Dewalokam - Lodging in Kodikulam - Idukki, India

As a quick summary, this was an absolutely wonderful experience. I would return every year if I could. The land itself is wonderful, on our first day we had a short tour of the farm with our host, who was incredibly knowledgeable about all that grew on his land, showing us the various spices and fruits, and allowing us to taste everything along the way. The closest village is just 2-3km away, a short walk through the pineapple farms and rubber plantations. Our host also took us for a trip to the magnificent waterfalls which were nearby, and took the time to show us the small creatures along the way, and the different trees. The food was incredible, the best we have eaten on our trip so far, with the added bonus of being able to watch the chef each day at 6pm, who will provide an insight into the food you'll be having a short while later. We loved our time at Dewalokam, Jose and Sinta were wonderful hosts and we are really hoping to return in the future!

A fantastic experience. Made to feel very welcome and our host couple couldn't have been more obliging. Setting beautiful and enjoyed the available activities which included a cookery demonstration of our dinner. Highly recommend

Wonderful, amazing, stunning I loved staying here as part of my short tour of Kerala. Run by a delightful family who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. Superb food, friendly staff if you're reading this please visit and stay, you will love it!

The visit in Dewalokam was the highlight of our 1 month India tour. The property is super maintained and reside near a lovely river and endless fields of pineapples, rubber trees, fruits, spices and wild vegetation. The rooms spacious and clean so are the rest of the public areas. The meals the staff cooked (also the cooking lessons) were the best that we experienced in our tour We were exceptionally impressed from the lovely staff and what they did so that we feel good, they did not spare any effort. Jose and Sinta - Thanks for having us in your private paradise. This is something we will never forget.

Nous avons ete accueillis par Jose, Sinta et leur equipe pendant 3 jours/ 2 nuits. Nous aurions pu rester davantage tant cette etape nous a fait du bien et nous a ressources. Loin de l'agitation des lieux touristiques et du bruit des villes, cette ferme propose une pension complete et des activites reposantes sur place (yoga tous les matins, cours de cuisine, sentier botanique, massage ayurvedique, VTT, baignades...). L'equipe est d'une incroyable gentillesse, et a montre une grande patience avec nos enfants (6 et 11 ans). Les lieux sont d'une grande proprete et la nourriture est divine... L'equipe avait meme organise une surprise pour l'anniversaire de mon epouse... Nous le recommandons !!! MERCI encore

This was our second visit to Dewlalokam. We've been to India three times and this is the only place we have been back to twice. We will keep coming. It is truly wonderful. I could fill a book with a review of all the incredible things to do, experience, taste and to highlight how lovely all of the staff are. I won't though as it may spoil some surprises. So many guests return for multiple visits (one couple we met were on the 6th returning visit) - and this should tell all. Pretty much everyone we met on tours highlighted Dewalokam as their favourite place and rightly so. So why (in as few words as possible).... Well there are so many things and all guests can appreciate different aspects. Firstly Sinta and Jose are just lovely caring people who treat their staff and animals so well. They have quarters and a canteen for the drivers who accompany tourists. They have put fans in the cow shed to cool the mother and her calf. Their staff have smiles on their faces. Jose's laugh is infectious; Sinta's smile can light up the place. Thank you to all of the staff for playing badminton with us, bringing us food, drinks and just being so attentive. The grounds are just beautiful. Many of us did yoga each morning at 7:30 before breakfast. The open air studio looks out over majestic planting, trees and the river. The sunlight ripples through the trees reflecting back from the river as you do the class. When the meditation part comes all you hear is birdsong. There is no car noise. None. The river is wonderful for swimming. And many of us swum every day. It's clean, safe and not deep. On many swims I caught sight of a kingfisher; there are hosts of many birds so bring binoculars. There are so many hammocks and loungers so you can take your pick of shade or sun. And whilst you are in one, it is so difficult not to be captivated by so many different species and colours of butterflies and birds. Others will tell you how good the food and activities are. We would agree in spades so I won't elaborate. I'll finish by saying this. We spent most of this trip in Rajasthan in the north. But we could not come to India without coming all the way south to be with Sinta, Jose and the staff again. My advice - do not hesitate to come and stay as long as you can. If in doubt - add an extra day (or days). We will be back sooner rather than later.

Exceeding expectations and we can't wait to visit again! What a beautiful home stay and the hosts looked after us so well. We had the best food and the best company!

Brilliant place in lovely location! We were a party of 10 celebrating a special birthday for one of us. We could not have been looked after better. Comfy rooms, excellent cooking by talented chef, and wonderful hosts to greet us. The plantation is really interesting with all sorts of things beeing grown and the owner gives a very personal and informative tour. Higly recommended.!