Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Dewalokam is a Homestay, a B&B, and a Specialty Lodging all merged into one, in an organic farm, in the deep interiors of Kerala. You are surrounded on all sides by the bountiful nature, and the atmosphere is filled with birdsongs and the sound of water rippling in the river. It is a unique place with no parallels. The river front property, enveloped by the rain forests of Kerala, produces milk and honey, fruits and vegetables, eggs and meat all in a truly organic way. The food, accommodation and the environment make it a true paradise.We offer Yoga, Ayurveda and Cooking Packages.
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Nestled in a tranquil setting by a river, Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat has won the hearts of many travelers with its family-like atmosphere and live cultural entertainment. The extensive amenities, including all-inclusive activities and locally-sourced cuisine, are often highlighted as providing remarkable value.
Reviewers consistently commend the spacious and immaculate rooms, modern comforts, and the attentive service from friendly staff. The hotel's cleanliness receives high marks, with guests describing the environment as spotless and well-maintained.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Welcoming
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Remarkable
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Abundant
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Jose, Sinta and the team at Dewalokam are so welcoming, hospitable and caring. The rooms are spacious, cool, comfortable and clean, each has a fan, air conditioning, fridge and safe. Water is heated by solar energy and safe drinking water is produced by reverse osmosis. The day begins with an hour's yoga (optional) in a special covered area in the garden, with stretching exercises for flexibility and meditational relaxation, all to the sound of birds in the surrounding trees. Daily activities (free, thanks to the generosity of the hosts) include a conducted walk through the pineapple and rubber plantation (with information about rubber production) to the local village where one can see various processes of preparing plants for use in the kitchen and visit the dressmaker to have clothes made and delivered the same or next day, then return to Dewalokam by bus and tuk tuk; a conducted tour of the organic farm which supplies spices, fruit, vegetables, honey, milk, eggs for delicious meals prepared in the kitchen; cookery demonstrations in the kitchen; trips further afield for a forest walk to a waterfall. Traditional massage (for which there is a charge) is available in special treatment rooms on the property, the therapists coming from a nearby Ayurvedic centre. In the garden there are loungers and hammocks, a freshwater swimming pool (or one can swim in the river). There are shelves of books and areas to sit quietly or to chat with other guests. Meals are eaten communally outdoors or in the dining room, and, as most guests stay for 2 or 3 nights, there is the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people. Everyone we met regretted staying for such a short time. We stayed 7 nights, our 5th visit, and met travellers from 5 different countries. It is the perfect place to end a holiday in India, a chance to relax or to be active, with a 90 minute car transfer from farm to Kochi airport for morning flights through clear roads in the early morning. Many tourists are unaware of the lack of facilities for the drivers on whom we depend for our safe holiday travel. Dewalokam provides good accommodation and meals for the drivers. We are already looking forward to our next visit to this wonderful place.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jose Alilakuzhy, General Manager at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 16 Feb 2023
Our Dear friends, Leela and Stuart, we have been extremely pleased to see you after a break of three years! We are waiting for your visit next year! Your visit gave us a lot of good memories! It was a good sign of the good old days before COVID coming back! Thank you for your 6th visit. Thank you for writing this review for us.
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"Atithi Devo Bhava" Sanskrit adage means Guest is God is an unofficial motto of Dewalokam.
Coming downhill from Munnar on way to Alleppey we didn't know exactly what to expect at this farm stay retreat. Even though our schedule permitted us barely a day or so, we, a group of six family members had the best of our Kerala experience in this pristine, calm, 12 acres large family-owned organic farm that showcases a wide variety of tropical plants and world-famous spice plants. The highly erudite owners- Dr. Jose and his beautiful wife Cinta, also a senior administrator in academia, as well as the entire staff at Dewalokam never ceased to impress us during our very short stay with their knowledge of nature, science, culinary skills, humor and above all their passion to make their guests happy.
The entire facility including the guest rooms, dining, kitchen as well as the farm, the pool and the gardens are superbly designed and well maintained. The traditional Indian welcoming ritual with oil lamps and offering of fragrant Mogra (Jasmin) garlands was just a mesmerizing gesture. A dip in squeaky clean outdoor pool after a long drive through muggy tropics and following morning’s yoga class was just an ‘out of this world’ experiences. Dewalokam has a fully appointed and well managed commercial kitchen. In fact, they welcome guests to watch how the traditional southern Indian dishes are prepared by a highly qualified and experienced chef. They offer vegetarian as well as meat and seafood cuisine options. The spread was just so impressive. Many of the items were farm picked and fresh.
This calm and lush green (somewhat secluded) place offers peace and serenity and an opportunity to reflect quietly. You would appreciate it more if you’re a writer, an artist, a gardener, a naturalist, a musician or just a person who loves serenity and calmness. This is NOT a place for those who love loud, garish forms of entertainment and sensory overload. Instead, this is a place which offers an opportunity to push a reset button in its quiet, dignified, and pristine way. Next time (whenever possible) I would love to stay here for at least a week. Life can be full of surprises, good and sometimes not so good. But this certainly was one of the best ones which we will cherish for a long time.
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Date of stay: December 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:Every room is beautiful
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jose Alilakuzhy, General Manager at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 16 Feb 2023
Dear Vijay, Thank you for the long poetic review! You have kindly narrated all the details and your impressions. We were fascinated by the energy your group transmitted all about, filling everybody with a lot of positive feelings! You created a homely feeling, with the narrations of how each couple met each other, the magical songs by Prashant, and the kind words of appreciation of small things. We will cherish your memory for a long time. We hope that we will meet more and more wonderful people like you in the season! All of us thank you from our heart!
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Dewalokum means paradise and they are not wrong. Sinta & Jose welcome you into their amazing home with incredible warmth and generosity. I mentioned I had never milked a cow and the next morning I was milking one of their herd. My wife got into a discussion about medicinal herbs and we had a private tour with Jose of the many medicinal herbs and spices growing on their plantation. The food is incredible and plentiful, you will never feel hungry here, and the chef’s nightly cooking demonstration is excellent. The walk to the local village with Prince was also excellent. You get to see the real India, shopping in local (non tourist) shops, and riding on the local bus which is an experience in itself. The spice walk is excellent as is the forest walk. Sadly there were no bats this year, but it is an interesting walk nonetheless. Though do note that there is a very pebbly river to cross on the way back so be prepared to roll up your trousers and take your shoes off! One of our highlights was a swim in the river and drying off in the peaceful hammocks in the shade. We also joined in with the morning yoga. The instructor was very good, despite us being total novices and somewhat (ok, very!) unfit. Our room was lovely, the highlight being the courtyard shower, and it was kept immaculate by the housekeeping team. We cannot wait to return to Dewalokum, it really was one of the highlights of our holiday to Kerala.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Dewalokam, Owner at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 3 Feb 2020
You are most welcome back to Dewalokam! We are happy to receive guests who are interested in our way of life, food, culture and the fauna and flora of the area. We are happy to explain and introduce you to the experience of it. We have only the real life rural life of Kerala to offer. Thank you for the openness to all of it and the goodwill to enjoy it all. We are happy to know that you enjoyed our food and the simple facilities. We are grateful to you for the great review that is quite encouraging. Thank you!
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We knew, on arrival, this was going to be a wonderful stay. Sinta and Jose Alilakuzhy greeted us along with other staff and gave us a traditional welcome with jasmine garlands. the care and friendliness shown by the family and all the staff is outstanding. Our bedroom was fantastic, Large comfy bed, great shower and outside sitting area (for all guests). Food was amazing; each dish was explained and there was a very informative cooking demonstration. River swimming was a bonus. The inclusive walks are very interesting - we did the village and the forest walks.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:We had room 208 but all rooms are great
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Dewalokam, Owner at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 21 Jan 2020
Thank you, Dear Pamela, for including Dewalokam in your India Holiday. Ours is a humble property compared to the Five Star Hotels that you chose for your stay. We are happy to know that you enjoyed your stay, our food and activities. We thank you for your kind review!
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We had a wonderful couple of days here and were looked after really well starting with welcome drinks and floral garlands. The rooms are well equipped with kettles and hair dryers and the beds comfortable. One of our party celebrated a big birthday whilst we were there and the staff went all out to make sure it was memorable with banners, cake, flowers and balloons. The spice walk in the grounds was really interesting, the cookery demonstration inspiring and the massages rejeuvinating. Do everything on offer and eat everything you are served!
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Dewalokam, Owner at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 23 Jan 2020
Thank you, Dear Christina, for your kind review. We are grateful to you for including Dewalokam in your itinerary when you decided to travel to India to commemorate your friend’s birthday. Thank you for appreciating the small things we did for her and the group. We are happy to know that you enjoyed your stay, food, and activities. Thank you!
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Sinta and Jose’s attentiveness to guests is exceptional and this is reflected in the attitudes of their staff. Staff are cheerful and nothing is too much trouble.
Food quality and presentation is first class, almost a work of art. Flavours and variety are excellent. Food service was faultless.
Rooms are immaculately clean and smell constantly fresh. Beds are very comfortable. Tea and coffee making and a plentiful supply of drinking water is a bonus. A fridge is very useful as is the rack for washing outside. There are fresh flowers all around the place.
From the moment we arrived there was an air of calm. We were greeted by many of the staff along with Jose. Having been presented with jasmine garlands which smelt delightful, Jose explained everything we needed to know and showed us personally to our room.
The pool is clean and a very welcome place to refresh in the heat of the day. Staff accompanying activities were helpful and consciencious, even making sure guests are advised about sun protection and hydration.
Activities are well planned and very interesting and engaging. Paul the yoga teacher is wonderful and makes the sessions thoroughly enjoyable.
The grounds have an air of peace and tranquility. There is the sound of birdsong and little other noise.
The river is very nice for a swim and to see the birds. Did not want to leave. Will come back. Just perfect in every way. Could not fault anything.
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jose Alilakuzhy, General Manager at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 9 Mar 2024
Our staff love receiving guests like you, who appreciate their work. Thank you for appreciating the "air of peace and tranquility". You are most welcome back like many of our repeating guests! Thank you for your kind words on TripAdvisor. Thank you!
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We first visited Dewalokam in January 2017 and were so impressed with the hospitality that we decided to include it in our latest itinerary. We were not disappointed and Jose and Sinta continue to be perfect hosts. The food here is outstanding and all the staff provide superb service Special thanks to Ajil who took us on the forest walk describing the various trees and birds as we went along. He also looked after us at meal times. We were able to get our laundry done so it was a real bonus to return home with a case of clean clothes. We strongly recommend a visit to this delightful Homestay
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Dewalokam, Owner at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 27 Feb 2020
Thank you, David, for a second visit to Dewalokam. Our staff is delighted to know that you appreciate their service. Sudhish is especially happy about your appreciation of our food. We are grateful to you for thinking about us and writing this review. We don't think it is high standard compared to other places you visit., especially when your trip is organized by Audley. But we are happy that you consider it good with some standard. Thank you!
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The visit in Dewalokam was the highlight of our 1 month India tour.
The property is super maintained and reside near a lovely river and endless fields of pineapples, rubber trees, fruits, spices and wild vegetation.
The rooms spacious and clean so are the rest of the public areas.
The meals the staff cooked (also the cooking lessons) were the best that we experienced in our tour
We were exceptionally impressed from the lovely staff and what they did so that we feel good, they did not spare any effort.
Jose and Sinta - Thanks for having us in your private paradise. This is something we will never forget.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jose Alilakuzhy, General Manager at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 17 Nov 2022
Thank you Yuval, for calling Dewalokam the 'highlight' of your one month tour of India. We re-opened Dewalokam with a lot of apprehensions after 30 months (thanks to COVID), and you were among the first few guests we had after the reopening. You have given us a lot of energy to carry on. We thank you from our heart. Thank You!
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This time last year we were in the final stages of preparations for our visit to Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Most of this trip was to be spent in Tamil Nadu but we had to divert to Kerala so we could stay in our much loved Dewalokam. As ever we had a wonderful five days- the most comfortable and well equipped room with the addition of a Welcome Back runner on the bed, superb and generous food, beautifully served in the open air with candles and lights in the trees. Amazing, included visits out that we have done before but they are always fresh thanks to the staff who lead, Ajil, Prince and Manu. A new one this time as we attended an evening religious festival in a nearby village. So many people all smiling and welcoming and a wonderful atmosphere not to mention the joy of a tuktuk drive, fortunately before and not after dinner. Our lovely always smiling women who look after the rooms and assist us gently through the massage. Fabulous cookery sessions as Sudeesh the chef demonstrates with elegance and charm and makes it all look so so easy. Paul leading early morning magical yoga and of course Jose and Sinta who work tirelessly to make a perfect experience. Writing this really hurts as we were starting to plan a visit that would have begun tomorrow when the pandemic struck. We worry for all the people of Kerala, the Homestay owners, people they employ, the wonderful drivers and the many folk who stop to talk to us and welcome us in Gods own country. Please God that we can visit you again in happier times, love to you all, Jan and Julie
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Of our 11 day tour of Kerala, Dewalokam Homestay was by far the highlight. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel like one of the family! Our cottage was stunning with a beautiful outdoor courtyard shower. The hosts Jose and Sinta couldn't be more welcoming, friendly and helpful. Jose took us around the farm and we learned all about the spices and fruits/vegetables they grow. We really enjoyed the livestock (cows, water buffalo, chickens, really cute goats - including newborns, and some very bossy turkeys). Dewalokam is an inclusive experience. We enjoyed our visit to the local village. Along the way, got to see rubber trees being tapped and rubber sheets being made. The chef was out of this world and we loved all the food. We also really loved meeting and spending time with the other families in a communal setting. Can't fault a thing and only wish we stayed for more than 2 days!
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:The cottages are lovely (but I didn't stay in the main house so can't comment)
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Dewalokam, Owner at Dewalokam Farmstay Retreat
Responded 6 Jan 2020
Thank you, Dear Michelle, for including Dewalokam in your Family Tour of Kerala for the Christmas 2019. We are delighted to know that you felt ‘like one of the family’. We are grateful to you for enjoying the ‘inclusive experience’, and the communal dining. Glad to know that you enjoyed our food and activities. We are extremely grateful to you for the excellent review and considering the stay with us as the highlight of your Kerala tour. Thank you!
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London, United Kingdom32 contributions36 helpful votes
I suspect there will will much celebration, the hosts are great and make every effort to make it a special stay. We celebrated our anniversary here and were treated like royalty
There are more places to choose from in the Karimannoor area.
LOCATION
IndiaKeralaIdukki DistrictKarimannoor
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
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