Sarah, we are back home and had a wonderful time.
I'd like to give you some feedback, if that's okay with you.
Arrival at cochin airport was seamless, with your representative eagerly looking for us with his sign. he put us right into a cab and we got to the hotel easily.
Travancore Court Hotel is in a good part of town, has a nice lobby, gift shop, and restaurant. The staff was lovely, however, upgrading to another hotel is Cochin would be my suggestion. The bus that took us around (and the drivers) were top-notch.The Kathakali performance was fun, especially since we got to watch them put on their makeup.
Munnar was great and the Eastend Hotel was perfectly fine. Probably one of the best to be found in Munnar. Nice garden, rooms comfortable and cheerful, good restaurant. Tea plantations were interesting,and our guide Alex took us to see a spice garden, and the local market, all of which were interesting.
Next day, on the way to Karakom, he pointed out lots of things of interest all the way. The houseboat overnight was great fun. The boat was comfortable and the food was good. The bathroom was a bit yucky, but it is, after all, a houseboat. We were comfortable and the scenery was fabulous. We slept well.
Lakesong was fabulous. Very beautiful. we arranged yoga classes and a cooking class with the chef and sous chef while we were there. also took advantage of the ayurvedic spa services. Rooms, landscape, food, etc. was all wonderful.
The best part of the whole trip, and the thing that really made it a great success was our guide, Alex. It would not have been the same without him. He was very knowledgeable, kept things moving along, was very protective of us, and made sure EVERYTHING was taken care of for us. I can't compliment him enough.
I thank you enormously for all your help with putting this trip together.”