GK's Riverview Homestay

Welcome to GK's Riverview Homestay

GK's Riverview Homestay is your home away from home: the perfect place for a pleasant and peaceful stay if you are visiting Kottayam/Kumarakom or Alappuzha (Alleppey). The homestay concept is offered at a very attractive rate to domestic and international tourists of all ages, in a clean, eco friendly and tranquil environment. We offer mosquito free rooms and traditional Kerala food prepared with farm fresh vegetables and fruits.

We, George and Dai, have been hosting guests at GK's Riverview Homestay since 1996. The homestay was the first in Kumarakom, and is situated on the bank of river Meenachil in Aymanam (the birth place of Arundhati Roy, the author of God of Small Things). We are located just 3 kilometres from the huge Vembanad lake and bird sanctuary, 10 kilometres from Kottayam Railway Station and 100 kilometres from Kochi. The village is an unbelievably beautiful paradise of mangrove forests, emerald green paddy (rice) fields and coconut groves interspersed with enchanting waterways and canals adorned with spices and medicinal plants. It is an ideal place to explore Kerala's traditions, real village life, and to stay for a period in a calm and quiet pollution free zone. The village is decorated with ancient Christian churches, Hindu temples, and country and snake boats. These snake boats can carry more than 100 rowers at a time. A boat journey through the back waters will be an unforgettable event.

Our hospitality begins right from when the guest arrives in Kerala. Be it by bus, train or plane, we personally meet our guests and escort them to our hideaway retreat. Once here at our homestay, we ensure the new found friends feel right at home.

Rooms

Our guest accommodation is in a separate cottage of 4 basic, mosquito free air conditioned rooms 30 metres from the house where we live. The location is private with no visible or audible neighbouring houses, but with the scenic view of the paddy fields that are seen in the photo at the top. In short, our guests can enjoy their privacy and freedom in the guest cottage. All rooms have attached bathrooms with western toilets and a shower with hot and cold water. Each room has its own entrance with veranda equipped with deckchairs, teapoy and table fans. There is also an electric kettle, tea bags, coffee powder, a mini refrigerator and a hair-drier in all rooms. In front of the rooms, there is a natural garden with hammocks and swings. And we have 24 hours uninterrupted Wifi all over the property.

Homemade vegetarian, vegan and non-vegetarian food, as per your requirements, is served in the main hall of our house. All the food is freshly made using organic and local produce whenever possible.

GK's Riverview Homestay is an ideal location for relaxation, but our home is conveniently located for backwater cruises in and around Kumarakom and Alappuzha (Alleppey) by house boat, country boat, motor boat or even by very cheap Government ferry. You also have the opportunity to see snake boats (racing boats) and ancient churches and temples. Activities such as canoeing, fishing, bird watching, village tour, farm visits, riding, sight seeing and houseboat stays can easily be arranged. Our location is ideal for bird watching as it is surrounded by the backwaters and natural forest.

We offer ayurvedic treatment, body massages and can arrange yoga classes, dental care and various treatments for a third of the western rate. We can also help you buy spectacles, clothes etc. at a very cheap rate. Bicycles are available for rent.

Reviews

GK's Riverview Homestay is approved under the Government of Kerala homestay scheme. The classification is Gold. We have previously won the State Tourism Award for the best homestay facility in Kerala.

GK's Riverview Homestay gets a particular recommendation in Rough Guide to Kerala and Rough Guide to South India where it is described as a homestay buried deep in the watery wilds between Kottayam and Kumarakom. The accommodation comprises four comfortable guest rooms in a separate block behind a family home, overlooking paddy fields. There's a garden and hammocks to lounge in, and host George Kutty takes visitors out in a canoe to look at the local snake boat and other sights. Delicious home-cooked food is also available. Phone ahead from Kottayam to be picked up.

You can read reviews and see photos of GK's Riverview Homestay on Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Google, and Agoda.

GK's Riverview Homestay also featured in the UK newspaper The Guardian in 2009 (see a scan of the article).

Contact

We offer single, double and triple rooms with and without air conditioning. Please contact us for the rate and room availability. In low season we will, sometimes, offer various discounts. We accept payment by credit card, UPI and cash in any currency.

If arranging your holiday in Kerala seems like a daunting task, we are happy to arrange it for you. The price depends on the number of nights in total, type of accommodation etc. As a price idea, a 14 night tour for 2 people, including accommodation, transportation (A/C car), activities such as houseboat stay, canoeing, village tour, temple visit, border hiking, bamboo rafting, spice garden visit, and a tea plantation visit can be done for around USD 1500.

Please use one of the contact methods below for enquiries and bookings. We will reply as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours, to let you know about availability and to answer any enquiries.

We can be contacted by post at George Kutty, Thekkekaryil, Pulikkuttissery, 686015 Kottayam, Kerala, India, via email on info@gkhomestay-kumarakom.com, georgekutty54@gmail.com and gkshomestay@yahoo.com, and on telephone at +91 94 47 19 75 27 (also WhatsApp) and +91 73 06 21 54 39.

Finally, before leaving for India, please remember to apply online for the minimum hassle Indian eVisa. And if your holiday in Kerala takes you to the Thekkady/Periyar area, we can highly recommend staying with our friends at Indhrivanam.