The walk in crosses a swaying rope bridge over a rumbling stream, with 150 acres of Wayanad rainforest waiting on the far side. Vythiri Resort counts more than 350 species of flora and fauna on its grounds and builds its days around them: guided nature walks, birdwatching, butterfly spotting.
Sleeping in the canopy
The tree houses are the calling card — 750 sq ft hideaways up in the forest canopy, one sized for couples and a family version for up to four adults and three children. Down at stream level the villas take over: the Celestial Honeymoon Pool Villa has a glass-floored bedroom with views of the natural stream, while the Honeymoon Villa pairs a queen bed with a temperature-controlled infinity pool. Families get a 2,200 sq ft pool villa of their own.
Wayanad's forest is the amenity; everything else is furniture.
The architecture stays deliberately vintage — steep tiled roofs, wooden rafters, earthy-toned furnishings — and the villas are naturally cooled. An Ayurveda spa in the traditional Kerala manner handles the stillness; the Malabar whistling thrush handles the mornings, a wake-up call the resort cheerfully admits has no snooze button.