Healthacation - A health park to rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit
Traditionally, the definition of a vacation is a break from the busy life and rejuvenate the mind. Healthacation is a new concept, introduced by Dr Aneesh Kurias, where you can rejuvenate your body for a healthy life while you enjoy your vacation in the lap of nature.
When I decided to visit Healthavacation, I was of the impression that I am going to visit a farm resort where I can get a closer view of some farm, experiencing the beautiful nature in a resort without missing any of the modern amenities. But Dr Aneesh Kurias, the brain behind Healthacation, surprised me with his thoughtful reflections of his ambitions for a "healthy life" for the fellow humans. It took a while for me to understand what they really offer but once I got the feel of it, I didn't feel like going back. What is Healthacation?
There are plenty of resorts and destinations to help you stay away from the busy life and rejuvenate your mind. But is there any place where you can rejuvenate your body for a healthy long life? Agreed, there are yoga centres and Ayurvedic therapy clinics where you can choose rejuvenation packages that can temporarily improve your health. But Healthacation is a unique concept and is the result of several years of dedication and hard work of Dr Aneesh Kurias, who has dedicated his life promoting healthy life through a fun filled, relaxing lifestyle adhering to the laws of nature. 
According to Dr Aneesh Kurias, who has been practising Ayurveda from his childhood and has a pedigree of Ayurveda for 5 generations, claims that he has not met a single person in his clinic who came there asking how to retain the healthy life. Everyone goes to hospitals and treatments only when they are sick. But according to Dr Aneesh, the right time to go to a doctor is, when a person is healthy enough to do things to maintain a healthy long life. 
With the goal of promoting health and vacation together, Dr Aneesh Kurias started working on the Healthcation project. With more than a decade of efforts in conceptualising and building a vacation place in a beautiful location at Illikkalkallu, the Healthacation project was born. 
"Healthacation" is a word derived from Health + Vacation. The goal is to impart knowledge about a healthy lifestyle while the people enjoy the vacation in one of the most beautiful places in God's Own Country. The uniqueness of this program is, there is equal importance given for the rejuvenation of the mind and body. More importantly, a lot of tips are shared for leading a healthy life which will make people stay younger and healthier for a longer period in their life. 
In Healthacation, you will get guided tours to farms and plantations by the experienced doctors and not by the tour guides. We got the opportunity to listen to Dr Aneesh Kurias and Dr Akhil, both experienced Ayurvedic doctors, who talked in depth about when to sleep, how to sleep, how to eat, what to eat, what not to eat and so on. It was an awesome experience to spend our day with the doctors who are the advocates of healthy living.
Highlights of Healthacation - Health Park
Here are some of the highlights of Healthacation:
My experience
As we took the deviation towards Illikkalkallu, we started feeling the magical beauty of nature. Both the sides of the road are filled with trees and plantations. The road was empty with no vehicles passing by. Occasionally, there were few farmers walking by with fresh vegetables picked from the farms. There were sign boards leading to Healthcation.
We spotted 2 rocks hanging in the air on one side of the road, a light house on the other side and a few tents and cottages behind them. We stopped by to take a look at the beautiful property and even wished we could stay there for a night. That's when we got a call from Dr. Akhil, the business development manager, asking where did we reach. We were happy to hear from him that the property at which we were looking with envy is the place where we are going to stay that night.
Even though Healthacation is typically meant for day activities, we made a special arrangement to reach there the previous evening and stay there overnight.
This health park consists of farms, vegetable garden, chicken yard, animal sheds, cottages and play grounds, spread across both the sides of the road in about 5 acres of land. We can get a clear view of the entire property standing from the road itself. 
By evening, we saw a lot of bikers returning from Illikkal kallu, an adventure destination located very close to Healthacation. Most of the bikers were stopping in the road to see this beautiful property and take pictures in front of the hanging rocks and light house located adjacent to the road. 
Dr Akhil took us to the reception, which looks like a traditional Kerala home. We were greeted with a warm black tea, made with a bunch of herbs that help in digestion and gives warmness to the body. From the welcome drink it self, we got a feel of the health aspects we are going to experience here.
While enjoying the hot herbal tea, Dr Akhil gave us a summary of the entire program here, including the farm visit, exercises, team building activities, health walk, nature tour and so on.
After checking-in, we went to the pool side meditation centre, which doubles as an accommodation facility for groups on special request. We changed the dress and relaxed for some time before we jumped into the swimming pool for some fun. The weather was very cool and the entire area was covered with mist. It was very beautiful to watch the mist floating from mountain to mountain and it was hard to identify between clouds and mist. The water in the pool was too cold and we quickly finished the swimming.
Campfire: Evening Dr Akhil and team arranged a camp fire and fire grill for us. This is not included in the normal day package, even though the accommodation is covered on request. For camp fire, there is an additional pay. After enjoying the delicious grilled chicken and a light dinner, we went to sleep. 
Morning: Next day morning, we woke up hearing the chirping birds and looking at a very clear sky. Our cottage had several glass windows, giving a lot of air circulation and a clear view of the sky from all around. I opened the door, that opens towards the swimming pool and saw the flask with hot herbal tea awaiting us in front of the door. Thanks to the very courteous and caring team at Healthacation. 
Breakfast: Some of my friends decided to jump into the pool for a morning fun but I decided to stay away since I could not bear the cold water. We got the call to hurry for the breakfast since the rest of the group were arriving and morning programs were to start soon. Enjoyed the delicious Appam and egg curry.
Activities: We were part of a large group invited to attend the activities and learn more about Healthacation concepts. Rest of the group members arrived by around 9am. Dr. Aneesh Kurias, the master brain of Healthacation also arrived by this time. We have been hearing about Dr Aneesh since long and we were expecting an old genius with a grey hair but a young, dynamic and energetic gentleman arrived, giving a surprise to all of us. Later, the doctor revealed the secret of energy - the healthy life he preaches and practices. 
Dr Akhil coordinated all the day activities including team building activities, certain physical exercises to keep the body energetic and young and also some activities to make the day filled with fun. If you are here for family bonding or corporate team building or school education tour - there is something for everyone. 
Local visits: We got a tour of the local adventure spots in their 4-wheel drive, open sports jeep. Some of the places we went were really marvellous with a distant view of mountains, valleys and water falls. We saw a waterfall which was very beautiful, hidden behind the trees and rocky hills. We were told there is an off-road path very close to the waterfalls and we were planning to go there but it was pretty late after our visit to Illikkal Kally and so we had to skip that.
We visited a farm house as well where lot of imported breed of cows were kept for milk. I'm sure the school kids would love these farm visits and off road drive. 
My review of Healthacation
If I have to summarise everything in a few words - "it was awesome". Our group enjoyed the whole day (and the special overnight stay). We learnt a lot from this tour to the resort, which the doctor prefers to call a "health park". I would recommend Healthacation for corporate team building activities, extended-family trips and school tours. Set your expectations right
According to Dr Akhil, who manage the health park, a lot of enquiries he receives are about Ayurvedic packages and farm tours in Healthacation. While Ayurveda is a great way for healthy life, Dr Aneesh's dream for Healthcation is very different. He doesn't want to promote any sort of Ayurvedic programs for pleasure or treatment here. Also, those who require treatments for any ailments could visit him at Kurias Earth Multispeciality Ayurveda Hospital. For more details click here
Healthacation is a perfect place for learning about healthy life style, while you enjoy a vacation or a corporate outing. They are primarily offering day packages where companies, friends or families could visit as a group and spend a day together learning about healthy life style and practising how to lead a healthy life.
There are a lot of entertainment and team building activities. If you have children in the team, they have plenty of places to run around and play. But if you are expecting a luxury resort with
Fabulous write up Tony. Applauds. Generous about words used. Dr.Anish is a gem and I must say this words will not shorten his dedication to his dream venture, 'Healthacation'. He is a master. I loved the way you have curated the Story Maker - Dr. Anish Kurias. Very nice and all the best .