26 Best Hotels in Central Kerala, Kerala

Built into the side of a steep hill, this tranquil hotel, located 6 km (3¾ miles) from the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, offers sweeping views of the verdant valley below and the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The rooms are spacious and feature picture windows, a sitting area, a private balcony, plus bathrooms with modern fittings, a floor-to-ceiling window, and standing-only showers. The restaurant uses organic produce and spices from the on-site farm. There's also a swimming pool and watch tower.

Set around a network of canals and pristine lawns, this lush 25-acre heritage resort is right on Lake Vembanad and is known for its palatial traditional villas fitted with ornately carved teakwood ceilings, colorful mythological murals, and open-air garden bathrooms with private pools. Some offer direct access to a 250-meter (820-feet) meandering pool. There are two main restaurants, an excellent ayurvedic center, and houseboats, as well as daily yoga, afternoon tea, and traditional dance performances.

Small design details, spacious grounds, and lake-view rooms with private patios just steps from the water make this large backwater resort sparkle. The traditional tile-roof buildings have ornate wooden carvings on the facades, while rooms have high ceilings, exposed wooden rafters, and decoratively tiled floors. The resort also has luxury one-bedroom and two-bedroom houseboats and floating cottages that can be booked for a day cruise or an overnight stay on Vembanad lake.

Nestled in a picturesque valley and surrounded by lush green hills, the rooms and villas here sprawl over so many acres that golf carts or buggies remain busy ferrying guests around the property. The ambience is relaxing, the views spectacular from every point, and service excellent. For a luxurious stay, opt for a villa, which come with a large private pool; some rooms also come with a plunge pool and balcony. The restaurant puts out top-quality local and Western dishes.

The hillside views on this cardamom, coffee, and vanilla plantation are stunning. Accommodations, which are behind the planter's home, among a grove of towering trees, are large and homey rooms with exquisite embroidered linen, wall hangings, and curtains. The wooden, chalet-style dining area has a small library upstairs, under the rafters, with breathtaking views.

Although not as luxurious as some of its neighbors, this backwater resort with pretty white bungalows with terra-cotta roofs is set on a lovely 13-acre property that has ponds, lush coconut palm groves, and a small lagoon running through it. The rooms, each with their own patio, are spacious, stylish, and furnished in muted colors. High ceilings, wood trim, and solid-wood furniture give them a substantial feel.

Set on the banks of Vembanad Lake, this backwater hotel offers lake-facing cottages and garden rooms with private open-air bathrooms; three bamboo villas have their own private pool. Rooms are simply furnished but lack the traditional Kerala architecture that neighboring resorts provide. There’s an ayurvedic spa, a swimming pool, and a multi-cuisine restaurant.

Set on Marari beach in a quiet neighborhood are four luxury cottages in a delightful garden hotel surrounded by palm trees. Each cottage, decorated with Kerala-style furnishings, has a spacious veranda where all meals are served and a traditional open-air bathroom with modern fittings; some have their own private swimming pool. For those who want to do more than just soak up the sun, there are spa treatments, yoga, and biking tours around Marari village.

A seriously steep walk downhill through green environs brings you to a clutter of whitewashed, terra-cotta-roofed cottages, clinging to the slope, where you get a bird's-eye view of tea plantations for miles around, including workers' settlements and a small blue-roofed church. These snug, modest cottage rooms, with parquet floors and interiors done in soothing creams and white, and their verandas, are peaceful and make great spots to catch the valley action.

This serene Kerala backwaters resort, bordered by the lake and the backwaters on three sides and crisscrossed with canals and footbridges, is dotted with bungalows, private pool villas, and mansions. Ettukettu, one of the restaurants here, is painstakingly reassembled from parts of an approximately 300-year-old Kerala tharawad (traditional house). The hotel has a butterfly garden.

Built into a steep cliff and in a style similar to the area’s tea plantation bungalows, this luxury hotel offers sweeping views of Munnar Valley; that is, when it’s not engulfed in a thick mist. The bright and colorful rooms all offer mountain views and some have private terraces. There are two restaurants—one of which is completely enclosed in glass—a bar, a gym, a coffee shop, and an ayurvedic spa.

A ferry transports you to this former maharaja's hunting lodge, an enormous, red-tiled-roof heritage bungalow, located on an island inside the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can spot wildlife from your balcony. Now run by the Kerala state government tourist department, the six simple but very large rooms are decked out with period furniture and offer views of the palm-lined pathway and beyond to the lake and wildlife preserve.

The highlight of this relaxing resort with elegant rooms is the impressive infinity pool, which overlooks the mighty Vembanad lake. The 27 rooms, all in a two-story heritage Kerala building, have four-poster beds and wooden accents. The lobby and other shared areas are simple and functional and look out onto well-tended lawns. The resort is about a 30-minute drive from Alleppey.

This 25-acre eco-friendly resort, built to resemble a traditional fishing village, offers an unspoiled palm-fringed beach and an excellent ayurvedic center. Brick paths lead through rows of deceptively modest thatched-roof cottages that are both extremely spacious and comfortable—they have traditional red oxide floors, coir matting, bamboo roll blinds, cane furniture, and hand-loomed furnishings, with open-air bathrooms sporting banana trees.

Set on the secluded Marari beach—considered one of Kerala's finest—this select set of luxury villas each has its own butler and chef plus a fully equipped kitchenette. The villas, built in authentic tharavad style, have either dark wood or brightly colored walls, and showcase stylish furniture and brass fittings; bathrooms are open-air and filled with trees. There are plenty of activities on the grounds, including cooking classes, yoga, and ayurvedic treatments. Kochi is an hour away.

Fluttering eucalyptus trees frame an alluring resort of tile-roofed cobblestone cottages, some of them two stories, offering memorable views of Mattupetty Lake. The cottages are well-spaced in this family-owned property, allowing each privacy. Pine furniture adorns each of the rooms, and the overall decor is a mellow green and white, with eucalyptus trees etched on the walls. The two-bedroom cottages have a living and dining area.

A fork in the road branches off to a mile-long, bumpy road that leads to a spice plantation holding this small resort that emerges like a little paradise from the undergrowth. The whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs lie perched on a hillside, each of them featuring well-lit, attractive rooms with colorful highlights. The hotel’s glass-and-bamboo-fronted reception building also houses a spa, a bar, and a restaurant. A variety of wildlife lives in the forest surrounding the property.

This is one of the few modern chain hotels in the city, where most of the rooms come with a view of the backwaters. Its popular multi-cuisine restaurant, World in the Pot, overlooks the pool; there's also a Chinese restaurant, Venice, that serves interesting cocktails. The hotel has its own houseboat and organizes a two-hour lunch cruise for an extra fee.

Set in Chinnakanal, in lush green surroundings away from the commotion of Munnar, this fairly ordinary hotel offers rooms that capture the country-lodge feeling quite perfectly. The split-level deluxe rooms feature sitting areas with wood floors, comfortable couches, and working fireplaces, while their balconies offer panoramic views of the Anayirankal Dam. There's a pool and gym as well.

One of Thekkady's finest resorts, Spice Village has well-maintained thatch-roof cottages that are built into a hillside with lush plantings, including a spice garden that adds fragrance and privacy. Room interiors have knotty pine furniture and trim, white walls, red-tile floors, and hand-loomed upholstery and bedspreads. There are two restaurants and a bar, and the resort organizes jungle treks, paper-making lessons, and Indian cooking classes. The property is also eco-friendly, running partially on solar energy and recycling all its waste within the premises.

This lush, palm-fringed 17-acre property spanning the banks of the Vembanad Lake has cottages overlooking the lake or its private lagoon. You can board a ferry for an hour-long complimentary ride along the backwaters or climb aboard a hotel-owned houseboat for a day-long cruise. The spa offers great ayurvedic treatments and there's a doctor for consultation as well.

The brightly colored villas and cottages at this tranquil resort set among rubber trees have broad verandas overlooking a small lagoon where guests can canoe or pedal-boat. A few of the cottages offer views of Vembanad Lake. The main building here is a former 19th-century plantation house built by the son of an English missionary. There are two restaurants, a bar, and an outdoor swimming pool, as well as daily houseboat trips.

Getting around this hilly property is a workout—especially the hike to the skylight-topped restaurant—but the setting on 66-acre cardamom plantation is phenomenal. The cottages, all ensconced in lush greenery, come in different varieties, with some being single rooms while others occupy multiple floors and have spacious living rooms and balconies. Furnishings are of cane and rubber wood. The main restaurant has a glass roof and great location overlooking tall trees.

Less than a kilometer from the gates of the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary stands a cute two-story cobblestone building with 10 cottage-style rooms. Each room in this cozy B&B has its own outdoor entrance, and those on the second floor can be reached by individual spiral staircases. The hotel does not have its own restaurant, other than a room for breakfast, though there are a number of restaurants within walking distance.

Set along Lake Vembanad, this luxurious resort offers a variety of rooms from cottages with lagoon views to villas with private pools overlooking the lake. There are three restaurants and a bar, an excellent spa, daily yoga, along with a slew of outdoor activities from cycling to fishing and bamboo rafting.