Come to unspoilt Marari

The British-Russian couple, Rupert and Olga Evers have been running tourist villas at Marari Beach for the past ten years. Now they have just opened a new one called Frangipani

Pics: Rupert and Olga Evers. Photo by Arun Angela. Frangipani Villa

By Shevlin Sebastian 

It was midnight on December 3, 2017. British-born Rupert Evers was in a villa on Marari Beach in Alleppey district. He stared through the windows and watched with trepidation as the waves rose nine feet and hit the shore with a ferocity he had not seen before.

Earlier, following cyclone Ockhi warnings, Rupert, with his workers had put up sandbags. Now the sea wall had collapsed, and the sandbags were flung aside as the water came rushing into the house. Within a matter of minutes, the verandah vanished. This was a tourist villa that Rupert was running successfully.

Anyway, he was undeterred. Rupert decided to rebuild the villa. This took a few months. But then on May 26, 2018, a storm took place. Again the verandah was taken away. This time Rupert closed it for good. 

Rupert and his Russian wife Olga came to Kerala in September, 2008. They were looking for an ideal beach to start a business in tourism. They wandered all over the west coast of India but it was when they reached Marari they felt this was what they were looking for. “It was the quintessential tropical beach: white sands, palm trees and colourful fishing boats,” says Olga. “And unspoilt, too.”  

But it was not easy doing business even though they had set up five beachfront villas. One major reason was soil erosion, apart from problems with the local unions. So they closed the villas down and began operating private pool villas further down the beach. Last month, they opened a new one called Frangipani Villa. 

It is a luxury two-bedroom villa with a private garden and pool. “It’s called a serviced villa,” says Rupert. “You have the privacy of a holiday home but the service of a premier hotel. So, we have a butler, housekeeper, chef, caretaker and security. Kerala Tourism has recognised serviced villas as a category. There are yoga, cooking and kayaking classes.” Guests can wander into the nearby village to see the work of local artisans or go to the backwaters in kayaks or houseboats. 

Most of the tourists come from the UK, France, Germany and Scandinavia. But over the past few years, domestic tourism has increased at Marari. There are guests from Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and Coimbatore, apart from families in Kochi.  

And most tourists are happy with their experience. Wolfgang B says, “The staff is extremely friendly. There is the sun, sea, beach with palm trees and you -- just like in paradise.” Not surprisingly, the villas enjoy a 97% TripAdvisor rating and won its ‘Hall of Fame’ Awards.

“Kerala has a relaxed vibe and is much safer as compared to the rest of India,” says Olga. “But there has been a lot of negative coverage of India in the media abroad in the last few years because of violence and a lack of safety for women. As a result, Kerala has suffered, while Sri Lanka has gained.”  

Meanwhile, when asked to enumerate the plus points of the Malayali, Rupert says, “They have a wonderful knack for hospitality. The Malayali is naturally warm and engaged, so tourists can see this warmth.” 

And Rupert is happy to see the benefits of socialism in the state. “The quality health care, the good schooling, the high standard of education, and the fact that women are more equal to men compared to other states is very nice to see,” he says.  

However, because they are running a business, the couple did face labour problems. “I fully support worker’s rights, fair wages, giving them leave, and good working hours,” says Rupert. “But we work with 90 percent locals, many of whom have not gone outside the state. So they do not have the exposure. We try to instill these standards to make sure our guests receive the best attention. There have been occasions when we have disciplined the staff and one or two have got upset and complained to their union.” 

The union threatened to close down the establishments or block the guests from coming. “We suffered, but the courts and Labour Office supported us,” says Olga. “You travel along the highways and the number of derelict warehouses in Alleppey is so sad to see. It just does not make sense. Why do these unions take such a hard stance, that they are prepared to close down a business and deprive the people of employment rather than come to a compromise?”

Rupert adds, “Despite this, Kerala is a wonderful place to live, and our two children, a girl and a boy, are having a whale of a time.”  

-----------------------------

The Indian connection 

Through some fortuitous circumstances, Rupert Evers discovered that his great, great, great uncle, A.F. Sealy, was born in India. Later, he became the first principal of Maharaja's College in 1875 (one of the oldest in India). He also designed one of the main buildings, the 'Sealy Block' and was later appointed Director of Education for the district. After 27 years as Principal, he retired and was ordained as a minister of St Francis Church in Fort Kochi. Behind the pulpit, there is a memorial to Sealy. Incidentally, Rupert’s middle name is Sealy.

(Published in The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)