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Shinshiva
by JackC70
on December 14, 2017
If your priority is your health as it was for me, choose Shinshiva.
The hotel is comfortable and authentic, the vegetarian cuisine, a la carte, fresh and delicious.
The team of doctors competent, experienced. The therapists efficient.
Go there during the low season, they will not spare their time, you will feel pampered.
Last but not least, Shinshiva is the best value for money. My 8th visit to Kerala, my 4th experience of Ayurvedic center.
I intend to go back there next year.
Jacques Caradec, Paris.
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Shinshiva is genuine!
by Sylvia S
on June 22, 2017
I just returned from a 27day stay at Shinshiva. It was a wonderful experience overall. There were always doctors there for consultation, and the wonderful friendly staff from the therapists to the dining room staff, housekeeping and grounds staff.
The resort overlooks the Arabian Sea, a perfect place to view the early morning fishermen as they send out their nets. The grounds are immaculately kept as are the rooms. The dining area is open-air covered with a thatched roof which I felt added to the ambience of the resort .
The first priority of Shinshiva is Ayurveda, and treatments are planned for your specific needs with Dr. Franklin overseeing your special needs, implemented by the doctors on staff, from type of treatments daily to Ayurvedic medicines that they administer, again to your specific case. Mine is Rheumatoid Arthritis, so the my treatments were specific to that. From my arrival until my departure I have to say that I experienced a tremendous improvement. I found I was able to walk 2km wheras when I arrived I would be hard-pressed to achieve 200 metres. The pain level of my arthritis was extremely reduced.
I have returned home with a supply of Ayurvedic medicines and a new love for south Indian cuisine. I've been scouring the local shops for ingredients to try and recreate some of the delicious foods that were served at Shinshiva.
It was fascinating to learn what it takes to become an Ayurvedic doctor, and some background about what it takes in terms of study and practical applications. Dr. Arya is a beautiful young doctor with high ideals and a gorgeous smile, and totally approachable. All of the doctors there are highly dedicated.
I am now back home with wonderfully fond memories, a much 'lighter' body in terms of the arthritis, and looking forward to relieving my body of the final issues with this horrid disease.
If all works well, I would love to return again next year for a follow-up. In every way, physically and mentally, it has been an amazing journey.
If anyone would like to talk to me or contact me about my stay, I have instructed the manager and head doctor that I would be pleased to talk to anyone. Shinshiva has my personal email address which they will share with you.
Sylvia
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Great place for a relaxing ayurvedic therapy and holiday
by venkatrao2017
on February 19, 2017
I just spent 10 very relaxing days at Shinshiva enjoying the excellent service, first rate ayurvedic therapy including daily whole body massage, shirodhara, oil baths and ...) in a very beautiful location overlooking the Arabian sea. I stayed the first two nights in the Vedi bungalow and then shifted to the special kerala bungalow which I had originally booked. Both rooms were fine, but the special kerala bungalow had a wonderful view of the Arabian sea with a sweet breeze always floating up from the ocean.
Best of all, I liked the staff and their dedication in serving the guests with great patience and always with a smile. The quality of the ayurvedic treatments and massages was excellent.
The only thing I did not like was the treatment of the employees - almost all employees were forced to work long hours for 7 days a week. The management should reconsider this unfair and short sighted policy by ensuring that every employee gets atleast one day in the week free, if necessary by employing a few additional staff. I do think its possible without inconveniencing the guests.
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Relaxation in every sense of the word
by Carla W
on July 21, 2016
14 days of Ayurvedic heaven. I went solo and was worried I'd be bored as I'm usually one for active and adventurous holidays but never before have I felt so in tune with body and mind - the key is to get into a routine of some kind. I'd recommend the early morning yoga/ meditation to get you going and then take your time with the breakfast, lunch and dinner and try sample all the Indian cuisine.
Food: I personally loved it. I am vegetarian and don't like spicy food so the very mild, but flavourful dishes were to my liking but you can ask for extra spicy if that's your thing. I wasn't a fan of the breakfast as they are big savoury dishes but I'm not a breakfast person. However the fresh fruit was packed full of flavour and standouts are the fresh squeezed juices. Especially the pineapple, wow! Not sure how they made it but wish I had this on tap back home. For dinner I loved the masala, which is always my go to dish and thoran dishes which was something I'd never had before
Treatments: Everyone's treatment program is different and tailored to your specific needs I'd read that you would have daily massages and treatments of 2-3hrs, thought that this was an over exaggeration. It's not! You are massaged, scrubbed, oiled and left feeling invigorated every day. I preferred scheduling my treatments in the afternoon as I was so exhausted after these that it meant I wasn't able to get up to much else afterwards.
Accommodation: everyone gets their own room, bathroom and private deck. The room itself is pretty basic but completely adequate as I basically slept there, most of the time I was in my room I was on the deck chair on my balcony listening to the waves crash and the birds in the trees
The staff were all amazing, and would bend over backwards to ensure your stay is the best they can give - from arranging excursions to finding shampoo when you run out and a special dessert on my birthday which I celebrated during my stay.
The only big negative is that the wifi is really not great and only available in the restaurant and reception but is still really really slow.
Oh and don't forget to pack lots of shampoo as they are not shy on the oil and mosquito spray... And lots of good books!
I will definitely be returning
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An opportunity to rest and allow your self to rejuvenate
by cronos12
on April 1, 2016
The driver was on time to collect me from the airport and the transport to the retreat isincluded in package price. The retreat is about 30 minutes drive from the airport.
I booked the Veda Bungalow A/C room which waslocated on the side of the retreat. There wasno direct view to the sea but there wasenough greenery around to help you relax and the roomhada small balconywith longchairs. As it wasclose to the kitchen there wassome noise and movement of staff in front of the room. I personally didn't mind that as everyone wasvery friendly and discreet, and after a couple of days I didn't even notice that. The room and bathroom were very clean and spacious and the cleaners insisted on cleaning the room and changing sheets and bath towels every day. I managed to negotiate with them changing sheets/towels every second day.
I found all the staff very polite, friendly and approachable. The doctors wereknowledgeable with a good sense of humour when necessary. The treatments weredaily and I was allocated to a masseur who worked with me for the duration of my stay. This wasgood as we wereable to build rapport and he got to know the particualar aches of my body. I was very pleased with the treatments and the quality of the massages. At the end of the massage you are rinseddown with hot water infused with herbs and spices.My advice is not to use shampoo of shower gel during your stay so the body absorbs the oils and spices better.
Also, I didn't struggle with the vegan ayurvedic diet as it wasflavoured and varied. Even on the days Iwas supposed to eat less I didn't feel uncomfortable or very hungry as it was a very relaxing environment and I just went along with the treatment plan.
The garden wasbeautifully maintained and it wasreally relaxing to lie on a hammock or a longchair in the garden during the morning and late afternoon at sundown. As the retreat is on a hill there werebeautiful views of the below canopy of coconut trees and the sea.
You can get the best views from the yogashram on the corner edge of the cliff. Make sure to take with you mosquito spray as at sundown theycome out to "play".
Starting the day with a yogaat 7am was rejuvenating especially as the yogashram overlooked the sea. The yoga practice included meditation, breathing exercises and postures that couldbe appropriate for people of all levels. The teacher was approachable, knowledgable and welcomed questions.The only constructive critisism is that the teacher could had explained in more detailsthe more challenging postures especially for people who were not familiar with yoga, but it was not a big deal.
As the retreat is on a cliff the only possible disadvantage wasthat it took25minutes towalk tothe beach. Considering that you are not supposed to swim in the sea during ayurvedic therapyit wasn't worthfor me to walk the distance every day just to walk on the beach. After a few days Iwas happy enough to stay where I was.
It's advisable to take a few books with you andthere's a small library in the restaurant with books that previous guestsleft behindin German, Russian, Scandinavian and less in English. Also, you may want to downloadgames/films before you leave home. There's WiFi access in all the rooms butit wasvery slow and you may not be able to stream or download with much success.
The ayurvedic retreat is a place to let go oflife's hectic schedules, deadlines and responsibilities. Just put your feet up, take a deep breath and allow the body, mind and soul to surrender to the sounds of birds, the breeze moving through the coconut trees and the slower pace of time. I stayed for two weeks and at the end I felt Iwanted to stay for longer. After three weeks of being back home I still have a sense of relaxation, rejuvenation andcalmness.
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Ask for a room on groundfloor.
Book special kerala bungalow for best views