The property file
About CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady
CGH Earth Spice Village is a 52-cottage resort on the Thekkady to Kumily road, beside Periyar Tiger Reserve, built like a Mannan tribal village under elephant-grass thatch. It offers one wedding setting, a garden among the cardamom hills for 150 guests, and quotes weddings through CGH Earth's Wedded on Earth desk (checked 27 October 2026).
The design is the point. The cottages run on the hill climate rather than air-conditioning, about three-quarters of the power is solar, and the 50 Mile Diet restaurant sources every meal within 50 miles; the Wood House Bar, a pool and evening instrumental music and dance complete the picture (CGH Earth factsheet).
For a family that wants a hill wedding where the setting leads, the plan is simple: the ceremony in the garden in daylight, dinner under lanterns, and most guests in the 52 cottages. Panigrahana is the independent studio that designs and runs it; CGH Earth holds the date.
- A garden among the cardamom hills for 150 wedding guests (CGH Earth)
- 52 thatched cottages modelled on Mannan tribal homes, beside Periyar Tiger Reserve (CGH Earth)
- About 75% of the resort's power comes from solar on site (CGH Earth)
- Tamarind, the 50 Mile Diet restaurant and the Wood House Bar (factsheet)
- 190 km from Cochin International Airport and 145 km from Madurai airport (factsheet)
Spice Village Thekkady: venue facts
| Address | Spice Village Thekkady is at Spice Village, Thekkady–Kumily Road, Thekkady, Idukki 685509, Kerala, India. |
|---|---|
| Area | Spice Village Thekkady is in Kumily, Thekkady, beside Periyar Tiger Reserve, Idukki. |
| Venue type | Spice Village Thekkady is a resort wedding venue in the luxury tier. |
| Group | Spice Village Thekkady is operated under the CGH Earth brand. |
| Capacity | Spice Village Thekkady is listed for up to 150 guests across its function spaces. |
| Guest rooms | Spice Village Thekkady has 52 guest rooms on site. |
| Function spaces | Spice Village Thekkady has 2 named function spaces: Garden amid the cardamom hills, Conference hall. |
| Landmark | Spice Village Thekkady is close to Kumily, 1.2 km from Kumily bus station (factsheet) and beside Periyar Tiger Reserve; Cochin International Airport is 190 km away, a four-hour drive (CGH Earth, checked 27 October 2026). |
| Decorator policy | Spice Village Thekkady's decorator policy: Not published (CGH Earth, checked 27 October 2026). The resort is built in thatch, stone and wood, so agree in writing that an outside design team may build in the garden and which materials, fixings and lights it may use. |
| Catering policy | Spice Village Thekkady's catering policy: The resort's own chefs cater weddings with regional and international dishes (Wedded on Earth page); its kitchens run Tamarind (regional and international) and the 50 Mile Diet restaurant, which sources each meal's ingredients within 50 miles (factsheet, checked 27 October 2026). |
Listed guest ranges cover several spaces and layouts; they are not a seated guarantee for the hall you choose. Confirm every figure in a written proposal for your date.
Every function needs its own room
Function spaces at CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady
| Space | Type | Floating | Air-conditioned | Indoor or outdoor | Source and check date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden amid the cardamom hills | garden | 150 | No | Outdoor | cghearth.com, checked 27 Oct 2026 | The one wedding setting CGH Earth lists for Spice Village, for 150 people (Wedded on Earth page, checked 27 October 2026). It takes the ceremony and the reception. |
| Conference hall | hall | — | No | Indoor | Sources below, checked 27 Oct 2026 | The property's Kerala Tourism page lists a conference hall, a boardroom and a private party area without capacities (checked 27 October 2026). Ask CGH Earth which of them can take the dinner if it rains. |
A dash means the figure is not published. Ask for a measured plan of each space with the mandap, stage, dining and service access marked before you fix a guest count. A space with no source of its own takes its figures from the sources listed at the end of this page.
Photographs
CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady photos
Each photograph is credited to the source it was published on. Listing and property photographs are not presented as Panigrahana’s own work.
What it actually costs
Wedding cost at CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady (2026)
No wedding cost is published for CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady in this record, and we will not print an estimate. Start with a written venue quote, then add food, rooms, decor and production as separate lines.
No verified price is published for Spice Village Thekkady in this record, and we will not print an invented one. Start with a written venue quote, then add food, rooms, decor and production as separate lines — we can help you compare the inclusions once you have a date and a guest count.
CGH Earth publishes no wedding rate for Spice Village (Wedded on Earth page, checked 27 October 2026); its wedding desk on +91 484 4261730 quotes the garden, the cottages and the meals together for your dates.
No per-plate rate is published (CGH Earth, checked 27 October 2026); most weddings here are residential, so meals are quoted per guest per day with the cottages.
Price source: CGH Earth Wedded on Earth page (no wedding rate published), checked 2026-10-27. Published figures are reference points; ask the property for a written proposal for your date.
Send this cost summary to your parents on WhatsAppPlanning a wedding at CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady? Send your name and WhatsApp number and we will check the date and reply within 24 hours.
Designed, not just planned
How we would design a wedding at CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady
Spice Village is thatch, stone, coir and old pine, so the design should use the same vocabulary: cardamom, pepper vine, banana leaf, handmade paper, lamps. Anything shiny looks borrowed. The resort makes its own paper from waste and garlands from it, and we would use that for invitations and place cards rather than ship in printed stock. With no hall, the rain plan is a structure, so we would design a tent that belongs in the garden rather than hide one.
Which function goes where
| Haldi | The garden in the morning, before the day warms up. |
|---|---|
| Mehendi | The garden or the pool area in the afternoon. |
| Sangeet | A dinner with the resort's evening instrumental music and dance, or a small band, inside the sound plan agreed with CGH Earth. |
| Wedding ceremony | The cardamom-hill garden for up to 150, in daylight. |
| Reception | A lantern-lit dinner in the garden for up to 150, with an indoor fallback agreed in writing. |
Season and weather
CGH Earth gives Spice Village an average annual temperature of 17 to 24°C (factsheet, checked 27 October 2026). The south-west monsoon reaches Kerala around 1 June and runs to September (IMD), so October to March is the window for a garden wedding, with cool evenings for an outdoor dinner.
Arrivals, access and logistics
Cochin International Airport is 190 km away, which CGH Earth puts at a four-hour drive (its wedding page allows 4 hours 45 minutes); Madurai airport is 145 km on the Tamil Nadu side, and Kerala Tourism names Kottayam, 114 km from Thekkady, as the nearest railhead (checked 27 October 2026). Kumily bus station is 1.2 km away. Plan guest transfers as a day of travel, and book drivers' rooms with the block.
Spice Village Thekkady policies
| Outside decorators | Not published (CGH Earth, checked 27 October 2026). The resort is built in thatch, stone and wood, so agree in writing that an outside design team may build in the garden and which materials, fixings and lights it may use. |
|---|---|
| Catering | The resort's own chefs cater weddings with regional and international dishes (Wedded on Earth page); its kitchens run Tamarind (regional and international) and the 50 Mile Diet restaurant, which sources each meal's ingredients within 50 miles (factsheet, checked 27 October 2026). |
| Alcohol | The Wood House Bar serves wines and spirits (factsheet, checked 27 October 2026); the policy on bringing your own is not published, so confirm it in writing. |
| Music and DJ | The resort runs instrumental music and a dance performance in the evening for its guests (factsheet, checked 27 October 2026). Outdoors, amplified sound stops at 10 pm under India's Noise Pollution Rules, 2000; agree the sound plan in writing. |
| Music curfew | Outdoors, loudspeakers stop at 10 pm under India's Noise Pollution Rules, 2000, which exempt closed halls; CGH Earth publishes no later finish (checked 27 October 2026). |
| Fireworks and effects | Not published; beside Periyar Tiger Reserve, agree any effect in writing before you plan it. |
| Parking | Car parking and valet services are listed on the property's Kerala Tourism page, without a number of spaces (checked 27 October 2026). |
Policy source: source, checked 2026-10-27. Get the current policy in writing before you commission any fabrication.
Already done here
Real weddings and journal notes from here
Before you book
Planning notes for CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady
Is Spice Village Thekkady the right venue for your wedding?
| Right for you if | Families planning a residential hill wedding of up to 150 who want the forest, the food and the way the place is run to carry the day, with most guests in the 52 cottages and the ceremony in the cardamom-hill garden. |
|---|---|
| Look elsewhere if | Your guest list is above 150, or the programme needs an air-conditioned ballroom and a late dance floor: the garden for 150 is the setting CGH Earth lists here. |
| Planner tip | Ask the Wedded on Earth desk for three things in one written reply: the garden's rain cover and who supplies it, the sound plan beside the tiger reserve, and how many of the 52 cottages it will hold for your nights. With those settled, the design can lean on the thatch, the spice garden and lantern light. |
Where Spice Village Thekkady is
Spice Village, Thekkady–Kumily Road, Thekkady, Idukki 685509, Kerala, India
Planning a wedding at Spice Village Thekkady from abroad
Spice Village Thekkady is about 240 minutes by road from Cochin International Airport (COK). 52 rooms ≈ 104 guests at two a room. A 150-guest block at two a room needs 75 rooms, so plan for about 23 rooms nearby.
Cochin International Airport is 190 km away, a four-hour drive (CGH Earth, checked 27 October 2026), and Madurai airport 145 km, so plan the arrival day as travel and the welcome dinner for the second evening. The 52 cottages keep most of a 150-guest list on site. October to March avoids the monsoon. A remote walkthrough should cover the garden at the hour of the ceremony, the rain cover and the cottages nearest the garden.
| Season | CGH Earth gives Spice Village an average annual temperature of 17 to 24°C (factsheet, checked 27 October 2026). |
|---|
Room and airport figures come from the venue facts on this page.
Planning from abroad: the wedding desk for couples living abroad · guests flying in: visas, rooms and who pays · registering the marriage in India · what a video walkthrough of a venue should show · Indian wedding cost in US dollars
What families usually ask about Spice Village Thekkady
The resort's chefs cook regional Kerala food and the 50 Mile Diet kitchen buys locally, so a traditional sadya can be agreed at the tasting; specialist sadya caterers on our recent Kerala weddings charged ₹750 to ₹1,100 a leaf (Panigrahana booking records, October 2026). The cottages are spread across a garden campus, so ask for those nearest the garden for elders, and agree where the lamp or the sacred fire may be lit.
Asked and answered
CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady wedding questions
How much does a wedding at Spice Village Thekkady cost?
CGH Earth publishes no wedding rate for Spice Village (Wedded on Earth page, checked 27 October 2026), so the wedding desk quotes the garden, the 52 cottages and the meals together for your dates. Decor, production and taxes sit on top; Panigrahana's decor starts at ₹5 lakh plus GST (October 2026).
What is the per plate rate at Spice Village?
No per-plate rate is published (CGH Earth, checked 27 October 2026). Weddings here are residential, so ask for meals per guest per day with the cottages, and taste the Kerala dishes from the resort's Tamarind and 50 Mile Diet kitchens before you fix the menu.
How many guests can Spice Village Thekkady hold, and is there an indoor backup?
150: CGH Earth lists one wedding setting, a garden among the cardamom hills for 150 people (checked 27 October 2026). The property's Kerala Tourism page also lists a conference hall, a boardroom and a private party area without capacities, so ask which can take the dinner in rain, or price a garden structure.
How many rooms does Spice Village have?
52 cottages (CGH Earth, checked 27 October 2026), in two types: Spice Garden Cottages and Deluxe Cottages with Private Gardens, under elephant-grass thatch. The rooms rely on the hill climate rather than air-conditioning, with an average annual temperature of 17 to 24°C on the factsheet.
Are outside decorators allowed at Spice Village?
CGH Earth publishes no decor policy (checked 27 October 2026), so ask in writing whether an outside design team may build in the garden and which materials suit a thatched, eco-built resort. Lanterns, banana leaf, cardamom and handmade paper from the resort's own unit sit naturally in the setting.
Who caters a wedding at Spice Village?
The resort's own chefs, with regional and international dishes (Wedded on Earth page, checked 27 October 2026); its kitchens run Tamarind and the 50 Mile Diet restaurant, which sources every meal within 50 miles. Ask for a tasting of the wedding menu, including a sadya if you want one.
Is alcohol served, and what time does music stop at Spice Village?
The Wood House Bar serves wines and spirits (factsheet, checked 27 October 2026); confirm in writing whether you may bring your own. Outdoors, amplified sound stops at 10 pm under India's Noise Pollution Rules, 2000, so plan the garden programme for the early evening beside the tiger reserve.
How far is Spice Village from Cochin airport?
190 km, which CGH Earth puts at a four-hour drive (factsheet and location page, checked 27 October 2026); Madurai airport is 145 km and Kumily bus station 1.2 km. Kerala Tourism names Kottayam, 114 km from Thekkady, as the nearest railhead.
When is the best time for a Thekkady wedding at Spice Village?
October to March, when the garden stays dry: CGH Earth's factsheet gives an average annual temperature of 17 to 24°C (checked 27 October 2026), and the south-west monsoon reaches Kerala around 1 June and runs to September (IMD). Evenings are cool enough for an outdoor dinner, so plan the ceremony for the afternoon light.
Can we plan a Spice Village wedding from abroad?
Yes: about 300 of our 500+ weddings since 2018 were for couples living abroad (Panigrahana, owner-confirmed 2026). CGH Earth's wedding desk works by phone and email, Cochin airport is a four-hour drive (CGH Earth), and a video walkthrough of the garden and cottages lets you decide before you fly.
Does Panigrahana plan weddings at Spice Village?
Yes: Panigrahana, an independent planning and design studio with its own Kerala team and warehouse, designs and runs weddings at Spice Village; our decor starts at ₹5 lakh plus GST (October 2026). CGH Earth holds the date and you pay it directly for the garden, cottages and meals.
Is Periyar Spice Village the same as CGH Earth Spice Village?
CGH Earth Spice Village is the resort people also call Spice Village Thekkady, Spice Village Kumily or Periyar Spice Village: one property on the Thekkady-Kumily Road in Idukki, PIN 685509, close to the Periyar Tiger Reserve (checked 16 October 2026). CGH Earth, which also offers Coconut Lagoon, Marari Beach Resort and Brunton Boatyard for weddings, runs it. All 52 cottages are thatched with elephant grass in the Mannan tribe's technique.
Can we have a destination wedding at CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady?
CGH Earth Spice Village takes weddings through CGH Earth's Wedded on Earth programme, which lists one setting: a garden amid the cardamom hills for 150 people (checked 16 October 2026). The wedding desk is on +91 484 4261730, and CGH Earth puts Cochin Airport 4 hours 45 minutes away. With 52 cottages and no air-conditioning, it suits a residential hill wedding of up to 150 planned around the garden.
What is the contact number for weddings at Spice Village Thekkady?
CGH Earth Spice Village takes wedding enquiries through the Wedded on Earth desk on +91 484 4261730 and contact@cghearth.com (checked 16 October 2026). Its factsheet lists the resort on +91 4869 302555 and spicevillage@cghearth.com, and reservations on +91 75940 12555. The address is Thekkady-Kumily Road, Idukki 685509. If you want a planner to check your dates first, Panigrahana replies within 24 hours.
Is there parking at Spice Village Thekkady for wedding guests?
CGH Earth Spice Village lists car parking and valet services on its Kerala Tourism page, which the property writes, but gives no number of spaces (checked 16 October 2026). The resort sits 1.2 km from Kumily bus station on the Thekkady-Kumily Road. Tell CGH Earth how many cars, coaches and drivers to expect, and ask where coaches can wait during the functions and where drivers will stay overnight.
Spice Village or Coconut Lagoon: which CGH Earth resort suits our wedding?
CGH Earth Spice Village suits a hill wedding of up to 150 in a garden among cardamom hills, about 4 hours 45 minutes from Cochin Airport, while Coconut Lagoon at Kumarakom offers a lakefront by Vembanad Lake for 200, a garden for 100 and a poolside for 50, about 2 hours from the airport (CGH Earth, checked 16 October 2026). Both are booked through the same Wedded on Earth desk on +91 484 4261730.
Where can I see photos of Spice Village Thekkady?
CGH Earth Spice Village's wedding page on cghearth.com carries its own photographs of the resort, and the factsheet gives the Instagram handle spicevillage_cghearth (checked 16 October 2026). Our page shows one official CGH Earth image. Ask the Wedded on Earth desk for pictures of past weddings in the cardamom-hill garden, and walk the garden in daylight on a site visit before you fix the layout.
Sources and dates: cghearth.com, checked 16 Oct 2026; keralatourism.org, checked 16 Oct 2026; Panigrahana venue record, checked 16 Oct 2026.
The shortlist
Venues couples weigh against CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady
Compare other luxury and five-star venues in Munnar
Each has its own guide: spaces, capacity, rooms and any published prices, with sources. To compare every one side by side, see 5-star wedding venues in Kerala. For planning, see our wedding planner in Kerala page.
Heritage Backwater ResortCGH Earth Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom
Luxury Ayurvedic Beach ResortMarari Beach Resort
Heritage Waterfront Boutique HotelBrunton Boatyard
Plantation RetreatWindermere Estate Munnar
Also compared in: 5-star wedding venues in Kerala
CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady compared with similar venues
| Venue | Guests | Rooms | Rate | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CGH Earth Spice Village, Thekkady | up to 150 guests | 52 | — | Panigrahana record, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Taj Wayanadon a peninsula in Banasura Sagar, Wayanad | 50–350 guests | 61 | ₹2,000 a plate vegetarian, ₹2,500 non-vegetarian (estimate) | Panigrahana record, 27 Oct 2026; WedMeGood listing, 26 Sep 2026 |
| Elixir Hills - Suites Resort and SpaMunnar | 60–250 guests | 44 | ₹750 a plate vegetarian, ₹850 non-vegetarian (estimate) | WedMeGood listing, 5 Sep 2026 |
| Scenic, Munnar - IHCL SeleQtionsMunnar - IHCL SeleQtions | 110–150 guests | 55 | ₹1,500 a plate vegetarian, ₹1,700 non-vegetarian (estimate) | WedMeGood listing, 5 Sep 2026 |
Listing and record rates are estimates. A dash means we hold no dated, sourced figure for that venue. Confirm current terms with each venue.
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From the journal
