Halcyon Castle In Kovalam

Halcyon Castle, Kovalam also referred to as the Kovalam Palace more often than not by the locals, is a castle converted into a deluxe hotel in Kovalam. One of the few attractions apart from the beaches in this quaint little beach town, Halcyon castle is an imposing structure with a very strong, colonial flavour to the architecture. The architecture is actually an interesting blend of traditional Kerala architecture mixed with the colonial style. Built all the way back in 1932 by M.R. Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, the consort of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bai, Halcyon Castle was initially meant to be a summer retreat home for their family. After serving that purpose for a few decades, it was sold to the Kerala government in 1964 who promptly turned it into a luxury hotel. There was a dispute regarding Halcyon Castle when the Kerala Government tried to make it a heritage site but it eventually got sold to the Leela Group and now belongs to the Ravi Pillai Group. The dispute is still not completely resolved, however Halcyon Castle is still open for tourists to visit.