Prior to visiting Somatheeram, I kept hearing about it through general interactions with people. “Wow,” “Ooh” was the usual response. I took it as a sign that it must be good.

I then looked at it on the map only to discover it was way way down the south of India On the beach Near the famous Kanya Kumari temple and Kovalam Beach (#1 beach in Kerala because it’s so clean!) The dream. Like any dream, it required a bit of work to get to but if you’re up for a few hours travel then this place is totally worth it.

So after a 21-day Panchakarma “in-land”, a beach resort was just what the doctor ordered. I prescribed it to myself. Fresh air, space, and a big bed in a bungalow with my name on it.

But it’s not all luxury. Somatheeram is serious business. It is the winner of 32 National and International Awards for Excellence in Ayurveda which includes three times National Awards from Government of India and six times state Awards from Government of Kerala.

The Somatheeram Research Institute and Ayurveda Hospital also recently received NABH Accreditation (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Providers). This is the highest National grading and recognition of Indian Government in the Hospitals and Health Care Providers.

According to Baby Mathew, Founder and Chairman, when they started back in 1985, “Ayurveda was languishing in shadow of modern medicine, and that Somatheeram was the first to introduce the benefits of Ayurveda in Europe when even Indian’s were still ignorant.”

The essence and soul of Somatheeram is the ancient medicinal science of Ayurveda, Art of Yoga and Meditation that it so beautifully provides across a number of locations including Thattekad and Alappuzha. I was fortunate to stay at the Somatheeram Ayurveda Village, a short drive from Trivandrum, and the world’s first full-time Ayurveda hospital, which just so happens to have a resort-ambiance.

Somatheeram offers a unique blend of tropical beauty amalgamated with contemporary facilities while still focussing on the holistic rejuvenation services and treatments of the mind and body. 14-28 day packages and special programs of rejuvenation, purification, slimming, stress management, anti-aging and psoriasis are available depending on your need.

There is somewhere between 12-15 doctors on-site, 24-7 to serve patients from all over the world staying in up to 79 cottages across 16 acres. 95% of guests are from Europe. The most common diseases according to the doctors are stress, arthritis, obesity and bipolar disorder.

I chose to simply soak up everything I possibly could for one day and one night including 2-hours of Ayurvedic treatments, an ayurvedic buffet offering dosha-specific, organic, Ayurvedic, vegetarian meals, yoga 3x a day, morning meditation and a swimming pool all looking over the splendidly calm Arabian sea.

Somatheeram also owns its own medicine manufacturing unit and a herbal garden which has more than 600 varieties of herbs for medicinal preparation. You can get lost amongst them all located all over the resort.

So next time you’re in Kerala, the home of Ayurveda, you will find Somatheeram with branches everywhere. I was even lucky enough to see their new site set to open in September 2020, AyurSoma, currently being built next door. With an additional 64 cottages, a five-star luxury ranking, private pool, breathtaking sceneries and advanced Ayurvedic treatments from the comfort of your own room, this place is certainly one to experience for yourself.

visit somatheeram.in for bookings and further information.

Travel Diary: A Hospital in a Resort Ambience at Somatheeram, Kerala, India