Happy Campers 10 Best Ayurvedic Centers in Kerala

Here we would like to share our 10 picks of Ayurveda Centres in Kerala, India. (in no particular order)

 

1. SAROVARAM AYURVEDIC HEALTH CENTER

 

Sarovaram is perfect if you are looking for a place to get away from all the hustle and bustle of your busy life. The centre is nestled in a tropical garden and it is truly peaceful and beautiful here.

It is located about 10 kilometers from Kollam, 80 kilometers from Trivandrum and 165 kilometers to the south of Cochin. It was quite a challenge for us to find the place for it is quite hidden but once you get there, it is very worthwhile.

They serve mostly vegetarian meals especially if you are under treatment, but they do accept visitors for simple rejuvenation packages and non-vegetarian meals are available upon request.

 

2. RAJAH BEACH

 

Rajah Beach is an exclusive health resort located at Akalad, Kerala, India and the first impression we get here is this place is spacious. Its furniture and decoration is at a minimum, everything is neat and clean and white.

This huge resort have only 10 rooms to cater a maximum for 10 couples ie 20 people. It is specially designed in this way so that all their clients will have their privacy as well as peace and quiet. In fact, the whole time we were there, we hardly bump into any other guests though we were told there are about 6 guests residing.

Should the peacefulness becomes over bearing, you could go to the nearby beach situated about 5 minutes walk from Rajah Beach. Although it is a public beach, it is not at all crowded and in the evening you could watch fishermen going about their daily routine.

Rajah Beach is part of the Rajah Group which includes Rajah Healthy Acres and Rajah Island.

 

3. RAJAH HEALTHY ACRES

 

Rajah Healthy Acres is  actually the first of the three health centers owned by Rajah Group and this is where it all began. It is situated at Kootanad in the Palakkad District.

The first thing that captured our attention is the main building. We were told that this building was originally located and owned by a Nair aristocrat family from Thirur, a village near Mallapuram. In order to bring the house here in Rajah Healthy Acres from Thirur, they had to dismantle the whole building and rebuild everything back from scratch. The whole process took them almost 3 months.

Unlike Rajah Beach, here the center has a more village feel. It is surrounded with rows and rows of rubber trees. The whole area is so big that they provide transportation to move around. Different types of accommodation is scattered around its 180 acres of land.

Oh yes.. if you are lucky, you could even see wild peacocks roaming around!

 

4. RAJAH ISLAND

 

To state the obvious, Rajah Island is situated on a private island at the Backwaters. It is located about 80 kilometers to the north of Cochin, near the town of  Chavakkad.

To get to the island, there will be a 5 minute boat ride from the main land. They have 2 jetties at the island, depending on the tides. If the tide is low, guests will be dropped off at main jetty, that requires you to have a short walk to the main building. However, if you happen to arrive when the tide is high, then the boat will be able to drop you off at the main lobby, through a canal which runs right through the middle of the island

 

 

Among the 3 centers in the Rajah Group, Rajah Island provides a different kind of serene environment to the guests. It is only natural that all guests who wants to have Ayurveda treatment expects privacy, tranquility, peace and quiet, and we can assure you can have all the peace you want here in Rajah Island.

There are a lot of mangrove islands around Rajah Island, and if you love bird watching, you can see many types of birds take shelter here, especially in the evenings when all of them starts to return to their nests.

 

5. AYURVEDA YOGA VILLA

 

Travelling north of Kerala, we made our way to the highland district of Wayanad and to the mountain retreat of Ayurveda Yoga Villa.

It is located about 115 kilometers from Calicut International airport, which means about 4 hours of drive. However, it took us about 8 hours to get there as we were from Guruvayoor which is about 200+ kilometers away.

Upon arrival we were greeted with the sound of river flowing, apparently  Yoga Villa is situated right at the banks of Kabani River looking over the Kuruva Island which is a large conservation forest.

Yoga Vila is situated 900 kilometers above sea level and this means cool breeze all day long. The cool weather of Wayanad is perfect if you are not used to the warm tropical climate of Kerala.

 

 

There are also many interesting places to visit here in Wayanad, especially if you are the outdoor adventure type. Lots of hikings and trekking trails, visit the wild life sanctuary, waterfalls, lake anda dams. Of course, one of our favourite, the prehistoric Edakkal Caves. Here you can see prehistoric rock drawings on the walls of the caves that has attracted many archeologist and historians worldwide.

True to the teachings of Ayurveda, all Ayurveda centers are known for its tranquility and serene environment, but one unique feature of Yoga Villa is its Herbal Cottage. At one glance it look like one of those hobbit like cottages in Lord of the Rings. All the rooms are coated with medicated mud and the roof is made out of earth that enables them to plant herbal plants on the roof. Amazing.

 

6. POOMULLY MANA

The moment we stepped into the compound of Poomully Mana, we were completely in awe. Like most of the ayurveda centers we’ve visited, you can’t see much from the outside as the whole property is usually covered with walls. Once you have entered the compound, only then you will be able to see the beautiful buildings and landscape of the place and Poomully Mana was no exception.

We were told that the property was once part of the palace ground and the huge 3 story structure was the guest house used to house the guests of the royal family.

Poomully Mana is considered as one of the most influential and richest namboodthiri family in Kerala, with over 500 years old of history. The members of the Poomully Mana family are famous practitioners of Ayurveda, Kalari and Yoga.

It is located at Peringode, in the district of Palakkad and about 2 hours away from the international airport of Cochin.

 

 

7. PERUMBAYIL MANA

 

We were told that the Perumbayil family is one of the oldest and aristocratic Nair/Menon family in the Guruvayoor area and some of the family member were an avid Ayurveda practitioners.  And this house was once belonged to them before it was bought over by a businessman who is very much passionate in keeping this building in its original condition as an authentic Ayurveda center.

The Perumbayil House is just beautiful. As an Ayurveda treatment center, it provides the comfortable feel of a home away from home. We could see the authenticity of the Kerala architectural design was beautifully maintained through its stairs, pillars and floors.

The common feature of a traditional Malayalam house is the opening at the center of the house that enables the ventilation of fresh air into the house.

8. KERALEEYAM HERITAGE HOME & AYURVEDIC RESORT

Keeraleeyam makes into our 10 picks because we just love the view from the balcony of our cottage. This center has a beautiful backwater frontage whereby you can just watch the beautiful Kettuvallam (houseboat) pass by every hour of every day.

Keraleeyam is a 70 year old heritage home and maintained as an exclusive ayurvedic center as it can only accept a maximum of 11 guests at any one time.

It is located at Allapuzha (Alleypey) about 2 hours away to the south of Cochin.

 

Oh yes… among the many things that we could not forget about this place is their curry chicken. Simply delicious!

A perfect place to chill and get revived.

 

 

9. POOPALLY’S HERITAGE HOME

 

Pooppally Heritage Home is owned by Dr Joseph Pooppally and his son Dr Paul, and they are amongst the nicest and friendliest people we’ve met during our adventure in Kerala.

It is located at Nedumudy about 15 minutes from the town of Allapuzha. This ancestral house was built on the river banks of River Pampa about 150 years ago by the grandfather of Dr Joseph.

 

 

Unlike other Ayurvedic Centers we’ve visited, here at Pooppally, you will get to experience the typical life of a Kerala family. All meals are prepared by the wife of Dr Joseph and they can really cook!

Before the arrival of roads, the garden facing the river is considered the front part of the house, where boats are used as main mode of transportation. The backyard is a garden filled with many types of herbal plants. We spent hours in the garden listening to the many tales of Dr Joseph. He is very knowledgeable in herbal plants and traditional medicines.

Did we forget to mention that Sir Edmund Hillary had stayed here before? Well… he did.

 

 

10. AYURVEDA HEALING ASHRAM

 

If you want a place that has constant breeze… this is the place to be… Ayurveda Healing Ashram.

This center is located at Pachallor, in the district of Trivandrum, about 2 kilometers from Kovalam. It is situated on top of a cliff facing the Arabian Sea with the backdrop of endless coconut trees.

Here they have only 3 rooms and can accommodate up to 6 people at any one time. Best for those who really like to be left alone.

We were told that the building was specially designed for Ayurveda treatment, similar to the design of an Ashram, with red bricks for walls and coconut leaves for the roof.

 

 

We love this place for its calm and breezy atmosphere.

Oh yes…one other thing…occasionally there will be planes passing by.. because it is quite near to the Trivandrum airport…so please considered yourself informed.