Mickey Homestay

We, Murali and Sujatha, have welcomed tourists in our home since 1995. Our house is made of brick with a traditional terracotta roof. Two of our guest rooms are on the top floor of this building. Later we added a cottage behind the main building which has an additional two guest rooms.

Murali, the grandson of Mr. Appu who was the first boat driver of Periyar Lake, has lived and worked in Kumily all his life. Sujatha is also a local, from nearby Anakkara Village. Our many years of experience in running Mickey Homestay, and local knowledge and contacts, means that you are in safe hands when staying with us; we should be able to advise and help you with almost anything related to the Thekkady area.

Mickey Homestay has been recommended by Rough Guides and Lonely Planet for many years. You can read some reviews of Mickey Homestay on Tripadvisor.

All rooms have a mosquito net for the bed, bed linen, extra blankets, towels, western toilets, 24 hour hot and cold water and a ceiling fan. The climate in Kumily is comparatively cool so A/C is definitely not required and therefore not available.

Check-out time is 10.00 am and check-in time is 12 noon.

Below are some photos of the house and cottage. Click on a thumbnail, and the gallery will open.

The Terracotta Room is on the first floor of the main building facing the front of the property. It has a private sitout with a hanging chair, a bench and a table. The floor is terracotta tiled, and the open ceiling has a view of the terracotta roof. The bathroom is detached, but private, located 2 metres from the room. There is no television in this room.

The White Room is on the first floor of the main building facing the back of the property. It has a private sitout with a hanging chair. The room has an attached bathroom, and there is a television.

The Cottage Room is the ground floor of the cottage located behind the main building. There is a private veranda with cane furniture. The room has an attached bathroom, and there is a television.

The Garden Room is the first floor of the cottage located behind the main building. There is a small private sitout. The room has an attached bathroom, and there is a televsion.

Room price is Rs. 850 per night. One extra bed is provided for Rs. 150. Children below the age of 10 stay for free. Please ask us for our special rates for extended stay.

The hills around Thekkady is the main growing area for the spices of Kerala making Kumily the centre for spice shopping. Murali's day job is in Mickey Tex where you can get cotton and linen cloth, cotton and silk sarees, and many other articles.

Below are photos of a few of activities available in Thekkady. Click on a thumbnail, and the gallery will open.

There a many activities for travellers in the Thekkady area. Information about activities in Periyar Tiger Reserve can be found on Periyar Tiger Reserve's website or, with more detail, on Discover Periyar's website. You can book these activities directly at the Forest Department Office at Ambadi Junction in Kumily, or you can do it through us if you prefer.

In Kumily Town, the traditional Kerala martial art Kalaripayattu and dance drama Kathakali are performed every night. It is also possible to get a relaxing ayurvedic massage. Outside Kumily there are a number of interesting walks, for instance along the mountain ridge between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

At Mickey Homestay we offer cooking demonstration/class, a 4 day trek which you can read more about on Discover Periyar's website, and we can also arrange a complete tour of Kerala if you wish.

Mickey Homestay is located in Kumily Town 1 kilometre from the entrance to Thekkady Forest, also known as Periyar Tiger Reserve. If you arrive by taxi, the driver should know how to find us. If you are travelling by bus, please follow the directions below and/or use the attached map. You can also take a rickshaw from the bus station at a cost of Rs. 15-20.

From Kumily bus station: exit the bus station onto Bypass Road. Turn left and continue for 400 metres until you reach a small junction. Turn right and continue for 400 metres, and you will find Mickey Homestay on the right side just after Kairali Palace Homestay.

From Tamil Nadu: Cross through the border check post and continue for 200 metres until you reach Bypass Road on the left just after the post office. Turn left and continue for 450 metres until you reach a small junction. Turn right and continue for 400 metres, and you will find Mickey Homestay on the right side just after Kairali Palace Homestay.

We can be contacted by normal mail, email and telephone. You can also, which is very convenient for us, use the contact form on the right. The required fields are marked with an *. The verification field is necessary to avoid spam bots flooding our email system. Please note that we don't accept bookings for specific rooms. However, if you have difficulty walking, please mention this in the message field, and we will allocate you the Cottage Room, which is the most accessible because it has no staircase. The message field has a limitation of 1000 characters, so if you need to write a long message, please use one of the other contact methods.

Our address is: Mickey Homestay, Bypass Road, Thekkady P.O, Kumily 685509, Idukki District, Kerala, India.

Our email is: mail (at) mickeyhomestay.com.

Our landline phone number is: +91 (0) 4869 223196.

Our mobile phone number is: +91 (0) 944 728 4160.

If you are interested in staying in an ecologically sustainable stone cottage in a peaceful location near Thekkady, please contact our friends at Indhrivanam.