Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach - Recommended stay in Kovalam, South Kerala
Kovalam is a tropical paradise in the heart of South Kerala. The main reason behind the hordes of tourists swarming Kovalam is its three crescent beaches (Kovalam beach, Lighthouse beach and Ashok beach), which are demarcated by natural rocky and palm-filled outcroppings. Who might not want to stay seaside in a beach town? Since there are hundreds of seaside accommodations to choose from in Kovalam, you might find yourselves in a dilemma. What if we tell you that we have extensively studied all the seaside properties and have identified that one clear winner that ticks all the boxes? Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach is a luxurious seaside Ayurvedic retreat located in a perfect setting near the Lighthouse beach, yet purposefully tucked away from the chaos of city life.
Rockholm is one of the first few seaside hotels that was built in Kovalam in the 1980s. Since then, it has established business on word of mouth to date. Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach is now a renovated, full-fledged Ayurveda and Yoga centric beach hotel that offers unmatchable hospitality to its guests.
Location of Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach:
Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach is perched on a rocky terrain in Kovalam, 22 kilometres away from Trivandrum (Kerala's capital town). True to its name 'Rockholm', this seaside property is perched on a rocky terrain that overlooks the emerald blue waters of the Arabian Sea, right next to the Lighthouse beach.
We rode to Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach on our rented two-wheeler from Trivandrum. As we left the Trivandrum-Kanyakumari highway and neared the seaside property, the roads became narrow and descended quickly towards the sea. We were sceptical if we would even get a proper place to park on these slopes. But, on reaching Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach, we were glad to find an appropriate space for parking.
COVID precautions taken at the Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach:
At the cosy reception at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach, we received a warm welcome from the Front Office staff. We felt more relaxed when we saw everyone with their masks on. We were offered a hand sanitiser, and our body temperature was checked. This made us feel that we are in safe hands. We later found out that even the restaurant staff took all the necessary precautions related to COVID spread. After a few check-in formalities, we were escorted to our rooms.
Our Superior Ocean View room at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach:
Our room at the Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach was on the second floor. We were overjoyed as soon as we entered our Superior Ocean View room. We immediately felt at home owing to the minimalistic yet comfortable décor. The floor-to-ceiling glass door to the balcony gave an incredible view of the emerald blue sea.
The Superior Ocean View room at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach, Kovalam, is spacious and comes with a king-sized bed with side lamps, a wardrobe, a study table, and lots of space to keep the luggage. All the furniture is made of wood and has a contemporary feel to it. The en-suite bathroom is as big as the room, with a separate shower area, a large basin and quality toiletries. The toiletries, in fact, caught our attention, for they are kept in such thoughtful small pourable ceramic jars.
Defined by the refreshing art deco concept, the room is fitted with all modern amenities like an air-conditioner, a tea/ coffee maker, an LCD TV with satellite channels, a safe deposit locker, high-speed internet, hairdryer, refrigerator, and a geyser. To reduce the impact of plastic bottles on the environment, the Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach provides purified drinking water for guests in recycled glass bottles in all rooms and restaurant. Organic, eco-friendly and anti-slip hand-woven hemp rugs adorn the floor.
However, the highlight of our room at the Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach was the huge balcony. It gave a breath-taking view of the secluded beach on one side and the landmark red and blue Vizhinjam lighthouse in immediate proximity on the other. We spent a lot of time lazing on the Rattan chairs placed on the balcony.
Layout of the Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach:
We were very impressed by the layout of the Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach. The rooms and suites are located across 3 buildings named – Residence Ocean, Residence Arogya and Residence Sky. All the 23 rooms (2 suites and 21 ocean view rooms) at Rockholm, Kovalam offer spacious balcony views of the stunning Arabian Sea at close quarters. Each room is furnished with Burmese teak king-size beds and eco-friendly décor that lends a contemporary chic charm. Art has a special place at Rockholm with presence of unique artefacts, paintings, and murals inspired by the culture and essence of Malabar coast. Such antiques are spread across the property in lobby, rooms, and the open spaces.
The property is landscaped, and space is organised into several levels. The buildings spill down the slopes. The garden, which has further private access to a secluded beach, is at the base level. The restaurant is at a level higher than that, and the reception is still higher. The rooms and suites are distributed at all levels. Only someone who stays at the property understands the entire landscaping. The Ayurveda consultation room is in one of the buildings, and the treatment centres and the Yoga centre are strategically located at the garden level with a view of the sea.
Ayurveda and Yoga at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach:
Ayurveda is at the heart of Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach's philosophy. They have well-equipped treatment facilities, qualified doctors, experienced therapists, and in-house dieticians to help the guests follow their Ayurvedic treatment regimes. The guests first have to consult with the team of resident Ayurvedic doctors, who study the patient's imbalance of doshas, general complaints and body constitution, and then prescribe a treatment program. Hence, the Ayurveda treatment for each guest is unique. The restaurant staff is informed about each guest's diet plan based on the treatment.
The three Ayurveda treatment rooms at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach have ample ventilation, natural lighting and fresh air and are equipped with traditional wooden treatment tables. Additionally, an adjoining steam bathroom is also available to help achieve the wellness needs of the guests. All the medicines and Ayurvedic massage oils used in the treatments are traditionally prepared authentically at their very own Ayurvedic oil production facility named 'Nattika Life'. Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach offer 14-day to 28-day Ayurvedic therapies that are extremely popular with foreigner guests.
Yoga practice at Rockholm, Kovalam, is done in accordance with the Ayurveda treatment. It is mandatory to consult with a resident yoga master before starting the yoga program. The yoga asanas are chosen according to an individual's needs after discussion with the yoga master. Both 'wellness', as well as 'progressive' form of yoga asanas, are practised. The guided yoga and meditation practices are conducted at the open-air, tranquil Bodhi yoga hall that gives an incredible sea view.
Restaurant at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach:
Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach boasts of an in-house restaurant named "Naivedya' that overlooks the Arabian Sea. This sea-facing restaurant has both an open-air dining space and an indoor closed dining space (for hot summers). They have a limited yet sufficient ala-carte menu, but we highly recommend that you go by the chef's meals suggestions. The chef specialises in creating authentic dishes with a coastal touch and international signatures.
The chef at Naivedya restaurant prepares personalised meals for the guests on a long-term Ayurvedic treatment regime in consultation with qualified Ayurvedic doctors and dieticians. The meals are prepared in harmony with Rockholm's fundamental philosophy of Ayurvedic and Sattvic principles – farm-fresh and seasonal produce. Every dish served has a tasteful mix of balance, flavour and nutrition. A complimentary Continental breakfast is served every morning.
Activities at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach:
Keeping in view the guests' interest, Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach hosts a range of thoughtful and complimentary activities for each day. For example, one of the resident Ayurvedic doctors delivers an interactive Ayurveda lecture each Sunday, which is aimed towards guests interested to know more about this alternative therapy. Mondays are for a leisurely visit to the in-house herbal garden that grows a wide variety of medicinal and healing plants. Along with the walk in the garden, guests are educated of the health benefits and therapeutic value of Ayurvedic plants. A cookery class is held every Tuesday, where the resident chef teaches various cooking techniques using Indian spices. Wednesdays are for relaxation when a local artist is invited for a live music concert and guests enjoy the soulful Indian classical music. For those interested to understand the various aspects of yoga asanas and pranayamas, a Yoga talk is delivered every Thursday by an experienced yoga practitioner.
Things to do when staying at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach:
1. Plan a trip to all the places to visit in Kovalam
The Vizhinjam Lighthouse is just 200 metres away from Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach. You can take a morning stroll at the Lighthouse, Hawa and Kovalam beaches that are nearby. In fact, all the touristy and happening places are just a stone throw's away from Rockholm. We have written a dedicated blog on Places to visit in Kovalam that you can check out.
2. Watch the sunset at Rockholm's private secluded beach
As stated earlier, Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach has its own private access to a secluded beach beside the property. We call this a 'Secret beach'. This beach is super clean (cleaned by the Rockholm staff every few days), receives slow and shallow waves and hence is ideal for swimming. Don't get us started about the sunset view from this secret beach! Have a look at the pictures below. The sunset view with the red and white lighthouse in the foreground is an experience that you should not miss out on while staying at the Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach.
3. Indulge in an Ayurvedic massage/ spa
After our stroll at the Lighthouse beach and confronting so many locals offering cheap Ayurveda massages and treatments, we were just sceptical about what's genuine and what isn't. Until we spoke with the doctor at the Ayurveda consultation room at Rockholm. Based on our mental well-being and body composition, she prescribed us the best Ayurveda therapy. She even answered all our questions related to sanitisation, cleanliness and the use of authentic oils.
Our body temperatures were checked, and we were then escorted to the treatment centre, which was super-clean and relaxed us immediately. For safety purposes, we kept our masks on while getting the massage treatment. But, all in all, the 1-hour Ayurveda treatment made us feel the most relaxed that we had felt in months, maybe years. We saw no compromise on the genuineness of the therapy or its authenticity. And did we talk about the treatment centres being seaside? The sound of the waves and the aroma of the incense stick was a beautiful addition to our therapy.
The in-house Ayurveda doctor at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach is very courteous and happily agreed to give us information on the basics of Ayurveda that we were interested in. She even suggested basic yoga asanas and gave us diet recommendations that we could practice back at home.
4. Gorge on the Sattvic food
The chef and the restaurant manager at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach are friendly and welcoming. We asked if they could dish out some authentic local cuisine for us, and they readily agreed. That particular day, the chef prepared a proper Keralan meal that included Kerala rice, tomato rice, lentil curry, sambar, avial, thoran, papad, pickle, and payasam (sweet). And oh, that tasted so so delicious; words shortfall to describe the entire experience.
Then onwards, we hardly ordered from the menu and always asked the chef at Naivedya restaurant to suggest us the meals. All that we had at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach was light on the stomach, prepared with the right amount of spices, and freshly prepared with local produce. We certainly had a blast trying out the traditional delicacies prepared with the utmost affection.
5. Participate in Rockholm's complimentary activities
We stayed with Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach for 2 days, out of which one was a 'High-tea and meet & greet' day and the other was the 'In-house herbal garden visit' day. We enjoyed both these complimentary activities, especially the garden walk. An experienced Ayurveda practitioner took us around the small garden that they have and explained the Ayurvedic uses of all the garden plants and herbs. We were amazed by the amount of knowledge that the lady had and how passionately she talked about the plants. We indeed learnt quite a few interesting things about the common plants that we come across daily!
6. Eat, read, sleep, repeat
There can't be a better place to do this in Kovalam than Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach. We used to borrow books (some very interesting collection) from Rockholm's small library, lie down at one of the hammocks or the sunbeds in the garden, literally sleep to the sound of the hypnotic waves on the comfiest mattress and pillows in our room, and we have already talked a lot about the oh-so-yummy food. Do we need to say more?
7. Spend a relaxed evening in the garden at Rockholm
All our evenings at Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach were spent at their garden or the private secluded beach. The Vizhinjam Lighthouse is visible from the garden and makes a perfect subject for sunset photography.
8. Spend time on your balcony
Trust us, if you don't spend time on your balcony, you will regret it later! When we weren't doing anything that's listed above, we sat in our balcony gobbling the gorgeous view of the deep blue sea, watching the local fishermen looking out for their catch of the day in their small boats, wondering where those huge ships sailed to after it left the Vizhinjam port, marvelling at the Vizhinjam lighthouse, and spotting the mighty eagle sustaining its flight without flapping its wings.
We had a gala time staying with Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach and receiving their unmatched hospitality. We hope to keep returning to Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach and keep creating such soulful memories.
It's high time that Indians understand the importance of our very own 5000-year-old science of healing, the way the foreigners do! If not for Ayurvedic treatments, we highly recommend vacationers (especially honeymooners) to book Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach for their visit to Kovalam. In fact, this property makes an excellent place for an extended workation and a staycation, owing to their high-internet speed and peaceful setting.
You can book your stay with Rockholm at the Lighthouse beach through their website or any of the below-mentioned travel portals.
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