Review of Mango Meadows - An excellent nature theme park to spend a day with family or friends
If you are looking for a resort or an activity theme park to spend a day with family or friends, Mango Meadows could be an excellent choice. I recently visited this beautiful park, which can be called a theme park or a nature park and is ideal for children and adults equally.
I first heard about Mango Meadows from a video review by Sujith Bhakthan. Since then, I have been waiting to visit this place but could not find a convenient day until today. In fact, I had some plans to visit Mango Meadows during the pooja holidays but I got some information that the place may be overcrowded since Mango Meadows has become pretty popular after Sujith released his video review.
Today is a political Hartal in Kerala and we thought there is no better day to visit Mango Meadows. There is no school for children due to Hartal and the resort also wouldn't be very crowded for the same reason.
If you don't have enough time to read my full experience, here is a summary of it:
Mango Meadows is a theme park as well as a speciality resort in the midst of 30 acres of farmland, converted into a nature park without losing the charm and spirit of nature, with 15 years of effort by Mr. Kurian, who is a true nature lover. There are accommodation facilities in the form of Lake cottages, Treehouse, Cave cottage, Deluxe rooms etc, but this place is more popular as a daytime activity park, ideal for children and adults equally. There are plenty of activities to keep the visitors busy all day but at the same time, there is ample space that offers serene silence and ambience for relaxing and enjoying the family time.
Mango Meadows is located near Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam District of Kerala.
What makes Mango Meadows a great holiday destination park?
What I liked most about Mango Meadows is, it is a huge property with about 30 acres of agricultural farmland, surrounded by paddy fields and water bodies. The cool breeze gets into the strong wind by evening. If you are coming to relax and spend some quality time with your family or friends, look no further.
I have been to other theme and adventure parks like Wonderla, Silver Storm etc. Even though kids would enjoy those places, parents usually can't find much to do there. Also, the crowd and noise in such places make them typical activity destinations and not really a place for relaxing.
On the other hand, calm and quiet nature resorts and bio parks are ideal for people who love serene nature but children may get bored due to lack of activities. 
Mango Meadows has the best of both worlds. There are enough activities to keep both children and parents occupied and at the same time, it is a pretty quiet place surrounded by beautiful plants, trees, paddy fields and water bodies. If you are looking for a peaceful place to sit and relax all day with your loved ones, there is no better place. There are plenty of benches and seating areas in various parts of this agricultural theme park for you to spend time with your friends, family or colleagues.
Stay in Mango Meadows
There are different kinds of cottages and rooms available for overnight stay.
Lake Cottages: The most popular ones are the cottages built around a lake. These cottages are built on poles standing in the lake. When you look from the front side of the cottages, you may not realise they are built in the lake, above the water. But once you enter into the rooms and look through the windows, you will know where you are. Also, just raise the carpets in your bedroom or living room, you will see hundreds of fishes below. Try feeding the fishes, you will see big fishes fighting to grab the food. 
We were told there are 63 varieties of fishes in the lake. Just try to feed the fish and you will know they are not lying!
Deluxe Cottages: There are 9 deluxe cottages, which are the most economic options. The deluxe cottages look similar to the suites in a typical hotel and are located together in a small gated area. These are 2-story buildings with multiple units in a single building. Even though they are visually not appealing as the Lake cottages, these are no way superior on the interior space and facilities.
All suites and cottages are equipped with basic toiletries, coffee machines, mini refrigerator, sofa, living room, television, air conditioner etc.
Rock Cottages: Like to live in a cave? Well, the rock cottages give a very close experience. They are currently in the last stages of construction. It looks like a huge bunch of large rocks and you will feel like you are entering a cave. If you look carefully, you will see the hidden doors and windows behind some of the rocks. There are water fountains and small water streams between the rocks and even in the rooms, giving you a very close feeling of living with nature.
Tree House: The tree house is built on an artificial tree and is facing the beautiful paddy fields. This is the only cottage that is facing the paddy fields, while all others are facing the lake or the trees within the farmland. The tree house is also under construction and will be ready within another 1-2 months.
For elderly people and families with small children may opt for the Lake cottages or the Deluxe rooms. The tree house requires some steep climbing through the narrow stairs. Activities in Mango Meadows
Watch tower: There are six levels to climb. If you can climb up all the way to the top, there is a beautiful world awaiting you there. You will get a 360-degree view of the Mango Meadows property and also an amazing view of paddy fields and water bodies all around. 
Cable car: There is a cable car on a zip-line, which is not yet functional. The zip line goes across the lake and to the middle of the watchtower. It would be a great experience for the kids to travel across the lake suspended in the air.
Bird sanctuary: The paddy fields around Mango Meadows attract a lot of birds, especially in the evenings. Those who are choosing overnight stay can really enjoy the sight of a lot of varieties of birds in the early morning and late evening.
Fishing: Fishing is allowed in certain parts of the park. Fishing lines and baits are provided. You will be assisted by the experienced staff and they will teach you how to catch fish.
Swimming pools: - There are 3 swimming pools. One is reserved for the room guests so that they can enjoy the pool at their convenience and without much crowd. One of the large pools is pretty deep (up to 7.5ft) and is good for swimmers. My children spent most of their time in the pools and they really enjoyed it. The water in the pools are very good and not too much of chlorine, making it comfortable for eyes and skin. The friendly staff in the pool ensure that everyone takes a shower before jumping into the pool, make the pool safe and clean. 
Walking trails: There are paved walking trails all over the property. You don't need to walk through the mud to enjoy the farmland. Also, the paved trails make it easy to ride the Go-Karts and Bicycles here.
Trees and plants: We were told there are 4300 species of trees and plants here. They must be right! We saw a countless number of varieties of plants here, including very rare herbs and plants. They have brought rare varieties of plants from all over the country and even from abroad. The owner has built this property with 15 years of efforts in planting and growing the trees in the shape he wanted them.
Young and dwarf coconut, carrying tender coconuts was a beautiful sight and we were tempted to pick some of them!
Adam and Even garden: Reminding us about the Biblical story of Adam and Story, there is a beautiful garden setup with a lot of trees planted so close to each other and organised as the Ethen garden. The naked statue of Adam and Eve is placed at one corner of the garden.
Some other statues in Mango Meadows are Mermaid, Farmer, Toddy man, Loving couples, Directors Hand etc. The Director's Hand is interesting and indicates a huge PALM with fingers projecting out of the sand, with a real tree growing in the palm. We were told this statue indicates the hands of the owner of the property who protects the trees in his hands.
Cycling and Go-Karts: This is the most wanted items in Mango Meadows. Most of the visitors rush to the Go-Kart and bike rental place. They have plenty of them, so everyone gets a chance without much waiting. The use of Go-Karts and Bicycles are limited to 30 minutes of use, except for the room guests who would get unlimited use. There are 1-seaters, 2-seaters and 4-seaters, so, whether you are on a solo trip or a family trip, they will have you covered.
Childrens' Park: This is the place where you can leave the children and go for a meditation for yourself. The park has 6 or 7 safe play structures, which can keep the children occupied for a few hours. But don't spend too much time here, there is a lot more to explore.
Toddy Parlour, Country style Tea-shop, Snacks Corner, Restaurant:
There is a country style toddy parkour, which shows how a typical toddy shop in Kerala looks like, The room-guests can get real toddy in the evenings. The traditional country style tea shop where you can buy the tea prepared using the traditional method of cooking the tea in a copper vessel with firewoods. You can buy traditional Kerala snacks as well.
Pedal boats: Love boating? Mango Meadows has a lot of pedal boats awaiting the guests. The shallow lake is all yours and you can enjoy the pedal boating until you get tired. Use of pedal boats is limited to 30 minutes for the day-guests. 
Valentine's Garden: There is a lovers corner at the far end of the park. This is a truly romantic place with all the ambience set to have some fun time with your loving partner. They have selected adequate trees and plants to make some beautiful and romantic space for the lovers and couples. There is a beautiful statue of couples making their love, which would make you shy and romantic at the same time.
Animal and poultry Farm: In one end of the park, there is an animal farm where you can see animals like cows, dogs, rabbits, chicken, pigeons etc. People who live in the cities will get an opportunity to see and experience where the milk and eggs come from. They have recreated a village style atmosphere, where the staff live in the traditional shed-type farmhouses.
International Aquarium: There is a big aquarium being constructed, which will host hundreds of varieties from fish from various parts of the world, including rare varieties of fish found only in the oceans. Currently, the construction is going on and is expected to be ready by end of the year 2017.
Mosque, Sarpakavu and Thulasithara: There is something for those who can't miss their religious ceremonies even when they are on vacation. The fully functional Mosque is available for Muslim brothers to do their daily rituals. There is one "Thulasithara" and a "Sarpa kavu", which are more like made for introducing them to the visitors but the management has kept them very close to the real ones. The Sarpa Kavu has all the varieties of trees and plants that are part of a typical Sarpa kavu. All these places that have religious significance are well maintained with due respect for the religious sentiments.
Restaurant: There are 2 restaurants - one for the room guests and another one for the day visitors. If there is anything to be said about what is not good here, that's the location of the restaurant. The restaurant for the day visitors is located on the second floor and climbing the 2-floors would be a challenge for the elderly people. They serve fish-curry meals and vegetarian meals for lunch. For the room guests, they can order the food of their choice and they will custom make anything they want.
Photos of Mango Meadows Resort:
