Elephant Pass Ayurveda & Yoga Retreat

Do not pay upfront for any service until consumed. Went for a massage initially a full body but changed mind to head before starting. Got charged the wrong price. Despite paying upfront of RS. 3500. Actual cost 2000. The ***ager decided only to refund only 500 and pocketed 1000. Then sought a tip. Not given. I don't mind paying what is the true but cheating is not good practice. Be warned.

Wonderful place and very nice hospitality. Very friendly staff. Always helpful. The river which is right in front of the property is the best view.

I had the most wonderful 6 days in this small and tranquil place with a beautiful garden set by a quietly flowing river. Rooms and all is simple and basic and clean and just what I was looking for. Three mostly vegan south indian meals a day prepared and served with love and care from ingredients ***y of which grow in the garden or in the proximity. The staff is exceptionally lovely and trying to accommodate all wishes - including the harvesting of a particularly high hanging ash gourd for me to take home the last day! English language of most of them is very basic. That can require some patience sometimes, which i took as a reminder of not taking things for granted. Beautiful open yoga house, where fresh flowers are placed and scents and an oil candle is lit every morning. Yoga teacher Sadanandan, a former banker, is very well read sophisticated person, full of stories from Hindu mythology if one is interested. The classes, in mornings from 7-8:15am (time is flexible), are a good mix of meditation, breathing/Pranayama and either simple or challenging asanas. The ayurvedic oil massages and various trea**ents given by Sadanya are nothing less then spectacular. The river is surprisingly clean and I swam in it every day. Surprisingly there were zero mosquitos and almost no flies or other insects. (No snakes or crocodiles in the river either :), maybe i got lucky but they also all assured me their were none and this is my experience) All in all a great value for relatively little money. Thank you all!

Elephant pass is a great place to relax, rejuvenate yourself. It's a great location next to the river. The staff is very courteous and attentive. Food is vegetarian and simple, good for your health. We will definitely stay here longer next time.

Elephant Pass is a beautiful and magical place. If you are after being well looked after, some Ayurvedic healing and absolute peace and stillness you need go no further. The staff are very polite, helpful and friendly. Everything is done with a heart felt smile. The food is delicious and beautifully prepared. The Ayurvedic trea**ents and extremely relaxing and healing. I experienced 3 different yoga teachers and practicing yoga overlooking the river at the beginning and end of the day was very special. This is a place you can really retreat to.

Loved my stay here. The location is idyllic next to the river. Can't rate the staff highly enough for their care and attention. Ayurveda trea**ents are lovingly provided and the food was outstanding. I spent ***y hours swimming and messing around in the river - what a joy. My package also included yoga sessions which were also provided with thoughtfulness and knowledge. My only slight criticism is that some of the staff at the reception office need to increase their level of English so as to accommodate international guests mainly from Europe which would probably be their main income stream.

Before I left the UK I was looking around at short break retreats as I had planned to meet my sister in Kochi a week after I first arrived. I came across Elephant Pass on line and booked my stay with full board and yoga classes every day and with the bonus of two Ayurvedic massages a day. I arrived after a long taxi drive from Kochi to be greeted by Abilash the retreat ***ager , a cool drink and a blessing. I was shown to my room overlooking the garden and river and I have to say I felt immediately at home! And so it continued, every day was a pleasure to wake up to, the bird song and the distant noise of the river flowing past. Yoga was a challenge but with two excellent teachers , father Ra***and and daughter Shilpa alternating days the program was strict but accommodating of less experienced students. It was good to have the discipline to wake up early and stretch and focus the mind for an hour before relaxing over keralan style breakfast followed by a full on massage an hour later by Sachu , a young but experienced masseur . With 3 meals a day , yoga and morning and afternoon massages I felt so completely relaxed that I extended my stay for 2 more days! All the staff are lovely and nothing is a problem. I will definitely go back next year and catch up with what are now a new family to me. Shout out to Thomas who served meals three times a day and the beautiful chef who knocked out the simple but delicious food. Bonus, if you ask she will give you a cooking lesson. For those wild swimmers out there, the Periyar river is a few metres away ,it’s clean and slow moving and wonderful to cool down in before sunset. There are several excursions you can do locally from forest walks to meeting working elephants but if you want to relax I couldn’t recommend this retreat enough. Enjoy!

At first we had two minds coz the location was almost as if a no ***'s land.but on staying there we had a different opinion. The location is awsome as its next to the river n no traffic rush.in th midst of nature and it truly calms the mind. Thought the facilities don't match that of a hotel coz it was earlier jst a ayurverdic centre. Like no room service, no kettle etc. But the attendant Thomas took good care of us with what we needed. Good home made food. Also the ***ager Abhilash was jst a message away to attend to our needs. Thanks to the team..