INDIALINE
Complete India Travel Guide

Somatheeram Beach Resort

Somatheeram, the Ayurvedic Beach Resort is situated atop a hill and spreads over an area of 15 acres. The Resort combines Kerala's two biggest attractions - beach and ayurveda to provide its guest both fun and relaxation. Infact, Somatheeram has been a pioneer in making Kerala a hot spot for Ayurvedic treatment. Its credentials as an excellent Ayurveda centre is further established by the fact that it has won Kerala State Government Tourism Award for Best Ayurvedic Centre for 5 consecutive years (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2002). Moreover, the Beach Resort also offers yoga options - yet another way to keep your mind and body perfectly in a state of happiness.

What adds to Somatheeram's success is the natural environment that takes away half your plaguing stress. You feel exceptionally calm as you make your way past the green gardens and coconut groves to reach your room that is situated on the slope of the hill reaching down to the beach. And, the beach itself is a private one that offers a chance to enjoy the roaring sound of the sea and soft touch of the sand sans any of the nagging crowd and pestering vendors. Under the beach umbrella, you sit soaking in every little pleasure that comes your way in form of a gentle gust of wind or a cup of coffee. It is almost as if you are enjoying the beauty of hill station and a coastal beach simultaneously. The entire ambiance of the Resort is one of the freshness and purity, and this definitely proves beneficial during the treatment.

Stay in Stone Houses and Mud cottages

Ayurveda is a traditional system of healing, and Somatheeram being an Ayurvedic Beach Resort, offers you accommodation that is typically traditional, and that too traditional Keralese. So amidst lush greenery, you have traditional wooden houses, stone bungalows and cottages offering a total of 59 rooms with a total bed capacity of 118. Each of the bungalow, cottage and house reflect an architectural form of Kerala. They are not as grand and lavish as the heritage hotel of Rajasthan, yet they are spacious, cosy and make you feel special. So you have Sidharta, a granite built palace with a commodious living room apart from a well decorated bedroom and a huge bed. There is also an open courtyard with a palm tree (which you find in practically every part of Kerala) where you can sit and enjoy the pleasant breezes. Additionally, there is a terrace as well from where you can catch some splendid views of the surroundings.

Illam, the traditional houses of the Namboodris of Kerala, are made of wood. They have antique doors and furniture that lend it a graceful look. Each Illam has two bedrooms out of which one is deluxe with a living room and the other one is an ordinary room. When taken together, what Illam gives you is an exclusive compound for yourself where you can take a walk, sit or watch the surrounding greenery and ocean as per your wishes. Arappura too is a typical traditional Kerala house made of wood offering one deluxe and one ordinary accommodation.

Then there is another Kerala house with two bedrooms - Jeevan and Jyothi. The house, situated on the slopes to the beach has a wonderful surrounding in form of coconut grooves. Here, the two bedrooms are rented separately, as is the case with Nalukettu, where you have four bedrooms rented to different people. Nalukettu provides beautiful views of the vast ocean from its verandah. There is an inner open courtyard to sit and take a round as well in case you do not wish to go out.

Last but not the least, you have cottages, and that too in three subcategories - special, ordinary and mini. The first one is a round thatched villa built up of mud and bricks. These provide a wider view of the sea. The second one is thatched stone villa while the third one is round thatched brick villa. Staying in these cottages is definitely a unique experience that you will cherish for your life.

Enjoy Kerala's Cultural Heritage

To make your stay more special, you have some entertainment as well and they too conform to overall traditional motif. There are cultural shows organized that provide a peak into the rich cultural heritage of Kerala. You can watch the graceful moves of the Mohiniattam dancer and rigourous body language of a Kathakali performer. You can also watch the kalaripayattu fighters take on each other in a martial combat and the classical artists indulging in a contest to musically outdo each other.

Apart from these, the resort authorities also arrange for sightseeing and package tours if a request is made for the same. There are a whole lot of interesting places close to the Somatheeram Beach Resort that can be visited - Veli tourist village, Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Neyyar dam, Padmanabhapuram palace, Kanyakumari and Alleppey.

Take an Ayurvedic Treatment and Learn Yoga

Ayurvedic treatment, a 5000 year old system of healing, is what gives Somatheeram its distinct identity. A number of Ayurvedic treatment are on offer here that usually span for a period of 7-21 days (though there are others that could very well take more or less days).

Important Ayurvedic treatment on offer here Pizhichil, Njavarakizhi, Vasthi, Nasyam, Urovasthi, Thalam, Dhara, Sirovasthi, Udvarthanam, Abhyangam, Snehapanam, Kizhi, Dhanyamla Dhara, Yoni Prakshalanam, Kativasthi, Ksheeradhoomam and Lepanam. These treatment are basically meant to treat a variety of physical and mental problems like body muscle weakening, lack of blood circulation, mental disorders & stress. In addition there are number of Body Care Treatment too for different parts of body on offer. For example, there are treatments to tone up skin and skin complexion, avoids wrinkles, reduce fat and beautify the body figure, to keep spine and neck healthy, prevents eye diseases and strengthen the optic nerve and so on. Rasayana Chikitsa, Shodhan Chikitsa, Kayakalpa Chikitsa, Sidhma Chikitsa, Karnapooranam, Tharpanam and Mukhalepam are few of the Body Care treatment offered by the Somatheeram Beach Resort.

Apart from Ayurvedic treatment, yoga also forms an intrinsic part of the body and health care programme of the Resort. Many people perceive yoga to be a typical exercise consisting of certain body postures and closing of eyes. However, yoga is much more than all this. It is developing a healthy attitude towards life and in process a way of life. At Somatheeram Beach Resort, you will learn all this and much more about this science that was developed by the sages.

The Doctors and Masseurs

No treatment can be a success if the doctors and other personnels are not capable. The authority at the Somatheeram Beach Resort realize this and perhaps, this is the reason why care is taken by the qualified doctors and personnel to design a treatment that best suits an individual and his body. After all, a treatment that is not effective is equal to no treatment at all.

Accessibility

It is 21 km from Trivandrum Airport, Railway Station and Bus Stand. Kovalam beach is 9 km to the north.