] Halcyon Castle (now called The Kovalam Palace) was built in 1932 in the princely state of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

, in the modern-day state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It was constructed by M.R.Ry Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, the consort of Maharani

Sethu Lakshmi Bayi Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi CI (5 November 1895– 22 February 1985) was the monarch, though designated as the Regent due to British policy, of the Kingdom of Travancore in southern India between 1924 and 1931. She, along with her yo ...

, as a retreat for their family. In 1964 Valiya Koil Thampuran sold the entire property to the Government of India; since then it has been a luxury hotel. A dispute arose when the

India Tourism Development Corporation The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is a hospitality, retail and education company owned by Government of India, under Ministry of Tourism. Established in 1966, it owns over 17 properties under the Ashok Group of Hotels brand, acro ...

(ITDC), which was running the hotel, sold it to a private hotel resort group.Radhakrishnan, S. Anil (9 April 2003) "Report to be submitted on Halcyon Castle row" ''The Hindu'' Chennai (Madras), India
It has since then been taken under The Raviz Hotels and Resorts and been renovated and restored to its former glory.

Status

Ravi Pillai owns the hotel and the entire adjoining land area measuring around 65 acres; he has contracted with the Leela Hotel Group to manage the 5-Star hotel. It is a heritage palace that has been completely refurbished to maintain its original charm and is now available for guests.

Suites

The Palace has 4 suites named after the royal family and the goddesses after whom the queens were named after. The four uber luxurious suites are coloured red, rusty orange, blue and green with a view of The Arabian sea from each of the rooms. The renovated palace has Murano Chandeliers and Mantellassi furnishings and has state of the art automation.

References

Hotels in Thiruvananthapuram Palaces in Thiruvananthapuram Buildings and structures completed in 1932 1932 establishments in India {{India-hotel-stub