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We have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Kerala, arranged by Affordable Luxury Travel.

Our holiday involved a tour that took in Cochin, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey and Kollam, ending with a few days at the beach in Kovalam. The tour gave us a great insight into this beautiful area of South India, and the pace left us feeling that we had seen a great deal whilst remaining relaxed.

Everything went very smoothly, all the hotels were excellent – very comfortable, lovely rooms, friendly staff and good food; the overnight stay on a riverboat was equally impressive.

There was good communication between the hotels, trip coordinators and our driver with phone calls whilst enroute to check arrival time etc, this was all very reassuring. We were also regularly contacted by Affordable Luxury Travel’s ground agent to check everything was going well, which was appreciated. Our driver was always on time, polite, friendly and kept the car clean and well stocked with water and sweeties. Travelling with him was a very comfortable experience.

We have no hesitation in recommending Affordable Luxury Travel and hope that we will find another holiday with them to tick off our bucket list.

My wife and I have just returned from an 18-day tour of south India with Affordable Luxury Travel – it was our best holiday ever. Five stars to ALT for organising such an amazing trip!

Firstly, South India (we went to Chennai, Mamallapuram, Pondicherry, Madurai, Thekkady, Munnar, Kumarakom, Alleppey and Cochin) was one of the most geographically diverse, beautiful, and culturally – rich places we have ever visited with some to the world’s most breathtaking UNESCO sites, ancient temples, verdant landscapes, plethora of fauna and flora. From the misty mountains of the Western Ghats to the Urban Beaches, chaotic cities, silent backwaters, endless tea, fruit and cardamom plantations - not forgetting the tiger reserve at Periyar lake, there is something for everyone. We loved the diversity and beauty of it all. Each place was other-worldly.

Our holiday was made perfect by our very own driver. He met us at the airport and was with us though the whole trip as our private driver, we travelled in a very comfortable and spacious air-conditioned SUV. Nothing was too much trouble for him – he was knowledgeable of every place we visited and would always find what we were looking for – whether it was somewhere to convert currency, a fine dining restaurant, a jewellers, a laundry, or medical supplies. With good command of the English language, he was very supportive in translating for us and being a mediator when shopping or speaking with locals. He was truly one of the most humble, helpful, and friendly people we have ever met- and he made us feel safe wherever we visited.

Our tour with ALT was good value for money and inclusive of excursions, entrance fees and even a personal guide at many of the UNESCO sites and attractions we visited – each guide was local to the area and a subject matter expert in the place we were visiting. Because we had a private tour, we could alter the itinerary as we wanted – so added optional visits to an Elephant Sanctuary, Ayurveda Spas, Shopping were all things we were able to do with his help.

Our hotels were all fantastic – if I were to repeat the trip again I would probably opt not to visit the same hotel in Pondicherry – Le Pondy as we felt the service was slow and the food wasn’t great (luke warm buffet) - although dinner was included in our package we decided to eat out. Our favourite hotels were Rhythm at Kumarakom and The Grand Bay Resort and Spa at Mahabalipuram. Oh, and Tall Trees at Munnar.

Some tips from us: 1. get your laundry done in a local laundry before you return home - its incredibly low cost. 2. When in the jungle and forest region of Thekkady, visit Kalpavanam Elephant Park - elephant rides and you even get to feed and have a shower with an elephant! 3. When in Alleppey on your amazing private houseboat overnight, ask your captain to visit a seafood market and choose your own fish for the on-board chef to cook for you! 4. When in Cochin, Visit Jew Town with its quaint shops and market area. 5. When in Pondicherry, visit a French restaurant called Maison Rose – fine dining where Fillet Steak will cost you around £7! 6. Either in Cochi, Munnar or Madurai, a visit to the Indian Theatre and Dance of Kathakali and the Martial Arts called Kalari Kshethra is an absolute must – and the ticket price is included in the tour! 7. Treat yourself to an Ayurvedic massage which is prevalent across all of south India – a 90-minute massage will cost about £45. You get one 60 minute massage included in your package.

We will definitely be using Affordable Luxury Travel when we book our 2027 tour of North India!

What a wonderful holiday in Kerala. It greatly exceeded our expectations. We arrived in Cochin and were met at the airport by our personal driver for the next 10 days. He was an excellent driver, spoke good English and was personable.

We stayed the first night in Cochin at the Old Harbour Hotel and then moved on to Munnar for 3 nights, 2 nights in Thekkady and one amazing night on a Blue Jelly houseboat. We spent the last 3 nights relaxing on the beach at the Marari Beach Resort.

The holiday was action packed and on the first day we had a jeep excursion up through the tea plantation which was wonderful. We saw the tea making process at the museum which was really interesting. The second day we had another jeep drive to a high altitude tribal area where we saw Viripara waterfall and were lucky to see wild elephants. We also saw the rubber tree plantation and spice plantations growing black pepper, cardamon, ginger, circular, coffee and cocoa etc.

As if things couldn't get any better we went on our houseboat for the afternoon and overnight. We sailed past the rice paddies and workers and we ate delicious meals cooked by our personal chef.

We wouldn't hesitate travelling with Affordable Luxury Travel again. The Etihad flights were excellent, the local people we encountered were helpful and friendly. I just wish I could show you the photos.

A Wonderful Holiday to Kerala in South India

Affordable Luxury Travel put together the most wonderful package for us in South India, Jazz from ALT helped us plan it and couldn't have been more helpful.We had wonderful flights with Emirates Airlines to Cochin Everything about the holiday was memorable, from starting off in the busy port of Cochin, through Munnar, Periyar, Alleppey,Kollam and finishing in Kovalam.Taj Malabar Hotel in Kochi has very good facilities and ambiance and excellent food. There is an infinity pool to relax around overlooking the Cochin Harbour Fragrant Nature in Munnar has a 'wow' factor when you get there. Set on the side of a hill overlooking open country is quite stunning. Lots of stairs can make it difficult for the less mobile but again the food was excellent and the staff were so eager to make sure that we enjoyed our stay.The hotel in Thekkady Cardamom County was equally memorable. The manager couldn't have been more helpful. He walked us around his very large grounds where they grow peppers and other spices. The food is again excellent.The highlight was the houseboat overnight stay. We really needed another day on it. A fabulous experience.Travancore Heritage is the perfect way to end the holiday. Beautiful setting, excellent food and service.One of most enjoyable holidays ever. Thank you Jazz from Affordable Luxury Travel in UK

We have just returned from Kerala. The experience was fantastic and everything we requested was included. There is nothing that can be said other than - Thank You!! From booking through to holiday it went like a dream. It was great to have support in India from the agent who was in constant contact to ensure we were happy. A professional driver ensured we had a great experience at every point of the journey. ALT were not known to me prior to this trip but I would certainly use again!

We went on the 13 night tour and had a fabulous trip around Kerala which far exceeded our expectations. The logistics were faultless from the moment we arrived. Our driver was extremely informative, courteous and helpful. He pointed out many interesting things as he drove us around, occasionally detouring to show us something different, and explaining about Indian culture and life. The hotels were all excellent with a great selection of mostly local food each evening. The scenery in Kerala is amazing especially up in the hills around the tea and spice plantations. The people were friendly. There was a good variety of activities and excursions built into the package which added to its excellent value for money. Alcohol is not encouraged in Kerala and some of the hotels were dry on the days we stayed due to local holidays and customs. He made sure we were stocked with a couple of beers in advance where this was the case, but this may not be the trip for you if you want cocktails and bars every night! All in all, we would highly recommend ALT and this package as being superb value for money and a great way to experience the beauty and culture of Kerala.

Kerela, 5 hotels and a riceboat. Fabulous ????

Affordable Luxery Travel were very helpful during the planning stage suggesting various options but never too pushy.

Picked up from from Cochi airport by AjeeshKumar, our driver for the two weeks who was excellent. We were dropped off at the fragrant Nature hotel in old Cochi which had the wow factor upon entry. Excellent two nights.

Moved on to Munnar, 1800m above sea level. Spectacular views of surrounding tea plantations from our hotel Fragrant Nature Munnar. Good stay, food and staff fine but hotel itself did not have the same wow as Cochi. Also did not have a bar licence. Two days spent visiting local plantations, Nature reserve, all good.

Third stay was the Spice Village Thekaddy via a spice plantation tour which was very good. Lots of good life herbal tips. Not pushed to buy also. Our favourite accommodation this trip. Spice Village was full of history, great all round experience with lots of wild life. A place to truly remember, staff/food were great.

Fourth accommodation was our rice boat for two at Allerpie. Amazing scenery. Opportunity to see the true side of South Indian life, washing clothes, bathing, fishing along the banks of the water. Some very impressive buildings and sites to be seen. Our own crew of three were great. Food/drinks included but not alcoholic drinks. You can take your own if required.

Fourth hotel was at Kollam. Leela on the lake, another wow factor hotel from inside and out. Food and staff exceptional. Free boat trip to see the grand view of this property from the water. Food has been good everywhere but this was an absolute treat.

Last hotel was the Leela at Kovolam for a four night stay. A beautiful property with great staff. The position of this property was amazing facing the Arabian sea. We had a sea view villa that was in a coconut Grove approx 100m from the sea. Old, traditional but clean and well maintained. Buggy transport was readily available. All staff extremely helpful. Our drinks were expensive here, but it did not spoil our stay. The only slight negative for this hotel was that it did not contain much history from a personal point of view.

All in all a great adventure well organised by ALT and a brilliant safe driver in Ajeeshkumar AP. Well done.

Thank you so much Affordable Luxury Travel. I am so very happy with our Kerala holiday. The Service has been excellent from time of booking the holiday, our stay in Kerala, our guide/driver was great/excellent, felt very safe in his hands, always on time and very knowledgeable about the area and it's history, all the hotels/accommodation were wonderful, so too were the staff. Loved meeting the people of Kerala in general and experiencing the different cultures. Had an amazing first visit to India. So pleased we chose Kerala. Thank you all.

Booked a Vietnam and Cambodia trip for Nov 2023. The stafft were so helpful, nothing was too much trouble. Holiday was tweaked to suit our needs too. Everything about the entire holiday was 1st class, the organisation, the responses, all transport arrangements were superb, the hotels all included breakfast and were lovely hotels. The organised trips to Angkor Watt etc were fab. Could not fault one thing. It was great value for money and I would recommend the trip and ALT to anyone.

They were so good that we have booked another 2 trips next year, they did an amazing job of tracking down exactly what we wanted, so friendly, efficient and helpful. Highly recommend them from start to finish. Well done guys!

From the initial booking through to payment the team were great answering all questions posed to ensure the trip met our expectations.

Whilst away, all transfers were seamless and the same driver was on hand for our guided tour of the golden triangle in India. Each of the three personal guides were given were great.

Our internal flight in India from Delhi to Kochi was great and all touch points are the various hotels and trips were very well organised. Certainly made my wife and I very comfortable and I would certainly recommend Affordable Luxury if thinking of a multiple destination holiday.