Kochi Essentials

You’ve packed your bags. Now we will tell you where to stay and what to eat.

Time shudders to a halt in Kochi. Spectacular little boutique properties have acquired a patina over time. For the city dweller, service will seem slow and sometimes, a little rusty around the edges. But you’re on holiday, so slide off your watch and surrender to the vagaries of Kochi Standard Time.

Pick the fish and other local delicacies whenever possible. The dessert in almost all places we ate at were spectacular. We ate a lot of vegetarian meals during our stay there. Some places serve stew only for breakfast, so if you’re up for it, then make sure you get there well in time for it.

The fresh lime sodas and juices are made with extra love, and in the heat are veritable elixirs. Organic spices and ingredients are used liberally, it pays to go through the menu carefully and order what’s handmade and local.

Pick one of the lanes around Parade Ground to stay. If you’re looking for something posh, the Dutch-era Malabar House dates back to 1755, when Jan Herman Clausing bought the property. Over the centuries it has passed through spice traders, tea traders and bankers, before being masterfully restored into its current avatar of a boutique heritage hotel. They have a lovely bar and the courtyard magically transforms at night for dinner under the stars with a flautist and his ensemble.

Nearby, The Cochin Club too offers rooms. I had enjoyable meals at both its restaurants. The boho chic seafood restaurant Drawing Room has a mean baked fish— a brackish water fish or a barramundi (not tried) and a fab cheesecake (yes!). We celebrated the Year of the Rooster at its other, casual dining, The Asian Kitchen by Tokyo Bay, which has a spread covering the Orient, and the yummiest coconut and jaggery ice cream, which we ordered twice over.

*The lovely The Drawing Room at the Cochin Club*

Stop by at David Hall, now run by the lovely people at CGH Earth, and order their hand-rolled, wood fired pizzas which are generously topped with the herbs growing on the vertical garden behind the cafe. We ended this meal with the thinnest, membrane-like hazelnut crepe, and I suggest you do too.

Kashi Art Cafe has great dessert and fresh lime water and hummus. The service is really slow so I suggest you skip having a meal there. Ginger House Restaurant at Mattencherry facing the backwaters has incredible ginger ice cream, clean washrooms, and a great vibe to it. Plus it’s tucked right behind Heritage Arts in Jew Town. Beside it is Crafter’s Cafe, where you can stop by for a spot of coffee, overlooking the bustling road, located right above its arch rival antique giant, Crafter’s.

Ginger overlooks the backwaters

Coming back to Fort Kochi, next to the stately Thakur House, toward the left is The Poovath Heritage, Fort Kochi, on the Dutch Cemetery road, a bright sunshine yellow hotel which looks lovely, and on my next visit there I am sure to stay here. A friend highly recommended Tissa’s Inn, which is run by the people behind Crafter’s gorgeous antique shop, and given how lovely those are, it’s worth a stay. And if you’re rolling in the dough, then rest assured, you should not live in any other place but Brunton Boatyard. Or even the Old Harbour Hotel, housed in a Dutch-style, 300-year-old building, sinking into a four-poster bed till the first ray of light.

Spend a decadent holiday at the Old Harbour Hotel

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Neeti Mehra is an award-winning, multidimensional communications professional and brand consultant with 20+ years of experience in bringing stories to life. She works as an independent storyteller at the intersection of sustainability, ecology and people, shaping the voice of homegrown and international brands. In 2007, she founded Beejliving, a multi-disciplinary platform that records our living traditions, making them accessible and relevant to a young, curious audience. Through the lens of modernity, she interprets ancient practices, showing there is an alternate, viable path to living a fast-paced, burnt-out life. In 2024, she was featured on the cover of The Week magazine's health supplement for being the leading voice in advocating slow living in India. In February, she launched the #BeejLivingPowerCircle a B2B platform targeted to help conscious businesses in India scale.

Neeti has partnered on projects with leading global brands such as Marriott International, Jaipur Rugs, AB InBev, South African Tourism and the India Wine Awards. She is a former editor with FICCI’s India Travel, LuxeBook, and Indian Express Newspapers.
She has been published in over 60 global publications such as Lonely Planet, Vogue, Condé Nast Traveller, GQ, The Hindu, Business Traveller UK, The Spruce, Treehugger and The Times of India, writing about responsible luxury and sustainable living.
A Technical Accountant, Neeti has a Post Graduate Certificate in Yoga & Tantra and Indian Aesthetics from Jnanapravaha. She has completed a CSR workshop with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. A student of Vedic studies since the past six years, she has also been studying Sanskrit. She has studied traditional knowledge of Ayurveda, Jyotish and Tantra with world-renowned Ayurvedic practitioner, Dr Robert Svoboda. A wine lover, she finished her WSET Level 1 award in wine with a perfect score.