Marari Villas was founded in 2010 by Rupert and Olga Evers to provide the unique combination of the benefits of a private holiday home with all the comforts and service of a superior hotel. Rupert, from England, is an architect, photographer and furniture designer, while Olga, from Russia, has a background in marketing, sales and guest relations. Together they have restored and built, designed and decorated the villas and created a unique service offering for guests.
Before falling in love with this beautiful corner of Kerala, Rupert and Olga searched the whole of southwest India’s golden coast from Mumbai down to Trivandrum. They were looking for their dream beach: miles of pristine white sands, fringed with cool shady coconut groves and more or less empty, other than a few local fishermen and abundant wildlife. And Marari, they discovered, had it all, which confirm National Geographic survey, which rated Marari Beach as one of the world’s top five Hammock Beach!
Today Marari Villas offers 3 villas situated directly on the beach BOUGAINVILLEA, PALM VILLA, LOTUS VILLA and 2 cottages situated 300 m from the beach, but with private pools: HIBISCUS COTTAGE and ORCHID COTTAGE.
The beach villas (BOUGAINVILLEA, PALM VILLA and new LOTUS VILLA) are located right on the beach, touching the waves at Marari Beac. Villas integrate elements of Keralan heritage buildings and Bougainvillea operates completely ‘off-grid’ with solar electric and hot water systems. The pool villas (HIBISCUS COTTAGE and ORCHID COTTAGE) are 2 km north from the beach villas, Hibiscus Cottage is a 100 year old traditional Keralan wooden house that has been restored with loving care to provide a real sense of Keralan life, with a few added luxuries! Attached Orchid Cottage was designed and built using the reclaimed framework of a traditional Keralan wooden house by the Olga & Rupert themselves (Rupert is a trained architect). Orchid Cottage is adjacent to Hibiscus Cottage, they can be booked together.
At all Marari Villas’ properties, guests are welcomed by the owners Rupert and Olga Evers, who are on hand from the point of booking to offer help and advice. Visitors also benefit from the services of a dedicated team of villa host, chef, housekeeper and security, at each of the villas. The guests’ personal chef can prepare traditional Keralan and continental breakfasts, as well as lunches and authentic south Indian dinners from the “Kerala Delights Menu”, featuring vegetarian, meat and fish options, such as a traditional Kerala Sadhya Feast on a banana leaf and a delicious seafood barbecue.
Marari Villas maintains a Top 5 position on TripAdvisor for accommodation in Kerala and has held a Certificate of Excellence for the past three years. The business also takes its social responsibility seriously and has facilitated a number of projects including new classrooms and toilets for the local tuition centre for 350 children. The company has a strong eco-friendly offering. Bougainvillea is completely off-grid, with 5kW solar electric and hot water systems. Other sustainable tourism features include locating properties within the community, hiring local staff and purchasing local products and services, low-energy lighting and appliances, composting organic waste for fertilizer, no plastic bottles, and supporting community and charity projects in the local area.
