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Marari Beach Resort, Mararikulam

Somewhere around the middle section of Kerala's coast, the Indian Ocean finally realizes that it has now become the Arabian Sea. The result of this personality change is a splendid azure colour, quite distinctive, with frothy whitecaps and a translucent, pearl-like quality. The sands that fringe this coastline for endless miles are themselves distinctive, deep and rich and fine, in a shade closer to ocher than gold.

This natural brushwork leaves its mark on human life too. The people of the area have been fisher folk for millennia and over this time, they've evolved a way of life that's as tranquil and colorful as their world.

The village of Marari kulam is tucked away behind a line of dense palms that rise like a sudden rampart of green out of the sands. Like all villages, it has evolved naturally, in picturesque disorder.

The huts are slapdash adobe, thatched with-what else? -Palm and tied with coir, or coconut rope. (In fact, the coconut tree supplies the villagers with an endless number of useful items, from kitchen ladles to sunhats to boat hulls.) Neat and scrupulously clean footpaths veer between the huts and everywhere; the pungent scents of the sea mingle with the fragrance of coconut oil and spice.

Spread out here and there on rough coir mats are sunbursts of red. These are the famous red chilis, without which no self-respecting fishwife would ever dream of serving up dinner.

Evening in fact, is a special time. The winking of oil lamps and cooking fires transforms the village into a glowing tableau vivant, with a painted sunset as the backdrop. Within moments, you feel your city clock winding gently down, and then dying without protest as you pass through a scene unchanged for centuries.

The Village Reborn
The challenge for us was to take the village, not just its architecture, but also the subtle elements of its life and translate them into an unforgettable experience for the modern traveler.

We wanted to recreate the same harmony with nature. And impart the same sense of languid pace to the Marari Beach resort.

Sprawled expansively across 25 acres of land, the resort, like its namesake, is separated from the sea by a windbreak of stretching palms. There are a mere 52 cottages, so the sense of space here is much more dramatic. The cottages are separated by generous stretches of open parkland, dotted with fruit-laden trees. The winding village pathways are a faithful echo of the originals.

Rambling walls curve around corners, their rust-colored stones smothered with trumpet flowers. Completing the picture are rippling lotus ponds, usually with a family of ducklings getting a swimming lesson out in the middle.

Things to do
The Marari Breach, let us be clear, is not the place for a raucous beach holiday. There are no rave parties here, no noisy water scooters, and no sellers of trinkets. But for those seeking to undo the stresses of city life and experience a completely new pace, it is the perfect spot.

You could spend an entire morning lolling by the poolside with a book from the library. Or take a dip in the sea, the beach usually being nearly empty, except for a few other guests and the odd local fisherman. Or explore the area and its fishing villages on a bicycle.

The trick at Marari is to open up, relax and rejuvenate. To while away the hours watching the fascinating play of light on open water, to feed a wandering guinea fowl, to stretch a lazy hand out to your cocktail glass and wait for one of our sumptuous lunches to be served

The Taste of the Sea
Mealtimes at Marari are unhurried affairs, with a firm eye on enjoying every subtlety that the waves have to offer.

Both at the buffet and at our speciality seafood restaurant, Fort Cochin, the fresh catch of the day forms the centerpiece. You can choose from a variety of prawns, lobsters, crayfish and the famous 'karimeen', grilled on the spot or prepared to your tastes. Complementing it all is an array of Kerala specialties. Aromatic vegetable stews, spicy chicken gravies, tangy tamarind and kokam chutneys and always, rice and the popular idiappams- string hoppers that accompany most Kerala meals.

Chef Narayankutty can be fanatical about freshness (check out his book of recipes, available at the gift shop) but he gets it easily. Our bread is always baked daily on the premises and the vegetables too, come fresh-plucked from our organic farm.

For light snacks, the beach-shack bar and buffet is the place. Sip a post-swim cooler, munch on some fried prawns and listen to the distant roar of surf.