Papanasam Beach, Varkala, Kerala, India Photograph: www.alamy.com Summer is well and truly over, the July/August heatwave but a distant memory. If the prospect of six months of dreary, cold weather fills you with dread, now's the time to start planning an autumn/winter escape.
Opening next month is Soul & Surf, a cliff-top hotel in Varkala, Kerala[1] – a much quieter town than nearby Kovalam – offering surfing[2] and yoga[3] .
Owners Ed Templeton and Sofie Radecki have been running a similar venture for several years[4] but this autumn are moving Soul & Surf to a new location overlooking Golden Beach at Varkala. With 15 rooms, a cafe serving Keralan food, a surfing school with India[5] 's first and only ISA qualified instructors, daily yoga, and a host of other activities, it's the perfect spot for some serious winter R&R. Yoga takes place in the evenings on a rooftop platform although one-to-one lessons can also be arranged.
Surf and soul lesson, Kerala Plus, unlike many well-being breaks, the price won't send your blood pressure skywards. A week's stay costs between £185 and £345 per week per person, including accommodation, breakfast, daily surf guiding, mineral water and use of yoga mats. Daily yoga and surf lessons are available from £130 per person per week, or can be booked on a daily basis. The hotel is an hour's drive from Trivandrum airport and transfers are available from £15. Another option is to fly to Cochin airport, about four hours away from the hotel.
The couple will also be running two "pop-up" Soul & Surf locations in 2014: a month long residency in south-west Sri Lanka[6] in February – from £650 per person per week, and an eight-night surf trip to the Andaman Islands in April 2014 (dates TBC).
References
- ^ More from guardian.co.uk on Kerala (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ More from guardian.co.uk on Surfing (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ More from guardian.co.uk on Yoga (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ Ed Templeton and Sofie Radecki have been running a similar venture for several years (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ More from guardian.co.uk on India (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ Soul & Surf locations in 2014: a month long residency in south-west Sri Lanka (soulandsurf.com)
- ^ soulandsurf.com (www.theguardian.com)
No comments :
Post a Comment