Ben’s Bungalow - Cochin
The locale is excellent. The hosts are great. The homestay, of course, is fabulous. What else could a guest ask for! Ben’s Bungalow, located on Kothad Island, is a waterfront bungalow where you can redeem your senses. The host family, the Kuttikal family consists of the family head, Xavier and his wife, Leelamma, and their son and family. Benny, who manages the homestay, is a mechanical engineer, Postgraduate in coastal Zone Management and is an ardent environment loyalist apart from being an agriculturist.
The bungalow has one large bedroom, with attached bath. The room looks out onto the lagoon near Kothad Island. Benny’s wife, Anju prepares mouth watering cuisine in the traditional Kerala style. Seafood dishes are prepared using fish and seafood from their backyard farm. The family has been engaged in agriculture and prawns farming for over 180 years. You can also find Chinese Fishing Nets that are in use today, too. Guests can learn how to operate them with help from the hosts. Besides paddy cultivation and prawn farming, the family also has coconut and banana farming. They cultivate in more than 20 acres of agricultural land.
The lawn and garden are out there for the guests to enjoy. There’s high speed internet access at the bungalow. Laundry and dry cleaning facilities are available here. Classes on cooking and fishing are provided here. Prawn catching can be seen and learnt by the visitors. The hosts provide complimentary sunset cruises and speed boat rides. There’s pick-up and drop to and from airport. Backwater cruises can be conducted, too. After consulting prominent Ayurvedic, Homoeopathic and Allopathic doctors at the homestay, you can undergo Ayurvedic massage and treatments.
The hosts organise visits to nearby places of interest, including 125-year-old Kothad Sacred Heart Church, the Vettakkarappan Temple and St Mary's Vallarpadam Basilica. Tours to Munnar, Thekkady, Kovalam and other famous places across can be arranged as well.
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