Taj Malabar, Cochin

...spend a weekend at the Taj Malabar hotel.We had won some vouchers which we could redeem at the Taj group of hotels and that's what made us stay at this very pricey classy hotel.It was well worth the price though...the double room cost us Rs 12,380/-(approximately 160 pounds).There are more expensive deluxe rooms and suites..

Taj Malabar is ideally located overlooking the Cochin harbor and the Waterfront, a view of the Mattancheery ...
...really enjoyed my stay at Taj Malabar and highly recommend it to everyone.It is a little far from the city but one can easily get taxis to take you.
I recommend not taking the Taxis provided by the Hotel as they charge a lot .A trip to Cochin was at Rs 800/-(10 pounds).The cheaper alternative is to request the desk staff to call a taxi ..they charge anywhere between Rs 250 - Rs 300/-(3-4 pounds).

Some Useful details
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When we visited Kochi (Cochin) in May, we decided to spend a weekend at the Taj Malabar hotel.We had won some vouchers which we could redeem at the Taj group of hotels and that's what made us stay at this very pricey classy hotel.It was well worth the price though...the double room cost us Rs 12,380/-(approximately 160 pounds).There are more expensive deluxe rooms and suites..

Taj Malabar is ideally located overlooking the Cochin harbor and the Waterfront, a view of the Mattancheery river beyond as it joins the sea at Cochin.The views are magnificent both during the day and at sunset and at night with all those glittering lights .The Hotel is 8 kms away from Cochin situated on the Willingdon man made island.

I was thoroughly impressed the moment we set foot into the reception area, which was very elegantly furnished with ethnic cane furniture,Plush sofas and lots of flowers in vases ,floating in huge water filled urns, and some really nice paintings and wall hangings.We were given a traditional welcome with flowers and Kumkum(Vemillion) .The checking in was very quick and efficiently done by the staff.As we were waiting we were offered a refreshing drink which was complementary.The interiors of the Hotel was very attractive, with lovely earthy shades and had an old world charm....It was built in 1935 i was told, and has undergone several renovations and upgradations.The end product as it is now leaves you thoroughly impressed, i definitely was !!

We were given roms in the Tower wing ...The rooms were extremely comfortable and came with all the amenities that one can expect in a hotel of this class....TV,fridge,telephone,a complementary bottle of wine , a large bowl of flowers,fruit basket, cookies, a kettle with tea and coffee making materials, some soft drinks in the fridge..The bathroom had shampoos, soap, toothpaste, 2 tooth brushes, shaver,an assortment of creams...Fantastic.The best part was the view from the room.It was breathtaking.we could see the entire stretch of Cochin harbor, the River and the fishing boats and the Cochin town on the other side with its tile roofed houses and buildings , the lush swaying palms..honestly one could spend hours standing by that window.
The room service was again excellent .The room meticulously cleaned sheets changed and finally sprayed with a room freshener and the bathrooms shining , squeaky clean and fragrant..

The hotel has a lush garden and i spent quite a lot of time exploring the grounds which were very well kept..neat and beautiful with lots of varieties of flowering plants, orchids and the like..There is a large swimming pool, which looked absolutely divine, just that it was nearly full.It was a very hot day at the height of summer and everyone seemed to be cooling off..

There are Five restaurants in the Hotel and all of them serve excellent food, very tasty and beautifully presented..it is expensive though...The Rice Boat was our favorite with its awesome location.It stretches on to the sea... it had some amazing Sea food specialities.I loved the local preparation of Prawns , stirfried with Garlic, Red chilly powder and plenty of fragrant curry leaves.It was yummy to have with chilled Lime juice.
They have a lot of local dishes on the menu at Rice Boat.We tried the traditional Kerala dish the Avial , a gravy made with ground coconut, green chillies and cummin seeds, mixed with a rare combination of vegetables like Raw Bananas, Yam,Drum sticks,Pumpkin,French Beans and Carrots.This was served with Aappams a pancake or Dosa made with Rice flour mixed with Local palm toddy and the batter fermented for a few hours...It was perfect and very tasty.

There is a Thai restaurant which is very good again.We had the Thai chicken curry with root ginger and lemon grass and chilly paste and Steamed rice with a traditional mixed salad with shredded Carrots, Shredded Cabbage and Sliced Cucumber, all excellent..
There is a coffee shop which is open 24 hours and one can grab some quick bites with Coffee. and they have a lovely selection of Sandwiches, Samosas, Kebabs, Grills etc;

There is a Health spa which looked very inviting and the other guests who had used it said that it was great, though i din't try it..

The Hotel Staff are very well trained and are very courteous and helpful.They make that extra effort to make you feel comfortable without being overbearing..In fact this was one of the things that made our stay here memorable.They gave us details about other restaurants that we could try while we took a tour around Cochin and other such helpful travel suggestions.

We were taken on a Sunset ferry ride which was complementary to all the guests ..We were taken to see the famous Chinese fishing nets and as far as the backwaters and back to the hotel .It was a great experience.We were also served some snacks and a drink on the ferry which was very welcome, as it was a very warm day.There was a traditional 'Kathakali' dance by the local artistes at night which was very well presented..
in fact the very next day, the day we were leaving, the skies opened up and the monsoon rains hit Cochin. It was the most magnificent sight ever, to see the rain lashing on to the boats and the trees and just about everything.From our room on the sixth floor we could feel the fury of the rain as it hit the window panes and the hotel building..it was scary and at the same time humbling...one felt so small against the mighty Nature.
All good things come to an end, i am hoping that we will be able to have another super stay there again.
I really enjoyed my stay at Taj Malabar and highly recommend it to everyone.It is a little far from the city but one can easily get taxis to take you.
I recommend not taking the Taxis provided by the Hotel as they charge a lot .A trip to Cochin was at Rs 800/-(10 pounds).The cheaper alternative is to request the desk staff to call a taxi ..they charge anywhere between Rs 250 - Rs 300/-(3-4 pounds).

Some Useful details

Address
Taj Malabar, Cochin
Willingdon Island
Cochin - 682 009
Kerala, India
Tel: (91- 484) 2666811 / 2668010
Fax: (91- 484) 2668297
E-Mail: malabar.cochin@tajhotels.com

Facilities
96 Rooms including nine suites which include Tower wing rooms,Heritage wing rooms,Executive suites and deluxe suites

Guest Amenities in all rooms:
Include Wireless Internet connectivity, international direct dialing facility, electronic safe, mini bar, hair dryer and television with satellite programs. All rooms also offer mineral water, tea/coffee maker, and a fruit platter.

Other facilities

Three banquet halls seat from 30 to 300 persons auditorium style or 25 to 250 persons for cocktails/receptions. 10000 sq ft space of Lawns facing the backwaters is also available

A little information about Cochin Town

Cochin as a tourist destination is a very attractive city still maintaining the old world charm with forts and palaces, a Jewish Synagogue, some really ancient churches, prominently among them is the St Francis Church, which is the first European church to be built in India by the Portuguese ..and the Giant Chinese fishing nets tied to massive teak and bamboo poles dotting the entrance to the harbour, quite an awesome sight!
One has plenty to do here other than the visits across the usual tourist destinations.
There is a huge antique market stretching to nearly a kilometer in the Jewish city at Mattancherry in Cochin.One can spend a whole day looking at the objects on display.They have huge carved wooden pillars, banisters, wooden chests, earthenware,old lamps, some lovely bead and wood jewelery, just about everything..each time i have visited there i have discovered some corner that i hadn't visited before..
Sea food is a speciality of Cochin.The Appams(pancakes or dosas made with rice flour mixed with local toddy and fermented for a few hours) with Spicy prawn curry is something not to be missed here.There are other local specialities like Fish Moily, made with ground Coconut , chillies n pepper, and the Pepper mutton.

The major attraction in Cochin is the backwaters.It is one of the most visited Kerala Backwater destinations.There are Regular boat services to tourist places like Kottayam, Kumarakom and Alleppey through the scenic backwaters .In fact
Houseboats are an ideal and relaxing way to experience the beauty of Cochin.There are many private houseboat tours offering very competetive packages, one can hire a simple one room boat or a two storeyed 2 bedroom luxury boat, there is plenty of choice .
Cochin is connected to many international destinations and all major cities in India and most Middle Eastern cities like Dubai, Baharain, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi ..
One can visit places like Munnar which is a lovely hill station in the western Ghats with tea plantation and waterfalls .There are many resorts situated here and most tourists visit Munnar while visiting Cochin.. 

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