The Writers' Retreat
A writers' retreat in Kerala
Five nights to write, with a tutor, a garden and a quiet house around you.
The Writers' Retreat
Five nights to write, with a tutor, a garden and a quiet house around you.
The Writers' Retreat at Indian Summer House is a hosted, five-night writing retreat in Muvattupuzha, Kerala, taught by the memoirist and university lecturer Caroline van de Pol. Expect a craft workshop every morning, a private session with Caroline about your own work, and readings after dark beside the water, with yoga, Ayurveda and village life filling the margins. It suits beginners and seasoned writers alike, and you can either sleep at the house or come for the days only.
The days
After early yoga, the group sits down for the day's lesson. Topics run from how a narrator sounds to how people talk on the page, who they are and where they stand. By late morning everyone scatters. Pick a favourite spot in the garden, a shaded veranda or the open hall, and change it as the light moves.
At some point in the day Caroline sits with you alone to look at what you brought, whether that is an outline, a chapter or a stalled draft. After dinner people read aloud and trade notes. The guided discussions include a session called “Book Therapy”.
One afternoon is set aside for a rare visit: the family home of Swami Neelakantha Theerthapada, a philosopher born around 1870, where his scriptures, written by hand, can be viewed.
Your tutor
Caroline wrote the memoir Back to Broady, plus two works of non-fiction. She has worked as a journalist and an editor, holds a doctorate in creative writing and has lectured at university level.
She modelled the retreat on the one that meant most to her, at the Varuna Writers Centre in Australia's Blue Mountains. As she told The Hindu, the Indian Summer House version adds “extra treats such as morning yoga and evening walks in the local village.”
Beyond the page
“The writing is important,” Don van de Pol told The Hindu, “but they also get to do canoe river crossing, visit local tea shops, go toddy tapping.”
So between writing sessions you are poled across the river by canoe and walk through the fields to Mohanan's tea shop, watch Renju climb a palm for fresh toddy, cook a Kerala meal alongside the chef, and receive a Pushpanjali blessing at the riverside temple. You arrive to a traditional welcome, and food, yoga and meditation are taken care of throughout.
In the press
Caroline's workshops and the village life around them, April 2024.The Hindu · read →
Indian Summer House among the country's writers' retreats.LuxeBook · read →
Writing with morning yoga and Ayurveda.Travel + Leisure Asia · read →
Questions
Caroline van de Pol: memoirist (Back to Broady), non-fiction author, former journalist and editor, and a university lecturer with a doctorate in creative writing.
No. Some come with only an idea, others with most of a book. The lessons and private sessions start from wherever you are.
Yes. Besides the five-night residential option, there is a day pass covering all five days, without a room.
Yes. A partner who is not taking part can share your room. You can also book a room to yourself or share a twin.
The 2026 retreats ran in May and in August to September. Send an enquiry and we will reply with the next dates and current pricing.