Kerala, and its blue landscape!

Take a leisure cruise on the thatched houseboats called ‘Kettuvalloms’ along the palm-fringed backwaters, listening to the chirping birds, feeling the cool air on your face, passing through the coir villages, viewing the lush paddy fields, and watching the Chinese fishing nets. This will undoubtedly be one of the most enchanting holiday experiences in India. Backwater cruise is the ideal way to explore the beauty of Kerala!

Kettuvalloms, as they are traditionally called, lets you enjoy the pleasure of spending a fun vacation with family on the waters. These luxury boats are made by tying the pieces of wood together without the use of a single nail! It usually has one or two bath attached rooms--some bigger boats have up to 6 bedrooms--a kitchen, deck, and a crew comprising of an oarsman and a cook.

You can also witness the spectacular snake boat race if you happen to visit the Kerala backwaters during the month of August and September. It is a competition held annually at Alappuzha where huge boats called ‘Chundanvalloms’ compete with each other, rowing to the rhythm of the cheers and claps of the huge crowd of spectators.  

The numerous meandering backwaters has made God’s Own Country a popular destination among the tourists--both foreign and domestic. Alappuzha, Kumarakom, Kasargod, Kuttanad and Kollam are some of the backwater hotspots that promise to give you an out-of-the-world experience.

The small village of Kumarakom is a blue paradise. It is a beautiful backwater destination situated on the Vembanad Lake. You can either take a cruise on the houseboat pampering yourself with an ayurvedic massage or can try your hand at fishing or bird watching. Kumarakom has to top your must-visit places. ‘Seeing is believing’ holds true for this paradise. Succumb to the beauty of Kerala at Abad Whispering Palms at Kumarakom.

Get ready to be mesmerized by the beauty of the backwaters in God’s Own Country! Forget the stress, forget the world while you are cruising through peace and serenity!

Picture Courtesy: Google

The Spot To Unwind, Blogs Sanjay after his vacation at ABAD Whispering Palms

All work and no fun makes life dull and boring. A short vacation in the lap of nature is a magical experience for body, mind and soul. This is just what Sanjay Gopinath had in mind when he took a break from work and headed for Abad Whispering Palms with family. 


"Yes, it was a long awaited vacation with the family. Aadi’s vacation was to get over soon and I needed a break badly from the endless interviews and one-on-ones. Kumarakom, the sleepy village around 70 km from Kochi city, was the solution. The roads are ok to drive on," he jots in his blog. 

"The suite was backwater facing," he writes, explaining why the resort was the ideal spot for his dream vacation. "Stepping out of our suite through the rear door (which happened to be the one which we ended up using most!) we were welcomed by the water body. An occasional water fowl looking for insects used to visit us at the lawn which separated the room from the lake. My idea of vacation has come to mean rest and laziness and it was the perfect setting I could have asked for. Lazing at the verandah in the bamboo chair, with a book I picked up recently from the library, sipping the morning tea (for a change not made by me), facing the morning breeze is the ideal setting I wanted."


"Life is at slow pace there steadily throughout the day," he goes on. "A far cry from our maddening days which accelerate from the time you wake up till you hit the bed again. I felt the resort was reasonably priced, maintained pretty well. I am a self-confessed fish aficionado (on the eating side, not on the rearing side). This makes me looking and constantly trying for newer (read tastier) varieties of fish dishes. I did not find much on this area in the resort menu. However the food was good except for this. The resort has other facilities like a swimming pool and an ayurvedic center. You can also avail a boat ride or else book your houseboat which will pick you up at the jetty. Another attraction I found there was a small lagoon exquisitely maintained. As daylight picks up the still waters covers itself with a green blanket arguably caused by the ecosystem it maintains there. You could spend enough time just sitting on one of the islands in that lagoon and doing nothing."

Read more about Sanjay Gopinath's relaxing holiday at Abad Whispering Palms here.

*Pics courtesy Sanjay Gopinath's blog.