Spice Village, Thekkady

Spice Village is located out in a spot called Plavarakkunnu, which is part of the Karam Codu area in Kollam, Kerala. Being here in Kerala means we are surrounded by a lot of green trees and the air usually feels a bit thick with humidity, especially when the rains are coming. Our address is a bit of a mouthful to write down, but once you get here, it’s just a quiet place to be. It isn't one of those super modern hotels with shiny floors; it’s more about the wood, the local stone, and the plants growing everywhere. We spend a lot of time just keeping the place tidy and making sure the gardens don't get too wild. The staff mostly comes from the nearby villages, so there’s always someone around who knows the local history or which spices are growing best this season. It’s a very grounded way of living. We don’t really have big board meetings or corporate rules that don't make sense. We just try to keep things comfortable and feed people good food from the area. Sometimes the power goes out during a storm, and we just light some lamps and wait it out. It’s a bit slow-paced, but that is just the way things are in this part of Kollam. We don’t try to be something we’re not, we just provide a place to stay among the trees.