Kumarakom Lake Resort declared
‘India’s Leading Resort 2007’

In a glittering ceremony conducted on Nov 2nd, 2007, Kumarakom Lake Resort defended its status as India’s Leading Resort by taking home the trophy for the second year running at the World Travel Awards 2007.

The World Travel Awards is perhaps the travel industry’s most coveted event with awards rewarded in over 1000 different categories, making it the most comprehensive award ceremony in the world. And Friday’s ceremony was even more special as it was the first time India hosted the event that gave away the awards for Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean. The event was held at the Leela Palace Kempinski in Bangalore and was attended by over 200 travel professionals, VIPs, celebrities and media from 16 countries across the region.

A heritage luxury resort, Kumarakom Lake Resort is in the tiny island hamlet of Kumarakom, an area famous for its unique ecosystem. Set by the banks of the immense Lake Vembanad, Kumarakom Lake Resort has carefully recreated a bygone era by its timeless shores. Fifty-nine heritage villas and rooms echo the grandeur of the past, being constructed using bits and parts of the traditional Kerala homesteads, some dating back 2 centuries. Its Ayurveda spa, Ayurmana, is a green leaf certified spa housed in a 200 year old nalukettu and its multicuisine restaurant, is actually a palatial Ettukettu of equal antiquity.

Luxury has been given special emphasis all through the resort, as is obvious through two if its newest offerings – the Heritage villas with Private Pool, which offer a personal pool and Jacuzzi attached to each villa, enclosed in its own private courtyard for maximum seclusion. The Luxury Pavilion Rooms, tucked away amidst lush greenery offer an ambience that is at once cosy and imposing.

Kumarakom Lake Resort is no stranger to accolades. It has been nominated earlier for the World Travel Awards, besides being the winner of ‘India’s Leading Resort, 2006’. It has also won awards for architectural excellence and the Wall Street Journal had once famously referred to it as ‘the place for a holiday pamper’.

The World Travel Awards were conceived in 1993 to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in the world's travel and tourism industry. Now in their fourteenth year, travel professionals and discerning travelers have come to regard the World Travel Awards as the very best endorsement that a travel product could hope to receive. These Awards are especially coveted as, uniquely, the votes are cast by fellow professionals and travel industry insiders from across the globe.

Kumarakom Lake Resort declared
‘India’s Leading Resort 2006’

It is with immense pride and pleasure that we announce that the heritage retreat, Kumarakom Lake Resort has been declared ‘India’s Leading Resort’ at the prestigious World Travel Awards 2006. This was announced at a Gala Award Ceremony held on September 20th, 2006, by the WTA Committee at the beautiful Turks & Caicos Islands.

A premium heritage retreat that caters primarily to the world’s most discerning travellers, Kumarakom Lake Resort rests by the backwaters of Kerala’s famous Lake Vembanad. The Resort is in the tiny hamlet of Kumarakom, made famous by National Geographic Traveler as ‘one of the ten paradises on earth’ and renowned for its unique eco-system.

The resort attempts to create a perfect union between heritage, luxury and natural beauty. To this end, scores of traditional mansions each over a hundred years old were purchased from all over Kerala and were dismantled from their original locations and reassembled at the resort, to create its fifty-one heritage luxury villas. Guests can opt to stay either in the Heritage Villas, the Meandering Pool Villas or the Presidential Suites. The Meandering Pool Villas are positioned by the banks of a 250-metre-long pool that snakes through the eastern part of the resort, almost down to the waterfront with each villa opening out into the pool. The two Presidential Suites are exclusive, plum on the banks of the lake and each with it’s own private pool.

The Ayurveda spa, Ayurmana is housed in a 200-year-old abode, incidentally, that of the Chathamangalathu Mana, who were famed practitioners of this ancient healing science. Ayurmana is overseen by two of Kerala’s finest Ayurvedic doctors and their team of skilled masseurs.

The main restaurant of Kumarakom Lake Resort, the Ettukettu, resides in heritage splendor. Formerly the home of the King’s martial arts guru and built under the commission of the King Marthanda Varma himself, the impressive abode is a fine example of the palatial 8-sided ettukettus unique to Kerala, and had been dismantled from its original location and reassembled in all its glory at the resort. Today, under the aegis of a fine team of chefs, it serves delicious multicuisine fare.

Not surprisingly, accolades have been heaped on the Resort, which is now in its sixth year. Thrice in a row it has been nominated for the World Travel Awards and has now emerged the winner, taking over the mantle from some of India’s well-known holiday names. This has been possible because of the dedicated efforts of the team at this resort, which strives to ensure that guests take home excellent memories of their stay here. It is their efforts that create an ambience that is a perfect combination of luxury, history and nature.

A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and claimed by the Wall Street Journal as the ‘place for a holiday pamper’ Kumarakom Lake Resort also pronounced as ‘one of the top 5 resorts in India’ has garnered the Asian Architectural Excellence Awards as well.

The World Travel Awards is undoubtedly the most eagerly awaited annual event in the hospitality world and is exclusive in the fact that winners in each category are decided by votes from tens of thousands of travel industry insiders from across the globe. This is the 13th edition of the World Travel Awards and there was fierce competition in each category.

We, at Kumarakom Lake Resort, are deeply honored to have been awarded the prestigious distinction of ‘India’s Leading Resort’ and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your kind support at all times.

PR & Communications

Kumarakom Lake Resort
Member of the ‘Small Luxury Hotels of the World’
KV 4 Panampilly Nagar, Kochi - 36
Kerala, India
Telefax: 00 91 484 2323555. 2316251
Cell: 0091 98461 60060
E-mail: pr@klresort.com - www.klresort.com