The front of Ushas Homestay: a tiled-roof Kerala house with carved stone pillars, framed by palms and mango trees.

Gold Kerala Tourism Classified Homestay

Maravanthuruthu · Vaikom · Kottayam · Kerala

A family home
on the backwater road

Two quiet en-suite rooms in our own house near Vaikom, with a garden to sit out in and hosts who live just down the hall.

See the two rooms Check dates on Airbnb

Rated 5.0 by guests on Airbnb

Welcome

You will be staying in our family home

Ushas Homestay is a traditional Kerala house in Maravanthuruthu, near Vaikom in Kottayam district. Carved stone pillars, teak shutters, and a garden that is full of birds in the morning.

We let two bedrooms. Each has a double bed and its own bathroom. The rest of the house is shared: the living room, the dining table, the library, and the kitchen if you want a cup of tea. Most guests end up out on the sit-out with the cane chairs at about six in the evening.

We live here, and one of us will be at the door when you arrive. Ask us about the ferry, the temple timings, or where to eat. If you are up early, the sun comes up over the river bridge just down the road.

  • Family-run, and we greet you ourselves
  • Two private en-suite rooms, two guests in each
  • Free parking in the compound, free Wi-Fi and 24-hour generator back-up
  • Home gym, library and garden open to guests
The covered sit-out with cane chairs, carved stone pillars and hanging money-plant baskets.
The sit-out, with cane chairs and the garden just beyond the step.

A look around

Come through the gate with us

A minute of the house, the garden and the rooms, filmed on an ordinary morning.

The rooms

Two rooms, each with its own bathroom

Both rooms sleep two, both have their own private entrance and en-suite bathroom, and both are booked through Airbnb so you get their cancellation policy, secure payment and live availability. Pick whichever you prefer, or take both if you are travelling as a family.

The Coral Room: a double bed with white linen, a coral-painted alcove, cane chairs and windows onto the garden.

The Coral Room

2 guests · 1 double bed · Private bathroom · Private entrance

Named for the coral-painted alcove behind the bed. There is a double bed, two cane armchairs by the window, a writing desk, and a tea tray we keep stocked. The room has its own entrance, so you can come and go as you like. The windows face into the trees, so it stays quiet.

  • Private entrance
  • Air conditioning
  • Ceiling fan
  • 32-inch TV
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Hot water
  • Mosquito net
  • Wardrobe & drawers
  • Desk
  • Kettle
  • Fridge access
  • Lock on bedroom door
  • Cotton bed linen
Check dates & book on Airbnb
The Sapphire Room: a double bed, a teal-blue door to the bathroom, teak furniture and bright windows.

The Sapphire Room

2 guests · 1 double bed · Private bathroom · Private entrance

The blue door gives this room its name. It has its own entrance, a good reading lamp beside the bed, and a wardrobe big enough to unpack into properly.

  • Private entrance
  • Air conditioning
  • Ceiling fan
  • 32-inch TV
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Hot water
  • Mosquito net
  • Reading lamp
  • Wardrobe
  • Desk
  • Coffee maker
  • Cot available
Check dates & book on Airbnb

What is here

What you will find here

In your room

  • Private bathroom with hot water
  • Air conditioning and a ceiling fan
  • 32-inch television
  • Mosquito net
  • Wardrobe, chest of drawers and hangers
  • Dedicated desk to work at
  • Cotton bed linen, extra pillows and blankets
  • Shampoo, conditioner, soap and towels
  • Lock on the bedroom door

Around the house

  • Free Wi-Fi throughout
  • 24-hour power back-up by generator
  • Free parking inside the compound
  • Shared living room and dining table
  • Library and reading room
  • Home gym: treadmill, bike, elliptical, weights, yoga mat
  • Garden, sit-out and balcony
  • Kettle, coffee maker and fridge
  • Washing machine and drying rack
  • Iron and clothes airer

Looking after you

  • Your hosts greet you on arrival
  • Cleaning available during your stay
  • Luggage drop-off before check-in or after check-out
  • First aid kit on the premises
  • Cot, changing table and baby safety gates
  • Long stays of a month or more welcome
  • Lit path to the guest entrance at night
  • Security cameras outside the building

Recognitions

Inspected and registered

A homestay in Kerala can be anything from a spare room to a properly licensed house. Ours is inspected and registered, which also means your paperwork is handled correctly when you arrive.

Gold

Kerala Tourism Gold Category Homestay

Classified by the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. Homestays are inspected and graded Diamond, Gold or Silver against a published checklist, and the classification is reviewed every three years.

HATS

Member, Kerala HATS

The Kerala State Homestay and Tourism Society, the association of classified homestay owners across the state.

Form C

Registered for FRRO Form C

We are registered with the Bureau of Immigration to file Form C, the arrival report India requires for every foreign guest, including OCI cardholders. We file it for you. Please bring your passport and visa.

The village

Kerala's first Water Street village

Maravanthuruthu sits on the Muvattupuzha river, laced with canals. Kerala Tourism chose it for the first Water STREET project in the state, standing for sustainable, tangible, responsible, experiential and ethnic tourism.

Eighteen canals, three rivers and a stretch of backwater were cleaned and reopened under the project, and it went on to win an international responsible tourism award at World Travel Market in London. Along some of the lanes the houses and compound walls are painted with village life, which the village calls its Art Street.

Our house is on the Chempu side of the panchayat, directly on SH15, the same village lane that runs down to the fish farm. What that means in practice is that most of this is reachable on foot or by a short ride, without a day trip and without an agent.

  • Thuruthumma hanging bridge, ten minutes on foot
  • Kayaking and country boats through the canals, run by the panchayat
  • The Water Street and Art Street lanes
  • Palakkari aqua tourism farm, a few minutes by car in Chempu: 120 acres of fish ponds along the Vembanad, run by the state fisheries federation, with row boats, angling and karimeen cooked fresh
  • Murinjapuzha, about two kilometres. The name means the split river. You can fish it or take a houseboat out, and the old bridge is the easiest place to stand and look at it

Boating and kayaking are run locally and depend on the season and the day. Tell us what you would like to do and we will find out what is running.

The garden seen from the upstairs balcony, thick with palms and flowering plants.
The canals and the river are a few minutes in most directions from the gate.

Around Vaikom

Cultural landmarks, backwaters and quiet roads

We are close to most of the things people come to Kerala for, without being in the middle of them. The distances below are approximate, by road.

The gateway and tiered roof of Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, with visitors at the entrance.
~8 km

Vaikom Mahadeva Temple

One of the oldest Shiva temples in Kerala, and the centre of life in the town. Best early in the morning, before the crowds arrive.

The Vaikom boat jetty seen across still water, with its tiled roof reflected below.
~8 km

Vaikom boat jetty

Where the ferries cross the Vembanad. A public boat costs a few rupees and shows you more of the backwaters than most organised tours.

Sunrise over the backwaters, the sun low and gold on the water behind a line of palms.
10 min walk

Sunrise at Thuruthumma bridge

The hanging bridge crosses 115 metres of the Muvattupuzha river, about ten minutes on foot from our gate. Worth the early start. There is usually mist on the water and a few fishermen out, and almost nobody else about.

Vembanad Lake in flat calm, a row of palms and clouds mirrored on the surface.
~10 km

Vembanad Lake

The longest lake in India. Shikara boats and house-boats, and in season you may come across a snake-boat crew out practising.

A shaded green path running through the dense trees of Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary.
~27 km

Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary

Egrets, herons and darters through the year, and migratory flocks between November and February.

The road along Thanneermukkom Bund, with the lake stretching away on both sides.
~19 km

Thanneermukkom Bund

The salt-water barrier across the lake. It makes for a long, flat drive with water on either side of you.

A Chinese fishing net silhouetted against the setting sun at Fort Kochi.
~32 km

Fort Kochi

Chinese fishing nets, Jew Town and the old spice warehouses. An easy day trip from here.

A thatched Kerala houseboat moored on the Alappuzha backwaters.
~45 km

Alappuzha (Alleppey)

The house-boat town, and its beach. You can manage it in a day, though a night on the water is better.

Two women twisting coconut fibre into coir rope at a roadside frame.
Nearby

Local artisanal crafts

Coir, mat-weaving and toddy-tapping still go on along these lanes. We are happy to introduce you to the people who do it.

Two Kathakali performers in painted faces, headdresses and layered costume, mid-performance.
~32 km · nightly

Kathakali in Kochi

Kerala's dance-drama, performed every evening in Fort Kochi. Go an hour early and you can watch the performers putting on their own make-up.

Caparisoned elephants in golden nettipattam headdresses beneath ceremonial parasols at a Kerala temple festival.
Through the season

Temple festivals

Elephants in gold nettipattam, silk parasols, and drums you can hear from a long way off. The local temples hold their festivals through the season, so ask us what is on while you are here.

An Ayurvedic treatment room: a carved wooden droni table, a brass sirodhara vessel on its stand, and warm terracotta walls lit from a curtained doorway.
A short walk

Ayurvedic massage

There is an Ayurveda massage centre within walking distance of the house, so you will not need a car or an agent to book it. Tell us which day suits you and we will arrange the treatment.

Photo credits for the places above

Photographs of the house and rooms are our own. The photographs of nearby places come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under their licences:

Getting here

Finding the house

Ushas Homestay
SH15, near SMKP Samajam Building
Maravanthuruthu, Vaikom
Kerala 686608, India
Open in Google Maps
Cochin International Airport (COK)
~50 km · about 1 hr 15 min by road
Ernakulam Junction railway
~29 km · about 1 hour
Kottayam railway station
~36 km · about 1 hour
Vaikom town
~8 km · about 15 minutes

We are directly on SH15 and there is parking inside the compound, so you can drive straight in. Tell us your arrival time and someone will be at the door. If you would rather not drive, ask us and we will book a taxi with a driver we know.

Booking

All our bookings go through Airbnb

It keeps things simple for everyone: live availability, secure payment, a clear cancellation policy, and somewhere to message us before you arrive. Pick a room to see dates and prices.

The Coral Room 2 guests · double bed · en suite View on Airbnb The Sapphire Room 2 guests · double bed · en suite View on Airbnb

Travelling as a family, or four of you together? Book both rooms for the same dates. Message us on Airbnb first and we will hold them for you.

Good to know

House rules

Nothing unusual. These are the things that keep a shared family home comfortable for everyone.

Check-in

12:00 – 14:00. Arriving earlier or later is usually fine, just let us know.

Check-out

Before 10:00. Leave your bags with us if your train is later.

Two guests per room

Each room sleeps two. Take both rooms if there are more of you.

No smoking

Not inside the house, please.

No alcohol

Alcohol is not permitted on the premises.

No parties or events

This is a quiet family home in a village.

No pets

We cannot host guests' pets. We do keep a dog of our own, secured in his kennel.

Shoes at the door

There is a shoe rack on the front wall, in the Kerala way.

Switch off when you leave

Please turn off the AC, fan and lights when you step out.

Questions

Before you book

How do I book a room?

Through Airbnb. Both rooms are listed there, so you can see live availability and prices, pay securely, and message us in advance. Use the buttons in the booking section.

Is breakfast included?

Meals are not included in the room rate, but we cook at home every day and are happy to include you. Tell us when you book and we will arrange breakfast, and dinner too if you would like it.

Can I get there without a car?

Yes. Fly into Cochin, about an hour and a quarter away, or take a train to Ernakulam Junction or Kottayam, roughly an hour each. Tell us your arrival time and we will arrange a driver we know.

Are children welcome?

Yes, very. We have a cot, a changing table and baby safety gates, and the garden gives children somewhere to run about. Each room still takes two guests, so message us about your family and we will work something out.

Is there Wi-Fi good enough to work on?

There is free Wi-Fi throughout the house and a desk in each room. Several guests have worked a full week from here.

Can I use the kitchen?

It is a family kitchen rather than a self-catering one, but you are welcome to use it for tea, coffee and the fridge. Just ask.

I have a foreign passport. Is there any paperwork?

Only your passport and visa. India requires every foreign guest to be reported on arrival through Form C, including OCI cardholders, and we are registered to file it, so we take care of that for you. Please have your documents to hand at check-in.

What happens if the power goes out?

The house has a generator, so there is 24-hour back-up. The fans, lights and Wi-Fi keep running through the usual cuts.

Do you have parking?

Yes. There is free parking inside the compound, and on the street as well. We are directly on SH15.

Where exactly is Ushas Homestay?

On SH15, near the SMKP Samajam Building, in Maravanthuruthu in Vaikom taluk, Kottayam district, Kerala 686608. The immediate lane is Chempu. Cochin airport is about an hour and a quarter by road.

Is the homestay on the backwaters?

Maravanthuruthu is a water village on the Muvattupuzha river, with canals running through it and the Vembanad lake region close by. The house itself is set in its garden a short walk from the water rather than on the bank.

What is Maravanthuruthu known for?

It was the first Water STREET village in Kerala Tourism's responsible tourism programme, and the project won an international award at World Travel Market in London. Eighteen canals and three rivers were restored, and the village runs kayaking and country boat trips through them.

What is the best time of year to come?

October to March has the easiest weather, and it is the best window for birds at Kumarakom. The monsoon months are green and much quieter, and some guests prefer them.

Can we stay for a month or more?

Yes, long stays of 28 days and over are welcome. Message us on Airbnb and we will talk about rates.