Spice Village - Cgh Earth

Loved this place - a refreshing eco-friendly hotel that has no plastic, and recycles everything, and sources local ingredients. Thatched roofs, local entertainment, morning yoga - what’s not to like?

One of our best stays ever! If you are a nature lover, you would love the experience this place provides. Situated close to Periyar, this place is nestled in a naturally bountiful region. Mornings are heavenly with birds singing in all directions, no outside noise. Place is so beautifully designed, you can really keep on soaking. Cottages are beautiful and designed with love. Breakfast is amazing and overall food is delectable, though one might find it a bit pricey for lunch/dinner - but the ambience makes up for it. So many activities they do within the resort, you will be left to prioritize. We stayed for 3 days and couldn't find a minute to get bored. Birdwatching with a naturalist, property tour, paper making, evening dance performances, organic food prep demo, naturalist's presentation.. then ofcourse you have sports, swimming etc. All in all you will have to squeeze time to venture outside for activities you came to Periyar for.. haha. One area of improvement is children's game area. Lot of potential, with small investment and intent, it can be amazing too. Sharp focus on sustainability is heartwarming and their bar is top-notch. Must mention our amazing interactions with Avantika ma'am who was our naturalist for those days. We had the opportunity of joining her for two bird watching sessions at Spice Village. It was an unforgettable experience . She helped us spot 10-15 rare species. Add to that she also shared quirks, unusual habits, general trivia about these species. This wasn't just eye-opening for us but also provided an insight into her knowledge and passion for natural world. Birding, in a limited time, is a very luck based activity. However, she showed admirable patience and tenacity to ensure we could spot the birds and went back with beautiful memories. During both the sessions, she ensured to give attention to all the participants from various age-groups and tailored her interactions to keep even the younger ones interested. Her presentation on top-10 birds in the locality was quite detailed, informative and professional. We were also able to join her for a property tour, wherein she informed us in detail about the various activities being taken up by the property, taking us on tour through their facilities, sustainability focused activities, organic garden, paper making and introducing us to various flora species that the property has painstakingly introduced and preserved. To sum it up, our interactions have inspired me to push myself more as I continue on a path to understand natural world better.

A delightful resort with all the comforts of home. The accommodation is clean comfortable and spacious, and the tropical garden setting is delightful. However, it is the staff who really who make it such a fabulous experience. Special thanks to Jebin who is the best and looked after us like family; Aiswarya (Chef at "50 Mile Diet) not only an amazing chef, but a lovely person; Francis the Barman; Jananini who showed me how to make paper; Naraya for the best milky coffee at breakfast; and Renju and her assistants for the wonderful Aruyvedic experience.

We stayed at Spice Village for five amazing nights. Our rooms were beautiful and comfortable, and the entire resort is designed in such a unique and charming way that blends perfectly with the surrounding nature. The nature itself was wonderful — full of fascinating sights, special plants, and wildlife monkeys, birds, and squirrels. Our children were absolutely fascinated, and we learned so much from the resort’s naturalists. The Nature Interpretation Center is fantastic, and the guides are extremely knowledgeable and passionate. One day we joined a jeep safari organized by the hotel with our guide Avantika, it was excellent! We also enjoy the proximity of the hotel to the Tiger reserve. The entire staff was amazing — always smiling, kind, and ready to help. The food at the restaurant was delicious and varied, and the service was outstanding. We enjoyed every meal during our stay, accompanied by lovely live music that added a wonderful atmosphere. We also joined the morning yoga sessions, which were fantastic, and loved the afternoon tea with sweets. The games room, led by a wonderful and engaging instructor, was a real highlight for the kids! The spa treatments were another exceptional experience — deeply relaxing and incredibly professional. We honestly have no words to describe how special our stay at Spice Village was. As a family that travels around the world frequently, this is without a doubt one of our favorite places ever! Thank you to everyone at Spice Village — keep up the amazing work! We couldn’t have asked for a better holiday! Special thanks to Midhun from the CGH reservation team for all his professional and patient help along our trip 🙏

Avantika joined me on a nature walk at the Periyar National Park and she was very knowledgeable on many bird species and insects. She was very good at spotting different animals during our walk and often our guide from the national park would say that Avantika is more knowledgeable about the species in this park. I thoroughly enjoyed having Avantika with me and would love to have her join me on other national parks, too. Thank you Avantika.

Surrounded by a lush landscape of coconut trees, pineapple plantations and spice plantations. A beautiful, spacious layout with large, thatched chalets spaced out in a gorgeous setting. Many activities to be enjoyed, cultural events, specialist food, etc, and a great swimming pool. The restaurant food is excellent, with a huge breakfast selection. The marsala dosa is particularly good, as are the various omelettes. We loved the eco credentials, recycling facilities everywhere. Amazing selection of tea and coffee in the rooms. We wished we could have stayed longer.

On arrival we were concerned that it appeared to be quite a built up area - but we shouldn't have worried. Once inside the gates all was very peaceful - but it was also nice to take the short walk to town or to see the amazing fruit bats. The staff are all really welcoming and the rooms were equipped with everything we needed ( loved the loose leaf tea and French press coffee) We also enjoyed the swimming pool and it was lovely to be able to watch the wildlife ( squirrels, monkeys and so many birds) within the hotel grounds. It was just a shame that we only had 2 nights to enjoy it.

We booked in for 9 days following a two night stay with a tour in 2023.All the transfers from Kochi airport and back were excellent. It would be hard to overstate how good the stay was. Every single member of the team was both helpful and friendly. From bringing dishes from the kitchen for us to try which were regional but not on the menu, to taking my wife and I up to a viewpoint on my birthday to serve me a birthday cake. All the food was excellent and the 50 mile diet brilliant!!We also were taken to a tea shop in Kumily to have tea with the team. From the grounds keepers through the kitchen and wait staff we were treated like long lost family. The naturalist arrange day and night hikes where we saw amazing birds, plants insects and animals and had the whole ecology of the area explained to us. The staff at the Ayurveda centre provided super relaxing massages with super fragrant oils and all with calming friendly interactions throughout. We arrive here as guests and left as family. Absolutely brilliant

Amazing hotel . Staff super friendly . Rooms very nice , food at the restaurant was great . We loved it. Had a great cooking demonstration before dinner , spa was super good . Best place to stay in the area and just walking distance from the entrance to pariyar

The experience at the CGH Earth Spice Village was excellent. The accommodation, restaurant, staff and activities were well organised and gave exceptional experience. The naturalists have very good knowledge of western ghats and are professional and experienced. Highly recommended for 2 - 4 days holiday.