Neeleshwar Hermitage is a dreamy beach and spa hotel in North Kerala. One of a kind and undoubtedly one of the best beach hotels in India, this delightful place is set in a palm grove, just back from an unspoiled and safe swimming beach.

Created almost entirely by local craftsmen and using local materials, it is inspirational and a very special place. Neeleshwar has an immensely calm and peaceful atmosphere and has been constructed according to the architectural principles of Kerala Vastu. The traditional, thatched cottages house wonderfully inviting, spacious, lofty rooms. Some are single units and others are double – ideal for families. Each has a verandah and either overlooks the pool, is set back privately in the verdant gardens, or looks out to sea. One cottage is immensely private and boasts its own pool in a walled garden.

They have all been beautifully designed and decorated with polished wood and carved stone, bright colours, and they have partially open-air bathrooms. Feeling fresh, spacious, uncluttered and contemporary, they have an almost ‘Balinese’ style to them. Deep mattresses and fine linen ensure a good night’s sleep after spending time in the peaceful spa and Ayurvedic centre.

Along with practicing yoga in the airy beachside pavilion or relaxing by the beachfront pool, days can be filled with long walks down the pristine beach and visits to local temples, forts and villages. A stay here also allows one to gain an insight into local culture by way of attending evening lectures, traditional dance and martial arts performances, and cookery classes, or why not get your favourite clothes copied at the tailors? For the more active, a hike in the nearby hills is a wonderful way to spend a day.

Needless to say, the fresh seafood and mouth-watering local and international cuisine will have you longing for the next meal! After a sharpener in the bar, sipping a drink on deep sofas, try out the chic, teak, open sided dining area in the gardens, the relaxed seafood beachside restaurant – there’s nothing better that dining with your bare feet in the sand – or have a snack at the pool bar, the choice is yours!

After travelling around the hills and jungles of South India, here is a haven where one can be pampered, relax in style, explore locally and enjoy beach life at its best. The dedicated, gentle, smiling staff will do all they can to make your stay a joy and nothing is too much for them. An exemplary beach hotel in a league of its own in India.

Eco / environmental / responsible tourism policy

Considering themselves as fortunate stewards of the local land, Neeleshwar Hermitage does all it can to create an eco-friendly environment:

• It is a non-smoking hotel.
• All kitchen waste is recycled to provide bio-gas for cooking and heating.
• All human waste is purified and used to water the garden.
• All garden waste is recycled to make mature compost.
• All burnable waste is incinerated on site.
• Water is conserved.
• The gardens are kept free of pesticides and artificial fertilizers.
• The site has been landscaped to encourage butterflies and a large range of local and migratory birds.
• Neeleshwar Hermitage operates a strictly ‘minimal plastic' policy. To this end they use bags made of cotton and recycled paper (which gives work to the local people).
• Bottled water consumed by tourists generates a veritable mountain of plastic every single day. Accordingly, they have decided to forego the considerable profit gained from selling bottled water, and instead provide their guests drinking water purified on site by the most up-to-date method ('reverse osmosis'). This water comes in copper jugs which, according to Ayurveda, give it added nutritional value. Not only is this water safe, nutritious and delicious to drink, but it leaves no plastic footprint.

As part of their commitment to ecological awareness and the fostering and preservation of all wildlife in the area, they have established the Malabar Foundation. This organisation works with relevant governmental bodies, local NGO's and also other hotels in the region to do everything they can to raise awareness of, and implement genuinely beneficial programmes for, the precious ecology of Malabar.

Neeleshwar Hermitage's wider interest in the ecology of the whole area around the hotel includes clear policies of employing over 80% local staff to maintain the traditional infrastructure as much as they can.  Their business suppliers of goods and services likewise are all local and integrated with the immediate community.  They actively support local culture in a sympathetic manner with more than just money to maintain temples and mosques in the vicinity.