The Postcard Hotel, Kochi
Passion Fruit
Expert First-hand Knowledge
We are part of an established UK-Kerala travel and hotel group that has so far sent over 30,500 highly satisfied visitors to South Asia since our launch in 2003.
It would be safe to say that we know Kerala like the proverbial ‘back of our hand’.
All Of Our Information Is First-Hand
We can give you a guarantee that we have either visited or stayed at all of our featured hotels and have experienced all of our excursions and activities for ourselves.
We are a team of luxury travel designers that offer bespoke holiday ideas and itineraries in Kerala. We offer specialized, highly immersive experiences for our clients.
We can work to your stated budget but tend to operate luxury holidays at 4 / 5 star, luxury and deluxe levels. We like to steer clear of budget packages, although we may be tempted by unique off the grid enquiries that require basic accommodation.
We can design travel programs for independent travellers as well as small and large groups that wish to travel together.
Theyyam Dance
Many of our excursions and experiences are curated by highly knowledgeable local specialists. Our company goes the extra mile to provide our clients with highly personalized local guides at locations such as Fort Cochin.
Visits to National Parks and wildlife reserves always include fluent English-speaking professional naturalists since local park guides have little command of English.
It would be fair to say that this adds to the cost of your package, but our feedback suggests that interaction with local specialists is a winning formula that brings highly immersive experiences that are fully appreciated by our clientele.
Our itineraries also usually feature pre-arranged culinary experiences along the way. These include an opportunity to sample the incredible array of cuisines that are to be found in Kerala.
Indian Gaur
We are a unique tour operator that works on the basis of complete flexibility. We break-down the ‘package’ in to its components. You are free to book any component individually.
However if you are satisfied with our quote and itinerary, you can book your whole package inclusive of a seamless holiday experience without the headaches.
You can book your transfers separately using local Taxi services or Self-drive and only use our company to book your hotels and local activities.
You can even arrange to pay for your excursions, activities and entry-fees separately on arrival to give you complete flexibility.
Finally, you can even book your travel arrangements independently while still taking advantage of our Travel Concierge service offering you our 24/7 pre-tour, on-tour and post-tour support and advice just like any other of our valued clients.
Onam Festivities
Your allocated Tour Coordinator will be in contact with you from the time that you touch down at Cochin Airport and pretty much every day of your tour to give you advice, iron out any problems and organize your day’s activities with your chauffeur-guide. We will be in touch up until your plane’s departure and beyond, if necessary.
Help is available by mobile phone throughout the day and into the evening, as well as a Night Desk Service for emergencies at our Trivandrum Office.
Since tourism infrastructure is at the formative stages in Kerala it is normal to expect a few logistical problems along the way. These may involve issues such as closure of attractions with no notification, delays caused by inclement weather and strike action – which is very common in Kerala!
With our immense experience, alternatives and even last-minute rescheduling is always possible to get the best out of your Kerala holiday.
Unlike other parts of India, Keralites value their personal freedoms and are very proud of the fact that they are the most educated and literate in India. Due to a very long history of cultural interaction brought about by the spice trade and early European colonialism, Keralites have always been able to look outwards and indeed, many millions have recently found employment in the Middle East. Kerala is therefore much more cosmopolitan than other Indian states.
English is spoken widely in Kerala and even in rural areas people will often communicate with at least a splattering of English.
Do remember that public displays of affection may cause embarrassment. Women are advised to keep their legs covered in public places, as it can create uncomfortable situations. Indian men are not used to seeing women’s legs, they see midriffs a lot, but if a woman exposes a lot of leg in a rural town, she might get a lot more attention than she was expecting.
On houseboats remember that you are going through villages which have different cultures and you are still visible from the shore, and it is advised to still dress conservatively, don’t show overt intimacy as it causes offence, keep the noise down and generally be respectful of the communities you pass through.
Rambuttan Fruit
In Kerala, apart from three temples, it comes as a shock to many tourists that non-Hindus are not allowed inside temples. It is strictly enforced. Those whose tours include temples in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are much more laid back about it, even in major pilgrimage centers such as Madurai. Photography is nearly always strictly prohibited in temples. Dress code is conservative, and dresses should cover the legs. These are often available for hire. Always remove your shoes outside the temple.
With its multicultural demographic, other spiritual traditions include mosques that don’t allow women inside and if they do, they must wear a dress that covers the whole body and cover their head. Again, no photography either. And in Kerala, in Christian churches, men sit on the left and women on the right. During mass, women are expected to cover their heads. The synagogue at Kochi is not open to non-Jews on Saturdays and on other days, dress code is again to cover up as much as possible.
Ice Cream Van At Kannur Beach
Elephant Rides are popular, especially around Thekkady and Periyar National Park. The revenues generated from such activities at Periyar ensures the survival of the remaining tigers and to risk withdrawing the funding gained through elephant rides from the park would risk an instant increase in poaching. While not promoting Elephant Rides in our itineraries we support the humane treatment of working elephants including limits on the time elephants can work, a reduced number of passengers and restrictions on the way the prodding hooks are used by mahouts.
Many temples in Kerala have captive elephants, as they are believed to bring good fortune. On a negative side, they are usually kept on short chains to limit their movements. They also perform in processions and ceremonies, which can be stressful and physically harmful. This has however to be balanced with rites and rituals that date back thousands of years. Kerala In Luxury supports and encourages the ethical treatment of domesticated elephants.
Monsoon Kids
The biggest issue is Kerala tourism is the pollution derived from Rice Boat operations. Houseboats started to increase from just a handful in the 1980s to over 1000 at present and each houseboat can produce up to 1,000 liters of waste a day. Extreme river pollution has been caused by houseboat tourism, such as kerosene leakages and discarding of waste directly in to the canals.
A reported 70% of households along the Alleppey backwaters are involved in providing tourist services in one form or another. Additionally, over 1.5 million residents depend on Vembanad Lake for their livelihoods, and the ecological decline is a cause of great concern. Fisherfolks experience the most effects as several fish species have declined in large numbers or disappeared entirely.
Kerala In Luxury only uses premier Rice Boat operators that have clear policies for the responsible disposal of waste along the backwaters.
We Would Love To Hear From You.
Riyaz is our Senior Tour Consultant who travels frequently to Kerala and can give you first-hand information on all of our featured hotels and experiences.
Ronnie is our Sales Director who has travelled the whole length and breadth of Kerala several times.
Babu is our Operations Director at our Trivandrum Office. He is of the most respected hospitality professionals in Kerala.
Shaji is our Ground Handling Executive who is based at our Trivandrum Office and is on call 24 hours a day to look after our guests while they are in Kerala.
Our Company has so far hosted in excess of 35 000 visitors to South Asia!
Established Since 2003
Rice Boat On The Northern Backwaters
We Would Love To Hear From You.
