Spice Village Thekkady - a CGH Earth Experience

What a nice relaxing and beautiful hotel. The food and service was amazing! The authentic rooms are charming and comfortable. The staff that works at the resort really can’t be beat. Asley is one of the naturalists at the resort. He pointed out many different bird species, plants, monkeys and this cute little guy. A special shout out to Ranju who helped make my experience even more special. She made sure every detail during my stay was taken care of at the resort. This is a great resort conveniently located to all of the popular sites but once you enter the hotel you immediately feel very relaxed. There are lots of activities at the hotel. I even made my own paper

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 a wonderful stay at this hotel, which was our favourite place on our tour of Kerala. Everything was perfect – from the warm and efficient welcome on arrival, the beautiful accommodation, the inclusion of fresh coffee and a plunger in the room (such a bonus!), the clean and refreshing swimming pool, and the beautiful food – I highly recommend the chilli fish entree! The grounds were kept immaculate and there were lots of extra activities, such as cooking classes, etc, run by the hotel. The staff went over and above for my husband’s 50th birthday, making him a lovely chocolate cake that was divine, and really making it a birthday to remember. Thank you everybody for a wonderful stay.

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.