Luxury By The Sea

Kovalam, with its translucent blue waters, is as exotic as exotic can get in India. Vyas Sivanand checks out Le Meridien Kovalam Beach Resort, the latest resort in leisure land

If Jaffna, Colombo, Maldives figured in your travel itinerary, you surely missed looking homewards. Forget Sri Lanka, forget Maldives, one sight of Kovalam in Kerala will sign an ethereal kind of beauty in you. Though famed to have a hippie culture of its own, Kovalam has now gone in for a more elite standard and Le Meridien Kovalam Beach Resort signals the start.

A slick lobby welcomes you to the resort and you just cannot ignore the excellent use of wood right from the beginning. The Cottages or the 'Chalets' are neatly lined up. The immaculately maintained lush green lawns with an ample sprinkling of coconut trees leads to an exquisite chalet. Wood again finds good use. Capacious and well ventilated, the chalets automatically give the feeling of openness. There is no space for mediocrity. Traditional Kerala meets the contemporary here. The typical Kerala doors, cane chairs of yesteryears, mirror frames, teak wood furniture all combine to give a versatile traditional but opulent feel.

There are 36 Chalets in all at present with six more on the cards, to give Le Meridien Kovalam Beach Resort a touch of singleness in this land. The beach is right in your lap and as a guest you are pampered boundlessly.

Green Leaf, the multi-cuisine restaurant is known for its continental cuisine apart from Indian delicacies, primarily Keralean.

A bit off the beaten track is Baywatch, another multi-cuisine restaurant, which specialises in Seafood. Aptly named, the restaurant is right in front of the beach. Deck beds or beach beds decorate the beach line and Bikini is not a word that is scoffed off, as the sun is aplenty.

The entire hotel is spread over 65 acres and has four blocks in all. Grove chalets apart, the hotel has a sea view section, a beach view section and a castle. The property, which is managed by Le Meridien, is presently undergoing massive renovation to meet Le Meridien standards. All-inclusive the entire property has about 195 rooms, which will be commissioned by October this year.

Le Meridien Kovalam Beach Resort
Kovalam, Trivandrum 695 527
Kerala
Tel: 0471 2480101
Fax: 0471 2481522
Email: lemeridien@lemeridienkovalam.com
Website: www.lemeridien.com
Tariff: $250 for Grove Chalet