Riverlap Homestay

I booked 3 nights but ended-up spending 5 nights in this relaxing and welcoming homestay. It was a "real" Kerala experience without the crowds. The property is immersed in a community who lives in nice villas surrounded by a lush forest of coconut trees. The area is a long stretch of land between the river and the sea populated by peasants and fishermen. In few minutes, you switch from lush rice fields, to the long sandy beach. You can enjoy a boat-ride in serene backwaters or visit mosques and small hindu temples. The individual bungalows are quite comfortable while not being luxurious (A/C, frifge, good, indiviual terrasse). Mine was in right front of the pond surrounded by coconut trees where local birds nestled. Vinod is a great host who arranged airport pick-ups from Kannur through his brother (2.5 hours drive). He always asked me about my preferred meal time and desired menu. The meals are taken in the dining-room of their modern property next to the bungalows. The wife cooked delicious seafood from the nearby fishermen's pier. I enjoyed king prawns and fishes cooked in a delicious masala mix. For breakfast, you can get local Indian breakfast, fresh fruit (ananas, watermelon) or eggs with delicious homemade masala chai. What sets the River Lap Homestay apart is the hosts. Vinod and the team are very nice and can arrange several experiences. I recommend asking for a sunrise boat ride in the backwaters (ask for the narrow river beyond Maddakara bridge). They have a motorised long-tail boat and the wife prepared a thermos of masala chai and bananas for me. We also went by boat to the nearby fishermen's pier to buy the morning catch. In my view, it is a great alternative to the "touristy" backwaters near Allepey & Kochi where I did not go. It is a more relaxing and authentic way to discover Kerala if you like nature.

Amazing place to stay near the beach and the backwaters of Nileshwar. The location is amazing. Very peaceful and quiet. The beach is stunning, with palmtrees as far as you can look. Vinod is the most amazing host. Very polite and helpful. He bought us traintickets and arranged us a boatride through the backwaters and a visit to the temple to experience the Theyyam ritual. The food at River Lap is the best. The shrimp massala was the best i've ever had. I highly recommend this place.