Stay
Beautiful rooms, at the edge of a quaint village in central Kerala.
In a serene, verdant landscape Neelambari blends traditional aesthetics and modern comforts in its architecture. Our rooms continue the same traditional theme in their demeanour. They however hold spacious bedrooms and bathrooms that appeal to contemporary norms of comfort and luxury.
The rooms
Four kinds of room, nine in all
Every room has a verandah of its own. The two tree houses have a balcony instead, looking over the Karuvannur river from up among the coconut palms.
Deluxe rooms
Four · 600 sq ft (56 sqm)
The largest of the rooms — each one has a verandah, a spacious bathroom and a separate wardrobe area. The verandah offers beautiful views of the greenery around.
- Sleeps
- Up to 3
- Bed
- Twin beds or a king, whichever you ask for
Superior rooms
Two · 350 sq ft (33 sqm)
Laterite left exposed, roof beams showing, a Kerala mural on the wall. Each has its own verandah, and the two share a longer one between them — useful when a group has taken both.
- Sleeps
- Up to 3
- Bed
- King size
Family suite
Two bedrooms · 600 sq ft (56 sqm)
Two bedrooms either side of a living room, with a bathroom to each and a long verandah shared between them. When a family does not need it whole, it is let as two separate rooms.
- Sleeps
- Up to 5
- Beds
- A queen in one bedroom, twins in the other
Tree houses
Two · 250 sq ft (23 sqm)
Up among the coconut palms with the Karuvannur river below, windows on three sides and a balcony over the water. They stand in their own compound, across a narrow village road from the main grounds, and are reached by a stair.
- Sleeps
- Up to 2
- Bed
- One wide bed, ample for two adults and a child
Every room is air-conditioned and has wifi. Check-in from 2 pm, check-out by 11.30 am, and rates include breakfast for two. An extra bed can be added where the room sleeps three or more.
The table
Eating here
We cook the way a household here cooks, not the way a hotel does. There is no menu to order from — what comes to the table each day is worked out with you and plated, rather than laid out as a set of choices. Vegetarian mostly, with fish and meat when you want them, and very little of it has travelled far to arrive.
We are happy to accommodate special requirements or constraints you may have on food. Sattvic, vegan, no onion or garlic, a gluten problem — all of it is possible. Tell us before you arrive and the kitchen simply cooks that way.
How it works
An ecotourism property, and not only in the name
Neelambari is run as an ecotourism property, which shows up in ordinary ways rather than in a policy document. Everyone who works here is from Arattupuzha, most of them women, and several from households where a wage was not previously coming in. The rice, vegetables and fish come from farmers and vendors within a few kilometres, and from the same ones year after year.
The buildings went up in laterite, timber and tile, put there by masons and carpenters who work in those materials — which is part of why the rooms hold their temperature.
Ayurveda and yoga
Somewhere to be still
The spa is built in the shape of a country boat and holds two treatment rooms. There is a yoga hall above the Koothambalam (temple theatre), and an open corner beside the pond for the sessions that want to be outdoors. The practitioners we bring in are trained in the authentic traditions, and sessions are tailored to suit your personal needs.
Days here
Mostly on foot
Walking is the best way to explore our surroundings — slowly, through the paddy fields, along the Karuvannur river, past the ancient village temple. The river suits a slow boat better than a fast one, and a bicycle covers more ground if you would like to see further into the village.
Thrissur is the cultural capital of Kerala. Performances of Kathakali, Koodiyattam and other classical art forms are often staged in our neighbourhood. We are happy to guide you to such performances when the schedule is convenient. We can arrange bespoke performances otherwise, with gentle introductions, so that these beautiful but complex art forms make better sense.
Getting here
Rural, but not remote
Kochi International Airport is 42 kms away and is usually an hour's drive. Thrissur railway station is 13 kms. We can arrange a car from either if you tell us when you are landing.