The Leela Kovalam is a 5-star luxury hotel with a bit of an interesting history. It was originally built as the Halcyon Castle in 1932, serving as a retreat for the royal family of the south Indian kingdom of Travancore – its architecture a blend of local Keralan and European styles.

 
Today the castle grounds are home to one of south India’s most iconic luxury hotels, famous for its dramatic clifftop location and wonderful views over the Arabian Sea – views best enjoyed from one of the infinity pools.

 
The beach is about 10 minutes walk down the hill, but if you don’t fancy that you can just ask for one of the hotel’s own auto-rickshaws to take you down.
Dining choices are good with three restaurants and two bars. It’s also a great place for holistic wellness – complete with Ayurvedic treatment centre, yoga pavilion and meditation hall – and you can keep busy with tennis, archery & badminton.

The Leela Kovalam is one of our recommended options for unwinding at the end of a tour of Kerala (particularly if you are exploring southern Kerala) and it’s just a short drive to Trivandrum international airport.