Family Adventure in Kerala

Malabar House

Malabar House is situated on a peaceful green in Fort Cochin. In 1996 Malabar House became India’s first boutique heritage hotel.

Housed within the old, colonial mansion are 17 bedrooms, all uniquely furnished with a mixture of modern art, antique furniture and vibrant colour schemes.

The garden restaurant, Malabar Junction, offers fresh seafood with a blend of regional and Mediterranean flavours. Additionally, there is a wine bar with an extensive wine list, celebrating many Indian vintages. This is often served with east-meets-west tapas in order to really complement the flavours of the grapes.

Brunton Boatyard

Brunton’s Boatyard hotel is a beautifully restored 19th century building where many of Cochin’s Raj era vessels were built and repaired by the firm of Geo Brunton & Sons.

Today the hotel has 22 tastefully decorated rooms and suites, all of which look out over the water, as do the ensuite bathrooms, which means guests can watch ships coming in to port from the comfort of the bath.

Cochin's cosmopolitan history is in evidence throughout the hotel, which is like a museum to the various colonial powers who occupied Cochin across the centuries, Guests will find Portuguese, Dutch and English motifs and curiosities (think a Portuguese helmet and breastplate) dotted around, but the heritage shtick is particularly noticeable in the History Restaurant, where the chef cooks up delicious dishes using the spices, peppers and herbs that were traded through Cochin across the centuries; now used in dishes such as Syrian fish moilee or a Dutch pudding sprinkled with cinnamon. Foodie aficionados can take the culinary history lesson a step further and enjoy cooking lessons on the terrace.

Purity

This boutique hotel is situated in the backwaters of Kerala, on the shores of Lake Vembanad.

The Italian style villa is filled with antique furniture and modern art. The intimate hotel has only six bedrooms, all of which have balconies or terraces which over look the lake. They are decorated in a light and airy style, with splashes of vibrant colour to create a relaxing atmosphere.

The hotel's chef serves traditional Keralan delicacies and guests can dine with the water as a backdrop, at a lake facing table or in the sheltered courtyard. The hotel also has a selection of fine wines including an Indian vintage collection.

The hotel spa, Ayurveda, offers a wide range of treatments all based around local herbs and oils, as well as this there is a recently opened a yoga space to further guest's relaxation.

Philipkutty’s Farm

Philipkutty’s Farm is a sustainable, organic working farm located on an island, where guests are hosted in waterfront villas that overlook the tranquil backwaters of Kerala.

Meticulous precision has been taken to furnish each villa, all of which maintain traditional features and open up onto waterside porches. Every villa has a multitude of doors and windows which allow for a natural breeze to drift through, and through which the breath-taking views beyond can be best appreciated. Air conditioning, Wi-Fi, ensuite bathrooms and netted windows (to stop any bugs creeping in) make each villa a private oasis of peace. Red oxide verandas also surround every villa, providing a place to sit and watch in the evening as fireflies light up the sky around you.