Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A Heritage Hotel at Fort Kochi


To tell you all some thing about the much acclaimed Kochi,
Fort kochi is one of the main urban components that constitute the present day City of Kochi in the Indian State of Kerala, the other two being Mattancherry and Ernakulam. The most accepted theory is that the name derives from kochazhi which, in Malayalam, denotes "small lagoon".A major flood in AD1341 threw open the estuary at Kochi,till then a landlocked region turns into one of the finest harbours of the world.

* The first part of the name Fort Kochi comes from the fort, Fort Emmanuel, behind which the Portuguese built their settlement and a wooden church, which was rebuilt in 1516 as a permanent structure and which today is known as the St Francis Church.

* Fort Kochi remained a Portuguese possession for 160 years. In 1683 the Dutch wrestled from the Portuguese and held as their possession for 112 years until 1795, when the British took control by defeating them.
* Four hundred and forty four years of foreign control of Fort Kochi ended in 1947 with the Indian independence.
* A mix of old Portuguese, Dutch and British houses from these colonial periods line the streets of Fort Kochi. *Kochi is a jewel in the crown of Kerala with its true heritage.

The Heritage Hotels in Kochi are actually the heritage mansions, landmarks or Havelis of some great men of the by gone era. These people have passed away leaving behind these huge houses at the perusal of the admiration of the guests. Since ages they have added on to the list of awes and myths in the minds of the tourists but presently these mansions or royal palaces have been transformed into heritage hotels so as to make it possible for the tourists to enjoy a short living in those enormous mansions.

Today
Let me share about a heritage hotel of my interest"The Malabar House" Cochin.It is ahotel worth to be admired for its beauty.Has been on my mind since 2007,when i read about it in the TIME magazine,when it got mentioned in the feature of "The Best of Asia"It is one of the the finest chain of small boutique and villa hotel in Cochin.The decor,the build ,the courtyards are amazing.To see it is just like a dream come true."Malabar House" Cochin is part of Fort Cochin's historical fabric.
Some History:
Its recorded history dates back to 1755, when Jan Herman Clausing, a Dutch, bought the property from Mathew Henrich Beyls. Subsequently owned by spice traders, tea traders and bankers, it became 1996 Fort Cochin's first boutique heritage hotel.
The Malabar House Cochin is located in the heart of historical Fort Cochin, opposite St. Francis Church.


Enjoy the interiors
Traditional Lamp welcomes you into the interiorsLounge

Amazing views of the coutyardPerformances are within the stone pillarsCourtyard at duskView of poolNight performance of Kathakali and MohiniyattomBedrooms


Swings outside the roomsDining areaAt night

The photos might have refreshed you for sure,eventhough there wasn't a lemonade in your hand.

(Images courtesy:www.malabarhouse.com,keralatourism.org,www.justbookit.com.
All Images are subject to copyright of Malabar house.Please dont use any images otherwise)

13 comments:

  1. Wow, what a stunning place. We visited St. Francis Church, but didn't spot this gem. Since we got delayed in reaching Fort Cochin from Thrissur, we barely got to see anything at all, but it would be grand to be able to stay at such a place and really enjoy the sights at leisure.

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  2. Thanks shalini for your comments.yeah,as you said its astunning place.A stay for a day will refresh you for sure.Even i would love to.I also love to stay in heritage hotels just to see the decor,the way they have maintained it or modifed it the way it was.

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  3. Wow... these are just lovely!! The place looks stunning like Shalini says.. Now I know.. when I go to Kerala.. I'll be checking on your blog & Shalinis.

    I love the swings... amazing!!

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  4. Thanks Patricia for loving the place and liking the blog.

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  5. This is simply beautiful Lakshmi, If i ever buy a swing, this would be it!

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  6. Lakshmi, I've always wanted to see more of Fort Kochi & you've shown me just that. I always have this insatiable thirst for more images... more images & your blog promises to slake my thirst :) great going!

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  7. Thanks Vinita.Loved your comments.I Love images as they are true representations of life.My commentary on top before the photo session is also not quite bad alle?thanks for loving the images and my blog.

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  8. We were in Fort Kochi a couple of days back:-)

    We did visit Malabar House. It is beautiful.

    Arch

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  9. Thanks Archana for your comments.Lovely to hear that u went to our home town.Malabar house is worth a visit.As u said its beautiful.The traditional element attracts us.

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  10. Gorgeous hotel, I can't beleive I've been to the area so many times and missed this....

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