Yesterday Padma and I had a huge day in the car travelling between Mysore and Fort Cochin in Kerala. So it was great to have a restful day today.
It is 12 years since I was in Fort Cochin last and despite a few new shops it has lost none of it’s laid back charm. We are staying for two nights at the lovely Tower House Hotel. It is part of the boutique Neemrana group of hotels. It is an old converted manor house and is filled with amazing antiques and collectibles.
As we left the hotel this morning we found that they were filming a Bollywood film across the road in the park. Manu, the lead actor, was miming with his guitar with an adorable group of children.
It was a real highlight watching them go over the same scene again and again to get it exactly perfect.
I had a fantastic pedicure at the Cochin Ayurveda Centre (1/620 Santa Cruz School Road, Fort Cochin). The ladies there were so sweet and pinched my cheeks and smiled.
Padma and I then shopped up a storm at Anokhi ( Lily Street, Fort Cochin)…for clothing, tablecloths, jewellery and material covered notebooks.
We had a tasty lunch at the Kashi Art Cafe (Burgher Street, Fort Cochin). It has definitely stood the test of time as it was here 12 years ago and still going strong.
In the afternoon we returned to the Cochin Ayurveda Centre – this time at their branch at the Hotel Fort House (2/6A Calvathy Road, Fort Cochin). Here I had the Udvarthana massage. It is a dry herb massage to aid detoxification and nourishment of the body tissues. My skin felt divine after it.
For dinner we went to the Old Harbour Hotel (located just near our hotel). We had a delicious meal there in the garden listening to traditional music on the sitar and tabla drums.
Fort Cochin’s relaxed and peaceful atmosphere makes it the perfect place to unwind. The vast array of Ayurvedic clinics allows for health and beauty treatments. By the end if the day you’ll be blissed out like Padma and I and never want to leave…