Indian Panorama Travel Blog

Homestays over Hotels. Why?

When you think of quitting your hometown other than for an official trip, touring for pleasure, exploration, immediately PEACE comes into your travel picture. For a tranquil atmosphere amidst a rich flora and fauna surrounded by the harmonious hills just like its people, staying in a home in Kerala is the best choice. Home cooked food, heart-filling conversations, hospitable ambience, and perfect family time in the Nature-fed corridors of God’s Own Country is where peace gets really peaceful. Most of the tourists’ places get flooded with backpackers, nature lovers, and photographers. Away from all these hustle, you have Traditional Kerala homes to paint your memories with a warm and happy portrait. People here will really care for you while a sense of warmth drapes you other than extended comfort and a lip-smacking cuisine. The choice of staying in a home is suitable for female solo travelers as well.

Kerala homestays offer well-furnished rooms with modern facilities, located amidst greenery, at very reasonable rates.Besides, the guests get to know more about the culture, cuisine, art forms, ayurveda, yoga, etc that are typical of Kerala.

“Disconnect to Connect.”

Traveling is like reading a list of different books in an unknown library. You happen to meet a lot of people with different stories sharing valuable life lessons. While you stay at a home in Kerala, your overall knowledge about Kerala gets wider making your imagination grow wilder. You’ll come to know about the underlying, hidden secrets and treasures of Kerala which remain a secret for ever for many travelers. Banana leaves festooned with their fish curry and rice or the most loved local dish, puttu (steamed rice cake with a coconut layer) and kadala curry (chickpeas curry) over a relaxed dinner conversation about the unexplored charm of Kerala is a divine feel. Home stays snatch your smartphones (not literally) to gift you with a sense of tranquility and mindfulness. 

Culinary lessons? Feeling bored when you think of attending a formal session? You are invited not only to the house but also into the kitchen to see how it is done. Learn the secret ingredients and keep in touch with the family for doubts on ingredients and preparation back home.

Locals are generous people who’d take you out for a round about explaining the nature of their beautiful nest. Above all, it is a unique opportunity to explore the life and its various aspects of a completely different culture.

Homestays just have everything that takes a traveler close toward a quiet yet well-spent vacation. If the season is apt during your visit to Kerala, you’ll be invited to weddings and everyone in the house as hosts will be arranging something on the table, beside the bed, and outside the house to make you feel comfortable and happy.

“Nothing is better than going home to family and eating food and relaxing.”

The more personalized your travel is, the more enjoyable it becomes. As you have frugal things to do as procedures inside a homestay while in a hotel it is a lot different as there are hundreds of guests. One can devour home food but it is not always the same as the hotels. From Mambazha Pulissery (curd based mango curry), Kurukku Kalan (Thickened Yoghurt Gravy), Coconut Ice Cream to Fish Molee (Kerala Style Fish Stew), the real taste of Kerala comes from its homestays alone.

The host of the home stay firmly believes that what you eat and how you eat it plays an important role in your well-being. So if you are looking to detox and cleanse your system, this would be just the place to go to. Guests are served healthy, authentic and vegetarian food with the right balance of flavours during their ayurvedic treatment. The cuisine is predominantly local, but with inspiration from other places thrown in for variety. Relaxedly, one could arrive after sunset and detox their body eating nutritional food made in the healthiest kitchens of Kerala. The cook would be delighted to have you in the kitchen and teach you a thing or two about a healthy way of cooking.

Ayurvedic treatments like rejuvenative and curative, are done here, under expert practitioners. so rest assured that you will be in goof hands. Apart from Ayurveda, the yoga and meditation sessions would also be a welcome break. By the end of the holiday, you will say hello to a healthier and fresher side of you! And if you feel like rewarding yourself for treating
your body with respect all these days.

However, remain choosy and book home stays only after knowing about the location, surrounding places, building quality, maintenance, and cleanliness. It is good to always have an English speaking person during your home stay. Home stays come with a list of other nearby options like a cruise through backwaters, taking part in festivals, and other major cultural events. Even strolling through forests as an outdoor activity with the locals is a good idea.

Regions like Varkala, Fort Kochi, Bekal, Alleppey, and Wayanad have effective options other than homestays. Where to drink the best tea? Which cliff offers the most beautiful view nearby? Where to bathe in the open with privacy? Where to spot elephants? Where to shop for souvenirs and handicrafts? Keralites love questions. Your answers shall come to you once you knock the door of these lovable homes. The conventional way of the formal tourism is slowly transforming into personalized and eco-friendly tourism. Be a part of this beautiful mission while knowing new stories, food, people, and places.

Indian Panorama will help you to plan your tour to your best home stay experience in Kerala and get close to Kerala’s lifestyles and tradition through a Heritage Home stay tour.