Kerala

Paradisa Plantation

Where

Thekkady, Kerala

Overview

Paradisa is a peaceful hillside resort with traditional Kerala-style cottages, amid a 40-acre coffee estate set on terraces carved into the precipitous Cardamom Hills and reached by a private track.

The organic coffee and spice plantation is dotted with wooden cottage suites in classic old Kerala style all with breathtaking views of the mountains and valleys towards Periyar Tiger Reserve.

Paradisa Plantation in Pictures

Accommodation

There are 11 cottages, dotted amid organic Robusta coffee plants and banana palms, connected by a network of stone pathways and steps with names like Peppervine, Cardamom and Jasmine House (all deluxe), Vanilla and Coffee Garden, built in traditional style, with jack wood walls, shuttered windows, heavy carved doors and  terracotta-tiled roofs.

The cottages are authentic but simple, with tiled floors, standard twin beds and the minimum of decorative touches. Showers open on to little private walled courtyards. Antique lanterns and night lamps are provided in each room all adding to the unique experience here.

Facilities

A wonderful swimming pool in the shape of a foot has breathtaking views. You can tour the plantation to learn about coffee and spices, and visit a nearby tea factory. A half-hour hike takes you to the top of Panchali Medu, a sacred hill to Hindus. Further afield is the Periyar Nature Reserve, where you can go boating and see wild elephants. You can also book treatments at the nearby ayurvedic hospital – one of the best and most authentic in Kerala.