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Hotel Class: 
5 Stars - 2 Reviews and 339 Opinions
Malabar Rd, Willingdon Island, Kochi, Kerala, 682 009, India
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of people enjoy staying here
341 Opinions
cochinjew
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One type of tourist who come to Cochin is the one who can afford Taj Malabar, which is just about the most expensive hotel in the area..Good Luck to them.. I have found myself to be a little out of place with so much luxury around myself ( no no i am not averse to luxury.. we say in cuba.. cubans are marxists in the stomach and capitalists in the head; i am the other way around..) But you are away from everything, even going to mattancherry to see the sights can be a little undertaking..
But for those tourists who come to relax in Cochin this is an excellent option, price no bar of course. you can sit by the water, take the hotels own boat for a sunset cruise, and enjoy sumpous meals served by extremely polite malayalee waiters..
Unique Quality: the view from the hotel is unbeatable, possibly the best in Cochin.
Taj Malabar
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WStat
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For a Taj-Hotel rather small with its 95 rooms the hotel, based on Willington Island near the city of Kochi,offers colonial style at its best with a mixture of Portugese, Netherlands and British elements. Not to speak of the relatively new Tower-wing with excellent views over the river to the harbour.
A Seafood- thai and International restaurants leave no wishes for good fare open; especially comfortable the Waterfront - restaurant looking to the lush garden and "green" waters (see photo)
Unique Quality: Great views, nice colonial style- (Heritage wing) and modern rooms (Tower). Beautifully positiond by the Arabian Sea and the Kerala backwaters and -harbour.Near to the old part of Kochi with antique-shops, a Synagogue. buildt in 16th century, and the oldest European church, buildt in 1500
Taj Malabar Photo: View from the hotel
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I stayed here for four nights and enjoyed the serentity and isolation from the throngs of other tourists. Many well to do Indian tourists come here. Its good for business travellers and those tourists who want relaxation and quiet It has one of the best Ayurveda Treatment centers on its premises.
My husband and I recently spent a couple of nights at the Taj Malabar with our two young kids and it was very enjoyable.
The view from our room (Superior Room with sea view) was great and the pool is lovely. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the Play room which is well stacked with activities.
Most importantly, this hotel has great staff. They were all friendly and smiled all the time-that made a lot of difference!
Guess what? Besides the all the pretty things/design and nice bed, I am not impressed with the Malabar House at all. The staff is not too professional, I cannot even get a fresh lime soda at 11:30pm because the kitchen is closed, the don't use loose green tea leaves to make tea but teabags, the lightening in the room is difficult to figure out so I had to turn off the circuit breaker, there is no hot water, food is tasty but overpriced and child-like portions. I can hardly walk down the street to get to the post office because people harass me with all kinds of offers. Let's just say that my experience has turned a bit down and 'I am not feeling it' I think I will check out tomorrow and go somewhere else or back to Taj Malabar. For the price($150-200/night), MH is overrated for the actual service one receives.
I think for me, I wouldn't recommend staying on Fort Cochin, especially since there is not much to do in the night. I would stay at another mainland hotel and just come for a daytrip, only, or at the most stay one night. I cannot imagine what a tourist trap the area is during the 'high season' I am here in the 'shoulder' season.
The worst was that they seemed to not have been prepared for my arrival. Then, they tried to put me into the worse room, in the front with all the traffic, which was for a smoker (they were pumping in foul, artificial lemon smell to try to cover the odor). I had to give the document with my Indian visa for the check-in process, and once they saw my United Nations passport, they immediately switched my room, but only then. I was disappointed because I should have to flash a UN identity card to get good service.
Alright, I feel better that I have that off my chest. its owned by a German, has great design and is adorned with beautiful antiques. The swimming pool is in the main courtyard, right behind front desk, which deters people from swimming.
arrived at the taj malabar on wllingdon island, not the nicest of places to walk around ,it is a working port,taj itself was a wonderful hotel,genuine friendly welcome on arrival,allocated a heritage room,which was large and very niceley appointed,but no view we asked if their were any further rooms available,we were told very politely there were no rooms until a day later,allocated aroom on the seventh floor,room not as good,oh well.Pool and staff are brilliant ,they cannot do enough.Transport to fort cochin by taxi arranged by the hotel is about 1000 rps,with driver,this was good value,the driver took us around the main sights and was never in any hurry to return to the hotel.The ferry is another option at a fraction of the price.In a nutshell a great place to stay,excellent staff,good veiws out into the harbour waterways,we would definatley return.
Stayed at the Taj Malabar for 3 nights in the last week of March. The hotel is lovely inside, great Indian heritage motif and also lovely kerala touches. Quick check in, efficient, they even gave us our room at 10am! Room was gorgeous, got tower wing, corner room, with sweeping views of the harbor. Staff was very professional, but felt that they were nice from extensive training, not from the heart. They didn't even know our names. Also, being Indian myself, I think they put more attention into non Indian guests than Indian ones. The spa and pool are great and the staff there go above and beyond. The coffee shop is not good, especially the buffet and the Dolphin Point restaurant is way to expensive and way to lousy to justify a 1100 rupee/per head price. The location is isolated and that is a problem. The grounds are well maintained but small, the photos will fool you. Overall, good experience, well appointed rooms but location poor and might lean towards something in Fort Cochin next time so I won't be held captive using their travel agents to sightsee or use their restaurants.
We recently returned from a short stay at the Taj Malabar. The location is magnificent - as other reviewers have noted, you're not exactly in the middle of town, but the location on the tip of an island surrounded by water on 3 sides is truly unique. You can sit in your room and watch the boats go by for hours - we even saw dolphins right outside our room on several occasions. We had what was ostensibly a "bad" room - 1st floor, right above the restaurant - but the view was absolutely magnificent and the funishings, etc. were top rate; there was no noise or odor from the restaurant.
Staff were excellent and unobtrusive, and as at other Taj properties, went out of their way to accommodate any request, no matter how unusual.
There is a daily free sunset cruise which is definitely worth doing - a great way to see Cochin harbor. The pool is small but as beautiful as the photos; the spa facilities seemed nice but book in advance, so we didn't get a chance to experience them.
There is a Thai restaurant in the hotel which is not prominently featured but has the best Thai food we've ever eaten (including travel through East Asia, North America, Europe, etc.) - the chef & his wife are recent immigrants from Thailand and do a superb job. The breakfast buffet must be among the best in India - everything from fresh masala dosa to waffles. The lobby bar, set in the historic section of the hotel, is a very nice place for a drink, with a good view of the harbor.
One (major) caution, and a black mark against the property: once you are there, there is no way to get back to the airport (or indeed get anywhere) without booking a car through the Taj travel desk. The hotel charged Rs 1,800 (nearly $50) for a ride that would cost a quarter of that through a reputable taxi company, and flatly refused to make any other arrangement for us to get to the airport. Further, the car was 45 minutes late and we almost missed our flight as a result. Be sure to make other arrangements for a car before arrival; once you are there, you are at the mercy of this unfortunate arrangement. It is very strange that such an excellent hotel would choose to insult its guests in this way on their way out the door!
The hotel is around 1 Hour from Airport.
Staff is super friendly and ready to help out - from start to end. (From Augustine, Tino, Jojo and on and on - these people will do their best to make your stay warmful).
Honestly this is not a vacation resort town, but for the adventuries person who wants to stay 2-3 days or the business traveller who is looking for a one-stop center. Business center is good. Bottom line Cochin is not an area for family vacations and only for business travellers or like I stated the person who is looking to go back in time and see the other side.
We got depress going through the towns/cities and when we hit the port entrance we tought - maybe we made a serious error comming here but again if you have to come to cochin in business this is the place to be and no other.
Drive from airport to hotel - make sure you have a nice modern car with a/c. Use taxi at hotels or recommended by hotel!
The spa has a full service package but high price for India standards and below compare to north american price standards.
Restarurants are great and above standard for India Standards. We enjoyed our meals from day to night. Friendly staff all the way.
I have stayed at the Malabar several times over the years and I am never disappointed. The staff are superb - efficient and friendly, they contribute to the overall nice atmosphere in the hotel, which I also think benefits from being smaller than it's peer hotels. I agree that it is not quite as luxurious as some hotels in the same category and there are signs of age in the rooms, but then the prices reflect that.
I always eat at the Rice Boat, which is a specialist fish restaurant. If you like fish and Indian food, you're laughing. If you select one of the fresh fish from the counter, the chef will discuss with you what you would like them to cook.
Whilst the hotel is not as well located as Brunton's, I think the pool area is much nicer and the rooms better. It is however, better located than either of Le Meridien hotels.
Hi
I am planning a trip to Kochi in September 2adults/2child, please recommend beach front hotels that are reasonably priced.
TQ
I'm not too sure about beach front hotels in kochi city, but if you go up kochi - Varkala and onwards you will find beach properties. If possible Trivandrum(Kovalam) would be a better option with plenty of beach properties at varying ranges and facilities. The other option is to stay around the backwaters of Kumarakom or Allepy, around Allepy there are some beach properties too.
Look up travel portals to get an idea of the beach properties and prices : www.makemytrip.com, www.cleartrip.com, www.travelguru.com and many more.
If budget us not an issue, right in Kochi there is a wonderful Taj Fort property, check out www.tajhotels.com and look up for their property in Kochi and if you are open to Kovalam or Kumarakom, they have properties there are as well.
Happy travels.
There's :
Taj Malabar
Willingdon Island,
Cochin - 682009
Tele : +91 484 6643000
Don't get cheated by calling some body. Actually I rely on http://www.keralatoursandholidays.com. They arrange everything related to travel in entire kerala.
They helped me and my freinds many time. they arranged flight, train tickets. Taxi everything.
You can plan your travel by contacting them. Ask them with your needs.
Great views, nice colonial style- (Heritage wing) and modern rooms (Tower). Beautifully positiond by the Arabian Sea and the Kerala backwaters and -harbour.Near to the old part of Kochi with antique-shops, a Synagogue. buildt in 16th century, and the oldest European church, buildt in 1500
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Address: Malabar Rd, Willingdon Island, Kochi, Kerala, 682 009, India
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