Pool Or Ocean? Choose Either At The Marari Beach Resort

A village by the sea, Mararikulam in Kerala is a dreamy little getaway, and the Marari Beach Resort makes the experience all the more remarkable.

For best effect, turn off your mobile phones, shut down the city-side of your brain and get ready to really unwind the old-school way. Modelled in the style of fishermens’ houses in the area, the cottages here skim the lines of traditional and modern.

Spread across 22 acres, let the coconut trees and ropes guide you to your dwellings. Oh, how we love the brick walls and low-slung thatched roofs with a private sit-out to take in the tropical air. We really could move here!

All the bathrooms {our favourite spots} are inspired by the old Kerala villas, which means that the bath area was built a bit away from the main house. With only the skies above and surrounded by a few plants and small trees in a courtyard, it’s spectacularly fun taking a shower out in the open {forget midnight showers; early morning ones with the golden light of the morning sun filtering through the trees can be equally exotic, you see}.

There’s a few rooms with pools as well {ooh la la}, so kick off some indulgence and romance if you’re living in those.

Chakara is the main outdoor restaurant, and usually has a lavish buffet. Though if you’re looking for amazing Oriental or European cuisine, this is not the right place. When here, focus on the coastal delicacies including coastal fish curries, simple but flavourful Kachiyathu {a dish made from buttermilk and coconut} or pretty much anything else that’s fresh from the sea.

As for the drinks, check out the specials at The Palm Bar; the coconut cocktails are top-notch here.

Mercifully, this resort has decided to not put a television in every room, so you can chill the classic way. Nothing quite comes close to digging yourself into a cooling sand mattress on the beach.

You might argue; when there’s a mighty sea next door, why would you plunge into a pool? We agree, but then again, sipping a Bloody Mary with the waves hitting you can get a bit messy. You could also skip the water in favour of a yoga session, hone your Kerala-style cooking skills or even ask at the reception about the nearby butterfly farm.

Or, if you’re less sprightly, an Ayurvedic spa treatment will sort you right out.

Where: Marari Beach, Mararikulam-North, Alleppey, Kerala

Best time to visit: Nov – Feb,;Jun – Sep

Price: Starting at INR 7,500

Contact: 0478 2863801-09

Find out more about them here, and follow them on Facebook here