The Ixora - A Boutique Homestay

–Excellent location - show map
+120 photos
Scored 9.7
Rated exceptional

About this property

Comfortable Accommodations: The Ixora - A Boutique Homestay in Varkala offers family rooms with private bathrooms, air-conditioning, and garden views. Each room includes a work desk, soundproofing, and free WiFi. Exceptional Facilities: Guests can relax on the sun terrace, enjoy the open-air bath, and take advantage of the fitness room and outdoor play area. The property features a restaurant serving Indian, local, and international cuisines, a coffee shop, and a barbecue area. Prime Location: Located 2 km from Aaliyirakkm Beach and Janardhanaswamy Temple, the homestay is 39 km from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Nearby attractions include Varkala Cliff and Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Guest Satisfaction: Highly rated for its attentive host, immaculate room cleanliness, and easy beach access.

Couples particularly like the location — they rated it 9.8 for a two-person trip.

Distance in property description is calculated using © OpenStreetMap

Most popular facilities

  • Free WiFi
  • Airport shuttle
  • Free parking
  • Family rooms
  • Restaurant
  • Non-smoking rooms
  • Facilities for disabled guests
  • Breakfast

Property highlights

Top location: Highly rated by recent guests (9.2)

Breakfast info

Continental, Full English/Irish, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Asian

Free private parking available on-site

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Availability

Select dates to see this property's availability and prices

—
Room type
Number of guests
 
1 large double bed
and
1 futon bed
1 large double bed
and
1 futon bed
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Guest reviews

Categories:

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Facilities
Cleanliness
Comfort
Value for money
Location

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Guests who stayed here loved

Adi
Israel Israel
“The rooms are very clean and comfortable, the host is very nice”
Nna12344
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“We arranged to stay here at short notice after an AirBnb experience gone wrong - within half an hour of us booking on booking.com, Mr Lal had got back to us, arranged a tuktuk to pick us up and had arranged early check-in so we could relax after a...”
Joe
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“We had an exceptional stay with the wonderful Lal! Everything was fantastic. From start to finish, Lal made sure we felt at home and were cared for in the lovely Ixora.”
Susanna
United Kingdom United Kingdom
“It is blissfully simple and contemporary and has everything anyone could ask for. It is in a quiet road yet easy walking distance to shops, the beach and a key pilgrimage temple with its temple elephant ! And only a few minutes I. A tuctuc to the...”
Susana
Spain Spain
“Everything about Ixora was wonderful and Lal, our kind and attentive host, made our stay truly special. The rooms are spotless and spacious, the veranda is perfect for relaxing under the palm trees and the food was excellent. Lal’s thoughtful...”
William
Netherlands Netherlands
“Although the property itself is very nice, new, clean and comfortable. The difference in experience is amplified by its superb, excellent English speaking host. The Ixora offers rooms connected but seperate from the main house where the host lives...”
Bakshi
India India
“Hospitality, cleanliness and maintenance, personal touch and the food!”
Vidhya
India India
“The owner of the property Mr. Lal attended us for all the concerns we had and even arranged an auto driver for us to commute within the city. Also he made us bookings for the boating and kayaking at the Shiva Kayaking located around 8 kms away...”
Resmi
India India
“A place of serenity....amazing hospitality, good food, and, I must say one of the best vanilla cakes we had...all this was possible because of Mr. Lal - A man who runs this entire show single-handedly yet welcomes all his guests with a warm big...”
Rajakrishnan
India India
“We loved the dinner at Ixora. Mr. Lal was very helpful and friendly.”

Hosted by a 'retired early in life', international hospitality professional :)

9.9
Host review score
a 'retired early in life', international hospitality professional :)
The Ixora - A Boutique Homestay, classified as a 'Diamond Category Homestay' by Kerala Tourism Department; is set amidst a budding native garden, in the quaint tiny hamlet of Varkala. The Ixora is just about a km away from the famed Varkala beach and at the same time peacefully tucked away from the revelry scene. The Ixora's luxurious contemporary themed air-conditioned rooms are nestled within a traditional Keralite architectural brick house. We've shed off the modern day's in-room digital devices, as part of our 80's home theme. The theme takes you back to those gadget free days of 80s', when we used to talk to each other a lot. At the same time, immerse yourself in all the comforts of a modern day contemporary home. The air conditioned rooms are designed to be simple, spacious, spick & span with enough brightness to invoke a calm habitat. The en-suite bathrooms are designed in the contemporary modern way, equipped with rain showers and well appointed with bath linen & other amenities. We are proud to cater you with our own home-cooked breakfasts & other meals. 'Breakfasts' @ The Ixora' - we cook fresh & serve you with passion, using the finest of the ingredients. We are extremely proud & happy to note that, every guests of ours loved the dining experience, set in our contemporary open kitchen. You experience the freshness right being there. Being a boutique 'house set continental plan', being churned out from a home kitchen; We serve you with a combination of cuisines. An usual breakfast will include a house set Indian dish with accompaniments, Fruit Bowls, Breads & Spreads, Porridge, Sausages & Bacon, and regular Hot & Cold Beverages. We also cater house set lunch / dinner, based on requests. Experience our long verandah lounge, natural spa themed outdoor showers, the native garden & much more - your second home hidden away from the hustle & bustle of the revelry scene, but so close to everything. Note: Driver boarding facility available on request T&C apply
Had always been 'running' as a passion and as a means to stay alive. This is my morning routine, unless I have to cook the breakfast for you! Other passions happens to be yoga & workouts, cooking, reading, outdoors, nature and possibly a handful of other trivial things too. Have been in the corporate side of international hospitality for about fifteen years, before I took an early retirement at the age of 40. 'The Ixora' was my retirement plan or dream then, which came true after a couple of years. PS : If you fancy a morning walk or merry pottering within the property, there's fifty metres of our winding uphill driveway. And there in our verandah or outdoors, you can enjoy your regular morning workouts or yoga or whatever to keep you alive as ever. So happy to host you all !
Varkala is a laid back hamlet which has a lot of history. The local population took to the sea long back itself, when many of them had migrated to erstwhile Ceylon, Malaya etc. Later on, from the east; they found their way to the colonial England and the middle east. Being second home to Sree Narayana Guru, the great philosopher, scholar or more of an ascetic; Varkala is renowned for the Sivagiri Mutt, which is associated with Narayana Guru. Guru paved way to tremendous social changes & renaissance, within the then conservative Keralite society. Guru's teachings centered around the humane concept of One World. Geographically, Varkala is characterized by the picturesque red laterite cliff beaches along the Arabian Seashore. On the other side, it has the backwater lakes & estuaries which flow into the arabian sea. It is renowned for its marine life and so the seafood varieties. You have the three famous beaches of Papanasam Beach, Black Beach, Aaliyirakkam Beach and a long seashore towards the north. A lot of activities are available to explore and experience; like kayaking, Country boat rides thru the mangroves and backwaters, Para sailing, Surfing so on and so forth. Varkala is also located close to Kollam, Munroe Island, Kovalam & Thiruvananthapuram; which all makes out another day trip from Varkala. Overall a great getaway to chillax, with easy access by road, rail & air. Come & Experience !
Languages spoken: English,Malayalam

Property surroundings

Restaurants

1 restaurant on site
The Ixora Boutique Kitchen
  • Cuisine
    Indian • Local • International • Grill/BBQ
  • Dietary options
    Vegetarian • Vegan • Gluten-free • Dairy-free

House rules

The Ixora - A Boutique Homestay takes special requests - add in the next step!
Check-in
From 14:00 to 21:00
Guests are required to show a photo identification and credit card upon check-in
You'll need to let the property know in advance what time you'll arrive.
Check-out
From 07:00 to 11:00
Cancellation/ prepayment
Cancellation and prepayment policies vary according to accommodation type. Please enter the dates of your stay and check the conditions of your required option.
Refundable damage deposit
A damage deposit of Rs. 2,000 is required on arrival. That's about US$22. This will be collected as a cash payment. You should be reimbursed on check-out. Your deposit will be refunded in full in cash, subject to an inspection of the property.
Children and beds

Child policies

Children of any age are welcome.

Children 18 years and above will be charged as adults at this property.

To see correct prices and occupancy information, please add the number of children in your group and their ages to your search.

Cot and extra bed policies

0 - 2 years
Extra bed upon request
Free
Cot upon request
Free
3+ years
Extra bed upon request
Free

The number of extra beds and cots allowed is dependent on the option you choose. Please check your selected option for more information.

All cots and extra beds are subject to availability.

No age restriction
There is no age requirement for check-in
Pets
Pets are allowed on request. Charges may be applicable.
Accepted payment methods
American ExpressVisaMastercardDiners ClubJCBMaestroDiscoverUnionPay debit cardUnionPay credit cardCash
Smoking
Smoking is not allowed.
Parties
Parties/events are not allowed

The fine print

Need-to-know information for guests at this property

The Ixora being a Homestay property; keep its private areas, strictly private for the Ixora family. Kindly mind the privacy of the private areas, within the property.

The Guests have access to their allocated Guest Room & the accompanying verandah, the public area lounge

& outdoors.

The Ixora house & family would be on sleep mode from 22:00 hrs to 06:00 hrs. So strictly there wouldn't be any service provided during this sleep mode time frame. All service requirements need to be addressed to us between 06:00 hrs to 21:00 hrs.

All Guest Names as per their ID cards, should be notified in advance by email and the respective original ID s' to be presented at the time of check-in, for verification purpose.

Please note that all couples must present a marriage certificate upon check-in.

The management reserves the rights to deny any reservation, if any of the above reservation requirements are not met.

At The Ixora we strictly follow all the rules & directions of the regional tourism & law enforcement authorities.

Guests are required to show a photo identification and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.

Please inform The Ixora - A Boutique Homestay in advance of your expected arrival time. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly with the contact details provided in your confirmation.

Payment before arrival via bank transfer is required. The property will contact you after you book to provide instructions.

This property will not accommodate hen, stag or similar parties.

Guests under the age of 18 can only check in with a parent or official guardian.

In response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), additional safety and sanitation measures are in effect at this property.

A damage deposit of Rs. 2,000 is required on arrival. This will be collected as a cash payment. You should be reimbursed on check-out. Your deposit will be refunded in full in cash, subject to an inspection of the property.