Quaint thatched roof cottages (some with their own private swimming pool and jacuzzi) named uniquely after emotions like Peace, Love, Joy. Amazing sea views, fifteen kilometres of unspoilt beach and a sandbar between the sea and the lagoon. These are just some of the amazing treasures that await guests at Neeleshwar Hermitage. The boutique eco resort nestled in a sleepy town called Nileshwar in Kasargod district of Kerala, is not just a hotel, it is a transformative experience.
The resort does NOT use mineral water bottles at all! Water is served in glass bottles or copper jugs. The rooms also DO NOT have televisions so it is perfect for a digital detox holiday. It is a non-smoking hotel, throughout and guests are requested not to use their mobile phones at mealtimes in the dining areas and at the spa. This resort owned by AB Chapri Retreats is preparing to welcome guests back soon in the post Covid-19 era.
Social distancing
Social distancing is a breeze at Neeleshwar Hermitage as it has a limited number of cottages – 18, set well apart from each other over a twelve-acre site of highly oxygenated paradise garden, with verdant foliage separating each cottage from its neighbour. This allows each visitor their privacy and also the pleasant experience of ‘owning’ the whole property, while not having to be close to other guests unless, of course they chose to be. Each cottage room has very generous proportions, open-air planted bathroom and a pleasant private sitting-out area on the verandah, with either sea or garden views.
The eating areas too are well-ventilated and very spacious. The Meenakshi beachfront restaurant is open-aired, with movable tables set many metres apart, while the main restaurant, the vegetarian Annapurna, is a vast and similarly adaptable inner space, with high ceilings and open walls looking on to the gardens. The resort has already been designed to have structures that could operate free of air conditioning, as both a health and an energy-saving policy, and this has proved fortuitous as air-conditioning is not good for limiting the spread of viruses.
As soon as the guest arrives in Kerala, hotel car which will be properly sanitised will arrive at the airport/railway station to pick guests up and transfer them to the hotel. A hand sanitiser and face mask will be provided for guests. Until the situation improves, the journey from pick-up point to the hotel will be non-stop. There will be a ‘temperature gun’ in the Reception to enable to closely monitor each arriving guest, staff member and member of the public (e.g. food deliverers, tradesmen) who enter the premises.
Hand sanitisers will not only be available but compulsory for each and every visitor. These will be available not only at the time of entry for guests but in rooms and public areas throughout the day for them to use whenever they wish.
Safety and immunity
Immunity drinks will be available in the cottages and public areas at all times, on a complimentary basis. These drinks will be created by the resort’s chefs in consultation with the Ayurvedic Doctor. When guests leave the hotel, they are welcome to take a printed booklet home with them, which will contain recipes for drinks and food as well as lifestyle tips, to ensure continued good health and maximum immunity.
The resort’s cleanliness regime was already very stringent, using only natural products to conform to the eco-friendly standards. However, as per the new guidelines set by the local authorities, the resort will now be using all disinfecting material to sanitise all the cottages, bathrooms, restaurants and public areas.
Shoes will not be allowed inside the cottages, restaurants, etc. This is a custom the resort have always gently encouraged, to follow the Indian tradition, but it will now be made mandatory. Each cottage at Neeleshwar Hermitage has a tap outside the verandah to facilitate footwashing.
Before entering Priya, the Ayurvedic Clinic at Neeleshwar Hermitage, guests will have to wash their feet with disinfecting water which will be kept at the entrance in a copper vessel. Likewise, hands will be sanitised and temperature will be checked before entering the facility.
In order to maintain social distancing whilst at the hotel, guests will be encouraged to enjoy a quiet time of rest and relaxation and discouraged from leaving the premises for sightseeing trips. Walks on the beach will be permitted as long as social distancing is maintained, and so will swimming in the sea. The cottages with private pools will have those pools thoroughly disinfected between each separate stay.
