Emerald Isle

Beautiful house and garden! Best of all was the landlord with family and staff. Made us feel like kings! Several options of activities or just enjoy the garden and Ayurveda massage.

Must beautiful place ever. The house and the room was just stunning. As soon as we arrived we got cold lime juice and a warm welcome by tomy.. a super cool guy that always watched over us to make sure we had everything we needed. Took us to the backwaters in a small boat where we saw everyday life of the sweet people living there. Served us delicious food and took really good care of us. Can only recommend this place for a good insight into the backwaters of Kerala.

We were made very welcome in the hosts' Vijo and Vinod's old family home. It is the genuine article as far as a Homestay can be described, although on the "well to do" end of the spectrum. The meals were absolutely delicious and served at the open air dining table for all guests where travel experiences could be shared. It is a beautiful region and enjoyable boat trips in the backwater canals are easily arranged. The cooking demonstration of Kerala dishes was interesting and our thanks to Sam and the chef for the experience. It's a quiet place and totally relaxing. Highly recommended.

Antique family owned farmhouse, wonderful wooden building in a lush garden. We were served with the most delicious home cooked Kerala style vegetarian lunch and dinner. You can also book a well done and not expensive massage, which a local lady will provide.

Beautiful family-run property in a spectacular setting with very friendly staff, attentive owner and great food. Wish we could have stayed longer than for just one night. Rooms are spacious with a lot of a**osphere. Big garden with hammocks to relax in. The river is right at your doorstep - great for kayaking.

This is a wonderful small scale, but luxurious, homestay. The staff is very attentive and friendly. The ancient rooms are lined with thick shining teak walls, and see cool and pleasant. We enjoyed showering in the attached open air bathroom and cooling down in the dip pool. The gardens are shady and beautiful, harboring a lot of colorful birds. The food is great, with the spiciness attuned to western taste. Thanks to Vijo and Sam for a very pleasant and comfortable stay.

Homestay in the backwaters near Allepey, were we started a one day kayak tour! The wooden houses are kept in the old Kerala style, rooms are equipped with air condition and outdoor bathroom. The whole complex is very well maintained and quiet! We enjoyed breakfast und dinner together with other guests. Food was very good. Good for relaxing and definitely recommended!

We spent a very relaxing three days here. We wanted to enjoy the backwaters and the Emerald Isle was a chance to experience the authentic lifestyle in kerala. We had a lovely comfortable room and in the evenings the veranda gave us a wonderful view of roosting birds and a host of fruit bats leaving for their nights activities. The food was really good and we enjoyed eating outdoors with the other guests. The owner arranged an afternoon excursion on a houseboat on the backwaters which was delightful.

A perfect place to stay and explore the real backwaters. We spent 4 nights here relaxing at the end of a long trip around India. A really lovely place to unwind. A beautiful old traditional house and lovely gardens to wander round, overlooking paddy fields at the back and the water at the front. We stayed in the cottage with it's own private outside area with shower and small plunge pool. Everyone was so welcoming and could not have been more helpful. They were always available for advice and we really enjoyed getting to know them all. We were welcomed on arrival by Vijo one of the family owners who also took us on a tour of the garden during our stay. Sam and Tom served all our meals and helped with any requests during the day. They organised a Shikara boat trip and a country boat trip for us, in our view better than a house boat as they could access smaller waterways. We also took a tuk tuk ride around part of the island to various churches and small villages and took the bikes provided out for an early morning trip. Delicious local food was served for all meals in an outside dining area sitting together with any other guests who were staying. I would highly recommend staying here and would definitely stay here on another trip to the backwaters in Kerala if I get the chance.