Sweet Idleness at Marari Beach in Kerala, India
It’s a New Year and I start mine by planning my holidays. Well, or at least by dreaming about them… One of the questions I ask myself as I dream of sandy beaches and glorious spas is this: What does “luxury holiday” actually mean? Does it mean booking an expensive holiday in an exclusive resort and then doing the same things we do at home, like watching the same favorite TV series, reading newspapers and checking emails? What would it be like to truly leave the day-to-day routine behind? How about doing things differently and as a result enjoying a more authentic kind of experience?
This is what our green pearl Marari Beach Resort in Kerala, India, is all about. There are no TVs and no newspapers here. Instead, you can spend hours wandering around the vast and beautiful gardens. You get to enjoy real peace and quiet, feeling the soft, white sand under your feet while you walk along the beach. To me, one of the highlights is that you can participate in cooking your own, healthy meals. There is an organic vegetable garden, 12,000 square meter big, where spinach, green and red amaranth, turmeric, tamarinds, different sorts of bananas, gourds and herbs are grown. In the spirit of the „farm to kitchen“ concept, guests can go on a tour with the hotel chef where they learn about vegetables and herbs, harvest them and then cook a delicious meal together. What is it that Benjamin Franklin said? Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
This all sounds super interesting to you? It does to me, too. You feel different at Marari Beach. You have new experiences, you relax and start to focus on what’s really important. There is time to talk, think and make plans while recharging your batteries. I would go out on a limb and call this a real luxury holiday.
The concept lived here at Marari Beach was developed by the five owners who lead the CGH Earth Groupe, the Dominic brothers, headed by the eldest brother, José Dominic. His vision is to take guests out of their daily routines, get them to try something they wouldn’t do in their normal lives and through that invoke real change. The experience here is not about pampering yourself senseless, it is about truly unwinding, simplifying your day and looking at what’s important in life without giving up any of the comforts. The Dominic brothers own 14 resorts in India, all passionately committed to reducing their environmental footprint, involving locals in the running of the hotels and offering a new holiday experience. It’s no surprise that CGH Earth Groupe was awarded the Green Signal Certificate for strong sustainable management.
See more of the Marari Beach magic for yourself here.
