NIKKI'S NEST

The NIKKI'S NEST AYURVEDA HOSPITAL is a very pleasant center that extends over a green hill covered in multicolored flowers near the large Chowara beach, a few kilometers south of Kovalam.

The restaurant, under a green roof, has a breathtaking view of the beach it overlooks, and the refined food is matched only by the quality of the accommodation and care.

This Ayurvedic center, managed with empathy and kindness by its owner in a family atmosphere, is a showcase of what the English word "care" can represent.

The head physician, Dr. Praveen, son and grandson of Ayurvedic doctors (his father has a clinic in Trivandrum), has also worked in Switzerland. Trained in Kottakal, he maintains close contact with the leading Ayurvedic doctors in Kerala and is capable of treating complex conditions. Dr. Gheeta, who works with him, is herself a professor and possesses exceptionally sharp and rigorous diagnostic skills.

The head chef, Raj, worked in Italy for several years and has brilliantly combined Ayurvedic and Italian cuisine, notably for his incomparable salads which are capable of building customer loyalty all on their own!

There are 48 rooms in total, and plenty of space, making it a human-sized center.

TEMPLE FESTIVAL 2026

Located in the heart of the vast grounds of Nikki's Nest, there's a small fishermen's temple dedicated to Shiva that has gained prominence in the region, especially since the unveiling of a gigantic Shiva statue in January 2022. India is a very religious country, certainly, but while it's easy to adapt to the morning and evening pujas, the annual temple festival is a completely different story.

The Aazhimala Temple Festival will take place from January 15, 2026, for nine days, and we have refused to accept reservations during this period (except perhaps for one overlapping day) because the 25% discount offered by the center is no substitute for spending 5 a.m. to midnight in an open-air nightclub. Some will find it enjoyable, others will get a headache...

The film from FRANCE TELEVISION

If you would like to see or rewatch the France Télévisions report released in May 2019 on FRANCE Ô,

"AYURVEDA THE PATH OF LIFE," filmed with our active participation in part at Nikki's Nest and Duke's Forest Lodge, please follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CDB22Tk6aU&feature=youtu.be

The truth about the neighboring temple (October 2024)

For many years, this temple lulled us with its bells twice a day, and we got so used to it that we didn't even notice it anymore.

But things have changed a bit since the beginning of 2022, as a large molded concrete statue of Shiva was unveiled with great fanfare, and now it attracts a large number of pilgrims, sometimes coming from very far away.

Needless to say, all this activity was accompanied by the usual local means of driving assistance... and on Sunday, the weekly day of rest, traffic was quite heavy, especially given the narrowness of the road and the 30% gradient.

This may have explained some of the negative comments on social media, but in a way it's a good thing, because it eliminates those who just want to "do" Ayurveda.

Regular visitors, and those who have undergone several treatments, know how extraordinary this center is, particularly with regard to the cuisine prepared by a Michelin-starred chef, the quality of the treatments, and the overall atmosphere.

The decisions taken by the center at the end of 2023, combined with the deterrent forces of the public authorities and the renewal of the temple's management, radically changed the situation, and everything returned to normal, making the chalets located near the temple once again full of charm and pleasant.

Currently, the only sounds you hear are the morning and evening bells and a few brief prayers. There are also a few rickshaws struggling up the hill, but it's more quaint than bothersome, and no more significant than the last twenty years during which this center has built a solid reputation.

The negative comments you find on social media are therefore now obsolete, and if you wish to book through Ayurveda Voyages, you have here the living testimony.

After that, it's a matter of karma, of course...