Olavipe Homestay

Olavipe is also home to this branch of the 'Parayil Tharakans', a land-owning Syrian Catholic family. The present incumbent, Parayil Kochupappu Jacob Tharakan is the sixth son of the house. His career years were spent in London, Moscow and the Middle East before he opted to return to roots. He then decided to open this beautiful, serene home to the more discerning traveler. This aspect of the house was named the ‘Olavipe Homestay’ to focus attention on this charming little corner of the world.

The host family lives in a private wing of the house and is always in residence. Your hosts at Olavipe Homestay are Parayil Kochupappu Antony Tharakan and his wife Rema.

The house took nearly 13 years to be built. This was probably because all the construction material had to be ferried across the Kaithappuzha backwaters in large rice boats with the influences of other architectural styles.

The house has four large airy bedrooms for guests - including a wheel chair friendly one. The rooms need no air-conditioning. The bathrooms attached to the bedrooms offer both cold and warm water options.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are with the family and other guests around the family dining table. Food here is mostly traditional Kerala cuisine - with the produce from the farm, village and the bounty of the lagoon.

• Take a village walk and make new friends as you go along!
• Take a bicycle tour of the villages nearby.
• Fish in the farm canals - ‘village style’. See local fishermen cast their swirling nets in the backwaters.
• Watch coconut harvesting every 45th day. Summon a willing ‘guru’ to teach you the art of climbing a coconut tree!
• Help with the feeding of prawns during the season.
• Family boatman can take you for a slow boat ride through the Kaithappuzha backwaters – idyllic!
• Visit the market nearby and shop for village products. The local tailor can be persuaded to run up something for you overnight.
• Spend time around the farm. It is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. There are goats, cows, rabbits, ducks, chicken and emus.
• Browse through the Family Archives - a treasure-trove of old family documents, letters, photographs and rare documents highlighting Kerala's social fabric of the last two centuries.
• The estate’s lagoon is safe, even for the novice, to row a canoe and feel the serenity of the waters.
• The house is equipped for table tennis and various indoor board games. You might even be invited to join a village cricket match in progress.
• The house has a well-stocked library for all ages.
• Relax on the 'Kulir Kallu' (cooling stone) at one end of the house with a book, laze on a hammock - or just revel in the pleasure of doing nothing!

It is nestles in unspoilt corner of Kumarakom in Kerala. Set in the middle of a working farm, it is a house of openness and light, serenaded by birds, shaded by ancient trees and lulled by gentle breeze from the backwaters.

The area offers scenic village lanes for walks, quiet nooks for the avid reader and calm stretches of water to tempt you to oars. You can watch birds, go fishing or just laze and be peaceful!

The farm is organic with a mix of the traditional and not-so-traditional. The produce and livestock ranges from coconuts, vanilla, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, areca nut, flowers, vegetables, fruits, prawns, fish, cows and goats, to the newest inmates-emus! Over the past five years, countless world travelers have come to Olavipe, stayed at ‘Thekkanatt Parayil’ and experienced the Olavipe magic. They have left behind pleasant memories of their stay, dreams of distant lands and a sparkle in the eyes of the villagers.

Price Includes :
Room, Breakfast, lunch and Dinner
All applicable tax