Carnoustie Beach Resort

Kerala & South India

Rating: Deluxe

highlights

Spacious, secluded villas
Health-bestowing treatments at the spa
Go on a backwaters cruise
Enjoy delicious seafood
Stroll along the beach
Relax by your private pool

Carnoustie Beach Resort overview

Carnoustie Beach Resort consists of stylish, spacious villas with large decks and pools set in verdant gardens that lead on to Marari Beach. Villas offer seclusion, and the whole resort is designed as a retreat where you can choose how to spend each day. The long, sandy beach is a stone's throw away, and the Aleppy backwaters are within easy reach, and, as a hotel guest you can take a cruise on the resort's houseboat for a relaxing lunchtime or evening trip. Bicycles are available for exploring on land, and staff can arrange trips to local villages, markets, churches and to Kochi, as you wish.

The hotel's spa has won numerous awards and featured in Forbes 'Top 5 Wellness Retreats for Ultimate Renewal' in 2017. It offers traditional Ayurveda healing therapies including Ayurveda diet alongside naturopathy to revitalise the body, and yoga for mind, body and spirit. Specific programmes are offered for guests staying several days.

There are two restaurants on site. Chimera specialises in seafood cooked according to local recipes, and Chimera which serves a broad range of cuisines. Both draw on produce gown in the resort's organic gardens. The bars, one poolside, offer hot and cold drinks. It should be noted that currently the hotel does not have a licence to serve alcohol.

Villas are scattered throughout the gardens. They vary in size, though even the smallest, at 98 square metres, offers ample space. Interiors are refined, light and airy, and bathrooms feature state-of-the-art rain showers. Each villa has an indoor sitting area with free WiFi internet access, and an outdoor deck with a private pool or pond and sun loungers.

details

Open: Carnoustie Beach Resort, also known as Carnoustie Ayurveda and Wellness Resort, is open all year.

Location: The hotel is opposite Chennaveli church, surrounded by gardens that lead down to Mararikulam (Marari) Beach. The resort is about a 90-minute drive from Kochi (Cochin), location of the nearest airport. Aleppy backwaters are 12 kms away.

Rooms: The 40 villas are set in the gardens. There are 5 categories of villa, all with similar facilities: a bedroom, en-suite bathroom with rain shower, and a lounge with WiFi access, and sliding glass doors that open on to a private terrace. Akand deluxe villas provide 102sqm of space and have a deck with a lily pond. The other 4 types of villa all have private pools and Bose music systems, and vary mainly in size. Mallika pool villas cover 98sqm, Zukra pool villas are 112sqm in size, Semantha pool villas provide 164sqm of space and Punag pool villas cover 236sqm and have a jacuzzi as well as rain shower.

Activities: Relax on the beach, walk in the gardens, visit the spa (see below), take part in yoga sessions. As a guest you have access to the resort’s houseboat for lunch (12:00-16:00) and evening (15:00-17:00) cruises on Vembanad Lake and the backwaters. You can explore the local area by bike, tour the nearby village, have an excursion to Kochi, see temples and churches, visit Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, go to spice markets, take part in cookery classes, join a local fisherman on a fishing trip, watch traditional Kathakali performances and music recitals.

Facilities: The award-winning spa, Aryavaidyasala, has several treatment rooms surrounded by water channels. Ayurvedic therapies, massage, yoga, meditation, naturopathy, pranic healing and other treatments are available. There are special programmes based on detox, rejuvenation, stress management, anti-ageing and weight loss that you can undergo if staying for several days. There are 2 restaurants (see below) and 2 bars, 1 located by the outdoor swimming pool.

Dining: There are 2 restaurants. Ida serves Indian and international dishes, and Chimera specialises in local cuisine based largely on seafood. Private meals on the beach can be arranged. Much of the produce used is grown in the hotel's organic fruit, vegetable and spice gardens.

Children: Children of all ages are welcome, though there are no specific activities or facilities for children.

Health: We recommend malaria prophylactics for travel to India.

Communication: There is free WiFi internet access in guest villas.

Notes: There is currently no alcohol licence at the resort, though staff are in the process of applying for a full licence.