The Road Less Travelled

Poovar Island Resort is located in the district of Trivandrum in Kerala , India.

Yet another summer weekend of the year 2006. We were both working in Techno Park Trivandrum. A trek and camp weekend trip was planned from the office to a nearby wild life sanctuary, Thenmala. However, this got cancelled at the last moment. We were disappointed and didn’t want to spend the weekend at home thinking about the missed camping trip. So we decided to go elsewhere, precisely anywhere..to spend the weekend.

It was such short notice to find a new place. So we settled down on Poovar Island Resort, a place that i had visited a few years back, as a software engineer trainee, with fellow trainees.  I had only vague memories about the place, as a trip with friends usually meant loud music and dance during travel, splashing in the pool and swimming in the sea, with very less time to savour and imbibe the surroundings at a digestible pace. Moreover, it was a day trip, spending only a couple of hours at the resort. So we decided to reinvent Poovar once again !

It was one of those trips with Cherry (our Black Labrador) in tow. She was as excited about the trip as we were and ran about the house, fetching her favourite toys to be packed . Maybe she had secretly hoped that our camping trip gets cancelled so that she won’t be left behind . {We had not got permission from the forest officials to take her inside the wildlife sanctuary for fear of attack by wild animals.}
 

Poovar Island Resort gets it name from the place Poovar where it is located. To reach Poovar, you have to take the Kovalam Bypass Road, pass Kovalam on the way and move further on, to reach Vizhinjam, a famous sea port in Kerala. Take a left turn and proceed down the road to Poovar. You will pass Azhimala, a profoundly scenic spot, on the way.

Since I had only faint recollections of my previous trip, we relied on sign boards and abiding villagers to find the resort. The sign boards led us to a manicured parking lot and ferry owned by the resort. The road trip ends here. Yes you heard me right! There are no roads leading to the resort !

The greatest charm of the resort is that it is accessible only through water. We parked the car and the security personnel available at the ferry arranged for a boat to take us to the resort. He was a bit apprehensive about Cherry taking the ride in the boat. To be frank we were too . Even though she had accompanied us on umpteen road trips, a water ride was for the very first time! But she was quite cool and sat down quite proudly as though she had seen it all before! Only her immensely sparkling eyes gave away the depths of her excitement.

An enchanting boat ride through the placid river lined by coconut palms brought us to the resort’s main grounds. It is a beautiful green oasis fringed with water. The azure ocean, the blue lagoon, the jade like river and the crimson sky compete in offering a visual treat.  We hopped out in excitement and anticipation which accompanies every trip.

A quaint cottage with mud plastered walls and baked earthen tile flooring awaited us. It had a huge balcony(sit out) with cosy cane furniture where you could lounge, taking in the exhilarating scenery. You could curl up with a book or day dream in the hammocks so thoughtfully provided in the balcony. A few hammocks are even tied on the coconut trees in the green lawns. The cottage had all basic amenities including the TV and a well stocked refrigerator.{The items that you consume from the refrigerator are fully chargeable and not complimentary}

We had made sure that Cherry was welcome at the resort before hand. This was indeed a pleasant surprise as 95% of the holiday resorts and hotels in Kerala do not accept pets as guests. The resort management was broad minded enough to let Cherry use and sleep in the same cottage as we were put up in.

The main restaurant is housed as a separate building near the large swimming pool. A swim-in deck for having food is also arranged in the middle of the pool.

 Another attraction is the floating honeymoon cottages. Yes it indeed does float on the calm waters of the lagoon bordering the resort grounds and offers excellent views of the turquoise waters and seamless skies beyond.

An evening at the resort is incomplete without watching the sunset at the beach. The only catch is that you have to cross the lagoon first. The resort does arrange boat rides through the lagoon to reach the sandy shore on the other side. The beach shore line is not as shallow as the beaches of kovalam. But it is a charming beach and there is very less crowd. We found that the resort swimming pool was much more crowded than the serene beach. What a paradox! Cherry tried to make friends with the other guests at the beach and won quite a few fans. She ran about digging deep pits and trying to catch crabs in the silver sand, the jovial buffoon that she always was!

Dusk at the resort is an unforgettable riot of colors. Garden lamps and cobbled pathways are well provided and a walk though the grounds at night is mesmerizing with the music of the lapping waves blending with the stillness of the lagoon.

Poovar Island Resort is an ideal getaway for Honeymooners, Families with small kids and elderly and those Corporate couch potatoes who wouldn’t flex a muscle unnecessarily. About us, yeah, predictable perfection can sometimes be boring ! We still missed the thrills and thorns of the wild trek and camp trip

Note:

>> The official website of the resort is

http://www.poovarislandresort.com/front/index.php

>> Since this trip was before we gifted ourselves our cherished Sony DSC - H2 Digital camera, i have relied on the Internet for most of the pictures.