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Try "Udaipur", "tiger", "honeymoon", "Ladakh in July"
A nine-night honeymoon with only three moves: three nights on a spice estate above Munnar, two in a pool villa on the shore of Vembanad, one on your own houseboat, and three at Marari's quiet beach. Time is built in for doing nothing, with a few well-chosen outings for two.
Honeymooners usually tell us two things: they want to see Kerala, and they do not want to spend their time in a car. This journey balances both. You fly into Kochi and drive straight up to the cool air of Munnar, where three nights at Windermere Estate leave time for a tea walk, a sunrise above the clouds at Kolukkumalai and long afternoons on your verandah.
From the hills, you descend to Kumarakom Lake Resort, where a pool villa opens onto a winding lagoon pool, and then spend a night alone on a private kettuvallam, moored at sunset among the paddy fields of Kuttanad. The last three nights are on the beach at Marari, in a pool villa among the coconut palms, with Ayurveda, cycling and fresh fish. Every hotel is chosen for privacy.
Highlights
Day by day
We meet you at Cochin International Airport and drive directly to Munnar, about 3.5 hours, avoiding the city. The road climbs through rubber and spice country, with a stop at the Valara waterfall and a spice garden for fresh cardamom tea. Arrive at Windermere Estate, a working plantation on a hillside 3 km from town, and settle into a cottage facing the valley. Dinner by the fire if the evening is cool.
After a slow breakfast, walk through the tea estates with a guide, on footpaths used by the pickers, with views over clipped green slopes in every direction. Visit the Tata Tea Museum and taste different grades. We then leave you at a quiet viewpoint on the estates with a picnic lunch. The afternoon is free at Windermere, where staff can arrange a walk in the spice gardens.
Leave at 4.30 am for Suryanelli, then switch to a 4x4 for the rough climb to Kolukkumalai, one of the highest tea estates in South India, above 2,000 m. On clear mornings, the sun rises over a sea of cloud filling the valleys below. Breakfast is served from a hamper at the viewpoint, followed by a visit to the old orthodox tea factory. Return to Windermere for a rest and a massage.
Leave Munnar after breakfast for the drive to Kumarakom on the shore of Vembanad Lake, descending through the hills via Kothamangalam and Kottayam, with a stop for lunch on the way. Check in to a pool villa at Kumarakom Lake Resort, where a long, winding pool runs past the villas like a backwater canal. Watch the sun set across the lake from the jetty with a drink.
Take a canoe through the narrow village canals in the cool of the morning, with a boatman poling quietly past homes, small churches and paddy fields. Return for an Ayurvedic consultation and a couple's abhyanga massage at the resort's centre. Late in the afternoon, a private boat takes you out onto the lake for a sundowner cruise, followed by a candlelit dinner by the water.
At noon, your private kettuvallam collects you from the resort jetty. The boat has one air-conditioned bedroom, an open deck and a crew of three, including your own chef. Lunch is served as you cross the lake and enter the canals of Kuttanad. In the afternoon, simply watch village life drift by. The boat moors at sunset in a quiet backwater, and dinner is served on deck by lantern light.
Wake to mist on the water, with breakfast on deck as the boat cruises gently back towards Alappuzha. Land at about 9 am and drive 30 minutes north to Marari Beach, where a pool villa awaits among the coconut palms behind a long, quiet beach. The rest of the day is yours: the beach, your pool and a late lunch of fresh fish.
If you are up early, walk down to the beach to watch the fishing crews bring their boats through the surf and sell the catch on the sand. After breakfast, an optional easy cycle ride through the palm lanes passes temple ponds, churches and coir spinners. The afternoon is free for the beach, the pool or another treatment at the resort's Ayurveda centre.
A day with nothing planned. We can arrange a cooking lesson in the resort kitchen, where you learn to make a fish curry and a vegetable thoran with spices you have seen growing, or a visit to Arthunkal's seafront basilica. In the evening, a private dinner is set up for you on the beach, with lanterns in the sand.
After a last swim and breakfast, we drive you to Cochin International Airport, about 2 to 2.25 hours, allowing extra time for traffic. If your flight is late, we can arrange a late check-out or a stop in Fort Kochi on the way. Our team in India stays in touch until you are through check-in.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
A working cardamom and coffee plantation at Pothamedu, about 3 km from Munnar town, with cottages and a planter's bungalow set on a hillside facing the …
A large lakeside resort on Vembanad with traditional Kerala-style villas and pool villas along a long winding pool, a respected Ayurveda centre and its own jetty …
A CGH Earth beach resort in coconut groves behind Marari beach, with thatched villas modelled on fishermen's cottages, some with private pools, an organic farm, an …
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Questions travellers ask
Very good. Distances are short, the hotels are private and peaceful, and the mix of cool tea hills, backwaters and a quiet beach gives variety without long travel. October to March is the best season. Many of our Kerala journeys are for honeymooners.
Because honeymooners usually want time together more than sightseeing. Three moves, each under five hours, keep packing to a minimum, and three nights in Munnar and at Marari leave space for doing nothing. Periyar or Fort Kochi can be added if you want more.
Yes. Two nights at Brunton Boatyard or The Malabar House at the start add the old port, a Kathakali evening and a harbour sunset, making an 11-night journey. Fort Kochi is 1.5 hours from the airport, so it fits easily at the beginning.
A valley-facing cottage at Windermere Estate, a pool villa at Kumarakom Lake Resort, a one-bedroom premium houseboat and a pool villa at Marari Beach. Pool villas cost more but give real privacy. We also tell each hotel you are on honeymoon.
November to March. December to February has the clearest skies in Munnar and the calmest sea at Marari. October is green with some afternoon showers. April and May are hot on the coast, and June to August is the heavy monsoon.
On a good single-party boat, yes. You have your own bedroom, deck, chef and crew, and the boat moors at sunset in a quiet backwater. The crew keep to their quarters at the back. We avoid crowded routes and choose boats with comfortable beds and air-conditioning.
Yes. We include a couple's abhyanga massage at Kumarakom, and both Kumarakom Lake Resort and Marari Beach have Ayurveda centres for more treatments after a consultation. A full therapeutic programme would need 14 nights or more at a dedicated retreat.
From about ₹3,00,000 per person, twin sharing, with pool villas at Kumarakom and Marari, a premium houseboat, private car, guides and the experiences listed. Christmas and New Year cost more. Flights are extra. We send a detailed quote for your dates.
Yes. Kerala is one of India's safest states, and the hotels we use are secluded and well run. Dress modestly away from resorts and beaches, especially near temples. Public displays of affection are best kept discreet in villages and towns.
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