IT is amazing, a small, sleepy coastal city like Calicut is attracting global visitors with the lure of Ayurveda massages and authentic Moplah cuisine at the city�s only five star hotel, the Taj Residency. The hotel is small compared to other Taj properties in the country because it is a business hotel, but it is luxurious and has warm, friendly staff. Its general manager, Raman Kaul, spells out the hotel�s USP simply: �It is the Taj Ayurveda Centre.�

This is partially true, because not everyone comes to the Taj Residency for an Ayurveda cure, some are regular guests who take the advantage of a herbal massage while they are there on work. But, yes, the Ayurveda Centre has got the Taj Residency guests from all over Europe, the Far East, and very recently, hordes of tourists from Japan. �They are the uppercrust,� says Kaul tongue firmly in cheek, �and they come here for rejuvenation, for treatment of specific medical ailments, and to bust the stresses in their lives.�

Janaki Gopal, the hotel�s deputy sales manager and an expert on Calicut city, says the Taj Ayurveda Centre is recognised worldwide because Ayurveda itself is gaining international recognition. �There are no steroid-like medicines and harmful side-effects and Ayurveda offers long-term health benefits,� she says. Besides which, health tourism itself in Calicut is booming, there are a number of hospitals coming up like the Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences which have the latest technologies and treatments and which are run by Malayali doctors who have studied abroad. �Foreigners are constantly surprised by what Calicut and the Taj has to offer,� Janaki says.

The hotel is 26 kilometres away from the Calicut airport where national, and some international, flights come in from everywhere. A fast car to the hotel takes about 40 minutes. And it goes past some wonderful scenery, so keep your eyes peeled for small, picturesque villages along the way of Calicut�s Moplah community. You will recognise them from their attire. Moplahs are Malabar Muslims with distant strains of Arab blood in them. The men wear white turbans and the women hide behind purdahs. You will pass several Moplah mosques built in Southern architecture along the way.

And there is a short drive through Calicut city itself, past warehouses with coconut stored right up to the ceiling and outside which Kerala spices dry in the sun, then up a curving beach road where a quaint, dishoused lighthouse stands guard, and you are at the Taj. The address says P. T. Usha Road, which is strange, because the legendary Indian sprinter lives some distance away. The hotel rises majestically amidst five acres of lush greenery cosseted by gently bobbing palms. Kaul welcomes most guests personally. He is a French-bearded man, bubbly and sunny, and extremely hospitable.

Formalities like checking-in are speedily dispensed with at the Taj Residency because often, the guests are patients coming for the Ayurveda treatment, and their first consultations and massages are lined up soon after their arrival. The hotel has 74 large and comfortable rooms equipped with all the amenities and facilities of a modern five-star hotel, and four deluxe suites as well. It has a pool, a gym and health club which is extremely busy, because everybody here is on a health fix, all the guests want to work out.

The coffee shop, Cape Comorin, offers a snacky menu till midnight, and it has buffet lunches and dinners as well. The hotel�s bar is called Logan�s Lounge. And its one and only restaurant is Coral Reef. This is easily Calicut�s most happening eatery. A live band plays every night, but it is the food here that people come for. Especially the Kerala cuisine and Chinese menu, which is extremely popular in Calicut, and perhaps, the only place where you get good Chinese food.

Executive Chef Hemant Gokhale, a veteran of 22 years with experience in kitchen operations and flight catering, and expertise in Indian food, is in charge at the Taj Residency. He runs the main kitchen admirably, delivering two unique cuisines to the hotel�s guests, the Moplah Malabari food and the Ayurveda cuisine. �Outsiders are always fascinated by the Kerala menu,� he reveals, �especially the tangy fish curries and masala preparations using local catch like the Seer and Mussels, the subtly flavoured stews with coconut milk, and the spicy beef and mutton roasts and fries made with chilli, onion and tomato. Even a simple Moplah egg dish becomes quite a presentation when served with layered Malabar parathas.�