Kerala Homestay - Home Away from Home

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Introduction

“When you are in Rome, Act as the Romans”  as the saying goes like this, the tourists from all over the world who visit Kerala want to do precisely as the Keralites do. Here is the importance of “Homestays”. Homestays are gradually gaining a foothold in the tourism map of Kerala. They promote a different brand of tourism, one which combines the elements of farm, cultural and pilgrim tourism targeting foreign tourists. In most cases the ancestral house or estate bungalow is being converted to a homestay with a little bit of refurbishment. 

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Homestays in Kerala

Kerala has been pioneer in developing the homestay culture and it is begun as a cottage industry in early 2003. Homestays in Kerala are beautiful, comfortable family homes all across Kerala ready to welcome travelers from all over the world. Homestays have immense heritage value and ambience which offer an opportunity for guests to enjoy an authentic experience: sights, smells, tastes and traditions up close, not through the usual lens of an everyday holidaymaker but with close interaction with families. Traditional home-cooked Kerala dishes are the main attraction of Kerala homestays. The guests are also free to take part in various household activities of the family. The visitors are mostly from the West, especially Germany, Britain and France, who prefer to stay with the locales to get a feel of the Malayalee lifestyle.

Homestays provide the travelers a safe, secure and caring home away from home, with all the comforts and facilities to enjoy the hospitality of the host family. Homestay is much cheaper than booking a room at a resort or hotel. Apart from being economical the homestay accommodation is an experience of the hospitality and warmth of people of Kerala. It is far removed from the monotonous dwelling and seclusion of the closed four walls of a hotel room. Thus Kerala homestays are not akin to bed and breakfast accommodation, but on the contrary offer the comfort of Malayalee hospitality and warmth.

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Facilities at Kerala Homestays

The facilities offered include Kerala style vegetarian food, fishing, Ayurvedic massage, cultural performances, bicycle ride, doctor on call, laundry service etc. Tourists who prefer to explore the village life in Kerala can look forward to a bullock cart ride, a visit to the local religious places, visit the local market to buy what they need and spend a quiet time in a serene atmosphere.

How to Select a Homestay in Kerala for your vacation?

Kerala homestay accommodation is available at many different levels of service. It definitely does not offer upscale amenities of five star hotels but the rich experience a traveler gets is much more than the comfort of the luxury accommodation.

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Here are some things that you need to know about selecting a Kerala Homestay for your vacation.

1.      Homestays in Kerala are classified into three for government certification based on a set of predefined score criterion – Diamond House, Gold House and Silver House.

2.      For each and every Homsetays in Kerala residence-cum-ownership certificate from the local body, location and possession certificate from village office and other documents, police clearance from the Station House Officer and registration from the Food Safety Commissioner etc are mandatory to avail the Government License.

3.      Classification will be only for operational Homestays and it has to be renewed every two years.

4.      The classification for Homestay units will be given only for those homestays in Kerala where the owner/promoter of the unit along with his/her family is physically residing in the same unit.

5.       Find the list of government approved homestays in Kerala

6.      Find the process and procedure to get the Government License for the Homestay

Kerala State Homestay and Tourism Association (KeralaHATS)

KeralaHATS has been formed by Kerala State Tourism Department, basically to serve as a consortium of Homestay providers and tourism promoters for the effective co-ordination of tourism activities in Kerala and also to ensure qualitative and competitive service. The interested tourist can book the Homestays in Kerala through the official website of KeralaHATS.

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Before you book your homestay please go through the below questions

1  Ask the owner if it is a government approved homestay. Ask for their license number. (Dimond/Gold/Silver).

     Check the accessibility and roads. Ask the owner if the car can reach all the way up to the home, without the help of a local driver.

3  Power backup – power cuts are common in Kerala and make sure they have inverter/power backup.

4   Location: Ask how far is it from your destination and the places of attractions. Even if they have proper roads, you may not want to stay several kilometers away from your destination and places of attraction.

5  Neighborhood: It may be fun to stay in a resort which is close to the wild. But when you are in a homestay, you may not want to be too deep into the wild due to safety concerns. Check with the owner if there are other houses nearby.

6   Don't be shy to ask about toilets and other facilities. Check if they have attached bathrooms in your room. In some places, toilets are separated from the bedrooms and it may not be safe to access such bathrooms especially in the nights.

7  If you are planning to stay multiple days, ask if there is a washing machine within the house. You may not want to spend all your time washing your cloths or looking for a washing place.

See also: Home Stays in India , Homestays in Kerala