Halcyon Castle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kovalam Palace, owned and operated by The Leela Kovalam - A Raviz Hotel.[1]

Halcyon Castle (now called The Kovalam Palace) was built in 1932 in the princely state of Travancore, in the modern-day state of Kerala, India. It was constructed by M.R.Ry Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, the consort of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, as a retreat for their family.[1] In 1964 Valiya Koil Thampuran sold the entire property to the Government of India; since then it has been a luxury hotel. A dispute arose when the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), which was running the hotel, sold it to a private hotel resort group.[2] It has since then been taken under The Raviz Hotels and Resorts and been renovated and restored to its former glory.

Status[edit]

Ravi Pillai owns the hotel and the entire adjoining land area measuring around 65 acres; he has contracted with the Leela Hotel Group to manage the 5-Star hotel. It is a heritage palace that has been completely refurbished to maintain its original charm and is now available for guests.

Suites[edit]

View of the sea from the suite of The Kovalam Palace

The Palace has 4 suites named after the royal family and the goddesses after whom the queens were named. The four uber luxurious suites are coloured red, rusty orange, blue and green with a view of The Arabian sea from each of the rooms. The renovated palace has Murano Chandeliers and Mantellassi furnishings and has state of the art automation.

References[edit]