The Malabar House

Malabar House is an example of a hotel concept that’s vanishingly rare in South India, even as it thrives in Sri Lanka — the colonial-house luxury boutique hotel. This one is a Dutch-era mansion, located in the historic Fort Cochin district of the Keralan city of Kochi, and it’s been running as a hotel for over ten years now under the watchful eye of a European couple and a dedicated staff of locals.

It’s not hard to imagine how a house like this could have been spoiled by trendy minimalist interiors, in some misguided pursuit of hipness. Instead there’s plenty of classic ambience about the place, the rooms liberally furnished with antiques and artworks, with only the minimally necessary modern intrusions — air conditioning, television, that sort of thing.

There’s really nothing about the Malabar House that’s not endlessly charming, from the courtyard and pool to the Malabar Junction restaurant to the private balconies and roof gardens of the better suites. Just out front is a lovely little park, the beach and the picturesque Chinese fish nets not far beyond, and the enormous antique market, in a place that’s really honestly called Jewtown, is a pleasant walk from the hotel’s front door.