Mostly the backwaters. Some of it the garden. All of it unhurried.
Everything below is available on request — there's no fixed itinerary here, just a long list of ways to spend a day.
- Canoeing and backwater cruises along the Alleppey canals
- Speedboat and small-boat trips in the backwaters
- Houseboat trips, day or overnight
- Coir mill and cane-industry visits
- Taxi facility for day trips further afield
- Fishing on the river, rod provided
- Cycling and walking along the canal banks
- Home-style restaurant for every meal
- Kerala cooking demonstrations
- Guided walk through the herb & medicinal garden with Dr. Joseph
- Ayurvedic treatment on prior request
- Herbal beauty treatments by professional beauticians
- Visits to local ancient churches and temples
- Bird watching — thirty-plus species call the garden home in season
- Tailor-made traditional costumes, on request
The three things people ask about most
The kitchen
Mrs. Cicely Joseph cooks traditional Kerala food daily — meen pollichathu, duck curry, chicken roast, aviyal, payasam, puttu-kadala, appam & stew, egg roast, and more, much of it from the garden. Cooking classes and demonstrations run on prior request, for both veg and non-veg.
The water
From canoes to a full houseboat, the backwaters are the main event here. Ask about the Alleppey, Alleppey–Kumarakom, or Alleppey–Cochin routes if you'd like a longer day on the water.
Wellness & the garden
Ayurvedic treatment and herbal beauty treatments are arranged on request, and a walk through the spice and medicinal-plant garden — often guided by Dr. Joseph himself — is one of the simplest highlights of staying here.