Spice Village Thekkady - a CGH Earth Experience

This entire stay was magical!!! We stayed here one night but our overall experience has been so beautiful it's difficult to express in words. From the moment we were welcomed to the briefing on property and our stay.. the rooms were out of the world. Every corner of this property was so beautiful. There were indoor games too and Francis one of the staff member there played with us. His effervescent smile and charm simply won our hearts. Each staff was smiling and so helpful. Food was a bit expensive and menu limited for lunch and dinner. But that did not bother us a bit. Breakfast was simply amazing! Every so healthy and all organic! We would surely visit again! This is close to both Elephant junction and Periyar reserve which is barely a walking distance. Therefore great for sightseeing as well.

Pros: * the bar is very smart. * comfortable rooms. * well positioned to visit the likes of the Mullaperiyar Reservoir and Kalaripayattu show. * it’s well worth taking a stroll down the nearby high street. * the restaurants are reasonable though we have had better food and service elsewhere on our tour round Kerala. Cons: * no air conditioning. You can live with the fan in the room but only just. * we asked reception to arrange a trip to be close to local elephants. Despite being reminded twice, they didn’t book us any transport and we were told to buy our own tickets when we got there. Downright disgraces: * we have been on several ethical nature/animal tours over the years, including in Kerala and expected similar given the reputation that CGH Earth are trying to cultivate. However, this hotel directing us to Kalpavanam Elephant Park to witness how the animals are treated there is about as close to the opposite of responsible travel experiences that you can have. I’ve knocked one star off this review based solely on their association with this park.

We had one of the most amazing Christmas holiday at Spice Village in Dec 24 for four nights and five days. Undoubtedly one of the best resorts of the CGH group. The whole set up amongst the woods and nature, with a variety birds chirping around, some friend visitors like Giant Malabar squirrel, Black langoors, common monkeys etc. the experience is truly magical and very relaxing. Almost each of the tree/plant at the property is name tagged with their common and botanical names. Some even have the names of their planters, which is very unique. Infact they have a fun activity for children and adults alike to trace the various trees and note down their common, family and botanical names. The food is excellent with a huge buffet spread at breakfast and dinner and a host of other items to choose from if you wish to A` la carte. They have a lovely set up for evening tea with light snacks, open to all guests. There are various activities to keep you busy throughout your stay, indoors at the resort itself, and many outdoors, many in collaboration with Forest department. Their group of Naturalists are very knowledgeable and keep you engaged with information. They help you to get your bookings for the various activities with the Forest department as well. Maneesh, their head naturalist, is a young energetic guy who goes out of the way to ensure you get to do the activities that you want. He particularly helped us by arranging jungle trek and bamboo rafting for us. All the staff at the resort, right from their GM to the cleaning staff are all very very polite and courteous. You would find them ever smiling and greeting you and checking about your experience and well being during your stay. That makes the stay even more enjoyable and memorable. I hope that just one suggestion I had given to them would be adhered to by them about ensuring the breakfast/brunch is kept either in the rooms or at their restaurants for guests who choose to go for early morning activities because they do not have a system of sending packed breakfast with guests inside the jungle like most of the other game parks in India have. Rest everything during our stay was perfect and we would surely return some time in future. And yes.. thank you team Spice Village for making our Marriage Anniversary special by placing a greetings in our room and arranging for delicious cake by the restaurant staff.