Spice Village, Thekkady, Kerala                               Highly Recommended

Situated at 4500ft in the lush mountain forest region close to Thekkady and in close proximity to Periyar National Park. Accommodation is provided in Keralan style thatched cottages scattered throughout the park-like indigenous forest and tropical gardens. The rooms are spacious and well furnished with terracotta tiled floors and whitewashed walls. Each cottage has a good sized veranda and views of the gardens. Excellent eco-instructions about water-usage/human-impact and eco-friendly insecticides etc are provided in all the rooms There is a nice bar with friendly staff and the restaurant serves a wide range of traditional Indian and international cooking. Highly recommended. The Spice village has a good sized swimming pool surrounded by lawns and a well equipped ayurvedic clinic for treatments such as Pizichil, Dhara and other therapies. The gardens and grounds are beautifully maintained and contain a phenomenal amount of plants most of which are named and their uses identified. Guided walks are available of both the grounds and nearby spice plantations. Other activities include mountain biking, guided safaris in the National Park. (stay away from the boat safaris as they are very commercial) jungle walks and birding which are both fascinating and beautiful. No. of rooms  52 Air/Con No, Fans only but not hot due to altitude 4500ft Dining Yes, excellent Style Nature based Tropical retreat with garden cottages Children Yes Price Range per person per night  from £60.00 Full Board Activities National Park (elephant buffalo deer and tiger). Mountain biking, guided walks and bird watching, spice plantation tours and excursions nearby. Ayurvedic, cooking classes and Yoga.