Need to know
Rooms
49, including eight suites.
Check–Out
11am. Check-in is at 2pm. Late check-out and early check-in can be arranged when availability permits.
More details
Rates include Continental, Keralan and spicy south Indian breakfast options at Ettukettu.
Also
Though one Heritage Bungalow has been adapted for wheelchair users, unfortunately the resort isn’t ideal for those with mobility issues. The grounds can often only be traversed via canal-spanning humpback bridges and twin-level Heritage Mansions have the bathrooms downstairs and bedrooms upstairs.
At the hotel
WiFi throughout, and a gift shop. In rooms: air-conditioning, minibar, tea- and coffee-making kit, free bottled water, bathrobes, slippers, and organic Kimirica bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Heritage Mansions, with their traditional carved wood-panel exteriors and upper-level canal views are perhaps the most beautiful of the resort’s accommodation options, but if it's abundant wildlife-watching you want (and your own private pool, to boot), it’s the Lake Front Villa every time. Here, a private deck promises views of Vembanad Lake in widescreen, your peaceful sunset contemplation interrupted only by the delicate whirr of a damselfy’s wings, or a graceful Oriental darter jubilantly tossing its fish supper skywards before dining.
Poolside
The resort’s curvaceous pool, which has a shallow children's pool to one side, is framed by manicured lawns overlooking the lake, ideal for those who prefer to do their bird-watching from the comfort of a lounger, cocktail in hand.
Spa
The Coconut Lagoon Ayurveda Centre applies traditional local techniques in its herbal massage therapies. There are six treatment rooms, open from 9am–6pm.
Packing tips
Overpacking is your friend, in such a remote spot. While hotel staff will do their best to supply forgotten items, bringing the full line-up of Kerala-worthy threads, plus a rotation of hats and sunglasses, can only add to your peace of mind.
Also
Coconut Lagoon is the sister stay to shoreside hotel and Smith-approved Marari Beach Resort, a 40-minute drive away.
Children
Extra beds can be accommodated in all rooms and kids aged up to five stay free. The wealth of wildlife to check out and canals to explore means Little Smiths won’t bore quickly, but there’s also a TV room and table tennis, just in case.
Sustainability efforts
That it is accessed by solar-powered boat might give you some idea of this Lake Vembanad resort’s eco credentials. Here, native flora and fauna are king: the lake is a birder’s nirvana and the resort has cultivated a dedicated wildflower garden that’s home to more than 50 different species of butterfly, as well as dozens more dragonflies and damselflies. Heck, there’s even a sacred patch of pristine forest in the grounds. The accommodation has been put painstakingly together from the reclaimed remnants of heritage mansions (or tharavadus), and furnished with antique artefacts and pieces crafted by Keralan artisans. But that’s not all: Coconut Lagoon even has its own water treatment and bottling plant; eco-friendly bath products come in ceramic bottles, and you won’t find a piece of single-use plastic anywhere on the resort.