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Vaamika Island, Kochi

Private island with boat access, personal valet, private villas for exotic getaway.

If your secret dream has always been to live like a paparazzi-chased, top-notch celebrity or if you are in fact regularly chased by reporters, then Vaamika Island is the place to go. With a bespoke airport transfer to a private speedboat that took me directly to my private pool villa where my personal butler welcomed me with a traditional Kerala welcome, it was an exclusive experience like nowhere else.  Originally built by an Indophile German professor on a seven-acre private island just outside Kochi, Vaamika Island is a set of exclusive villas. The villas are based on the principle of space and nature being the new luxuries in modern city life.

Privacy is the hallmark of Vaamika. Only their private boat can reach the island. All five villas have a private jetty where the guests are welcomed with garlands and decorated umbrellas, usually held over royalty or divine idols. The check-in is done directly in the villa where the butler waits with a refreshing drink.

High Noon is a restored 200 year old wooden cottage with two double bedrooms, two outdoor pavilions, private lakefront garden and massage area. It also has a private lakefront infinity pool. To float in the infinity pool with an illusion of merging with the clear, still lake is an amazing experience.  Sunrise Residence is a villa couplet – Wood and Stone. The Wooden House has a double and a single bedroom while the Stone House has one double bedroom. They share a lakefront infinity pool, garden and massage pavilion. The third one, Casuarina House is a simpler villa with a gorgeous lake view. It has one double bedroom and a private massage pavilion. The two Lake Houses are charming cottages with direct lake views and one bedroom each. Each villa is uniquely designed and furnished with a combination of modern and traditional art and crafts.

What’s common to all the villas is luxury and comfort with antique decor complementing the art on the walls. Bathrooms in the villas are contemporary bath garden with open to the sky shower area. Inspired by Venice, there are canals within the island and tiny bridges over them.

Service is very personalized. Dinner is usually served in the Museum along with cultural programmes. But you can choose to have your meals anywhere in the island and at any time you wish. The food is so fresh that not even the ice cream is frozen. Their fresh ice creams with unusual flavours like green pepper and jackfruit are a hit with the guests. Fish and prawn are caught from the lake around the island while many vegetables are grown on the island itself. There is no menu and the chef is happy to customize everything for you. They love honeymoon couples and have a series of surprises for them. Most of the villas have private massage areas so you don’t need to step out for ayurvedic treatments. The butler has a small room in the cottage so that he is available round the clock if required. Guests are given mobile phones with pre-programmed numbers so that they can request service easily from anywhere on the island. The staff live on the island in separate housing.

Though traditional wooden cottages are the mainstay of the upscale resorts in Kerala, there is an indefinable quality that sets Vaamika apart. A unique aspect is the Museum of South Indian art with pieces collected over 30 years.

Activities

Speed boat ride

Country boat ride

Cultural shows

Museum of South Indian crafts

Ayurveda spa services

Yoga

Picnic on a private island

Attractions

Kumbalangi Tourism Village Museum of Kerala History

Kumarakom

Alleppey

Marari Beach

Kodanad Elephant Sanctuary

Fort Kochi

Read reviews

More Information

Eco facts

Organic farming

Nearest Railway Station :

Ernakulam Junction 20 kms

Nearest Airport :

Kochi 45 kms

Reviews ( 4 )

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Rishi
2013-05-05 12:13:24
Look, you may not really enjoy the Vaamika experience if you: 1. Enjoy brushing shoulders with crowds; the experience of living on a gorgeous private island and sharing it with virtually no one can be quite disturbing 2. Are a hair shampoo model; zipping on and off the island on a choice of motor boats and traditional vessels can lead to bad hair days 3. Relish the tangy salty taste of preservatives in your food; absolutely everything is cooked from scratch, with the freshest of ingredients, most of which are grown at Vaamika itself 4. Are seeking a thrilling game of pool volleyball; it can get really hard to convince other guests, even if you encounter any, to come share your private pool – especially since they all have their own. 5. Have gotten used to surly service staff or pasted smiles; genuine, eager to please, normal people only at Vaamika But if you can let go of some of the above fixations, I would highly recommend a few days at this enchanting resort, just thirty minutes from mainland Kochi. Luxurious accommodation with garden showers and private pools, 360 degree views of the Kerala backwaters, the most exquisite cuisine, served anywhere that you wish on the island, long private boat rides, your own private spa, the list goes on and on. And with the effervescent Sudha Mathew and the Seek and Hide team, planning every detail and negotiating the most unbelievable deals, you really can’t ask for anything more.

Reviews ( 4 )

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• Rajiv Sethi

  September 1, 2012

  Wanted a quiet and super exclusive family getaway and was recommended to s&h. Absolutely overwhelmed by the quality and speed of response. Cannot plan another holiday without s&h\’s inputs. Highly recommended.

• Madhu Sen

  December 7, 2012

  We were looking for a really special place for our honeymoon. We didn\’t have enough time off to go abroad so when Sudha recommended Vaamika we went with it. Now I think it was a good thing we didn\’t have time to go abroad coz this was the best romantic resort we could have found. Private pool, butler, massage in our villa, candlelight dinner – nothing was missed. Thanks a ton from both of us!

• N. Mitchell

  January 18, 2013

  Loved our holiday at Vaamika and houseboat. Perfect itinerary suggested by seek&hide folks for a relaxing lazy holiday. Wish I could do it again soon. Cheers.

• Rishi

  May 5, 2013

  Look, you may not really enjoy the Vaamika experience if you:

  1. Enjoy brushing shoulders with crowds; the experience of living on a gorgeous private island and sharing it with virtually no one can be quite disturbing
  2. Are a hair shampoo model; zipping on and off the island on a choice of motor boats and traditional vessels can lead to bad hair days
  3. Relish the tangy salty taste of preservatives in your food; absolutely everything is cooked from scratch, with the freshest of ingredients, most of which are grown at Vaamika itself
  4. Are seeking a thrilling game of pool volleyball; it can get really hard to convince other guests, even if you encounter any, to come share your private pool – especially since they all have their own.
  5. Have gotten used to surly service staff or pasted smiles; genuine, eager to please, normal people only at Vaamika

  But if you can let go of some of the above fixations, I would highly recommend a few days at this enchanting resort, just thirty minutes from mainland Kochi. Luxurious accommodation with garden showers and private pools, 360 degree views of the Kerala backwaters, the most exquisite cuisine, served anywhere that you wish on the island, long private boat rides, your own private spa, the list goes on and on. And with the effervescent Sudha Mathew and the Seek and Hide team, planning every detail and negotiating the most unbelievable deals, you really can’t ask for anything more.