Poovar Island Resort - Recommended stay in Poovar, South Kerala
Poovar is a small town in Trivandrum district in South of Kerala, India. Poovar and adjoining town of Pozhiyoor lies almost towards the bottom end of Kerala and is place you would pass by when you visit Kanyakumari through Kerala. This fishing and trading centre has slowly caught up tourists attention due to the scenic geographic location - an island formed due to river and backwater that houses some luxury resorts as well as golden sand beach that lies across the backwater lake. Poovar is hence a place we would high recommend you visit as part of your South Kerala itinerary and Poovar Island resort is where we would suggest you stay.
Every year, the reality dating show Splitsvilla’s team picks an exotic resort to shoot their gig. Amidst COVID in 2021, they chose the Poovar Island Resort in South Kerala. If you have watched the episodes of Splitsvilla 13, you already know how remarkable the island resort is! If you haven’t, you are at the right place. For this article, we will present a detailed review of our stay with Poovar Island Resort, South Kerala’s most sought-after property.
Location of Poovar Island Resort
Poovar is located at a distance of about 30 kilometers south of Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala state. Both the nearest railway station and the nearest airport to Poovar is in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Poovar Island Resort is located hidden amidst the swaying coconut palms and endless golden sands on Poovar Island. Basically, Poovar Island is a tiny isle in Neyyattinkara, bordered by backwaters and the Neyyar River.
How to reach Poovar Island Resort
There are no roads that connect Poovar to the Poovar Island Resort. Located on an island surrounded by sea and river, the resort can only be accessed by waterways. Once you park your vehicle at the parking lot of Poovar Island Resort, the resort staff will receive you and escort you to the resort premises in a speed boat. After about a 15-minute boat ride, you reach the boating dock at Poovar Island Resort.
Our stay experience at Poovar Island Resort
Once at the boating dock of the Poovar Island Resort, we received a warm welcome from a hostess from the Front Office Management. She accompanied us to the reception through a canopied pathway for the check-in formalities. While walking through the paved path, we observed that the property is spread across acres and acres of land (25 acres in total). Vast gardens with big trees and flowering plants adorn the entire area. We realized that there was no need to get out of the resort at all, as there was so much to do and see there itself.
The reception is in the center of Poovar Island Resort, while the rooms, restaurants and all other amenities surround it. The pool and the multi-cuisine restaurant is behind the reception. Different categories of rooms are towards the left and right sides of the reception. In the front is the garden that overlooks the Poovar backwaters and a sand bar.
We were soon escorted to our room – A Premium land cottage. The Premium land cottages at the Poovar Island Resort are secluded from the crowded areas to ensure maximum privacy. The rooms are tastefully done with soft-hued colors and wooden furniture. Our spacious room was furnished with a king-sized bed, side tables, a comfortable sofa set, and a dressing table.
The closet was accommodated in the en-suite bathroom, which was as big as the room. We loved the design of the bathroom with floor to ceiling mirrors, a jacuzzi, a spacious changing area, and a shower area.
Each Premium land cottage at Poovar Island Resort open to a lovely balcony through a glass sliding door. They overlook the lush greenery of the resort. Equipped with all modern amenities like air conditioning, tea/ coffee maker, mini-fridge, LCD television, and running hot and cold water, the cottage pronounced comfort and luxury at the same time.
Poovar Island Resort has 86 cottages in total –
2 Maharaja Suites – Featuring a big bedroom with a poster bed, a vast living room, two bathrooms (one with a Jacuzzi), and the suite overlooks the backwater and the sea further away.
8 Premium Land Cottages - The ones that we stayed in.
16 Floating Cottages – 12 Standard ones with just a bedroom and 4 Deluxe ones with an attached living room. These cottages float entirely in the deep backwaters. These cottages are the most sought-after accommodation option at Poovar Island. They are built using Ferrocement technology that makes them lightweight and helps them float. They all overlook the backwaters.
18 Ayurveda Village Cottages – We didn’t even know that an entire Ayurveda village existed in the Poovar Island Resort premises. These cottages were surrounded by the Ayurvedic treatment center, a separate swimming pool, and a restaurant.
44 Superior Land Cottages – Rustic yet comfortable rooms equipped with four-star comfort and amenities.
Dining at Poovar Island Resort
You will be spoilt with dining choices during your stay at Poovar Island Resort. They have a multi-cuisine restaurant named ‘Tiffin’ that is located behind the swimming pool. It serves delicious Indian, Chinese, and Continental meals.
The ‘Floating Restaurant’ is located near the Sunset point overlooking the backwaters, the beach, and the sea. It has a specialty menu and arranges special theme dinners. Ayurveda Restaurant is separately located in the Ayurvedic village and serves diet meals only to its Ayurveda clients.
The ‘Kappa Bar’, located in the lush green gardens of the Poovar Island Resort, serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages along with a mini menu of light snacks. The ‘Sunken Bar’ situated inside the swimming pool serves soft drinks.
We had all our meals at the Tiffin restaurant. The food served was excellent and of good quantity. The restaurant staff at Poovar Island Resort are customer-focused and flexible. On request, they arranged a Candlelight Dinner for us in a small, secluded garden across the restaurant. They decorated the table with flowers, candles, and decorative lights. The service was flawless. In that romantic ambience, we had the best of time.
Other amenities at Poovar Island Resort
Swimming Pool - The swimming pool at Poovar Island Resort is sandwiched between the reception and the Tiffin restaurant; however, being hidden by tall plants, it provides utmost privacy to the swimmers. The pool is well-maintained and always kept squeaky clean. The blue tiling gives it a fantastic look. A separate shallow pool for kids is located next to the main swimming pool. We had a great time swimming and then relaxing on the lounge chairs beside the pool.
Ayurveda treatment - Ayurveda treatment is not just available for the long-term guests staying at the Ayurveda village but also for the other in-house guests. Certified Ayurveda doctors and practitioners have been appointed by the Poovar Island Resort, which use authentic oils and medicines to provide treatments. They have a long list of massage and treatment varieties. The Ayurveda Restaurant chefs prepare food after consultation with the certified dieticians to meet the nutritional requirements of the patients.
The Ayurveda Village at Poovar Island Resort has 15 treatment rooms, a few with attached shower facilities. The resort receives several repeated guests who visit each year for treatments. They honor the guests who visit more than 5 times with their placard on a ‘Wall of Fame’. How incredible is that!!
Play Zone - The most happening area at Poovar Island Resort is the Kids Play Zone. A colorfully designed indoor game building is in one corner of the resort. The outdoor game area and the adventure zone look extremely fun and exciting. There were several affordable packages for the adventure activities.
Poovar beach visit - Speed boats are available from morning till evening for visiting Poovar Beach. These are free of cost, but you will have to notify the reception sometime in advance if you wish to go to the beach. Poovar beach is a long stretch of sand bar that separates the ocean and the backwaters. However, the waves are large and ferocious, and one cannot venture inside the seawater, forget swimming. We had a great time strolling along the sand bar and taking in the fantastic 360-degree views.
Sunset viewpoint - After returning from the Poovar beach, do not miss out on the fantastic sunset viewpoint at the Poovar Island Resort. You will get a beautiful reflection of the setting sun in the backwaters as it slowly dips down in the sea. Don’t even get us started describing the sky colors!
Conference rooms - Poovar Island Resort provides banquet halls and conference facilities for business and personal events. They also have an in-house shop that sells essential utilities, traditional trinkets, gifts, and souvenirs.
Backwater cruise - Poovar Island Resort also arrange for a 1 or 2-hour backwater cruise on prior request. The boat glides through the palm-fringed backwaters and takes you to the mangrove plantations in the Neyyar River, where you can spot a variety of beautiful birds.
Places to visit near Poovar Island Resort
There aren’t a lot of places to visit on or near Poovar Island. Take our advice and spend your time in the resort eating wholesome food, relaxing in the pool or one of the gardens, unwinding in your balcony, admiring the backwater views, visiting the Poovar beach, sailing the backwaters, participating in adventure activities, or taking leisurely walks in the resort.
If your South Kerala itinerary is packed and has no time for a stay at Poovar Island, we still would recommend a day visit to Poovar Island Resort. They have exciting day packages where you can use the amenities at the resort, take part in adventure activities, visit the Poovar beach, and have a wholesome meal.
If you have ample time in hand and wish to explore more in Poovar, we mention a few places worth visiting from Poovar Island as a day trip. The staff at Poovar Island Resort will arrange a vehicle for you at additional cost to see the following places.
1. Chenkal Maheshwaram Temple (9 kilometres) - We generally do not promote visiting temples, but this one is beyond excellent. Located just 10 kilometers away from Poovar, in a town named Chenkal, the Chenkal Maheshwaram Temple is home to the tallest Shivalingam in India. The Shivalingam is hollow from inside and has eight floors where 6 meditation halls, 108 different small shiva lingams, and 64 forms of Shiva have been incorporated. The spirally placed halls gradually lead to the main idol of the temple – a complete sculpture of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi sitting on a Kailasa hill and blessing the world.
The temple beside the 111 feet Shivalingam is built in traditional Keralan architecture, and you can find sculptures of different deities in Hindu mythology adorning various parts of the temple.
2. Kovalam (17 kilometers) – This beautiful beach town has a lot in store for each type of traveler. The Vizhinjam lighthouse, long stretch of Kovalam beach, and Chowara beach are places worth visiting in Kovalam. You can also opt to learn surfing from the famous surfing schools in Kovalam.
3. Thirparappu Waterfalls (30 kilometers) –
At Thirparappu falls, the water falls from a height of about 50 feet. The district administration has constructed a pool sort of area for safe bathing under the falls. Changing rooms and boating facilities are also available at this beautiful waterfall.
4. Trivandrum City (33 kilometers) – Must visit places in Trivandrum includes Napier Museum, Art gallery, Kanakakkunnu palace, Puthen Malika palace, Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, and Natural history museum.
5. Neyyar Dam (34 kilometers) – This dam is built on the Neyyar River, the source of backwaters on which the Poovar Island floats. The dam is surrounded by sparkling green pristine beauty, where you can also spot wildlife.
Without a doubt, Poovar Island Resort is the best resort on Poovar Island. They are listed on most hotel booking portals, and you can book your stay with them by clicking on one of the icons below.
Go give Poovar Island Resort a visit and let us know how you find it in the comment section below.
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