It was Monsoon Tourism, as Aslesha Njattuvela was on. It was raining heavily, cats and dogs in Kerala. I got the rains when I reached Kochi. I had some work at the Passport Office and I finished the work at Noon. Then I went on a tour of the famous Goshree Islands.
I went by boat yesterday to the beautiful Bolgatty Island. A two minutes walk saw me entering the lovely Bolgatty Palace, a resort by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.
I walked to the Bolgatty Bus Stand and took a bus to Vallarpadam International Container Terminal. Now everything is in place and one ship, OEL Dubai, was unloading. The progress of the ICTT is slow, but steady.
The Bolgatty Palace is beautiful and well situated in the Mulavukad Island. This island is connected to Vallarpadam by a bridge. Vallarpadam is in turn connected to Vypin by a bridge. In fact these bridges are known as Goshree Bridges, as these beateous islands are known as Goshree Islands. In Vypin, one can see the GAIL LNG terminals, which adorn Puthuvypin.
A new bridge, parallel to the existing Vallarpadam bridge, is being built to ease the traffic. I saw a barge jetty at Bolgatty and a barge carrying containers there.
Kochi is a cauldron of world cultures. A versatile land where visitors from abroad, right from Arabs and Phoenicians to the Chinese, Italians, Portugese, Dutch and British have left indelible marks. A great Port, universally known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. The newly renovated Bolgatty Palace has 4 palace suits, 6 waterfront cottages, 16 well maintained rooms and one can enjoy four star faciliites and a range of leisure options.
Said a honeymooner, Asmita, Calcullat about Bolgatty ” We went to Kerala for our honeymoon and Kochi was our first stop. We reached the resort at around 3:30pm after a long flight and were famished. Since we reached post lunch timings none of the restaurants were open, however the room service was very prompt and we had an amazing keralite food. The rooms are large, and built in a princely way. The property is equipped with all the modern facilities and the stay was really comfortable.
We enjoyed the Kerala body message in the resort . The location is also great. Overall its a great place to stay “.
The Bolgatty Palace was built in 1744 by the Dutch and is a short boat ride away from the Ernakulam Mainland. This is one of the oldest Dutch Palaces outside Holland the only Palace Hotel of its kind in Kerala. Now she has a Palace block and a resort block, called Bolgatty Island Resort. Amenities here comprise Swimming Pool, 9 hole Golf Course and is a destination of choice for select Indian corporates for their conference. It is a favourite destination for Indian elite and overseas tourists. The Kochi Airport is just 32 kms away and the rail and bus terminals just 2 km away.
Kochi International Marina is a KTDC venture located on the eastern coast of Bolgatty Island in the Bolgatty Palace Heritage Hotel. It is the first full fledged marina of international standards in Bharat. It provides berthing facilities to 37 yachts and also offers services like electricity, water and fuel for boats. It is close to the international sea route at the South West Coast of peninsular India , with minimum tidal variations and favorable conditions.
The Bolgatty Event Center overlooks the backwaters of Cochin Seaport and is an exotic venue for conducting Conferences, Exhitions, Wedding Receptions, Conventions and theme dinners. Imbued with resplendent greenery, the Arabian Sea and the ICTT at Vallarpadam gives an easy access to the Center.