Enchanting place to regenerate spirit, soul and body. The environment is very familiar and the whole team is lovingly predisposed towards guests. Ayurvedic treatments are complete and accurate; the resulting benefit is immense. Also recommended for people with serious pathologies. Excellent food, impeccable service, adequate cleanliness, a welcoming garden and an unmissable sea view. In the end you would never leave Shinshiva again... or at least the desire to return remains..
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Date of stay: October 2023
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Trip type: Travelled solo
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.
Picking shinshiva resort for 3-weeks ayurveda retreat was the best decision me and my sister could have made! If you are looking for a cosy, friendly, authentic place, with very good treatments and nice, relaxing surrounding where you can just forget about the world out there - then shinshiva is the place to be! The treatments are high standard and various, everything perfectly matched and coordinated to your personal needs/according to your personal requirements or your illness; the cuisine is phenomenal and each dish a dream - which is by the way always prepared individually and not as buffet which is just amazing and super important if you're doing panchakarma! The doctors are taking good care of one, at any time. The service - from the coolest waiters we ever met, to housekeeping & cleaning staff, the gardeners up to the management saff: just amazing, always super friendly, helpful and always doing their very best to ensure excellent service and comfortable atmosphere. And the resort itself - is a small piece of paradise in kerala! One thing is sure, for me and my sister: we will be back! Although we went to india and did ayurveda for the first time - the stay at shinshiva was so amazing that there's no need to look for another experience! We already found the best place! And to take this opportunity, I'd like to thank Mr. Dibo and Mr. Sabarinath for making it a wonderful and unforgettable experience! See you next year!
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Date of stay: December 2014
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Trip type: Travelled solo
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.
All staff treat you as part of their family. The restaurant serves delicious healthy fresh cooked vegetarian meals designed to balance your doshas. The massage therapists are caring and work with love. The management attend to any needs with a smile. All of this set in a gentle tropical paradise perched on a cliff overlooking the Arabian sea, shaded by coconut palms.
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Date of stay: August 2012
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Trip type: Travelled solo
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.
WATCH OUT FOR THIS PLACE. It is an appaling tourist resort, not an ayurveda one. Food is fatty and oily. Rooms are dirty. At 136 euros per person per night, it is a total rip off compared to good ayurveda resorts like Sarovaram. I left early because the yoga teacher was not a yoga teacher and the practice was unsafe. Some other guests told me they had reported it and nothing was ever done and some chose to pay for their own yoga classes in another hotel. I reported it to the general manager and he did not do anything so I reported it again the next day, after injuring my neck. He said "you can go somewhere else if you don't like it but you will pay it yourself". After a couple of further rude comments and the fact that I was burnt during one of the treatments and that nobody could sleep in their premises due to loud music, the situation became too uncomfortable and even scary. I was a solo traveller and staff started to harass me to the point that they wanted me to miss my train on my early departure day by not arranging the transport they had promised three times the night before. A total scam and everything but a relaxing experience. Avoid at all costs.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
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 Joshi I V, Other at Shinshiva Ayurvedic Resorts
Responded 1 Jun 2024
Dear Guest, I am still surprised that how you can able to tell that ours is a tourist resort. We have been running Ayurveda Hospital in Trivandrum for the last 24 years. We have a great legacy in the Ayurvedic field. We are providing here only authentic and curative treatments. Another thing you mentioned in your comment as our food is oily and fatty. After the primary consultation, our physician only suggested a personalized Ayurvedic diet according to your health condition, since you stayed here only for 2 days we don't know how you got unhealthy food. We do not have such types of foods in our cuisine. Regarding the blame you put on our Yoga master, our yoga master is certified internationally and also has more than 25+ years of experience. He has been with us for more than 15 years. To this date, we got lots of appreciation regarding his yoga class. According to each person's condition only he taught Yoga, if Asanas taught to you by him feel any difficulty for you to perform, then we will give you another option also that will arrange a separate yoga session for you but you are not ready for that. You demanded that the yoga master has to be terminated but above baseless and useless allegations it's not possible to terminate him.
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14 days of Ayurvedic heaven. I went solo and was worried I'd be bored as I'm usually one for active and adventurous holidays but never before have I felt so in tune with body and mind - the key is to get into a routine of some kind. I'd recommend the early morning yoga/ meditation to get you going and then take your time with the breakfast, lunch and dinner and try sample all the Indian cuisine.
Food: I personally loved it. I am vegetarian and don't like spicy food so the very mild, but flavourful dishes were to my liking but you can ask for extra spicy if that's your thing. I wasn't a fan of the breakfast as they are big savoury dishes but I'm not a breakfast person. However the fresh fruit was packed full of flavour and standouts are the fresh squeezed juices. Especially the pineapple, wow! Not sure how they made it but wish I had this on tap back home. For dinner I loved the masala, which is always my go to dish and thoran dishes which was something I'd never had before
Treatments: Everyone's treatment program is different and tailored to your specific needs I'd read that you would have daily massages and treatments of 2-3hrs, thought that this was an over exaggeration. It's not! You are massaged, scrubbed, oiled and left feeling invigorated every day. I preferred scheduling my treatments in the afternoon as I was so exhausted after these that it meant I wasn't able to get up to much else afterwards.
Accommodation: everyone gets their own room, bathroom and private deck. The room itself is pretty basic but completely adequate as I basically slept there, most of the time I was in my room I was on the deck chair on my balcony listening to the waves crash and the birds in the trees
The staff were all amazing, and would bend over backwards to ensure your stay is the best they can give - from arranging excursions to finding shampoo when you run out and a special dessert on my birthday which I celebrated during my stay.
The only big negative is that the wifi is really not great and only available in the restaurant and reception but is still really really slow.
Oh and don't forget to pack lots of shampoo as they are not shy on the oil and mosquito spray... And lots of good books!
I will definitely be returning
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Date of stay: July 2016Trip type: Travelled solo
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.
Room fine though quite dark. Food nice but not served according to doshas. Breakfast meal available even though Dr. Franklin advises Ayurveda recommends only drinking water in the morning. Yoga quite poor. Teacher is keener on attendance than virtue of yoga. Dr. M. had completely inappropriate sexual behavior. More interested in discussing sex for his own gratification than addressing actual health issues (insomnia unrelated to sexual problems). He was denounced to the management/owner of the establishment, and temporarily suspended. After what I was asked to forgive him so he could practice again, and resume his role at the resort. I would not advise single females to go to this place. Three other guests (also single females) raised complaints about the same doctor's misconduct. View nice though very distant. Was advised no to go walking alone on the beach. One other guest staying at the resort at that time was assaulted outside the resort whilst going to the beach. Medical examine undertaken at start, but not even checked post purgation. Was meant to stay 3 weeks and left after little over one week.
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Date of stay: August 2015
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Trip 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 SHINSHIVA A, Owner at Shinshiva Ayurvedic Resorts
Responded 17 Apr 2016
Regarding the above mentioned review, We want to inform the well wishers of Shinshiva Ayurvedashram about the complaint raised against us. We have different type of category rooms. The raised first complaint was about the darkness. Special Kerala wooden bungalow: This room inside and outside are covered with natural wood. Normally when we stay in Wooden rooms, quite dark will feel than the other rooms. Our physicians advice breakfast is must, but before breakfast should have two glass of pure plain water in empty stomach. Dr Franklin never advice only water instead of breakfast. The main thing about the diet is , We never serve diet according to doshas,only serve according to physical condition and treatment condition of the clients, because We are doing Ayurvedic treatments for disease condition. (This Ayurvedashram's concept is for Ayurvedic Treatment for different type of disease condition, not a wellness or spa center) Same as yoga concept, Here clients are visiting for Ayurvedic Treatments. So for giving better Ayurvedic Treatments, We provide them only relaxing type of yoga. If clients are interested in hard yoga, it is possible to have special classes for them. Regarding the Doctor problem, We removed this doctor from the current position. As he was practicing with us since 13 years, never raised a complaint like this. After getting this complaint, we take immediate action against it. Now he acting as guest physician because previous some clients are asking for his service. We have another physician including lady physician. We give instructions or advice for going out because we need our clients always be safe. that doesn't mean ladies can't go outside alone. We advice to be back to our Ayurvedashram before dark. For any assistance our representatives are here. We always take care before and after Ayurvedic Treatments. All days Treatments will be verified with our physicians and after Treatment also have same procedure. For getting better results our duty is to maintain the procedure without any fail. Hope this is our point of view and you can visit all previous reviews about our Shinshiva Ayurvedashram.
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A perfect place to relax and regain energy and health. Looking out onto the Arabian Sea in quiet, comfortable, simple, rooms, with delicious food in the restaurant designed for balancing doshas, excellent treatments each day - always a 90 minute massage but often extra treatments to target particular health issues, green leaf certified Ayurvedic doctors available outside of the daily consultation. Yoga at 6am as the sun rises. Attentive respectful staff. Another plus was the other peope staying there. A geat place to learn and connect.
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Date of stay: December 2012
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Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Please don't choose this resort! We had a terrible ayurveda-experience as this resort is building all day long! We wanted to enjoy the quite and peaceful country instead they were hammering and banging all day long until 5 a.m.!!! Also the treatment rooms are not well kept, dirty and the treatments don't last long. What a waste of money! Stay away if you can!
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Date of stay: November 2012
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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 SHINSHIVA A, General Manager at Shinshiva Ayurvedic Resorts
Responded 12 Oct 2015
During her booking time, we already informed about the maintenance work in our Ayurvedashram. and give her discount too.. After agreeing this we confirmed her booking Anyway thanks for the comment..
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ShinShiva is a great place to escape in order to rejuvinate and recharge your batteries.
It is a wonderful peacefull environment, has yummy fresh vegetarian food, excellent accomodation, great Yoga and really wonderful Ayeravedic treatment. All the staff seem to be so happy and calm and so helpfull.
Lots of great walks in and around the local villages and fishing villages.
You meet wonderful guests and hear stories of remarkable experiences of recoveries from issues modern medecine cannot cure.
Highly recommend the Panchakarma treatment, but you need 21 days.
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Date of stay: September 2012
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Choose a garden bungalow where you can watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea
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.
The driver was on time to collect me from the airport and the transport to the retreat is included in package price. The retreat is about 30 minutes drive from the airport.
I booked the Veda Bungalow A/C room which was located on the side of the retreat. There was no direct view to the sea but there was enough greenery around to help you relax and the room had a small balcony with longchairs. As it was close to the kitchen there was some noise and movement of staff in front of the room. I personally didn't mind that as everyone was very friendly and discreet, and after a couple of days I didn't even notice that. The room and bathroom were very clean and spacious and the cleaners insisted on cleaning the room and changing sheets and bath towels every day. I managed to negotiate with them changing sheets/towels every second day.Â
I found all the staff very polite, friendly and approachable. The doctors were knowledgeable with a good sense of humour when necessary. The treatments were daily and I was allocated to a masseur who worked with me for the duration of my stay. This was good as we were able to build rapport and he got to know the particualar aches of my body. I was very pleased with the treatments and the quality of the massages. At the end of the massage you are rinsed down with hot water infused with herbs and spices. My advice is not to use shampoo of shower gel during your stay so the body absorbs the oils and spices better. Also, I didn't struggle with the vegan ayurvedic diet as it was flavoured and varied. Even on the days I was supposed to eat less I didn't feel uncomfortable or very hungry as it was a very relaxing environment and I just went along with the treatment plan. Â
The garden was beautifully maintained and it was really relaxing to lie on a hammock or a longchair in the garden during the morning and late afternoon at sundown. As the retreat is on a hill there were beautiful views of the below canopy of coconut trees and the sea. You can get the best views from the yogashram on the corner edge of the cliff. Make sure to take with you mosquito spray as at sundown they come out to "play".
Starting the day with a yoga at 7am was rejuvenating especially as the yogashram overlooked the sea. The yoga practice included meditation, breathing exercises and postures that could be appropriate for people of all levels. The teacher was approachable, knowledgable and welcomed questions. The only constructive critisism is that the teacher could had explained in more details the more challenging postures especially for people who were not familiar with yoga, but it was not a big deal.Â
As the retreat is on a cliff the only possible disadvantage was that it took 25 minutes to walk to the beach. Considering that you are not supposed to swim in the sea during ayurvedic therapy it wasn't worth for me to walk the distance every day just to walk on the beach. After a few days I was happy enough to stay where I was.Â
It's advisable to take a few books with you and there's a small library in the restaurant with books that previous guests left behind in German, Russian, Scandinavian and less in English. Also, you may want to download games/films before you leave home. There's WiFi access in all the rooms but it was very slow and you may not be able to stream or download with much success. Â
The ayurvedic retreat is a place to let go of life's hectic schedules, deadlines and responsibilities. Just put your feet up, take a deep breath and allow the body, mind and soul to surrender to the sounds of birds, the breeze moving through the coconut trees and the slower pace of time.  I stayed for two weeks and at the end I felt I wanted to stay for longer. After three weeks of being back home I still have a sense of relaxation, rejuvenation and calmness.
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Date of stay: March 2016
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Chowara area.
LOCATION
IndiaKeralaErnakulam DistrictChowara
NUMBER OF ROOMS
30
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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