I sit in the verandah of our cute little floating cottage, water lapping gently against the cottage on three sides, and the roar of the sea coming from across a stretch of water, a stretch of land ; almost the stretch of horizon.
Fishing boats have been pulled up onto the golden sands, and the only thing that disturbs the serenity is the cawing of a crow. A fish suddenly breaks the surface of the water, flies into the sun like a flash of silver and disappears again into the water.
Fishermen are folding ropes and nets, stretching out the thin fine skein of their livelihood across the sand; children splash on the edge of the water, their dark skins like strokes of black moving against the gold of sands.
Poovar Island.
A little jewel somewhere out there, just off the sound of waves of the sea, with fringes of dark green and cutouts of canals, which meander lazily through coconut groves and thatched hut villages.
And the resort itself, Poovar Island Resort.
A thirty kilometers ride through the crowded streets of Trivandrum and the bumpy ride at the end as you near the resort welcome area. The narrow Neyyar river flows by. A smiling guard nods at you as you settle down in a tiny covered waiting place. The guard says: Ten-minutes. The boat will be here.
As you wait, the quietude sinks in .You want to speak in hushed terms.
A motorized country boat can be heard before it appears. As you glide down the waterway, the greenery on both sides begins to overwhelm you. After ten minutes, again, the sound of the sea appears before the sight does. And then the river opens up to the estuary, the sea, the elements. And when it does, the boat just shifts its direction. And in front, you see six floating cottages, floatels, bobbing gently on the waters, anchored to a beach. And the signboard on the beach says, Welcome to Poovar Island Resort.
Set within 19 acres of verdant land, conceived by an NRI industrialist called Narayanan, just about a year back. The resort is a little jewel in the necklace of exotic resorts of Kerala. Without the snobbish flamboyance of the Casino group hotels but with their attitude of simple elegance, it has already become a fine draw for those seeking quiet exotica or a rejuvenating Ayurvedic therapeutic treatment holiday or a mere weekend getaway.
The floating cottages with a design, which is patented; are made of local wood with thatched tops on platforms made of Laminated Ferro-Cement (LFC). But inside these are complete with modern amenities; split air-conditioners, geysers, double beds, the works. The best part is the verandah, where you can pull out the chairs and sit in contemplation of the silky evenings or the misty mornings; its a beautiful experience.
There are 24 land-rooms too, which are more spacious, have the (dubious) distinction of having a television set in them, and are set in a created ambience of bridges, tiny canals with lotuses and a duck, and rock formations. Nooks and crannies have little surprises. A rich crop of shadowed crotons is in the shade and so is a tiny patch, just beneath a flight of steps, of touch-me-nots. A centipede crosses your path leisurely and a fat squirrel goes about its harried business.
You meander the grounds and stumble, almost perchance, across the spacious Ayurvedic center. Cool and sprawling in design, it is run by two qualified doctors who give therapies for ailments and also preside over the Kerala Ayurvedic massages.
The center has 5 trained masseurs, each with more than five to seven years experience. Whilst in Kerala this is a must. The initial shock of taking off all your clothes (male masseurs for men and female masseurs for ladies, only!) is soon lost in the incredibly smooth kneading of muscles by the masseurs hands and feet. There is nothing, which is hard or harsh, just a gentle flexing of muscles and pressure along the right nerve points. The sesame oil is mixed with herbs and the whole body is redolent of its astringent fragrance. This is then removed by applying besan water, which removes the oil completely. As you stand under the shower letting the oil and the besan flow away, you realize you have gone through a different experience altogether.
The resort does not overwhelm one with activities. It lays them out as choices you can make. Table tennis, carom, a family pool, a band on the week-ends, sunset cruise in a country boat, yoga everyday at 8 in the morning, on the sand in the beach, under the palm trees. They have plans for very many activities. Alas…
Poovar is sheer heaven, full of quietude and beauty. Visit it before it changes.
The transition from a backwater heaven to a popular Kovalam beach was a transition into a different world. The one hour it took us to reach Kovalam from Poovar Island was an hour spent in memories of our previous visit, almost twenty years back.
A round virgin beach, almost like something attached to a backyard, water so clear and a water basin so flat that I at the age of ten was brave enough to walk deep into the sea. And the destination was a platform strung somewhere there at the epicenter of the bay. One could lie on it like a seal in the sun. The rocks on the edge of the bay were flat and clean, a paradise for beauty-lovers and for (on that day) a fashion photographer. A French couple we met said the beach was better than the finest French beaches. The sand was white and ran through our fingers like water. We came for a day and stayed for seven. It was an unforgettable time.
Poovar Island, KeralaLocation:
Nearest Airport - Trivandrum
Nearest major Railway station - Trivandrum Central
By road from Trivandrum -30 km
Contact:
Poovar Island Resort,
K.P. VII/911,
Paruthiyoor, Kulathoor Panchayath, Pozhiyoor
P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-695 513,
Tel: (471) 212 068-70; Fax: 212 092. E-mail: poovar@md5.vsnl.net.in Website: https://sarovarparkplaza.com