Fragrant Nature Resort, Kollam

Serenity at the Backwaters

Our stay in this cute property was perfect. We found this place at the last moment after almost giving up the plan for a holiday. We selected this place for the reason that it's an hour away from Trivandrum. We were looking for a quick and unique getaway from Chennai for 2 days and this place suited us apt.

Fragrant Nature Resort is located in between Kollam and Varkala in Kerala. We decided this place as soon as we saw the website. The reservation went smoothly after prompt replies from the management. We had our pickup and drop arranged from the resort.

There’s nothing new to talk about Chennai Central on a busy Friday night. We managed the bumps, shouts and a quick bite from the jam-packed Saravana Bhavan, only to find our seats in Trivandrum mail already occupied by someone else. We had to adjust with a family having 2 small babies. It was past midnight when the TTR arranged seats for the family. After a sleepless 12 hrs, we managed to reach Kollam, where our pickup was ready. The route was scenic throughout Kerala.

The Route

The resort is about 22 Km from Kollam junction. We reached the resort after a 20-minute drive, the staffs were waiting with welcome drinks. We were surprised by the warmth of the staff. It was a bonus when we came to know that we were the only guests. The surprises continued with the manager announcing that we would be upgraded to a villa; we had booked a luxury room. We quickly checked in the room and had a nice long bath to relieve from the uncomfortable 12 hr journey. It was lunch time already, so we decided to explore the resort a bit before heading for lunch.

Our Villa

The property is nestled adjacent to the Kollam backwaters—dotted with islands of coconut trees. The bird life is abundant and it was quite a sight to stand on the boat jetty and see the shiny waters. As far as we could see, there were lands and lands of coconut trees. We could see that there were places in the resort cornered of for expansion.

View from Our Villa

The Backwaters

Every bit of the resort is planted with flowering plants. At every step, it’s a guarantee that you will be welcomed with different flowers. Thumps up for the resort team for making it just like a home rather like a resort. There is a clear blue pool with decks and towels placed handy. There is a shady area with hammocks in case you wish to relax with a book.

The Pool

The Flowers

The restaurant has two floors; the one in the first floor is open-aired and the other air-conditioned. Though it was hot, we had most of our meals in the first floor to enjoy the breeze and view. The food was delicious—everything was customized for our taste as we were the only guests.

View from Restaurant

The month of February was very hot and humid. Most of the afternoons, we lazed in our room, grateful for the super-cool AC. We were given a special complimentary candle light dinner to celebrate our first anniversary. Grilled Prawns, Karimeen Pollichathu, Snapper Fry and Pepper Chicken are still lingering in our tongues. To end it well, we had a beautiful cake.

We were pleasantly surprised with a beautiful flower decoration in our bed after a hearty dinner. Simply put, the best hospitality.

Our Bed with Flower Decoration

We headed to Prana Spa after breakfast the next day. We had a full body massage, which was so relaxing. (I wonder how such a svelte lady could have so much strength in her hands.) Relaxing in the balcony of the Spa with the backwaters almost touching our feet was so immaculate. To soothe the scorch of the sun, we had pineapple juice with mint. Then, we chilled ourselves in the swimming pool. The entire afternoon we spent splashing in the pool.

The Spa

The little things like lighting the traditional lamp in the evening and decorating with the flowers made a huge difference. We actually missed the normal resort feel. It was just like staying in a friend's home.

The Little Things..

The boat safari was just okay, nothing much to enjoy but there are some interesting sights: islands with bizarrely bent coconut trees, a frequent Ibis and a meandering jelly fish.

Boat Jetty

A naturalist in the boat would have made a huge difference. We were exhausted after this dull ride in the sun. We also tried our hands at angling with no luck.

The Small Islands during Boat Cruise

We retired early for the day after a sumptuous dinner. The next morning we had a flight at 6 A m. After a 4:30 wake-up call from reception, we were set for our return.

We went to the resort to relax, even then, more than two days here would become little boring. The resort is not completely functional—once there are activities in place, this place would be an ideal getaway. For a hassle-free, friendly resort, this is the best bet.