Anand homestay

The nearby viewpoints over the Idukki reservoir are well worth going to. Madhu also showed me his garden and orchard, full of tasty fruit, which was a great experience. I had a very pleasant stay. Madhu and his wife were lovely hosts and looked after me well, with tea, water, and even a homemade papaya drink.

Kattappana made a great base for exploring the district and Periyar Tiger Reserve (Thekkady). It’s well connected by public buses and felt much less commercial than places like Munnar. There are plenty of hikes on the hills overlooking the Iddukki reservoir, and the weather stayed cool, under 30 degrees C, in early April. I’d happily return to explore more. I spent 11 days at Anand Homestay in early April 2026. Madhu and Jaya were gracious and welcoming, and gave me helpful information about trekking around the Iddukki area. Madhu even came along on the steep hike up to Mettukuzhi View Point from behind the house. He also introduced me to fruit from his orchard. The photo with this review is from Mettukuzhu, not the homestay. I booked the smallest room, which was just right for a solo traveler. Its windows looked out over the forest, and I loved listening to it at night and feeling the cool breeze. I found Kattappana a serene place, with adventure close by.

The temple right beside the house was peaceful, and there’s a nice snack shop opposite. The town also has a great little bookshop, Michaels Used Books. It was such a calm, relaxing place, and the owner was incredibly kind, helpful, and caring. If you get the chance to see his gardens, they’re amazing. I could easily have stayed for a month. This was probably one of the best homestays we had in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We loved our stay.

The rooms were clean and tidy, and there was a wooden swing on the balcony. That’s where the good parts of this stay ended for us. We booked three rooms based on the reviews and checked in around 4 pm. My sister was worried about the Rajapalayam dog, which stood taller on four legs than my three-year-old daughter and wasn’t caged. It later barked at her. The owner wouldn’t cage it at first, but my sister persisted, and after a brief exchange of words the dog was put in a cage. The rooms had only small wall-mounted fans and no AC. The hot, humid weather wore us all down, and there was just one pedestal fan in the dining and common area. The owner brought another after we asked, then spoke as if we’d taken it with us. Mosquitoes kept us awake at night, and I woke with allergic rhinitis. We were out most of the time to get away from the heat, going to jumanji in the evenings and Calvary Mount in the morning. We checked out at 1 pm to end the misery. I had thought I’d leave this alone once the stay was over, but the owner’s arrogance in private messages made me decide to write this.