Purity

A serene and romantic waterfront retreat on the southwest shores of Lake Vembanad

Florentine architect Maria Angela Fernhof built this Indo-Italianate villa with a waterfront garden back in 2003 while recovering from a broken heart. All sun-washed white stucco and red terracotta, it was a real labour of love, bringing together bits of vintage Rajasthani palaces, antiques, temple carvings and a dash of Cochin's colonial cool, to create a wonderful patchwork atmosphere where India, tranquility and Europe meet.

We visited in early 2010 when it was called ‘Casa del Fauno’; soon after it was sold to the chic Malabar Escapes group and refurbished. Now called Purity, it's a classic boutique hotel with 6 big bedrooms and attentive staff. The renovation has added new bathrooms, a museum/art gallery filed with unique antiques and interpretations of modern India, a waterfront pavilion for arrival and departure by boat and a new Ayurvedic spa and yoga space.

Rooms are beautifully decorated, with pink silk holy cow cushions, antique wooden animal statues and ornate carved beds; the garden and lakefront vista are beautifully kept and the décor promotes this sense of calm with clean lines and fuss-free furnishings. We can’t wait to revisit.

Highs

• Beautiful setting among the canals and lagoons of the backwaters with dreamy views across the lake to Kumarakom
• Hanging out on the jetty (particularly at sunset), spotting kingfishers, eagles or otters, as dragonflies play on drifting banks of water hyacinth
• Lazing on sunbeds by the pool, under palm trees in the garden or on the 'beach' (a strip of sand by the water’s edge)
• Candlelit meals by the lake edge; wonderfully romantic, and the traditional Keralan food is good
• Staff really know the area and are happy to help organise activities - boat trips, backwater cruises, temple tours and day trips to Fort Cochin or Alleppey
• Sister hotel to the stylish Malabar House, Serenity, Discovery, Privacy and Trinity - book a package to experience a couple of them

Lows

• If you like urban Indian life, it may seem a bit off the beaten track.
• The approach to the house, through the swampy back-end of a village, gives a poor first impression - though it’s immediately forgotten once past the gates
• No restaurants within walking distance so you'll need to eat in-house or take a tuk-tuk
• With only 6 rooms it can get booked up