We dropped one member off at the airport, had buffet lunch at the Regency Hotel which had good bathrooms ( one of our criteria for choosing restaurants) and then continued on our way to the Munnar Hill Region.

Later in the day the drive got quite beautiful as the altitude increased.Although the bus is not as smooth as a smaller vehicle it was so wonderful having huge windows all around.Krish,our driver, stopped in places to show us the cardoman plants with the pods near the roots as well as our first sightings of the tea plantations and pepper vines.
After a long day of driving the Panoramic Getaway Hotel was such a treat.It was a beautiful new hotel much nicer than in the pictures. Best of all it had 2 gorgeous outdoor HEATED pools, an adult and a family one. We arrived at sunset with a gorgeous sky that evening.

Sunset from Panoramic Getaway Hotel


First view of tea plantation with Malabar pepper vines on trees


Wall at entrance of Panoramic Getaway

Absolutely beautiful, jft! What great views those are!

yes beautiful. is this the one:

The Panoramic Getaway

Yes. We also stayed one night at Chandy’s Windy Woods( long story why two hotels) which had its pluses- cooking demo, tour of tea fields, great food I think the Panoramic Getaway is a much more luxurious property and it was a bit of a come down to change.

Jft, can you clarify? Which was the "comedown"? Was it because you preferred the "more luxurious" hotel? Which had the better surrounding scenery of hillside /mountains/tea plantations?
Beautiful photos! The Getaway is right next to a very popular homestay called Royal Mist and now, seeing your pix from Getaway,I see why people love its views. Are those scenes omnipresent in Munnar region?
Looking forward to the remainder of your report and photos!

Both hotels had nice views however the views directly from the rooms at Panoramic Getaway are better as the Chandy's Winding Woods has a large patio which interferes with the view. They also have multiple elevators at Chandy's which is annoying.
It is cooler in the Munnar hills so if you like to swim the Panoramic with its heated pool lit up at night the stars in the sky is very relaxing. They also had the living wall of plants at Panoramic and overall the property is stunning.
The Chandy's pool was not inviting at all and looked neglected. I think price wise they are similar however Indian Panoramic booked the first night and we booked the second on Agoda so it is hard to tell. Foodwise I thought Chandy's was better( really good) and the service in the dining room was excellent and I think spa treatments are cheaper ( Although I did not try them at either). Chandy's has a tea plantation right beside it. Chandy's has some nice activities ( cooking demo, walk on it's property in am and pm , sari demo). They also have this weird artificial forest that the guide takes you through on your 5pm walk. The crowd is a bit different two with more Indian guests at the Chandy's I would say. I am glad we experienced both but after the hectic drive from Chettinadu and on through Madurai, the Panoramic hit the spot. I don't usually care about luxury.

Late morning from Chandy's , my husband and I set out with the driver to a recommended hike however supposedly you need a jeep to get to it and I had neglected to get very specific directions. The driver pulled into the tourist office in what I think was Munnar and the office gave us directions to follow this river walk instead. Well somehow we got ourselves lost and couldn't find the bridge to take to meet the driver. Finally we flagged down a tuk tuk and asked him to drive us to the main road. We were way off track walking in the wrong direction and were extremely happy to see our driver on the other side of this bridge.
At 5pm we took the walk on the property of Chandy's and at 6 enjoyed a cooking demo on the patio. There was a large bus group from Germany staying at the hotel. Later there was a Sari demo which only my friend and I attended. The lovely staff put one on me and that convinced me that the pinning and folding would be too complicated for me so no sari shopping this India trip! Dinner was a buffet- we usually prefer not to have buffets but in some remote places sometimes you don't have a choice. It was quite extensive and delicious though.

Next morning we left for Cochin. The drive was still very pretty in the hill region but not as dramatic as the one from Madurai direction.

River walk


view from patio of Chandy's Winding Woods

JFT, thanks so much for details of what you did and did not like about the different Munnar-area hotels. Those types specifics really help (me, at least) deciding where to stay . In a place like Munnar there's so much choice of hotels, homestays, and small inns, it's hard to narrow it down.
Getting lost on the river walk must have been quite unnerving!!! Glad you emerged ok, and got a lovely photo --was this before or after knowing you were going in the wrong direction ?
Looking forward to your report on Ft. Cochin and the "Salmon" backwaters tour.

On the way to Cochin the driver asked us if we wanted to stop at a herb farm or ayurveda farm. We were interested and quite enjoyed it. The guide who was lovely explained and identified a lot of different trees and plants during our walk. Of course you could shop after at their store.

I should have taken notes!

The ride to Fort Cochin was windy and then very trafficky once you reached Ernakulam. We were happy to reach our hotel Xandari Harbour in Fort Kochi. It had a lovely pool overlooking the harbour which was a welcome reprieve after the busride and the heat. After checking in we took a walk to see the Synagogue and surrounding area before it closed. Cochin was a big merchant town in its day- I need to read up on its history and what still takes place.


Bazaar Road

one of the boats docked by our hotel

lovely pics of Cochin and description of your journey there. It's a place I'm really looking forward to seeing. funny about the herb farm - they, or spice gardens, seem to crop up on every asian tourist itinerary - I will be avoiding the next one as I've still got the spices I bought from the one in Sri Lanka about 5 years ago.

Love the photos, in particular the man in the doorway on Bazaar Road. His patient posture and clothing are so evocative of Kerala.
Looking forward to your description and photos of the backwaters tour !

Ditto to the above! I’m loving your report and photos! The photo of the man through the doorway is wonderful and I adore your lovely guide at the herb garden!

I’m curious what you thought of your hotel in Cochin and its location. Was it easy to explore the city from there?

For us the location of the hotel was good as we like to walk and walked everywhere. It is not the classiest of neighbourhoods but I had no problem with that.

I liked the hotel but there were things that could be better. The location of the restaurant on the water with the pool beside it and the restored structure were really nice. There is a grassy area there as well.

Our rooms were on the main floor each off a small courtyard. We did have a few mosquitos in the room and my husband got a few bites. We saw them light a fire at night I think for the mosquitos.
In restrospect we should have been diligent with mosquito repellent but this was the first place during our trip where we ran into an issue. The rooms were good size and modern but made of a lot of concrete material ( I can’t remember what the composition was). There are also no TVs in them but this was not a problem for me.
I also thought the service was lack lustre. The rooms were not cleaned until about 3pm and the restaurant staff seemed indifferent. This was out of character with the hospitality we experienced anywhere else on our trip.
The chairs in the restaurant were unsteady and should be replaced. We saw two people fall out of their chairs one being my friend. Once it was a faulty leg and another time it seemed to be one leg was on a slightly different level of concrete.
I will try to finish my report on Cochin later.

mmm, jft. You're not selling that hotel to me. looking forward to the rest of your report about Cochin.

We went for dinner one night to the History Room Restaurant in the Brunton Boatyard Hotel. We had a late lunch that day so had dessert only whereas my friends had dinner. The restaurant was stunning and had a small music ensemble of classical Indian music. Our desserts were good and my friends said their food was excellent.
The hotel also also have an outdoor patio fish restaurant where you pick your fish and they prepare it (reservations a must and I think it may be expensive).
The hotel looked lovely. I would consider staying there. It is a CGH Earth Hotel.i have no idea how much it costs though.
We passed the Koder House and wandered in. It was the home of a prominent Jewish family that was converted into a hotel. It looked nice. Arches Hotel which I don’t think has pool facilities and is more simple (some people on this forum have stayed there) looked clean and well situated.
I am sure there are other good hotels.
Most of our hotels in the south were chosen by Indian Panorama and prices were not itemized. I think their pricing was good as the overall package seemed reasonable. I was mostly happy with the choices but in future I would ask them for what options I had or ask them why they chose a particular hotel.
My friends had lunch one day at the Pepper House Cafe which they said was delicious.

Since we wanted to get a taste of backwaters without spending alot of time on a boat we had arranged for a half day boat trip with Peter the owner of Salmon Tours.
The location is a drive from Fort Cochin (going through the traffic of Ernakulam as you do approaching Fort Cochin from Munnar) and for a fee he could arrange transportation or you can have your driver pick Peter up on the way and he directs him to the location. We a
chose the second option which worked well. The cost is per person and can include tea and snacks or lunch or a breakfast.
It is a private tour for your group which could be very small or larger. We were 4. We chose a morning time with tea and snacks. The website says 8 am start however if there is only one tour booked that day it can be later. I think our driver picked us up at 9.
Peter is a lovely man who is very knowledgeable about Kerala and provided information on
lots of topics including the education system, politics and backwater life.
You take what looks like a larger row boat which is steered by a man with a long bamboo pole. The waterway is not very crowded and with a short time we witnessed different ways people fished ( by net, rake, walking in water, etcetera).
You stop at a home and learn how twine is made from coconut and later return here to enjoy your refreshments. There is a clean washroom on site.
At one point you get off the boat on land and transfer to a narrower one where you traverse more narrow canals. Later you disembark and walk a little where Peter points out some plants and fruits that are grown.
I really enjoyed the peaceful morning and our interactions with Peter and the residents.
Being from Canada I asked Peter why he called it Salmon Tours. He said years ago when starting the company he wanted a name that Westerners would appeal to Westerners.

jft,
Thanks so much for your detailed description of the hotel, Xandari Harbour - I agree with annhig, you've definitely not sold it to me! Rather the opposite! 2 people falling out of their chairs seems to be a real sign that something might not be right! But it does sound like you had a lovely time in Cochin despite a less-than-stellar hotel.

<<Being from Canada I asked Peter why he called it Salmon Tours. He said years ago when starting the company he wanted a name that .....would appeal to Westerners.>>

I love your description of your backwater tour, and especially the reason why it's called Salmon tours!