Malabar Escapes: Serenity
Style Homely 1920s estate
Setting Peaceful plantation hilltop
A bungalow-style boutique hotel atop a small hill in Kerala, Malabar Escapes: Serenity is surrounded by plantations growing rubber, fruit and spices – no wonder there’s an aromatic tang to the air. Miles from anything but South Indian countryside, the atmosphere is exactly as the hotel’s name would suggest.
Need to know
- Rooms Five.
- Rates Double rooms from $303.49 (€230), excluding tax at 12.5 per cent.
- More details Rates include Continental or South Indian breakfast.
- Facilities Ayurvedic spa, gym, badminton court, TV room with DVD selection, elephant. All rooms have verandas and fans; one has air-con.
- Poolside Extending into the greenery from the communal, lounger-lined terrace, Serenity’s pool seems like a natural waterhole – at least, that’s how the local birdlife treats it.
- Check-out Midday, later check-out is subject to availability.
- Children Under-fives can stay free. Babysitting can be arranged with prior notice. Extra beds cost $30 a night.
- Eco-friendly Serenity makes use of hydroelectric power, recycles where possible, and cleans with organic detergents.
- Also Smoking allowed throughout. Reservations between 20 December and 10 January cannot be modified or cancelled.
Food and drink at Malabar Escapes: Serenity
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Hotel restaurant
Serenity’s chef models his daily menu on the seafood dishes and Mediterranean-influenced creations at the Malabar House in Fort Cochin. Food is tailored to each guest: you can dictate everything from its spiciness to the spot where you eat it. -
Dress code
Lazy, laid-back and loungey: sun hats, loose linens and sarongs. -
Top table
You can dine wherever you like, so take advantage of the views from your verandah or the poolside peacefulness. -
Last orders
Meal times aren’t strictly imposed, but as a general rule, the kitchen closes at about 11pm. -
Room service
Drinks and snacks can be brought to you anywhere in the hotel and grounds until around 11pm. -
Hotel bar
There’s no bar as such, but Serenity’s abundant – and possibly telepathic – staff will fix you a drink when and where you like.
Malabar Escapes: Serenity Payikad, Kanam. P.O. Vazhoor, Kerala, 686515
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Smith extra at Malabar Escapes: Serenity
A complimentary bottle of wine
In the know
Our favourite rooms
All Serenity’s rooms are similarly decorated in soft rosy tones and all boast spacious double-doored verandahs looking out of the plantation surroundings, The two rooms on the ground floor have polished stone floors; upstairs rooms are carpeted in coarse coir fibre. One of the doubles has a glamorous wooden four-poster, but ask for the room with the mirror at the head of the bed (not for any salacious reasons, of course – we just love the stone tracery that lends it an ecclesiastical air).
Packing tips
Sugar cubes for feeding Lakshmi, Serenity’s resident elephant. Thanks to its hilltop setting, mosquitoes aren’t the pesky nip-dealers they can be elsewhere in Kerala, but the hotel keeps repellent on hand regardless.
Also
Mountain bikes are available to borrow for exploring the tropical surroundings. If cycling’s too run-of-the-mill, you can take an excursion by bullock-cart or spend a day, feeding, riding and washing the tame jumbo.
