Aroma Home Stay in India

As two senior females who travel extensively for six to seven months at a time around every winter, we look for our basic needs to be met: comfort, cleanliness, safety and a convenient location for either access to good public transportation or for walking.

During a 5-week visit to Kerala on India’s southwestern coast, this and much more was provided at the Aroma Home Stay (1/1469[1], Fort Kochi, 682 001, Kerala, India; phone +91 9387 856 294, www.aromahomestay.com), opposite St. Antony’s Chapel and near Pattalam Market.

We were in Fort Kochi, March 21-April 6, 2015, our last stop before flying to Berlin. Unfortunately, we stayed at the Aroma Home Stay only three nights. We had discovered it while walking around the neighborhood after learning that the first homestay we’d booked online couldn’t accommodate us for our final nights in the city.

Our room, which exceeded our expectations, cost INR2,300 (near $36) per night and included air-conditioning and a Kerala breakfast.

Joseph and Elizabeth, along with their 12-year-old son, Benny, were excellent hosts, going well beyond what most proprietors provide.

For example, on the day of our departure we were leaving at 6:30 a.m. Our hosts had asked if they could arrange a taxi for us, which they did. However, they also were up when we came downstairs and they had prepared coffee and tea as well as a boxed breakfast to take to the airport. One of us is a vegetarian, and they catered to this special need as well.

When the taxi still hadn’t arrived five minutes prior to our arranged time, Joseph was on the phone calling to double-check.

We had several conversations with this interesting and well-informed couple. When we left, we felt as though we were saying good-bye to old friends.

CAROLE SHEREDA

Livingston, TX