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Kumarakom Lake Resort

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Set on 25 acres alongside Lake Vembanad, the resort features 49 villas that were created with materials sourced from century-old ancestral homes and are full of traditional details: wooden gables, carved doors, massive brass locks. Sample the spicy curries (okra-and-tomato bindi masala) and exotic ice creams (pepper; nutmeg) at the restaurant Ettukettu (dinner for two $60). A five-minute ride away is the 14-acre Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, filled with storks, herons, egrets, and parrots. You can also rent one of the property's thatched-roof houseboats for a tour of the area's palm-lined fields and Hindu temples. By day, float past villages and fishing canoes. Come night, you can be alone on the shimmering lake.

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From Travel + Leisure , FEB 2009

This lush South Indian state—the birthplace of ayurveda—is an intricate web of calm backwaters ...MORE>>

– Travelandleisure.com Staff 50 Best Romantic Getaways

Last updated February 2009