Now that year 2016 is coming to an end, I'm wrapping up a few posts that are in my drafts for a few months now! One such post is this travelogue.
Having visited this place in 2008 when hubby dear and I were a couple, we decided to visit Marari Beach again, now as parents along with our little girl D :-)
D loves beaches and whenever we visit Chennai, she ensures we do the trip to Besant Nagar beach :-) So it wasn't a hard decision to narrow down a place when we were planning our holiday. Being the off-season, we got a good deal at the resort and booked the flight tickets as well.
We took the morning flight to Cochin and then boarded a cab to reach the resort. The just-subsided monsoon rains had painted a lovely, green picture around Kerala. The refreshing tender coconut water as a welcome drink felt so good after the long drive. After the check-in procedure, we headed to our room. As with any CGH Earth property, it was a neatly done, spacious room with all the essentials for our stay. Being our wedding anniversary that day, the staff of the resort had decorated the room so well. It was a pleasant surprise for me. I guess hubby dear must have informed them while booking. D went bonkers, playing with all the flowers and leaves and throwing them around :-)
The lunch spread was delicious, with a wide variety of choices - the local Kerala special, a few North Indian dishes, salads, continental foods, a couple of Middle Eastern specialties and the yum desserts. Though hubby and I loved the food, D hardly ate much during the entire trip (except a LOT of Kerala paapadams, of course!).
We rested a bit in the afternoon and then headed to the pristine beach. The next 1 hour was one of the most memorable moments of the trip. All three of us played together in the beach shore, built sand castles and collected shells, without any distraction from our gadgets. Moments like these are rare and ought to be cherished.
In the evening, there was a beautiful classical dance performance in the amphitheater and D appreciated it a lot. The staff surprised us again with an anniversary cake post dinner and it was lovely.
The next morning, hubby went for the Yoga session, while D and I roamed around the property. The rain gods were gracious enough to give us a lot of pleasant sunshine during our trip. I then caught up with the Ayurveda doctor and learned a few basic principles of eating right. We also booked our Ayurveda massage appointments and took turns during the day, while managing D.
I clearly remembered the cycle trip through the village, from the last time. The next day, I took the cycle and went for a ride by myself. It was an amazing experience, riding through the fields, greenery, narrow mud roads and lonely pathways. And all I had was a small map in hand. The experience made me realize how much I miss cycling.
Some more time at the beach, walking around the butterfly garden, organic vegetable garden and the sprawling property - our 4-day trip got over in a jiffy and we headed back home with good memories to add to 2016.
I had taken my Kindle but I didn't feel like reading a book. All I did during our stay was to walk around and breathe lots of fresh air. Such short breaks are so essential to rejuvenate our bodies and souls.
Having visited this place in 2008 when hubby dear and I were a couple, we decided to visit Marari Beach again, now as parents along with our little girl D :-)
D loves beaches and whenever we visit Chennai, she ensures we do the trip to Besant Nagar beach :-) So it wasn't a hard decision to narrow down a place when we were planning our holiday. Being the off-season, we got a good deal at the resort and booked the flight tickets as well.
We took the morning flight to Cochin and then boarded a cab to reach the resort. The just-subsided monsoon rains had painted a lovely, green picture around Kerala. The refreshing tender coconut water as a welcome drink felt so good after the long drive. After the check-in procedure, we headed to our room. As with any CGH Earth property, it was a neatly done, spacious room with all the essentials for our stay. Being our wedding anniversary that day, the staff of the resort had decorated the room so well. It was a pleasant surprise for me. I guess hubby dear must have informed them while booking. D went bonkers, playing with all the flowers and leaves and throwing them around :-)
The lunch spread was delicious, with a wide variety of choices - the local Kerala special, a few North Indian dishes, salads, continental foods, a couple of Middle Eastern specialties and the yum desserts. Though hubby and I loved the food, D hardly ate much during the entire trip (except a LOT of Kerala paapadams, of course!).
We rested a bit in the afternoon and then headed to the pristine beach. The next 1 hour was one of the most memorable moments of the trip. All three of us played together in the beach shore, built sand castles and collected shells, without any distraction from our gadgets. Moments like these are rare and ought to be cherished. In the evening, there was a beautiful classical dance performance in the amphitheater and D appreciated it a lot. The staff surprised us again with an anniversary cake post dinner and it was lovely.
The next morning, hubby went for the Yoga session, while D and I roamed around the property. The rain gods were gracious enough to give us a lot of pleasant sunshine during our trip. I then caught up with the Ayurveda doctor and learned a few basic principles of eating right. We also booked our Ayurveda massage appointments and took turns during the day, while managing D.
I clearly remembered the cycle trip through the village, from the last time. The next day, I took the cycle and went for a ride by myself. It was an amazing experience, riding through the fields, greenery, narrow mud roads and lonely pathways. And all I had was a small map in hand. The experience made me realize how much I miss cycling. Some more time at the beach, walking around the butterfly garden, organic vegetable garden and the sprawling property - our 4-day trip got over in a jiffy and we headed back home with good memories to add to 2016.
I had taken my Kindle but I didn't feel like reading a book. All I did during our stay was to walk around and breathe lots of fresh air. Such short breaks are so essential to rejuvenate our bodies and souls.