Cochin,Athirapally Waterfalls, Munnar, Thekady, Kumarakom-Appeley, Cochin. 7 days and nights.
By Silk Air to Cochin is expensive around US$450 but to Trivandrum by Tiger Airways is cheap or Air Asia to Cochin from KL is also very cheap.
If you are looking for a countryside holiday and do not mind the discomfort, this might be an interesting holiday destination. For me as a photographer, it was worth it as there were zillions of birds (if you like shooting birds) and sceneries to take photos of.
To state it categorically, Kerala is not ready for international tourism, infrastructure is not really there, professionalism not there.
Quite a few disappointments on this trip, for example, we had to endure 5 hours of slow winding road with portholes from Munnar to Thekady - objective - to visit the Periyar wildlife santuary that they are supposedly famous for and on the website showing, elephants and tigers but in reality you have maybe 2% if seeing them. So on reaching Thekady ( we cannot book in advance for the boat tickets), paid 350 rupees entrance fee, walk about a kilometre and line up for another hour and finally reaching the ticket booth founf that they are sold out, to add salt to the wound, the entrance ticket is not refundable. So we wasted one whole day of travelling, hotel, and time for nothing.
We visited Athirappally Waterfalls and the guide took us to a view that is at the entrance and so far that the waterfalls look small, then they took us nearer and we walk for half a kilometre to see guess what, the side of the waterfall and not a direct view. I know that there is a direct view of the waterfallin which you have to make prior arrangements and pay extra and of course I would not mind that if the tour company were to arrange (which of course is expected but it was never mentioned which means either the tour company do not know or don't really bother).
The tour guide and driver are destination couscious and not journey conscious and they will drive through lunch like from 8 am to 3pm without again consulting the tourists.
The houseboat at the backwaters are wonderful but again one issue crop up ( nobody's fault but can be pre-empted)OUr boat has 3 beautiful aircon rooms but the boatment do not have any and the only place they can sleep is the front porch area where we have our dinner and congregate and as we are enjoying ourselves and talking we had to give up and go to sleep as they need that place to sleep.
Still despite all these issues, I enjoyed the trip and consider it worthwhile, one big tip - do not tour India or China for that matter during their holiday seasons as the tour sites will be so packed with locals that it may not be enjoyable.
By the way if you don't like indian food do not come here - there is only indian food nearly all the way.