If you look down, as the plane is about to land at Nedumbassery airport, near Kochi, you will see patches of orange arranged neatly against a blue background. The orange patches are the 35 rooms and cottages at the five-star Saj Earth Resort and the blue is the pool that almost every room has access to.
The resort is situated amidst lush green and the comforting brown of the mud-plastered rooms add to the cool effect. Bamboo rules the 10-acre resort. The chairs, the tables, the deck chairs at the pool and even the cupboards in the rooms….everything is made of cane. Clumps of bamboo grow along the boundaries and the compound walls of the parking area have a bamboo finish.
The huge property has a traditional feel with antique artefacts around. The reception has a glass roof with paintings and the long corridors to the restaurants are surrounded by greenery.
“We offer diet food and low-fat meals, with stress on local cuisine,” says the master chef. Salads with sprouts, fish and chicken curries and low-fat desserts for lunch leave you with no guilt pangs. Continental fare and other international cuisines are available too.
Each room is like a house, and opens to the pool. There are club cars to take you around, if you cannot walk. The gazebos and trees on the property give the guest ample opportunities to do some bird-watching.
Saj Earth
Nedumbassery, near Kochi
USP: Nature at every turn
How to get there
The resort is one-and-a-half km from the Nedumbassery airport and 16 km from Aluva railway station.
Things to do
Swim.
Relax with a book by the pool.
Head to the spa or the Ayurveda centre for a massage.
Visit Cherai beach, Kodungalur temple, Fort and the Kodanadu elephant rescue centre.
Tariff
Standard room (Island cottage): Rs. 5,000-single, Rs. 6,000-double
Standard superior: Rs. 6,000-single, Rs.7,000-double
Deluxe rooms (Pool villa): Rs.7,000-single, Rs. 8,000-double
Suite room: Rs.15,000
Extra bed: Rs.1,000
For details, contact 09447156000
email: >sajearth@vsnl.net
(The writer was at Saj Earth at the invitation of the resort.)
