Travelling is one of the best ways to refresh your energy and enrich your knowledge of various art and cultures. It is also one of the best ways to leave behind the unending monotony of life. Visiting other places helps us realise that, there is more in this world than we have experienced. Travelling may help us to incarnate our life with nature. For example, a visit to the hill station fills our minds with peace and tenacity looking at the tranquillity of the greenish trees and the pleasant view of the mountains.
In the past, travellers had to go through a lot of annoyances in planning and travelling. They had to begin planning months before the actual travel, and the plan should be systematically drafted. However, in this modern era, travelling has become more comfortable. There are so many mobile apps and online services that may reduce the complications in travelling. Tourist guides also provide assistance and information about the places we plan to visit. They are usually well trained and organise the tours comprehensively while making us comfortable and satisfied.
Poovar Island Resort
My husband and I planned a stay at Poovar Island Resort in Neyyatrinkara, in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. We decided to travel by train, began our morning journey, and reached Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station, about 30kms from Poovar, in the noontime. The train journey was a pleasant one and the serene view of the Western Ghats welcomed us with a ‘hello’. The resort arranged for us, pickup service from the railway station to the resort’s boat jetty situated in the Neyyar river, which was a 45min travel through the rushy Thiruvananthapuram roads.
Reaching the resort
The resort is built on an island surrounded by the Neyyar river mouth and hence can be reached only by boat. The resort provided us with a pick-up and drop service from the boat jetty to the resort. It was a fantastic boat cruise through the river.
The resort was situated about two kilometres from the boat jetty through the river. Dense mangrove trees occupy either side of the river. The scenic view of Neyyar gave us, immense pleasure. We reached the resort and were welcomed with a drink.
The Floating Villas
After completing the check-in process, they handed us the keys to the room. The resort had floating villas and villas/cottages built on the land too, and we chose the floating one as it was unique and exciting. It was a villa literally floating on the water with a large buoy and had a balcony facing the estuary.
The room had a cosy double-cot bed and an attached bathroom, with wooden flooring which provided plenty of comforts. The floatiness of the room made us dizzy sometimes, especially at the night during the high tide.
The Restaurant
The Multi-Cuisine Restaurant at the resort served varieties of food from Indian, Continental, and oriental cuisine. We served ourselves from the buffet and we sat in the dining hall which had plenty of tables of various capacities. The glass wall in the dining room gave a refreshing look into the greenery outside.
Exploring the resort
The resort was situated in a vast area surrounded by sea, river, mangrove forests and hills. The resort also had an electric golf cart with which one can take a tour of the resort. The walking pathways were an integral part of the landscape and added more beauty. They were clean and exceptional.
The resort had an Ayurvedic Centre for spas and massages and a children’s park. The entire resort was covered with greenish lawn and it enhances the scenic view of the resort.
They also provide boat service to the beach which is about a 5 min travel beyond the estuary and passes through some sightseeing places like a mangrove forest, a Mother Mary Grotto, a floating Restaurant and a rock in the shape of an elephant.
Boat Cruise
On the day of check-out, they arranged a boat cruise through the backwaters to the mangrove forests, and then back to the boat jetty in the Neyyar river. It was an amazing experience sailing through the dense canopy of the mangrove forests with tall coconut trees, some wild trees, shrubs, and mangroves on either side. On the way back, the boat rider took us through a mangrove forest, which the localites call ‘Anaconda forest’ as they believe the movie ‘Anaconda’ was shot here.
We saw some migratory birds and water birds fishing their prey. The mangrove forest was so dense, that it was quite frightful, but we utterly enjoyed it. Then we were dropped onto the boat jetty and we bid adieu to Poovar. The resort arranged a drop back then to the Thiruvananthapuram Central.
Poovar is truly a porthole into paradise. The golden sand beach and the backwater cruise attract thousands of tourists every month. The scenic view of Poovar flashes in our minds eternally.
PS: I created a Google Earth plan to visualize the detail I narrated above - Google Earth Link
