A version of
this story is in the February issue of National Geographic Traveller India
As we drive
through the gates of Anantya, my mobile phone buzzes indicating that it has no
signal. And it stays signal-less for most of our three days at the resort. I
wasn’t complaining though, for the holiday at Anantya was about getting some
real downtime.
The resort,
which opened in 2013, is only a 90-minute drive from Thiruvananthapuram, but
feels like it’s a world away. Situated in the midst of hundreds of acres of
rubber plantations, Anantya is built on a patch of land that juts into the lake
created by the Chittar dam, at the foothills of the Western Ghats. Once part of
the erstwhile princely state of Travancore, the region is now in Tamil Nadu’s
Kanyakumari district. It’s a charming amalgam of Tamil and Kerala influences, some
of which are reflected in the resort’s mud-plastered walls, tiled roofs and woodwork.
Anantya’s heart
is its open-plan restaurant and the adjoining infinity pool, both with
spectacular views of the lake and the hills. Mealtimes were, in fact, one of
the high points of our stay thanks to the very welcoming restaurant team and an
eclectic menu that featured dishes like the sinfully rich, fiery Chicken Ghee
Roast.
Patchy mobile
phone signals and a few other quirks notwithstanding, the resort has many of
the essentials of modern living; Wi-Fi and satellite television, for instance. And
its spa has a range of ayurvedic therapies.
Activities on
offer at the resort include a visit to a rubber plantation; bicycles to explore
the resort’s winding pathways; facilities to play a bunch of sports; and a
‘games veranda’ with a view, an assortment of board games and a small library.
The resort is also a good base for treks to the nearby hills and for day trips
to the Padmanabhapuram Palace, Thirparappu waterfalls,
Kanyakumari, the temples at Suchindram and Thiruvattar and the Chitharal Jain monuments.
We however,
chose the easy life. Our days were spent
in our villa’s gazebo soaking up the view — the lake framed by the green of the
rubber plantations and the hills beyond, a breeze ruffling the lake’s placid
waters, darters fishing, dragonflies skittering across lily ponds, butterflies
weaving through the lush vegetation. And luxuriating in the silence that we
could almost touch, amplified by the thwack of an axe tearing through wood, the
mewling of a prowling Brahminy kite and the distant drone of a vehicle engine.
We just didn’t realise that time was passing by.
The Vitals
Anantya
Travancore is in Kaliyal village, about 50km southeast of Thiruvananthapuram,
in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district. The nearest airport is the Thiruvananthapuram
International Airport (60km) and the nearest railway station is Marthandam
(30km).
The
resort has 21 villas across four categories — Chakra, Siddhi, Veda and Sadhana
— varying in price from Rs 7,000 to Rs 15,000 (excluding taxes) from October to
March. While all villas have views of the lake, the Siddhi villas, with an
outdoor shower and gazebo (especially villas 6,7 and 8), and the Sadhana
villas, with private plunge pools, have stunning views of the lake and the
mountains beyond.
