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Going Dutch, royally!

Enjoy a heritage holiday at the 18th Century Bolgatty Palace in Kerala

HERITAGE PALACE KTDC's packages are good value for money PHOTO: H. VIBHU

So many interesting places and so little time on hand! Having chosen Kerala as a destination for a short vacation, the first thing that hit us was where in Kerala would we go? With so many exciting holiday spots available in that beautiful State, it was a tough decision.

Taking easy recourse, we logged on to the Kerala Tourism Development Board's website. KTDC, by now, is well known for some of the most gorgeous properties to offer holidaymakers at modest rates. Well, it didn't disappoint us and came up with a pleasant surprise for budget travellers like us. June 1, our holiday date, turned out to be the beginning of its annual three-month off-season, where vacation options at their properties are offered at almost half the price.

A little surfing and we zeroed in on Bolgatty Palace, said to be the oldest existing Dutch palace outside of Holland. Nestled in an island off Kochi city, the palace dates back to 1744. Kochi being the core of commerce then, the palace was built by a Dutch trader and was leased to the British in 1909. It remained under the British till 1947 and became a state property after Independence. Though KTDC has had it for many years, it was only a few years ago that the palace was spruced up to five-star comfort. It now has a plush dining hall and a beer parlour overlooking the swimming pool, 16 fabulous suites (newly built but made to gel very well with the heritage building), six honeymoon cottages on the banks of the backwaters presenting the Kochi high-rise view, and four huge suites in the palace itself.

Boat to ferry

Having booked the room through a mail to the manager, we were told to "give a call" to the resort from the Kochi jetty for a boat to ferry us to the palace. But we chose to take the newly built crossway to Bolgatty. Well, having done it, here's a tip: please listen to the manager and ask for a boat. After the crossway, the road that forks off from the highway to the palace is utterly narrow, and God help you if you meet any vehicle wheeling from the other side.

All excited about our vacation, we lost no time to check out the pool, dining hall, Ayurvedic massage centre and the view from the palace.

After an elaborate buffet lunch (all meals are included in the package) and a siesta, we took the free boat trip to Kochi city. Wandering through the hustle-bustle of the burgeoning metro, we ended up at a coffee joint called Cocoa Tree. There, we had some amazing strawberry ice-cream and Irish coffee, read a few visitors' notes, some funny, some not quite, pasted on a huge glass wall, and watched the hip Kochi crowd. We also took a half-hour barge ride into the sea and back.

A call and a boat ride later, we were back at Bolgatty. With much time left for dinner, we headed for the beer parlour but to our revelation, got to know that the archaic rule of dry day on every first of the month still works in Kerala! Anyway, the great Malayali style meal made up for the disappointment, though one wished the resort had given a little attention towards waiter training. If you are not alert enough, the waiters whisk away the plate before you were done!

The next day, we headed for Mattancherry, the Jewish settlement in Kerala, 12 km from Bolgatty.

Passing through the ancient Spice Exchange and the Oil Exchange, still bustling with activity, we were doubly thrilled to see rows and rows of shops selling antiques. The way the shops are stacked with goods, it seemed all the churches, ambalams (temples) and taravads (traditional houses) of Kerala had been robbed to the last nail. We contributed to the damage by buying two old paintings at a good price.

Walking further, we took a peek at the synagogue and felt a tad disappointed by its state. The Dutch Palace at Mattancherry, very close to the synagogue, was a further sorry site. With more and more people leaving for Israel, there are reportedly only 11 Jews left in Mattancherry now and all of them are fairly aged. With the town getting touristy, the shop rents are rocketing, but the old Jewish families are reportedly getting the same rent settled with their tenants years before. The rent money by the way, is the sole source of income for the community, and with tenants occupying their premises for so long and taking legal recourse against eviction, it is a sorry state not just of the buildings but their occupants too.

Back at Bolgatty, and after exhausting our two-night-three-day package, we decided to extent the stay by one more night and found ourselves lucky to get a little discount on it too. The last day was well spent in availing ourselves of the free Ayurvedic massage (it comes with the package) and a good, leisurely swim. Obviously, the great holiday ended with a glass of wine in the evening by the side of the pool.

SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY

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