Kerela Tour With Arun
We booked the tour with the excellent Pam. She was responsive and helpful. The tour was good value compared to others we were looking for and gave us more than just Kerala - we started in Bangalore and worked our way down. Our driver was Arun and all along he was helpful, informative and punctual. Arun was lovely and engaging. Driving was a high standard and we never felt unsafe - and we did see some bad driving by others. Car was clean and water provided every day. We went in early October and some of the hotels were quiet as we were a little off season. One hotel had more staff than guests. Food was varied in the hotels and offered a range of lovely Indian food and western options for the less brave. Often options were made fresh to your order - the fresh breakfast dosas were great. Itinerary was good and had a range of scenery, nature and history along the route. The nature of the trip meant there was some long drives - we had ample rest stops when needed and knowing you have long drives - take music or books. The house boat was a little run down but it’s a local experience and that’s what you get. That said - It was clean and staff were friendly and preparing tasty food in a small space. Loved chugging around the waters. The last hotel was the Isola Di Cocco Ayurvedic Beach Resort. It had some of the best food of our trip and the staff were in hand to explain the Indian food and how it was cooked. The hotel was more isolated than we thought and is definitely meant for those seeking downtime and relaxation. The rooms were lovely and I loved the outdoor bathroom! We had bad weather there which limited our options (nothing the company can do - just bad luck) and the beach (which you had to take a boat to) was poor - camel and horse rides, littered and no swimming possible. The hotel had a fabulous pool though and the spa sessions were good. All in all - very happy with the tour and Arun made sure we had everything we needed at all times.