We are often asked about the suitability of a holiday in Kerala for young children. Trips can entail a lot of travelling, but when the journey involves seeing elephants on the back of a lorry, a strange array of transport and a night on your very own boat with crew, there is much to keep children occupied whilst travelling from place to place. 
Hotels are usually very child-friendly and staff welcoming. We recently saw a fairly senior member of the staff at a backwater resort supplying a small child with bait and teaching her how to catch the small fish outside her bungalow.
Our drivers have families and, like all the people in this area, show patience and care for children. During our last visit we caught up with a family who had booked with us at their hotel to make sure that all was going well. The two children, aged seven and ten, were having a wonderful time and had made a friend of Mathew who had made sure that they experienced everything their holiday had to offer, (including entertaining them when they were bored by the Hill Palace. Unfortunately they had not told their parents where they were, which caused panic, although children are usually very safe anywhere in Kerala.)
He had also managed to get them into a wedding, much to their astonishment, as the couple were complete strangers. It is typical of Kerala that tourists are welcomed and treated with courtesy everywhere.
Their letters of thanks to Mathew delighted him, and we have permission to share them, as written.
Two words of caution: tummy bugs, although uncommon in hotels in the area, can be severe. Strict handwashing rules need to be applied when travelling. Many hotel pools do not have a shallow area suitable for young children, and can be hard to get in and out of.
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