GowreesamThiruvananthapuram
Coconut palms and treetops seen from the terrace at Gowreesam Homestay in Vazhottukonam, Thiruvananthapuram

A quiet house on a green lane, yours for as long as you stay

Air-conditioned rooms in a family home in Melathumele, on the eastern side of Thiruvananthapuram. Take one room, or take the whole house.

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Somewhere to come back to at the end of the day

Gowreesam sits on a residential lane in Melathumele, on the eastern side of Thiruvananthapuram. It is an ordinary street in the best sense: neighbours who say hello, coconut palms over the wall, and very little traffic after dark. From the terrace you look out over treetops rather than rooftops.

There are three air-conditioned bedrooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom, and a fourth room without air conditioning that we can open up if you ask. Downstairs there is a sitting room with a bookcase, a dining table, and a kitchen you are welcome to use within reason. There is space to park inside the gate.

It is a home rather than a hotel, which is the point. Dogs and cats are welcome as well, for a small extra charge.

3
air-conditioned bedrooms
4
beds, sleeping up to seven
Free
parking inside the gate
Pets
welcome, for a small charge

Rates

Book a single room, or take the run of the house. Prices are per night.

One air-conditioned room

₹1,130a night

A bedroom with air conditioning and an attached bathroom, with the sitting room, dining room and kitchen shared with the house.

The whole house

₹3,070a night

All the bedrooms, the kitchen, the terrace and the parking, for up to seven people. The right choice for a family or a group travelling together.

Staying a week or longer? Tell us the dates when you write and we will quote you a lower rate. The fourth bedroom, which has a fan rather than air conditioning, can be opened on request.

Where you will sleep

Three air-conditioned bedrooms, each ensuite, each with a ceiling fan and a wardrobe. One is downstairs on its own, the other two are on the first floor.

Air-conditioned ensuite bedroom on the ground floor at Gowreesam Homestay, with a wardrobe and reading lamp

Ground floor room, ensuite

Sits on its own downstairs, away from the rest of the bedrooms. The most private of the three if you are travelling alone or want to come and go without disturbing anyone.

Corner bedroom on the first floor with a carved wooden bed, shelves on the wall and a window onto the trees

Corner room, first floor, ensuite

A carved teak bed, shelves on the wall, and a window with green leaves filling it. The brightest room in the house through the afternoon.

Air-conditioned ensuite bedroom on the first floor with a tall wardrobe beside a curtained window

Second room, first floor, ensuite

A generous double with a full wardrobe and a deep window. Cool and dim behind the curtains in the middle of the day, which is when you will want it.

What is here

In the rooms

  • Air conditioning and a ceiling fan
  • Ensuite bathroom
  • Hot water
  • Wardrobe and a lock on the door
  • Fresh linen and towels

Around the house

  • Kitchen, for reasonable use
  • Sitting room, bookcase and television
  • Dining table
  • Covered terrace
  • Wifi and a desk to work at

Practical things

  • Free parking inside the gate
  • Pets welcome, for a small charge
  • A fourth room on request
  • Whole-house booking for groups
  • Lower rates for longer stays

Getting around Thiruvananthapuram

Melathumele is east of the city centre. Autos are easy to find on the main road and taxis will come to the gate.

Tap anything on the list to open directions from the front gate. Times are for a normal weekday and will stretch during morning and evening traffic. If you are arriving on a late flight, tell us and someone will wait up.

Bhagavath, who hosts at Gowreesam Homestay, reading in a garden in London

An open letter to people travelling away from home

I grew up in this house. Work has taken me to London, and my family looks after the place while I am away, which means I now think about it the way you think about anywhere you cannot get to easily.

Being far from home changes what you notice about a room. Not the furniture, not the view. You notice whether someone left a light on. Whether the walls are quiet enough to sleep behind, after a long journey or a weekend away from somewhere close by.

That is roughly what we set out to make here. Not a hotel, Trivandrum has plenty of those, but somewhere ordinary and kind, at a price that does not make you think twice about staying an extra night.

So come and go as you please. Use the kitchen. Sit on the terrace early, when the crows are loud and the air is still cool. Ask my family where to eat and they will give you far more answers than you wanted. And if you land at two in the morning on a delayed flight, someone will be awake.

The house is called Gowreesam. It has been ours a long time. For as long as you are here, it is yours.

Bhagavath

Ask us anything

Questions about dates, arrival times, bringing a pet, longer stays, or whether the house suits your family. Write to us and we will reply the same day.

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Rooms from ₹1,130 a night
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