The original Backwater resort that retains a special charm and authenticity that still makes it the queen of Kumarakom.

The resort has a unique character to it despite many other trying to copy the formula. Across 30 or so acres are spread a combination of single cottages, rebuilt traditional Kerala houses and a row of pool villas (being refurbished in 2012). The cottages are interspersed with small canals and small rows of mature Mango and coconut trees. The overall impact is refined and calm as though the buildings had been there a lot longer. The property features two restaurants, an ayurveda centre and yoga hall as well as a large kidney shaped swimming pool beside an evening bar. The spacious grounds around the resort and the maturity of the foliage gives an overall impression of privacy and quiet. The resort is surrounded on two sides by water - the canal and Lake Vembanad - and so evening strolls are rendered even more pleasurable by the sun dipping over the Lake to sunset.

This review of Coconut Lagoon is a summary of my experiences at the resort over a long weekend. During my stay, I poked around the property, taking photographs and generally trying to get a sense of what it is all about and whether you should stay there!

Coconut Lagoon was the first property to be developed in Kumarakom over twenty years ago. At the time Kumarakom really was a swampy backwater ignored by visitors to the backwaters. The few roads were difficult to navigate and the land was still mainly paddy with small groves of coconut plantation