By Shilpa Raina

Palakkad (Kerala), May 21 (IANS) Read a book, sip herbal tea, ponder upon life and soak in a relaxing ayurvedic massage. Kairali health resort, set amid 55 acres of lush green land, provides a cure for the ailing body and mind in nature's lap.

Located in Palakkad, about 380 km from state capita Thiruvananthapuram, the resort houses 30 pyramid-shaped cottages with structures based on Vastu Shastra - the ancient Indian building text - with red soil roof tiles that are common in Kerala and known as "odu" in Malayalam.

A two-kilometre-long artificial water stream flows through the resort that has as many as 700 coconut trees, 600 mango trees and a few medicinal trees like neem and pepper.

Shielding the grounds from the sun are the branches of these trees, allowing one to take a walk even on a hot day and enjoy the serenity of the place. And of course there are the chirping birds, croaking frogs and the sounds of flowing water and breeze.

The resort offers treatments for ailments like sinusitis, migraine, arthritis, skin diseases, infertility, slip disc and spondylitis. It also has wellness packages for obesity, de-stressing and rejuvenation.

Apart from the resort area that also has an ayurvedic centre, library, yoga and meditation centre, swimming pool, tennis court, the 55 acres of land also include a vegetable and herbal garden and a paddy field.

Each villa in the resort is equipped with air-conditioners, refrigerators and bath tubs. But surely nature scores over all of it.

Starting and ending your day early is the mantra of the resort that witnesses an influx of foreign tourists, mostly Germans, during the months of September and March.

Simple food is served and vegetables come from the in-house garden. They only serve pink-coloured lukewarm water that has some herbs in it and is supposed to be good for health.

Out of the 30 cottages, two fall in the Maharaja category, four in the royal villa category, 17 in the classic villa category and seven in the deluxe villa category.

Their prices fall anywhere between Rs.7,000 per day for a deluxe villa and Rs.25,000 per day for a Maharaja villa. This includes the price of a massage, breakfast, dinner, lunch, yoga and meditation classes.

People visit the resort for the cure of their various health problems and, hence, depending on their ailments they take various packages for 3, 7, 14 or 21 days.

Some of their most popular packages are Holistic Treatment for Rejuvenation and Detoxification, Special Package to Remove Stress and Strain and Special Ayurvedic Health Programme for Weight Loss, among others.

How to reach: The nearest airport is in Coimbatore, 52 km from Palakkad. It takes approximately one and a half hours to reach the resort.