The Rooms

Community Greenpalm Homes

When we arrived at the homestay we were expecting a very basic home without any creature comforts. In fact Thomas has strived to make the homestay as comfortable as possible for his guests. His sister’s home is the main house that the guests stay in, which is next door to the family house.

The guest house is large and recently built. Although the guest rooms aren’t luxurious, they are very comfortable with a choice of fan or air conditioning, and attached modern bathrooms. Guests eat together in the large kitchen and are free to relax in the living room or on the verandah.

Sometimes if the main homestay is booked up Thomas will arrange for you to stay with another family in the village. This may be less comfortable, but possibly even more authentic.

Getting There
The most interesting way to reach Community Greenpalm Homes is by local ferry. You can take this small, rather noisy boat from Alleppey for a chance to travel with the locals and see the great backwater views. Chennamkary is only 10km away but it takes just over an hour to reach the homestay. Thomas will give you detailed instructions on where to get off when you book. It’s a short walk to the homestay from the small jetty.

If you don’t fancy the ferry then you can take a bus or taxi from Alleppey then a short canoe ride across the river. When we left the homestay we picked up a bus to Kumily (with a change in Kuttayam), which meant we didn’t have to backtrack to Alleppey.

How Long to Stay
I recommend staying for a minimum of three nights to get a real feel for the place and to have the chance to take part in a range of activities. We planned on staying for two nights but kept extending our stay and eventually left after five. We would have loved to stay longer – a week would be perfect if you really need some relaxation time. Be warned that most people stay longer than planned!

Costs
Rooms cost from 1,750 INR – 2,500 INR for a fan room (approx UK£22-32 or US$37-53), and 2,750 INR– 3,250 INR (UK£35-42 or US$58-70) for a room with a/c. This is for a double room on full board with three meals a day included.

Guided activities cost from 100 INR – 300 INR  per person (UK£1.28-3.85 or US$2-6).

How to book
It is necessary to book in advance, although we only called a few days before we wanted to stay. You can contact Thomas by emailing community.greenpalms@gmail.com or greenpalmhome@gmail.com or by calling +91 949 5557675 or +91 477 2724497. You can also visit their new website.

Further Reading
If you would like to read more reviews of Community Greenpalm Homes then you could have a look at these travel blogs:

Jason was staying at the homestay at the same time as us. He writes beautifully about his experiences there on his TravBuddy Blog.

Qui001 writes about their stay at Greenpalm Homes in March 2009 on their World Nomads Blog.Have you stayed at this homestay? Or do you have another favourite? Leave a comment and tell us about your experiences.

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Kerala Paddy Fields near Greenpalm Homes

Community Greenpalm Homes is a wonderful Kerala homestay located on the peaceful backwater island of Chennamkary, near Alleppey. In Part 1 of my review I gave the reasons why this is my favourite homestay in India, including the beautiful, peaceful location, the fantastic host Thomas, the chance to meet local people, the range of activities on offer, the chance to relax, and the amazing home-cooked food.

During our stay at the homestay we had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities, and still have plenty of time to relax and soak up the atmosphere. In Part 2 of the Community Greenpalm Homes review I’ll be talking more about the wonderful activities on offer.

Walks

Following Thomas along the Kerala backwater canal paths

We took many walks around the village accompanied by Thomas and they were always a fascinating insight into village life.

The backwaters are flat so the walking is easy, and Thomas usually took us out in the early morning or evening to avoid the heat. Walks ranged from 1-3 hours, but Thomas is really flexible depending on your needs and interests.

On each walk we always saw something new and interesting – bright pink hibiscus bushes; purple banana flowers; the rare Asian Paradise Flycatcher bird; paper stars outside homes lit up for Christmas (even by Hindu families); wooden canoes overflowing with coconuts; women in colourful saris irrigating the rice paddy fields or washing clothes in the river.

Local man in Kerala backwaters

It was always a pleasure to walk along the dirt paths under the green palms, next to narrow canals and rivers, and through the paddy fields.

A highlight was the local people we met along the way. Thomas knows everyone in the village, so walks were a leisurely affair punctuated with chats with elderly men in lungis (sarongs) or giggling, smiling children.  Frequent stops were made at chai shacks for spicy sweet tea at bargain prices.

Bike rides
Our bike trip was another highlight and a great way to explore. By bike you can reach further afield to areas that rarely see tourists, and are very friendly when they do. The old Indian bikes aren’t the easiest to pedal on, but it’s definitely worth the effort, and at least there are no hills. You do have to carry them across the bridges though!

Canoe trips

Kerala backwaters canoe

Our most magical experience at Greenpalm Homes was the canoe trip we took with Thomas, Jason (another guest at the homestay) and Thomas’s two Keralan friends celebrating their second anniversary.  We set out at sunset gliding peacefully through the backwaters before making our way to the local toddy shop.

This insalubrious-looking building is more like a prison with separate cubicles, bars on the windows and painted brick walls. We had a wonderful time though, sampling the local brew toddy, made from fermented coconut flower sap. The murky drink smells awful, but doesn’t taste too bad, especially when accompanied by the bar snack of choice- chilli omelette.

The local toddy shop

The night just got better as we made our way back to the homestay under a star lit sky accompanied by the beautiful voices of Thomas and our two oarsmen singing traditional folk songs. A perfect end to an amazing evening.

Other activities
Other activities on offer include motorboat trips, or visits to local Christian Churches (Thomas’s family is Syrian Christian). Thomas is very accommodating and will help you make the most of your visit, whatever your interests.

In the next Kerala India Travel post the final part of my favourite Kerala homestay review  focuses on the practical details of costs and how to get there. In the meantime, if you’d like to book a stay you can email Thomas at community.greenpalms@gmail.com or greenpalmhome@gmail.com.

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Our best experiences in Kerala (and in India) were had when staying in homestays. Our favourite place of all is Community Greenpalm Homes (aka Thomas’s Homestay), located on a backwater island only 10km from Alleppey, but it feels a world away. I haven’t heard a bad word said by anyone who has stayed here. Everyone comes away enchanted by Thomas and his friendly family, fantastic food, great range of backwater activities, and the unique insight into Keralan culture.

Over the next few articles (yes, this will take a while!) I’ll be giving the reasons why I highly recommend a stay at this magical place.

1) Beautiful, peaceful location

The Kerala Backwaters

Community Greenpalm Homes is located on Chennamkary, an island in the Keralan backwaters 10km from Alleppey. It’s a gorgeous, lush place of green palms, tropical fruit trees, glistening rice paddy fields, rivers and canals. There are no cars or even roads, and you feel blissfully far from everything. It’s wonderfully peaceful, and very easy to fall into the slow pace of life. This place is the ultimate balm for road (and India) weary travellers.

2) Fantastic Host
What really makes Greenpalm Homes stand out is the erudite, gentle host Thomas, and his welcoming family. Thomas is an incredibly knowledgeable guy who is the perfect guide to the backwaters. He is very well respected, knows everyone in the village, and knows a lot about the history and culture of the area.

3) Chance to meet local people
As well as meeting Thomas and his family, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet the local villagers. Thomas will take you out on leisurely trips around the village, stopping to chat with people along the way or have a cup of chai at the open air tea shop/shacks. People are very friendly, and the further into the backwaters you get, the less they are accustomed to seeing foreigners.

4) Range of activities
You could easily do nothing at the homestay but chill out (see point 4 below), but there are plenty of interesting activities on offer, and I would really recommend you do as many as possible. Thomas will take you out on a variety of trips in the early morning or evening (to avoid the heat), and they are always interesting, and often tailored to your interests.

Our favourite activities were a range of walks around the village, the longer bike ride to a neighbouring village, and the sunset canoe ride to the local toddy shop. Motor boat rides are also available to explore further afield, and you can visit one of the many Christian churches on Sundays . Read more about our favourite activities in Part 2.

Locals in the Backwaters of Kerala

5) Ultimate Relaxation
There are lots of activities on offer at the homestay, but during the hot part of the day it is very easy to pass the time just lazing on the verandah or under a palm tree gazing at the river, or chatting to the family or other travellers. This is in fact part of the attraction of the place – it’s the ultimate in relaxation.

You definitely need a few days to slow down to the pace of life here, but once you do it is very hard to leave (warning: we extended our stay three times!). We felt completely at peace here.

6) Amazing home-cooked food
Mmmm! The food is a definite highlight at Greenpalm Homes. Thomas’s mother and wife cook wonderful fresh Keralan food three times a day that is served at a large communal table with other travellers, and sometimes Thomas. The rice is from their own paddy fields, and the vegetables are home-grown.

Breakfast is particularly interesting for those of us only used to toast and cereal. Highlights included puttu (steamed rice cakes) with curry, neyyappam (rice pancake filled with coconut and jaggery and cooked in banana leaf), and fried banana.

Lunch is the main meal and will involve a huge range of vegetable and curry dishes, rice, chutneys and popadoms. It’s great for vegetarians, although fish and meat is available. The portions are huge and you are always encouraged to keep eating! Dinners are similar but lighter.

Meals are long, relaxing and sociable – it’s a great way to meet other travellers.

In Part 2 of the Community Greenpalm Homes Review I focus on our favourite activities, while Part 3 looks at the practicalities.

In the meantime, if you’d like to book a stay you can email Thomas at community.greenpalms@gmail.com or greenpalmhome@gmail.com or visit their website.

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Many people visit Kerala on short trips of around 1 week. Luckily, as Kerala is a compact state it is possible to see some of the highlights in this timeframe, especially if you hire a car and driver. I would recommend focusing on the Kerala backwaters. They are unique to Kerala, and one of the most beautiful, relaxing parts of India.

Here are some suggestions for 1 week itineraries in Kerala:

Backwaters Experience

Cochin-Alleppey-Houseboat-Homestay-Cochin
The Backwaters Experience focuses on my favourite part of the state- the beautiful backwaters. A full day’s sightseeing in Fort Cochin is enough to take in the Chinese Fishing Nets, art galleries, colonial architecture and an evening Kathkali performance, and then it’s time to head out of the city.

Spend the rest of your week sampling the full range of backwaters experiences, using Alleppey as your base for an overnight houseboat trip, canoe ride and local homestay.

Kathkali Performance in Cochin

Backwaters & Beach

Cochin-Alleppey-Marari Beach-Cochin
The Backwaters & Beach route is similar to the above Backwaters Experience, but includes a day or two at the beach. You’ll still have time for a houseboat trip and homestay, but the trip will be more rushed.

Unspoilt Marari Beach is the ideal beach to include on this itinerary as it is located only a short taxi ride from Alleppey, and an hour’s drive to Cochin airport for your departure.

Backwaters & Hills

Cochin-Munnar-Alleppey-Cochin
I wouldn’t recommend the Backwaters & Hills itinerary in a week for travellers using public transport. It can take 6-7 hours on the bus from Cochin-Munnar, and the same back down to Alleppey. However with a car and driver the trip can be done in much less time.

You’ll be able to enjoy the highlights of Fort Cochin, before wandering in luscious tea plantations in the cool mountain air of Munnar, then head back down to Alleppey to explore the backwaters.

If you are more interested in wildlife than tea and pretty mountain views, then you could substitute Periyar Wildlife Sanctaury for Munnar, for the chance to see elephants and monkeys. Visiting both would be too rushed in just a week though.

Kerala Backwaters

Keralan Coast

Cochin-Alleppey-houseboat to Kollam-Varkala-Trivandrum
If you are arriving in Cochin or Trivandrum and leaving from the other, the Keralan Coast itinerary is the best use of time to combine backwaters and beaches. It starts by following the same route as the above Backwaters Experience but you’ll take an overnight houseboat from Alleppey-Kollam, saving you time and exploring some of the quieter backwaters.

From Kollam you can head straight for Varkala, or spend half a day on the fantastic village canoe trip run by the DTPC Tourist Office. The lively beach scene and clifftop views of Varkala beach are only 30 minutes away, and it’s another short hop from here to Trivandrum. On a short trip there are better places to spend your time than Trivandrum, so arrive here just in time for your departure.

Hopefully these suggested itineraries will give you some ideas of places to visit in Kerala on a 1 week visit. If you have less than a week I would recommend focusing on just one of the locations detailed above – preferably the backwaters.

For more information about the destinations covered above read our Backwaters, Beaches, Canoe Trip, Houseboats, Homestay and Top 10 Places to Visit articles.

In future Kerala India Travel posts we will cover suggested Kerala itineraries for longer trips.

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A canoe in the Kerala backwaters

Travelling the Keralan backwaters by canoe is a fantastic way to explore. It’s cheap, easy to arrange, and you can see the village life and wildlife of the backwaters up close. We featured a canoe trip as one of our favourite ways to experience the backwaters in the last Kerala India Travel blog post. Here’s some more information on our backwaters canoe adventure.

We arranged our first canoe trip from Kollam (Quilon), a typical small market town in southern Kerala. We were here to arrange our houseboat trip to Alleppey, but while we were waiting we decided to visit Munroe Island by canoe. The trip was easily arranged at the DTPC tourist information centre by the jetty and bus station next to Ashtamudi Lake. The half day tour costs 300 rupees per person (US$6), and is well worth it. Children under 12 even ride for free.

The day began with an hour’s rickshaw journey by road (included in the price) through the rural landscapes on the outskirts of Kollam, to a backwaters village where we met our boat. The traditional wooden canoe could seat up to 20 people but luckily we had it to ourselves, along with a boatman and our guide Suji. We began meandering slowly through the network of tiny canals and rivers, our canoe gently propelled by punting with a long bamboo pole. It was very peaceful and relaxing, amongst the green coconut palms, blue kingfishers and still waters.

One of the most interesting parts of the canoe trip is getting to see village life up close and learn more about life here. We saw how people make a living by numerous means: collecting sand by hand from the river bottom to be used for making cement; fishing from canoes; prawn farming; and keeping cows and goats. We got so close that a goat even jumped into our boat at one point!

It was fascinating to see aspects of village life that have remained unchanged for centuries. Boats (including the canoe we travelled in) are made using sustainable and local materials -  wood from a jack fruit tree, woven together with coir (a coarse fibre found on the outside of a coconut shell) and sealed with fish oil. The boats last for up to 65 years, with a yearly application of fish oil.

We took a break from the canoe at one point, to explore the village on foot. Here we saw (and tasted) the locally grown spices – vanilla, tumeric, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper, grown in gardens alongside pineapples, bananas and more. It was a fascinating experience, and far less commercial than a visit to a spice farm.

A canoe trip through the backwaters is definitely recommended as an affordable and fascinating way to explore this wonderful part of Kerala. In later Kerala India Travel blog posts we’ll be telling you all about our houseboat trip, and another magical canoe trip at our backwaters homestay. Sign up to our RSS Feed so that you don’t miss out.

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Canoe Trip

There are plenty of locals willing to take you out in a traditional dugout canoe propelled by a bamboo pole, and this is a great way to explore the smaller waterways. Many trips give you the opportunity to visit villages along the way and learn more about traditional life here. You can even hire a canoe from many guesthouses and resorts to explore on your own. Recommended for everyone – a range of trips are available to suit all budgets and timescales.

Kerala Houseboats

One of the most popular ways of exploring the backwaters is in a houseboat designed like a kettuvallam (rice barge), typically on an overnight trip from Alleppey. All worries disappear as you watch the world go by from the luxurious comfort of your own private floating home. Recommended for honeymooners, travellers with limited time, and those wanting to experience the backwaters in comfort.

Homestay

There are plenty of opportunities to stay with Keralan families and really experience backwater life and culture. Nothing beats some of the finest home-cooked food in India and the chance to meet the locals. We’ll be revealing our best-loved homestays (and our favourite place in the world!) in later posts. Recommended for sociable travellers with more time who want the full backwaters experience. Budget and more comfortable options are available.

Lake Resort

There are many luxurious backwater resorts offering comfortable, private accommodation in tranquil locations. They offer a wide range of facilities and activities including air conditioning, swimming pools, boat trips, Ayurvedic treatments and yoga classes. Recommended for honeymooners, and those wanting to experience the backwaters in comfort.

Local Ferry

Travelling through the backwaters by local public ferry is a cheap and untouristy way to explore. You’ll witness many of the same sights as on a houseboat and have the opportunity to meet the locals. Some boats can be noisy, crowded and uncomfortable, but they are fine for shorter journeys. We travelled by local ferry to our backwater homestay. Recommended for adventurous travellers and those on a budget.

Tourist Day Cruise

The most popular backwater cruise is the eight hour trip from Kollam to Allappuzha or reverse. These are set up specifically for tourists and include stops for lunch, chai, a temple visit and a kathakali demonstration. Visitors can also be dropped off at the Matha Amrithanandamayi Mission to visit one of India’s only female gurus, known as Hugging Mother. You can stay at the ashram and pick up an onward or return cruise a day or two later. Recommended for travellers on a budget, and those who want to travel between Kollam and Allappuzha.

At Kerala India Travel we recommend combining as many of these as possible, to get a fuller experience of the backwaters. In particular, a homestay, houseboat and canoe trip should not be missed (you can read more about these in later posts). We really recommend that you allow plenty of time for the backwaters. Do this place justice by taking the time to soak up the luxuriously slow pace of life, and really get to know the people and culture. If you are anything like us, you’ll never want to leave.

If you enjoyed this post sign up to the Kerala India Travel RSS feed to receive new articles direct to your reader.

Have you travelled in the Kerala backwaters? Leave a comment and let us know what your favourite way to explore is.

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The Keralan Backwaters are a vast interconnecting system of rivers, canals, lagoons and lakes, lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast, and forming more than 900km of navigable waterways. They connect tiny villages and farms on islands with the mainland, and are used by the locals as aquatic highways.

They are a wonderful way for visitors to travel too – it’s an incredibly relaxing experience to float along the rivers lined with swaying palm and coconut trees, watching village life go by. This lush green world is instantly enchanting, and a great respite from the dust and hassle of other parts of India- we didn’t want to leave.

The Kerala backwaters have a unique ecosystem, as freshwater from the rivers meets seawater from the Arabian Sea, and there is a vast array of aquatic and birdlife. On our houseboat trip we were amazed at the number of eagles and kingfishers we spotted along the way – they were commonplace. On canoe trips we even witnessed water snakes gliding by, and got to see the beautiful water lillies and lotuses up close.

One of the best aspects of travel through the backwaters is being able to witness Keralan village life without feeling intrusive. Whether you take a local ferry, hire a canoe or rent a houseboat, you’ll discover a colourful lifestyle hidden from the roads. Life is focused around the rivers and you’ll see women in bright saris washing clothes; grinning children waving hello; fishermen in lunghis raising Chinese fishing nets; canoes overflowing with freshly picked coconuts; and toddy-tappers implausibly high in the coconut palms collecting sap for the local brew.

Another highlight of the backwaters (and a reason to visit India during the monsoon) is Alleppey’s Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race which takes place each year on the second Saturday in August. Thousands of locals and tourists line the river banks to see the huge chundan vallams or snake boats race through the waters powered by up to 100 oarsmen, shaded by colourful silk umbrellas.

The backwaters are commonly reached from the towns of Alappuzha (also known as Alleppey), Kollam (Quilon), or Kottayam. Much less explored are the backwaters reached from Kozhikode (Calicut) in Northern Kerala – we’ll be talking more about discovering this little-visited part of Kerala in a later blog post.

So, you’re convinced – the Kerala backwaters sound amazing, but how do you go about exploring them? In the next Kerala India Travel blog post we reveal our recommended ways to experience the backwaters. Don’t miss out on future posts by signing up to the Kerala India Travel RSS Feed to receive new articles direct to your reader.

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