The Raviz Calicut – Part 1 – Overview | Currylines

This is a multi part account of my stay at The Raviz Calicut and The Raviz Resort and Spa Kadavu, in collaboration with Panache, the travel designers.

This post gives you a general overview of The Raviz Calicut, and subsequent narratives will cover things to do in Calicut and of course my favorite part, the cuisine.

The Raviz Calicut is a 5 star hotel situated right in the heart of Calicut

city in the district of Kozhikode, one of Kerala’s 14 districts. This forms a part of the Malabar region of Kerala.

Calicut is the third largest city in the state of Kerala and is steeped in

history. This is the land of the zamorins, the royals who ruled the land in

medieval times. It has been famous for being a trading center from time

immemorial, right from the time that Vasco da Gama docked at its shores in 1498 AD to the present day businessmen who flock there for various purposes.

The presence of its international airport, helps it continue to be a very

convenient gateway to many other parts of Kerala, including the neighboring hill

station resorts of Wayanad.

It is also a medical care destination for Arabs and other people from India

and abroad who come to the city for medical treatment in the well equipped, state of the art specialty hospitals.

The Raviz Calicut is arguably one of the city’s biggest and finest hotels

and is located in the popular RP Mall which seems to be Calicut’s go to

place for shopping and entertainment.

Being barely a few kilometers from most places of interest, the Raviz enjoys

a very convenient proximity to the railway station, bus stand, shopping

centers, hospitals and other important locations and hence is the best and

most comfortable option for travellers, whatever be their purpose.

Now coming to my purpose and no prizes for guessing that food is my great

motivator 😀 , I had purposely planned my trip to Calicut to coincide with the Onam

festival. Onam is one of Kerala’s biggest festivals and is celebrated across

10 consecutive days filled with traditional entertainment that showcases

the rich culture of the state. It is also believed to be the period when the

exiled, good King Mahabali visits the land to ensure the welfare of his subjects

and flower decorations called Pookalams that range from the simple to the stunning, symbolize the welcome that the people offer to him.

And of course as all festivals do, it entails feasting in the form of Onasadya, the sadya being an elaborate meal mostly vegetarian, laid out on banana leaves and where the items are served in a meaningful sequence and pre determined location … and which, I was cautioned, could also result in a Maha Belly … (well the good King Mahabali would need a queen ? Maha Belle ?)

However, the thought of big bellies do not scare foodies and I proceeded to savor my experience fearlessly 😀

It was a short one hour flight from Bangalore to Calicut, followed by a 45

min drive to the hotel across the reasonably comfortable 29 kms that lay in

between.

While the actual mall opens out onto the main road, the entrance to the

hotel itself is via a tiny, quieter lane on the side which is flanked by

tall buildings that make it rather difficult to get a good view of the

glittering, glass façade of the hotel.

However, once inside, I had my fill of the beauty that lay within, greatly

enhanced by the artistically designed Pookalam.

The lobby extends into the 24 hour Café Mavoor, which also has a separate

entrance for the visitors to the Mall.

The 15 storeyed Raviz has 74 rooms including one exclusive Royal Raviz suite

(no that was not where I stayed despite my queenly delusions). However, my

premium room with its modern amenities, was no less regal, being

large and luxurious and with a king sized bed fit for a queen.

The washroom was huge too, complete with a bath tub and a separate bathing

cubicle.

They have also thought it necessary to provide bathroom scales but one can feel free to ignore them, especially after the Sadya, just as I did 😀

My 13th floor also offered great views of the surrounding city, a city which is a peaceful blend of modern structures and rustic greenery.

The Raviz also has staff who are trained to assist differently abled guests and wheelchair access is available through the hotel.

They even have a room that is specially designed for the convenience of such guests.

Besides the café, the main restaurant of the hotel is the Keraleeyam located

on the 6th floor and is the signature restaurant of the Raviz group of

hotels.

Apart from this the 4th floor has the Pergola which is the poolside al fresco dining space with live grilling stations at dinner time and where live takes on a literal meaning as the seafood swims straight out onto the grill, from the huge aquariums that have been installed. These are complete with sea water and house all our favorites of the sea.

Being Onam and hence closed out of action, all that I could spot were 3 Pearl Spots, the popular local fish.

Deck lounger chairs dot the space, protected from the sun by the merciful canopies and one can languidly drape oneself across them, pretending to be unaware of the fully equipped gym that lies just a few feet away. The spa with its modern massage facilities also plays a part in urging you to ignore the gym 😀

Jokes apart, those dedicated enough to work out on a holiday, will find no

dearth of equipment and can continue their exercise seamlessly (while those like me, shamelessly relax 😀 ).

Being a city hotel, it also provides the perfect venue for official as well

as business functions and its boardrooms, convention centers and conference halls of different sizes are well suited for corporate meets, presentations and even for hosting private parties that can accommodate up to 500 people.

While one can spend sufficient time at the hotel itself and its immediate

surroundings, one could also seek to explore the rest of the city or unearth

some history by visiting places that hold tales from the past. The

hotel’s travel desk assists in arranging trips to places of interest.

My stay was a short one that lasted less than 24 hours but some good

planning by the hotel staff made me use this time optimally.

Up next – The Raviz Calicut/Kadavu – Calicut Sightseeing

How to get to Calicut –

Calicut can be accessed from Bangalore via a flight of 1 hour duration. Overnight buses and trains also ply and one can also drive down by car. The 360 kms can be covered in an average time of 7.5 hours and a part of the drive is through the scenic Bandipur forest and the ghats of Wayanad. My return journey was by car and it took 10.5 hours due to heavy traffic and my penchant for stopping and clicking pictures of everything that took my fancy 😀 But more on that later.

Pl note – This trip was made in collaboration with Panache and The Raviz Calicut

and The Raviz Resort and Spa Kadavu.

The narration is based on my own personal experiences.

If you want to weave in the Raviz in between your Kerala experience or

design your own dream trip, Panache can be contacted at

info@panacheworld.com for bookings.

For more pictures see My Facebook – The Raviz Calicut – Part 1

Sep 3rd-4th, 2017