Backwater Retreat Ashtamudi
Kollam (Quilon), Kerala.
The resort offers a total of twenty five rooms, spread across five chalets.This includes three suites. All rooms are furnished, air conditioning, tea coffee making facility, mini refrigerator and wall mounted LCD Televisions with DVD players. From every room you have a beautiful view over the garden and the lake.
 
 
Kerala is splendid with its lush green coconut trees, the serene backwaters and the soothing Ayurvedic massages. The unique feature of Kerala is its backwaters. It has a network of lakes, canals, and rivers opening into the Arabian sea. The canals connect villages and are still used for local transport. The backwaters are self-supporting eco-system full of aquatic life. Ashtamudi is the second largest backwaters in Kerala.
 
 
Kollam (Quilon) is one of the serene towns situated on the banks of Ashtamudi lake. Kollam is an interesting blend of rich heritage, diverse cultures and natural beauty. It is the southern gateway to the backwaters of Kerala. The place is prominent for cashewnut and spices trade. The Malayalam era is marked with the founding of Kollam in the 9th century. The later history of the town is linked with competitions of Portuguese, Dutch, and English for monopoly over Indian ocean trade routes and the goods grown in this part.
 
 
Ashtamudi means, 'eight-armed'. It is a palm-shaped extensive water body with eight prominent arms, adjoining the Kollam town. The lake is 55 kms long and is divided into eight creeks. The arms converge into a single outlet at Neendakara near Kollam, to enter the Lakshadweep sea. This estuary is the deepest among all the estuaries of Kerala with a maximum depth of 6.4 m at the confluence zone. Ashtamudi lake is famous for its magnificent landscape views. There are coconut groves and palm trees all along the banks of the lake and the uniformity is broken by the quiet town of Kollam. The Kollam Boat Club offers boats to cruise in the lake. You can enjoy a remarkable backwater tour starting from Kollam to Alappuzha. You can see the famous Chinese fishing nets beside the coconut palms, all along the banks. Kollam was the port of international spice trade. Thirty percent of this historic town is covered by Ashtamudi Lake. The eight hour trip between Kollam and Alappuzha is the longest backwater cruise in Kerala.
 
Accommodation
The Resort offers a total of twenty five rooms, spread across five chalets. This includes three suites, called the ‘Queen's Palace'. The architecture reflects the distinct style of construction deployed by the Travancore Raj.
 
Accommodation

All rooms are conditioned, with plush furnishing and attached western toilets. Amenities include a mini refrigerator, tea and coffee making facilities, a wall mounted LCD television and a DVD player. Every room rewards the eye with picturesque views of the gardens and the Ashtamudi Lke.

 
Resturant & Lounge
The restaurant is built in an imaginative manner on the shore of the Ashtamudi Lake , providing a marvelous view. Chefs prepare culinary specialties to the guest's wishes. The main food will be of the multi-cuisine and ethinic Kerala origin. The wide variety of preparations both vegetarian and non-vegetarian are available to please the gourmet. There is also a wide choice of other Indian, Chinese and continental specialties. There are specially trained chefs to prepare tasty Ayurvedic recipes.

Check In / Out Timings:
Check in 2 pm and check out 10 am.

Activities
Swimming, Timings (07.00 am to 07.00 pm), Pool for kids and adults with change room facilities, All are requested to use the pool with swimsuits only.

Entertainment
DVD Library
 
Adventure
Leisure Boat Trip in Back waters, Motor Boat Cruise, Pedal Boat, Kayaking, House Boat Cruise{On Request}, Fishing, Fishing trip, Bird Watching, Children's Play Area, Coir Tour, Thenmala Tour, Temple Tour, Kollam Tour, Trivandrum Tour.

Games
Pictionary, Air rifle, Card Tricks, Table Tennis, Play Station, Cards, Carrom, Board Games, Swimming Class, DVD Library, Cricket, Volleyball, Badminton.

Art & Craft
Glass Painting Class, Glass Painting, Decorative Mirror, Greeting Card Making, Stocking Flower, Golden Tree, Hand Held Mirror, Key Hanger, Sand Painting, Tie & Dye, Marble Envelope, 2 hrs clay session Clay Sculpture (Figure).
 
Thangasseri
It is situated 5 km from Kollam town. This seaside village of historic importance has the ruins of an old Portuguese fort and churches which was built in the 18th century. The chief attraction of the place is the light house, built in 1902. The 144 ft. light house stands as a sentinel, warning seamen of the treacherous reefs of Thangassery. Visitors are permitted to visit the lighthouse between 3.30pm and 5.30pm

Mayyanad
It is about 10 km south of Kollam town. Mayyanad is famous for its shrines and temples. Subramanya Temple at Umayanallor is the most important among the nine temples of this area. The shrine is said to have been consecrated by the great Hindu philosopher Sree Sankaracharya.

Matha Amrithanandamayi Ashram, Vallikavu
It is the residence and head quarters of Matha Amrithanandamayi one of India 's great Gurus, and is situated at Amrithapuri near Vallikavu. Vallikavu is a pilgrim centre near Kayamkulam. Special boats are available for hire from DTPC boat jetty in Ashramam near the Government Guest House. There are frequent buses from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram to Kayamkulam from where there are local buses to Vallikavu.

Chavara
Chavara is situated 14 kms, north of Kollam on the Kollam-Alappuzha road. Thousands of tonnes of mineral sand are exported from Chavara to various countries. The Koilthottam port is situated within the limits of Chavara panchayat. Four major industrial establishments - Indian Rare Earths, The Kerala Premopipe factory, Kerala Minerals and Metals and the Titanium complex - are at Chavara. The Thalappoli Mahotsavom- offerings of lighted lamps in decorated small pans - in the Kottamkulangara temple here is very famous. It falls in March - April. The interesting features of the festival is that men dress themselves as women and carry lamps. This is a time-honoured custom

Sasthamkotta
It is 29 km from Kollam town and is the largest fresh water lake of Kerala which is surrounded by hills on three sides. It is a beauty spot, a health resort and a centre of pilgrimage. The ancient Sastha Temple which lends its name to the town, is an important pilgrim centre. Accomodation is available at the PWD Rest House in the town. There are frequent buses from Quilon. The journey takes one hour.

How To Get There
By Road
There is an excellent road network that links Kollam to all major towns and cities in Kerala. KSRTC operates Deluxe, Express, and Fast Passenger buses connecting important towns in the state. You can reach the Ashtamudi resort from Kollam by car in 30 minutes. From this resort it takes 2 hours by car to reach Thiruvananthapuram International airport and 3 hours to reach Kochi.

Nearest Airport
Nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport 71 km and Domestic Airport is 76 km, away from the town.

Nearest Railhead
Kollam railway station is about 1 km from the heart of the town, Chinnakkada. This junction is a main stop for all express, super fast and passenger trains. This station is 15 km from Club Mahindra Resort. (General railway enquiry phone number is 131).

By Waterways
Another alternative is to travel at leisure from Alappuzha by ordinary tourist boat or houseboat enjoying the unique greenery of Kerala. The ferry station is adjacent to the central bus station, which is 3 km from the railway station. Ferry services are operated from the KSWTC boat jetty near KSRTC Central Bus Station. You can also reach the Ashtamudi resort from Kollam by speedboat in 10 minutes.
(KSWTC stands for Kerala State Water Transport Corporation.)

Tariff
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Child (5-12 yrs)
Superior Room
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Superior Room
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Kids Below 5yrs complimentary
   
Tele : +91-11-41612107, 26823836. Mobile : 9810002772, 9910002772.