Purity

Rooms

Remember that Diana Vreeland quote ‘Pink is the navy blue of India’? All that bright colour can be overwhelming, but boy, do they know how to use it. Splashes of green, turquoise and yellow somehow manage to look both vibrant and harmonious together (the backdrop of pure white sheets and whitewashed walls helps) - even restorative and peaceful - whilst the red and crimson palette in some of the rooms adds a more sensual note.

There are 14 bedrooms and suites spread across an old block and a new block. Each room has beds dressed in fine linen topped by bright cushions and double banks of pillows, and eclectic modern art mixes well with antique wood carvings (which in some rooms are the focus of your bed wall). There's air-conditioning, a flatscreen TV, a fridge loaded with cold drinks, a kettle and a really snazzy bathroom where you’ll find a stack of bathroom goodies: Rama shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser and body cleanser, and Holy Lama soap. There’s bottled water by the bed, a vase of cut flowers on your writing desk and a folder listing the spa treatments on offer along with recommended local visits. Lighting is used to excellent effect though it did take us a while to master the controls.

All rooms come with a terrace or veranda with views out to the lake. The five palatial Vembanad Suites are as big as the lobby, each with large living areas and some with private wellness facilities. The four Suite Gardens are a little smaller, though just as plush, with glass-fronted living areas and cavernous bathrooms where there’s room aplenty for his-and-hers sinks and an Ayurvedic massage table to be set up for private in-room treatments.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Fan
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Mosquito net
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Your day gets off to a special start at breakfast. There's freshly squeezed juice and a tropical fruit platter, cereal and toast, eggs or, much more fun, a dosa of your choice. Excellent filter coffee and organic, loose-leaf teas are also available.

Dinner features traditional Keralan dishes - these vary according to what’s to be had at local markets. Choices might include an excellent fish, or coconut and tomato Thakkali curry, or maybe sautéed marsala mussels in a tomato sauce. The tastiest dish we tried was Pollichathu fish, which was steamed in a banana leaf with coconut and a delicate combination of spices. There’s a second menu, too, which includes some classic northern Indian dishes.

There’s a simple lunch menu and a Keralan-style thali can always be prepared. Snacks, including sandwiches, paneer pakoras and cashew nuts are also on offer.

Meals are normally served in the shaded courtyard at the back of the house where we found the ambiance to be a tad claustrophobic, with little space between tables and no view as such. It’s much nicer, when weather and mozzie activity permits, to dine in the covered colonnade overlooking the pool, out in the garden, at a lake-facing table along the waterfront or on your private balcony.

Features include:

• Bar
• Breakfast
• Dinner by arrangement
• Organic produce
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Unwind with an Ayurvedic treatment at the on-site spa. Individual treatments and 1-7 day programmes are available
  
• Take a boat trip on the backwaters or head off in the hotel’s rustic little sikara and be paddled around the shores of the lake by a local boatman. From Alleppey you can join a full-on backwater cruise, either on a tourist boat or - more authentic, and much cheaper - a local water bus
  
• Explore Muhama. Right on the doorstep, the village is known for its coir matting, woven from coconut fibre. You could take one of the hotel's tuk-tuk tours around; they are also available to Alleppey or nearby temples
  
• Borrow a bike and freewheel around the village
  
• Visit Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, a boat-trip away on the opposite side of the lake. The 14-acre sanctuary is populated with waterfowl, herons, egrets, cormorants and owls, as well as migratory birds such as parrots, larks and Siberian cranes. Be sure to get going early so as to miss the arrival of a stream of houseboats of all shapes and sizes
  
• The enchanting island of Pathiramanal (meaning 'sands of midnight') is another bird haven, just 1.5km by boat from Muhama jetty nearby
  
• Walk by the lake and drink in the tranquil scenery; ask reception to arrange a private yoga or cookery lesson
  
• Reception can arrange drivers for day trips. Alleppey (Allapuzha) has been called the 'Venice of the East', thanks to its network of narrow canals. In parts it smells worse than Venice, but it’s one of the most interesting of the backwater towns. And there’s fantastic sandy beach, too
  
• Visit the 18th-century Krishnapuram Palace and its archaeological museum (a 50km drive south)
  
• Fort Cochin - Kerala’s spice port community - is an hour away. Tour the streets of Jew Town, home of the famous Pepper Exchange, or haggle with Kashmiri traders and visit synagogues

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Cooking classes
• Cycling
• Historical sites
• Museums / galleries
• Private guided tours
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming
• Well being
• Wildlife
• Yoga

Kids

Children are welcome though the atmosphere here is so chilled that a gaggle of noisy kids may not go down too well with other guests. Baby cots and extra beds can be provided and the hotel has crayons and board games to keep young 'uns amused.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

All rooms can sleep up to 3, with the extra guest on a daybed or baby cot.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Purity is in Muhamma, a backwater settlement on the western shore of Lake Vembanad.

By Air:
The closest airport is Cochin International Airport, 70km away, to which there are regular flights via the Gulf. Kerala's other international airport Trivandrum is 170km away and easily accessed by road or rail.

From the Airport
The hotel can arrange transfers, which take about 2 hours.

By Car:
Purity is easily reached by car as it is off the National Highway 47 between Ernakulam and Alleppey (Alappuhza).

By Boat:
This is perhaps the most romantic way to arrive, dawdling along Kerala's backwaters and through Lake Vembanad to arrive at the waterfront pavilion. It is also a great starting point for a backwater cruise.

By Train:
The nearest mainline railway stations are at Alleppey (14km to the south), and Cherthala (98kms to the north), on the mainline route between Trivandrum and Mumbai.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.