Shalimar Spice Garden

If Enjoying the comforts of traditional living, waking up to birdsong and a view of the misty Nilgiri hills is not enough to shoothe your nerves, you can always seek indulgence in the services offered by the specialised Niraamaya-Ayurveda Centre at Shalimar. You colud even bring back a slice of unsullied nature by attending special yoga classes that promise to heal body and soul. Nestled amid cardamom-vovered hills and on the frings of the about as close you can get to nature, and yet enjoy creature comforts-multi-cuisine menus, a swimming pool, telephone services and other recreational facilities. When you’re trying to avoid the heat and humidity of theplains of kerala-and no one wants an extra dose that- you’ll thank yourself for heading higher to the Shalimar Spice Garden.

Follow gravelly, bumpy track that winds through kerala’s Western Ghats into thick forests. When the butterflies begin to dance in front of your windscreen, you know you aren’t far from one of the country’s most exclusive hideouts-Shalimar Spice Garden. These teak luxury huts, almost completely hidden by the thicket, are unexpected havens of calm. Sunlight floods in through the stained-glass crescent, filling the cottage with a serene light. With terracotta floors, rosewood doors, cheery checked bedspreads, curtains billowing in the breeze and a bathroom stocked with aromatic potions, you’ll never want to leave your little hilltop home. But do explore the spice gardens, and clamber up to the treetop for a quiet read, or just to watch the world go by.

Tariff Range

Rs. 9,000 onwards for a cottage, with breakfast
Rs. 7,500 for two

Shalimar Spice Garden
Murikkady, Kumliy, District Idukki,
Kerala
(04869) 222 132, 223 232
shalimar_resort@snl.com
Co-ordinates: 9.633246, 77.196808 Nearby Places: Thekkadi