Zohra Sehgal

OT: Favourite hotel in the world?
Zohra Sehgal: I have visited so many in all these years — I still remember a hotel in Bali which I visited in 1938. It was a beach resort with crabs running about everywhere; the waiters were lovely, wearing hibiscus behind their ears. I remember the native women, beautiful and bare-breasted. But it was so long ago, I can't remember the name of the hotel... But in recent years, my favourite hotel experience was at The Marari Beach resort in Kerala.

OT: When did you visit?
Zohra Sehgal: It was three years ago, in 2004, when I had the opportunity to make this exciting trip. I was shooting for the film The Mistress of Spices, directed by Paul Mayeda Berges, and I was put up at this resort in a village called Mararikulam near Kochi.

OT:  The experience?
Zohra Sehgal: It was delightful. The hotel is a quaint and exclusive one which combined old world charm with all modern facilities and infrastructure. One thing which impressed me a lot was the hot Kerala food which I still remember. The hotel rooms were large and ethnically designed, with a lily pond just outside the bedroom window. The bathrooms were large and airy and had a small open wing where you could bathe and sunbathe in complete privacy!

OT:  The food?
Zohra Sehgal: I am fond of South Indian food. I like the chutneys very much, especially the one made from coconut and pungent red chillies, which greatly helped my long-standing digestive problems.

OT: Repeat visit?
Zohra Sehgal: Any day!

The information

Location: Mararikulam North P.O., Alleppey, Kerala
Accommodation: 49 garden villas, 10 garden pool villas and three deluxe pool villa
Tariff: Rs 8,500 (garden villa), Rs 10,700 (garden pool villa), Rs 13,000 (deluxe pool villa). Includes:  All meals. Valid till: Sept 30.Contact: 0484-2668221, www.cghearth.com