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a small child what the word 'experience' means and probably the reply will be,
'to feel something'. Like
all truths, this one too is very simple. To experience is to feel. And we feel
when we are involved. When we are no longer onlookers, but deeply immersed into
all that is going on around us. Isn't
that also a good description of travel at its best? When you can connect with
nature, community and ecology, when you become a participant rather than a passer-by,
authentic experiences are born. At CGH Earth, creating such experiences is
our greatest challenge and our greatest satisfaction.. But
perhaps creating is not the right word. Because all that we offer you is already
there. The task we've set ourselves is to find the essence of man and nature in
a small, specific little patch of the world. Then provide a means for you to get
up close and personal with it all. Tourism
can so often be a window, a space where cocooned in the comforts of technology,
people look, snap a picture or two, and move on. At CGH Earth, we do our best
to provide the door. |
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CGH
Earth destinations are usually vast natural sprawls, with the bare minimum of
rooms. That way, we can care better, not just for you but for the living ecology
we're part of. And even so, we do our best to touch the earth with gentle hands.
Waste becomes natural gas, used as fuel, at Coconut
Lagoon. And water harvesting keeps the groundwater fresh
at Marari
Beach and Brunton
Boatyard. Even the towels in your room help conserve water
, based as they are on a light and elegant local design. All
our resorts are chemical-free zones, and over the years, we've perfected the use
of local and tribal wisdom in diverse matters, from gardening to pest control.
Black resin from the forest keeps the insects at bay in Spice
Village. Lemon Grass oil disinfects and freshens the rooms
at Kalari
Kovilakom. And everywhere it's vermiculture and composting,
not chemical fertilizers, that keep the plants thriving |

If
nature defines a place, it's people that give it life and colour. And to be at
a CGH Earth destination is to be part of the life of a local community, to rejoice
in its living culture. The cottages at Marari Beach are modeled on the huts
of the local fishermen, down to the exact weaves in the palm-thatch roofs and
the little foot-washing taps outside. Cows keep the grass trim at Coconut Lagoon,
just as they do in countless villages in the area. And along with the herbal cosmetics
we routinely provide, you'll see a clever little scrubber at Spice Village, made
from soapwood and used by the local hill women to keeps their skin fresh and glowing
(going by their complexions, it seems to work really well...). It's
local communities that work on our organic farms, keeping up a steady supply of
fresh produce for your meals. And the fisherfolk of Mararikulam, Bangaram
Island and the Spice
Coast bring the pick of the catch to the restaurants of
our properties there. |
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Many
CGH properties have been conceived as repositories of history, places where the
past can be a vivid, tangible presence for the visitor. Restored over two
years by the artisan families of the area, Kalari Kovilakom Palace is one such
trip into yesterday, evoking the simple elegance of princely Kollengode. At Coconut
Lagoon, the feudal dwellings of the Malabar landowners have been painstakingly
transplanted brick-by-brick and timber-by-timber, to give the visitor a unique
experience in living. Even the soaring colonial edifice of the Brunton Boatyard
has been recreated using the exact building materials of 19th century Cochin. In
a hundred little details, CGH properties reflect a living history. At Spice Village,
tiled tables from a 100-year-old restaurant, at Brunton, genuine Portuguese and
Dutch antiques, at Kalari, floor tiles that have been restored and cleaned, inch-by-inch. |
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Or
should we say experiences of yourself? On a visit with CGH, there are many ways
to get in touch with the inner you, or even fix a chronic health problem. Most
of our destinations offer extensive facilities for Ayurveda, complete with massage
rooms, therapy centres and qualified doctors. You can usually find a Yoga class
too, or pick up a few tips on meditation. Kalari
Kovilakom, one of our latest destinations, is a palace for healing, perhaps the
first of its kind. Here, you can experience not just royal spaciousness, but also
holistic living at its purest, complete with Ayurvedic kitchens, therapies, yoga,
meditations and comprehensive diet plans customized for you by experts. |
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