Review of Raheem Residency, by JB Cooper

Set not ten metres from the clean sands of Alleppey Beach and housed in an elegantly resorted colonial bungalow, Raheem Residency is a quietly luxurious sanctum that protects its guests from the vicissitudes of the outside world.

Time spent here is as laid-back as it is pleasurable: take a dip in the private pool and read on a sun lounger by day, then enjoy expertly-cooked Keralan or international cuisine in one of the hotel's two restaurants come nightfall. Top it all off with a couple of liquors on the hotel's fabulous plantation chairs, and then retire for sleep to your huge, traditional bedroom.

Wherever you go in Raheem Residency you can't get away from the fact that the building is just straight-up stunning. The architect who turned this family residence into a heritage hotel received national recognition for his work - and rightly so. From the high beamed ceilings to the original teak doorframes, Raheem Residency wears a splendor that's unique, understated and infinitively welcoming.

Working within the traditional architectural structure, the hotel's small Indo-European management team has carefully added complementary furniture - the piece de la resistance of which has to be the huge teak bookshelf that sits proudly in the main sitting area. Once a doorframe, the bookshelf pays testament both to the hotel's abiding heritage, and its status as a reader's retreat.

Elsewhere, Raheem Residency's pool is clean and shaded. It's also immensely peaceful. Rather than have staff fuss unnecessarily around the pool, a bell is on hand should you require service. Such thought in creating a tranquil ambiance is refreshing, especially for a luxury hotel in India, where the staff to guest ratio can be claustrophobically high. As any self-respecting luxury hotel in Kerala must, Raheem Residency boasts a well equipped Ayurvedic suite and on-call masseuse, should you wish to take your relaxation to the next level.

The hotel has ten rooms dotted around its grounds, each fitted with its own unique yet traditional furniture - huge teak-framed beds; great wooden wardrobes; a handful of tasteful, intriguing ornaments.The bathrooms are equally impressive, casually understated affairs. Their clean white bathtubs and sinks are completed by Jaquar marble taps - which should be enough to placate even the fussiest of faucet fashionistas. Ayurvedic toiletries ice the cake.

The last word must go to Raheem Residency's credentials as a reader's retreat. Books are carefully strewn across surfaces everywhere here, and the bedrooms are no exception. In my room one table alone heralded books by Shakespeare, Michel Foucault, Pablo Neruda, Woody Allen and Janet Evanovich. Well, you'd have to be careful in what order you read those, but all the same, I'd struggle to compile a more fulsome holiday reading list.