An exceptional Ayurvedic experience and Lotus Houseboat trip!

My husband and I traveled from Canada to India recently and had the great pleasure of staying six nights at Neeleshwar Hermitage, two night of which were spent on the exceptional Lotus Houseboat cruising the backwaters of northern Kerala. We were transferred to Neeleshwar from the airport in Mangalore, a two or three hour drive. Our accommodation in Neeleshwar was exceptional, and the meals provided in our package were delicious and definitely very gourmet. We had booked an Ayurvedic all-inclusive package, and we enjoyed our helpful consultation with Dr. Suma on the premises. We thoroughly enjoyed our yoga and meditation sessions, and our massage masters (Indu and Arya and an excellent young man at the Priya Spa for my husband) were pleasant and competent. Mr. Sasi was the manager of food and beverage, and his team was excellent, including Dipin and Jayan. Dipin even recognized us when we visited Kanan Village nearby for the Thayyam Festival, and came over to speak with us! Shri Anil Kumar was an excellent Yoga / Meditation teacher, both skilled and wise. Mr. Jayan was an excellent manager, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the fabulous musical evening that he organized for the guests. Our two nights on the Lotus Houseboat were calm and relaxing, far superior to the very, very busy houseboats that operate out of Alleppey and cruise the southern backwaters. Captain Vinod, Chef Dinakaran, and Guide Sugesh were all exceptional, and we are very grateful to have met them. We visited a coir factory and a local village with Sugesh, and my husband enjoyed a village cycling excursion as well. Neeleshwar Hermitage was a great pleasure and we thoroughly enjoyed our six nights there, and can highly recommend this experience to other travelers!