how your eraser started life • Learn to cook with spices at the evening cookery classes. The focus is on Kerala cuisine, with the accent being on (of course) the effective use of spices.

GETTING THERE : 190 km from Cochin International Airport. You reach Spice Village after five hours driving up through the Periyar pass. Expect exhilarating hairpin bends, vast plantations of Pepper, Cardamom, Coffee, Tea and some spectacular views of mist-laden valleys.