Olappamanna Mana is a 300year old home. It has unique architectureIt contributed to the development of the most popular form of Kathakali. It also gave birth to a lot of literary people, vedic scholars and snaskrit scholars.Finally it is a well known Cultural Center in Kerala
We feel privileged to have stayed at Olappamanna mana and revelled in the hospitality of Shri.Naveen and his mother Smt.Sreedevi on December 23rd, 2019.The heritage mana retains its 300-odd years' feel despite some essential and tastefully-done renovation.It overwhelms you with its presence. The ambience, the comfort and the delightful vegetarian cuisine linger in your mind long after you (reluctantly) check out. Shri.Naveen took us around the property, taking care to explain the nuances of the temple rituals of the family deity in the premises. He also eagerly explained the remarkable collection of books in the library, which houses the Malayalam translation of the Rig Veda, made by a doyen of the Olappamanna family, besides other books. We had the good fortune to witness a kathakali performance late in the night, at Vellinezhi village which has the reputation of being at the centre of the revival Kerala's ancient performing arts. For a genuine feel of central kerala's old-world charm, without letting go of certain urban comforts, Olappamanna mana is unmatched. A trip to cherish in every respect.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip 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.
Response from NavaneethO, Manager at Olappamanna Mana
Responded 19 Mar 2020
Thank you
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We had good family time during the two day stay at the mana. The food was delicious and homely. You wouldn't be able to experience this kind of food from any restaurant outside. Bear in mind that the food is vegetarian.. That actually worked out in our favor..
The essence of the stay is the quiet village living itself.. Please do not expect additional activities that you would expect in a resort. Also no tv , wifi...The number of activities in the nearby areas are also limited.. The place itself is beautiful and peaceful. A great opportunity to unplug and unwind. I would truly recommend this place of stay for that purpose. We loved bathing in the pond. That was the highlight of the stay for us. Also, the owner gave a great tour of the historic house with a lot of anecdotes and stories of the days gone by. We really enjoyed that.
The stay is on the more expensive side compared a regular resort stay. Lowering the prices may attract local tourists more..
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Date of stay: February 2020
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Room Tip:great view from the balcony room above
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 NavaneethO, Manager at Olappamanna Mana
Responded 19 Mar 2020
Thank you for your comments
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I feel so very lucky to have stayed at Olappamanna Mana, such a joy to have found this amazing place. I had the privilege of seeing the family Hindu ceremony which took place in the most beautiful ancient building which was once their family home. Navaneeth was an excellent host with a wealth of knowledge and information. His mother is an exceptional cook and host as is his lovely wife and cute sons. The rooms were ideal, sympathetically renovated to a high standard while keeping that special feel of the old home. I very much look forward to returning in the future.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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 NavaneethO, Manager at Olappamanna Mana
Responded 30 Mar 2020
Thank you.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
It is hard to describe how wonderful this place really is since it is so full of surprises. Getting to watch a beautiful and intricate Hindu ritual at the family home, swimming in the pristine river, a sunset hike and long conversations about Gandhi and India's history...these were all things that we had not expected but which made the time truly wonderful. The hosts are quite incredible and the history of this family provides a unique and rare window into the recent history of India itself. The meals were really the best I have had in India. The only complaint being that we were seriously overfed :)! This place is truly a must. We were particularly touched by how warmly they provided for and welcomed our driver, as this is an important thing for us.
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Date of stay: January 2012
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:The rooms are all just beautiful. One has an old swing bed!
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.
This is not a hotel but a home stay at the 200 to 300-year-old landlords houses in a small, quiet village in north Kerala. You can eat the simple traditional daily meals with the host family. Area is surrounded by the orchard, full of any kind of tropical fruit trees, filled with pleasant herbal air. You can see the sunset to the nearby hills from the veranda just like the good old Malayalam films. Kerala is not only Cochin and Backwater area in the South.
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Date of stay: March 2015
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Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:for enjoying the home stay, only vegetarian food and no wine
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.
I went to Palakkad for a marriage function with my wife and stayed 1 night at the mana which is 40 KMs from the Pallakad railway junction. After seeing the ratings and going through the reviews, I had high expectations on this place and with it came the fear of being let down. But then, the experience dwarfed my expectations. Mr and Mrs. Damodaran took extra care of us as my wife was a pregnant. Right from travel to the food they served us. Educated, kind, dignified and humble. While the room, food and people were lovely, it was the flora around the room that is etched in my memory. Already feeling nostalgic. On many occasions, it felt like travelling back in time, back to my roots. In spite of being south Indians, it was an inspiring, enlightening and an enviable experience having spent all my life in a city.
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Date of stay: January 2014
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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I spent 2 nights at the Olappamanna mana. An amazing stay with such gracious hospitality. It was a home away from home. I was made feel most welcomed. Rustic and charming. Very clean and comfortable. Many little touches left a big impression, the little soaps, and toothpaste, to the numerous bottles of water (without even having to ask). You are well fed and looked after while still having your privacy. The home cooking will be the best food you will ever taste. Time & Care put into every dish. You feel part of the family rather than a paying guest. I had stayed in a few homtestays in Kerela, and this was the best of them all. I look forward to my next trip back.
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Date of stay: March 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.
Olappamana Mana is a very unique place. It is not a luxury hotel but rather a family residence in an ancient traditional Kerala Style house. The guest rooms are frugal but have all the necessary things like instant hot water. The real charm of the place is the spiritual and cultural aspects. It is a fine example of a traditional 200 years old house and 300 years old Brahmin family temple. Our hosts were a wonderful couple Mr. and Mrs. Damodaran. Mr. Damodaran is a very knowledgable person and gave us a great tour of the premises with many explanations of local traditions and culture. He comes from a famous Brahmin family who were very instrumental in preserving and supporting the religious practices and local arts of Kerala. We saw a very interesting Brahmin evening Puja (Brahmin Ritual) performed in the family temple. The food in this place is simply amazing vegetarian only food cooked in old traditional Kerala style by Mrs. Damodaran who is a truly expert cook. Every meal includes several delicious dishes which during our stay never repeated so we had a great time trying many different dishes. We greatly enjoyed the meals and conversations with our hosts who took great care of us. We also saw several local attractions like the wood carving workshop of a local Master carpenter who specializes in carving the elaborate wood customs worn by the performers of the ancient form of dance called Katakali. If you are interested in the old traditions of art and religion of Kerala, this is a great place to experience them. Highly recommended !!
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Date of stay: January 2016
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:There is one air conditioned room the other rooms no A/C
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.
This home stay is very special as you will be the guests of a Brahmin family belonging to the old landowner's class of Kerala. The owners are the most charming and fascinating people with a passion for their ancient home and you will feel privileged to share in their world for a few days. There is an element of sadness about the place as one is aware of a disappeared world and of a society gone for ever. No one will regret the passing of feudality but there were many good aspects about feudality and 'social progress' often destroys ways wholesale but fails to protect or replace the good aspects of a way of life that has to come to an end. Mr Damodaran, the owner, will take you round the old family house where his joint family once lived. He is full of stories and his love of the place is infectious. There is a family temple dedicated to Kali attached to the house and you may be lucky to witness ancient Hindu rituals. I was lucky to be there during the temple festival season and elephants used in the processions were on the move everywhere. One, beautifully attired, came to the family temple and seeing him and being able to pet him was an experience I last had when I was ten years old! The old family house which is around 300 years old is no longer lived in but has been turned into a trust by the owners in order to protect it for the future. Too many such properties have been raised to the ground in India due to lack of fund or lack of interest. The Damodarans live in another house which is part of the complex and this is where you go three times a day to take your meals - a absolute feast of Keralan Brahmin cooking, pure vegetarian of course, but totally delicious and varied. The lady of the house, Shreedevi, is a wonderful cook with an apparently endless repertoire of delicious dishes. The food will be, according to tradition, served on a banana leaf. You eat with the hosts and be prepared for lively, fascinating conversations. You cannot but be impressed by the serenity of the atmosphere generated by this lovely couple. I felt all my worries and concerns fall away. In my case, I felt that we had so many interests in common that it was hard to tear oneself away after each meal. The hosts were also giving you the feeling that they craved your company and conversation as much as you did theirs. You will stay in yet another ancient building. My room was simple but scrupulously clean, with AC if you need it, and a ceiling fan over the three-poster bed. The bathroom had hot water and I felt very comfortable. There is a an emergency electricity supply so you will not find yourself in the dark in case of disruption of the service. The WiFi connection is available from the main house and it is another excuse for another bout of conversation! The whole compound is surounded by a rich variety of trees and this reinforces the illusion of being far away from everything. In fact the village is a short distance away and if full of interest too. Most home stays in India are extremely good value and pleasant places to stay but this one is in a league of its own. I would also add that as a woman travelling on my own, home stays are a marvellous way of enjoying away from the beaten track places and to avoid the dreariness of hotel restaurants in the evening on one's own.
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Date of stay: November 2015
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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.
This is not a place for tourists. This is not a place for fun. This is not a place for indulgence in the artificiality of life. BUT... This is a place for your mind and your body to relax and rejuvenate in the surroundings of a yet to be "polluted to the hilt" village and its centuries old traditions and culture. This is a place where you get the warmth of non-commercial human relations. This is a place where even staying indoors make you introspect about life.
We stayed at the mana and visited parts of Vellinezhi for just 1 day, but the experience and the warmth of all the people we met will stay with us and force us to visit them in future. What you get to experience - staying in a premise with centuries old traditions and art forms, the caring and warmth of all the people of mana (Mr & Mrs damodaran, Mrs Damodaran's mother and their assistant), true kerala vegetarian food (how many people from outside kerala know about that!) move around the village to visit various places of interest for Kathakali, visit nearby places for less crowded beautiful traditional Kerala style temples, unpolluted Kunthi river from Silent Valley, procure traditional dress materials from local handloom industry shops, etc. For a truly satisfactory experience plan for atleast 3 days in and around Vellinezhi!
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Date of stay: September 2015
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Vellinezhi area.
LOCATION
IndiaKeralaPalakkad DistrictVellinezhi
NUMBER OF ROOMS
3
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