KOKOindia Luxury Travels

06/04/2024

Always somewhere new to discover in Mumbai - my wonderful interior designer friend Sandesh (and owner of my favourite boutique homestay .in South Goa) took me out for lunch today at this elegant, quirky restaurant disguised as a quaint little teashop.

Delicious Baked Irani Soy Kheema with Mango Pulao, accompanied by a marinated tealeaf raita - topped off with a Rose Kulfi Semifreddo ♡

03/04/2024

27/03/2024

Forever my favourire mode of transport! (*apart from helicopters and yachts)

25/03/2024

It's that time again! With lots of colourful, chaotic love from Goa 🌴

07/02/2024

A snapshot of holiday happiness! Our lovely Australian clients, John and Sharon, are pictured here enjoying a romantic, candlelit dinner on a private little vallam boat, under the stars, in a secret spot on the Keralan Backwaters.

These guests are extra special too - because I will also have the great pleasure of being their Wedding Celebrant in Goa next week!

We ❤️ our KOKOindia guests

03/01/2024

Dear Travel Lovers, may your 2024 be filled with a million magical adventures✨️

22/11/2023

What a gorgeous South Goan view to wake up to this morning, with a freshly baked croissant and coffee laid out on my veranda.

I have just spent a blissful night in the new, French-owned villa resort, Pont Bleu - named after (what I have always affectionately referred to as) 'The Beautiful Blue Bridge,' en route to Talpona Beach.

Warmly hosted by owners Gilles and Berangeres, there are four individually designed villas at Pont Bleu - each one tastefully styled in cool, chic tones.

Drop a line to [email protected], and treat yourself to a peaceful stay away from - yet not too far away from - the bustle of Canacona's main beaches. And this could become your view too ♡

28/10/2023

I have been lucky enough to have gone away for the last four weekends reviewing villas for KOKOindia. (Tough job - but just remember, I'm doing this for YOU guys!!)

As a result, I have been indulging in a LOT of the finest South Indian food lately. So much deliciousness = time for a LOT more beach walks and yoga! 🧘‍♀️

18/10/2023

Nothing quite beats waking up to freshly squeezed orange juice and a delicious breakfast served poolside.

Set amongst abundant tropical gardens, and tucked away in a sleepy South Goa village, the gorgeous LuaVelha has everything anyone could possibly wish for in a luxury villa stay.

Formerly a derelict yet notably distinguished aristocratic mansion, it has been lovingly restored to become one of the finest examples of Indo-Portuguese architecture in South Goa.

There are four elegantly styled bedrooms (plus two more in a Gatehouse in the grounds), a fabulous swimming pool, an outdoor yoga shala, a chic salon and a spacious lounge-dining room with traditional shuttered French blinds.

I loved having the choice of so many comfortable places where I could sit and read my book (i.e.enjoy a glass of wine). The staff here are friendly, welcoming and quietly attentive - happy to conjure up a late breakfast when needed (ahem), a tuktuk to nearby beaches, a dreamy sunset riverboat trip or a tropical nature walk with a local expert.

LuaVelha has those magical qualities in a villa which can often prove elusive - you feel as though you're indulging in an exclusive retreat, and yet it's so effortlessly easy to feel right at home. (I have been swanning around the whole time pretending it's my ancestral home when no one's looking!)

My own personal (and, if I may be so bold, pretty great) taste aside, the hallmark of any standout villa such as LuaVelha is that our guests choose to stay here time and time again...Which for KOKOindia Luxury Travels, of course, means that .velha is the epitome of .

08/10/2023

What a gorgeous little solo getaway I just had in the monsoon rains! A super cosy and stylish little luxury cottage, surrounded by acres and acres of lush, green nature.

By day, I sprawled on my huge bed-with-a-view working (well, a bit) and making the most of Postcard's attentive room service. Just dial 9 on the vintage telephone and wait for all kinds of deliciousness to arrive in a buggy.

By night, I sat out on my huge wooden deck just listening to the soothing sound of cicadas amid the gentle patter of raindrops.

There were so many thoughtful details that made this hotel really stand out for me - from the overall stylish aesthetic, down to the exquisitely designed amenities (i.e. treats!) in the room.

The very softest linen, handcrafted blankets and cushions, a vintage trolley laden with fine teas and coconut ladoos - and (a very classy touch) luxurious ayurvedic products along with a cool canvas bag designed to carry them home.

The weather may not have been ideal for a jungle walk with the naturalist or a swim in the beautiful pool - but it was 100% ideal for me to enjoy and feel deeply relaxed by the monsoon rain, and also completely and utterly spoilt ♡

28/08/2023

Kerala during the monsoon is one of my all time favourite holiday destinations! At KOKOindia Luxury Travels, we choose our 'monsoon hotels' very carefully - selected for maximum cosiness, the warmest of hospitality and panoramic sky views to watch the Big Weather roll in.

The monsoon months of June, July and August not only offer the luxury of travelling peacefully without hordes of tourists - they also offer the chance for a REALLY relaxing holiday.

Coinciding with the (scorchio) European summer, the climate in Kerala is warm and the skies invariably bright. And if the rain does come? You get to enjoy the chance to simply rest, get to know the friendly Keralan people around you and, of course, eat well. Permission to relax...

It's also the perfect occasion to treat yourself with daily treatments and massages at your gorgeous hotel spa. (Warm, aromatic Ayurveda oils traditionally go hand in hand with the monsoon.)

Some of our hand selected hotels also have heated pools, in which you can blissfully float around while dreaming of the deliciousness Chef will conjure up for dinner.

Our KOKOindia monsoon itineraries always come with tailored and thoughtful suggestions for you to get amongst the nature and culture in each destination you visit.

We provide options for shorter excursions (should you find it hard to leave the cosiness of your hotel!) - and it's always such a luxury to know your chauffeured car is waiting right outside whenever you feel the urge to explore...

Contact [email protected] to have a friendly chat about your monsoon holiday. No other bespoke travel company can offer you such a uniquely tailored experience of beautiful monsoonal India!

15/08/2023

Re Visas: I just got a message from my very well informed visa agent (Darren at Travcour) - and apparently Mopa airport will start taking E-visa arrivals from August 18th🤞

21/04/2023

Thrilled to be attending the prestigious travel event in Delhi again this year. And its my birthday! KOKOindia is delighted to have partnered with some gorgeous new hotels - exciting year ahead!

10/04/2023

Got my book, got my hammock, got a pristine beach and the Arabian Sea...anyone else in need of a tropical holiday? Lets start planning 🌴

09/03/2023

What a treat it was to spend the night in one of Casa Jaali's new Grand Sea View Rooms, located at the very northern tip of Patnem Beach.

My spacious en-suite bedroom was stylishly decked out in bespoke green and pink furnishings - and featured fabulous French windows with unparalleled views across the Arabian Sea.

After a Casa Jaali dinner (and several of their signature cocktails!), I imagined myself just sinking into that huge, comfy bed and drifting off to the sound of the waves.

However, I simply couldn't bring myself to leave that wondrous veranda-with-a-view - and instead, chose to just lay back and revel in the starriest of skies and the twinkling lights of the bay. Utterly magical!

02/01/2023

Happy Happy New Year to KOKOindia's friends and fellow travel lovers, far and wide ✨️ We look forward to seeing you in 2023!

05/12/2022

‘We look forward to a good winter season in which everybody gets to celebrate their festivals in India,’ says High Commissioner for India in London

29/10/2022

Great news for travel lovers in Hyderabad and Bangalore - you can now fly direct to Hampi!

KOKOindia will transport you to our favourite Hampi five star for an unforgettably luxe experience of India's magical UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From there, its a smooth drive onto Chikmagalur - the original home of Indian coffee. Set amidst lush rolling hills for a peaceful and relaxed stay, this is also one of our favourite spots in Karnataka.

You can even enjoy an exciting wildlife safari in Bandipur before jumping on a flight home!

So that's your knockout India holiday right there, folks! What are you waiting for?

27/10/2022

At KOKOindia, we pride ourselves on taking care of our guests every step of the way – especially when obstacles like a pandemic come out of the blue :/

Having booked a dream trip to Rajasthan with us back in 2020, it took two years and many itinerary redesigns before our lovely clients, Marcus and Sally, embarked on their long awaited trip to India in August – a Keralan Monsoon Odyssey.

Staying in a variety of handpicked specialist hotels, from hidden gems to luxury resorts, we made sure every request on their wish list was covered.

Bicycle rides through the paddy fields, cookery classes with in-house chefs, romantic backwater cruises under the stars and guided treks through national parks.

As every quality holiday designer should do, we requested honest feedback on all aspects of our clients' holiday - from chauffeurs to hotels to excursions.

And so here is our guests’ feedback on their KOKOindia experience – thank you, Marcus and Sally, we very much look forward to welcoming you back to India again!

“We have been impressed with your services at every stage. We felt that you were particularly good at interpreting our brief and understanding the sort of holiday that we were wanting.

It was nice to know that we had the help and support of Tarun and yourself at all times. We loved every minute of our holiday and will be returning to India as soon as we can – probably to Rajasthan."

23/10/2022

Happy Diwali from Colomb Bay, Goa - this is how they do it! ✨️

14/09/2022

It's fantastic to be back in Goa - making time away from my laptop for a spot of basking on the rocks followed by delicious seafood at my favourite beachshack ♡

12/09/2022

The much loved festival of Onam is celebrated in Kerala every year with great pomp and enthusiasm.

Both spiritual and cultural, Onam is legendary for its colourful parades, traditional feasts, snake boat races - and the popular folk art form of Pulikali.

Recreating a tiger (puli) hunt, the artists paint their bodies with dramatic yellow, black and red stripes - and dance their hearts out to the beat of the drum.

17/08/2022

We are so thrilled our lovely clients Marcus and Sally are finally able to enjoy the Indian odyssey they'd planned with us pre-Covid.

After designing bespoke trips first in Rajasthan and later in Ladakh, the seasons and travel restrictions continued to change - until eventually Kerala became their perfect choice for a holiday in August.

This photo, shared with the Kokoindia team a few moments ago, shows the magical spot where our guests are currently enjoying a Keralan Backwaters sunset. And I, for one, couldn't be happier for them!

29/07/2022

A traveller should always return to the places she loves - it's a different experience every time.

09/07/2022

We had such a brilliant time at The Serai Bandipur in Karnataka - a beautiful resort in a stunning wildlife park. Our comfortable room had a serene sit out with a view of the lush greenery - and the resident naturalist took us on a fascinating stroll around the grounds.

Our safari got postponed a couple of times because of the rain - but we made it! We saw elephants, bison, peacocks and Spotted Deer gambolling around happily in their natural habitat - the most uplifting way to start the day.

25/06/2022

Pretty cool concept to get yourself - or a chocolate milkshake, - delivered to your villa door in a sapphire blue vintage convertible.

This is just one of the wonderfully kitsch touches offered by Java Rain - a gorgeous resort in the lush Chikmagalur region of Karnataka.

As a family of two, we had so much fun! There's plenty to enjoy here - from the villa whirlpool bath and pool, to the brilliant outdoor games area to a private dinner in a pagoda to the luxury spa. (The latter, for me, meaning an amazing two hour Indian Deep Tissue Massage.)

I did unfortunately miss the Coffee Plantation Tour, because I was getting thrashed at basketball hoops by my teen - but if the rest of our Java Rain experience was anything to go by, it would have been a real treat.

23/06/2022

Check this out - the incredible cicadas of Chikmagalur at dusk ❤️

18/06/2022

As a self-confessed coffee addict, this afternoon's stroll through our hotel's very own plantation with the resident Naturalist, was nothing short of fascinating.

68 acres of the 70 acre property at The Serai Chikmagalur are dedicated to growing coffee. A true labour of love, 365 days of the year, the forest eco-system and its team tend to these plants every day. The annual crop in December will yield 40kg of coffee per plant!

Coffee needs shade to grow and so the forest is carpeted with huge trees like Silver Oak and Burma Teak, with Black Pepper and Citrus cilmbers at their base to give the coffee both protection and flavour.

The coffee brewing demonstration that followed was a real eye-opener - Ive got a much better handle on how to wake myself up in the morning now!

Next up was Chikmagalur 'city' - a clean, bright and friendly town, where I (of course) bought my own body weight in coffee beans. The real find for me, however, was stumbling across a colourful little family run shop, bursting at the seams with local produce.

The friendly owner, Venkaresh, gave me the chance to taste all the different homemade pickles and spice mixtures, lovingly prepared at home by his family for three generations. Sweet Lime and Mango Pickles, Gunpowder and Spicy Peanut 'concoctions' ... I could barely lift my bag into the car.

If you're a coffee lover and on a KOKOindia trip to Karnataka - notably the place where the very first coffee beans in India were planted - we will be delighted to connect you with our expert friends!

16/06/2022

KOKOindia is on tour in the stunning south Indian state of Karnataka.

Today, we checked into The Serai Chikmagalur - a luxury resort surrounded by 68 acres of lush plantations that has long been on my list of 'unmissables'.

An all-villa resort, The Serai Chikmagalur is beautifully landscaped and filled with hundreds of species of palms and flowers. Its a pleasure to stroll around, and much more fun to whizz around in the hotel buggy.

Our own villa is the epitome of thoughtfulness and taste. The private pool, sunken bath and garden rainshower are fabulous - but the June climate is so perfect, I just want to stick them all in my suitcase and take them home to humid Goa.

Tomorrow, I'm checking out the coffee plantation - The Serai group is owned by Coffee Day - but tonight its all about the Malinad Thali that Chef has prepared especially for me :)

11/05/2022

Let's get our kids splashing about in the sunshine again - book a fabulous family-friendly holiday with KOKOindia and we'll personally recommend the perfect hotels for you!

And why not bring the grandparents too - for the warmth, the great food and (dare I say it?) a spot of babysitting 🌞