PH Travel | Kerala unbranded

An extraordinary world

Settled around the ankles of the Bainskloof Pass mountains, on over 800-hectares of private reserve, in proximity to the Witte and Bastiaanskloof rivers, Kerala emerges from the soil it so reverently occupies and seamlessly synthesises with the abounding nature that surrounds. At the helm rests India House. Its consciously considered spaces pivot from the central Moroccan-inspired courtyard adjacent the main open-plan living and dining areas. Three en suite bedrooms and an additional childrens room for two disperse themselves down hallways where natural light floods through the tall windows. In keeping with the family’s ethos – that’s palpable in every aspect of the property – inspired by Ottolenghi’s cookbooks, the interiors and the tempo from which everything flows, is Simple, Plenty and Wholesome.

Utopian paradise

Out to the heated swimming pool, the pavilion where the long table sits beside the fireplace, beneath the pergola looking up towards the mountain peaks. Meander your way past the donkeys and the chickens, through the gardens towards the front wooden door of Mapacha, where nature’s narrative ensues. A two-bedroomed en suite cottage, with generous open-plan spaces that lead out through large glass sliding doors to a wild bedded oasis of medicinal herbs and succulents, more fynbos and overgrown grasses. Mapacha, which means ‘twin’ in Swahili, is the perfect appendage to India House. Where pathways lead you to a wood-fired hot tub, bubbling beneath the open skies, and up into the mountains.