Manimala Trip

Lovely hotel and friendly staff.

We were very impressed with our 4 days at The Zuri Kumarakom. We were surprised to be told that the property is about 25 years old, because it's superb maintenance suggested a much younger age to us. As we rode into the property, we were a bit shocked to see a lot of policemen around. And that turned into panic when they accosted our taxi cab at the hotel porch. I was looking for hotel staff to help us avoid the policemen and to whisk us into the reception. As the policemen unloaded our luggage from the taxi, we broke into laughter realizing that they were actually security staff from the Ambassador Security services! At the reception, Ms Sanu greeted us and readily accepted my request to see the other room types before we occupied the one I'd booked online via Expedia. We liked the villas the most, but it was way more expensive than what the two of could justify splurging. So we settled for an upgrade to the cottage and Ms Sanu helpfully processed the charge of the difference amount. It was an amazing experience to be in the quaint cottage right on the man made lake adjoining the mighty Vembanad Lake. At 4:30pm we went to the Lime Cafe for the complimentary high tea. There, we were offered a sunset ride on the shikara boat. It was quiet inexpensive at Rs 250 plus taxes per person. When we boarded, we realized we were the only ones on board. It was an amazing ride and Aswin was our impeccable host boatman. Our dinner was at the Lime Cafe and we ordered A La Carte as b

The Spice Tree is in a fantastic location high above "Bison Valley", nestled in a teak forest and a short drive away from the tea plantations surrounding Munnar. The location is not the only great thing about the hotel -- the staff and service are superb, the restaurant is excellent and the facilities are great: from the coffee shop/bakery to the library and spa. The icing on the cake was the "wine and milk" bath, which was spectacular with the result being a petal-strewn bath with floating tealights.