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“Everything in your room and in the hotel is for sale,” says George, the manager Ginger House Museum Hotel. “If you like the bed we can send it back to England for you.”

For two centuries, till 1990, this Mattancherry was the site of a ginger warehouse. It then found a second life as part of the Ginger House Museum hotel complex, which also includes an 80,000-square-foot antique emporium and a restaurant.

However George exaggerates. A 142-year-old, 100-foot-long snake boat on display at an antique emporium is not for sale. For hotel owner Majnu, it is a heritage museum and an essential symbol of Kerala culture. Nor is the cannon on the lawn, pointed anxiously at my suite window, either for sale. The sale of such weapons is bureaucratically very complicated.

Currently, the unique Ginger House is a boutique hotel with only nine rooms. A tenth room overlooking the estuary of Venbanad Lake will open in mid-December 2024. In 2025, three more waterside rooms will be available for booking, with views of Lake Vambanad, India’s longest lake flowing into the Arabian Sea.

Welcome

From Jew Street, Mattancherry, our taxi turns into a cobbled drive lined with statues of Tamil Nadu deities. “Just little gods,” dismisses George.

After an hour taxi ride from Cochin International Airport, we complete the check-in formalities, much appreciated with a cold mango juice.

Lotus Suite

Beyond the thick, intricately carved heavy dark gate, we immediately had a view of Vembanad Lake. A traditional key is also heavy and the bolts on the door were probably designed to resist flaming mobs.

The decoration with Indo art-work hanging on a plinth and the statue of a dancer has allusions to a temple and the balcony looks out over a row of Hindu festival horses.

Fit for a Maharaja, the four-poster bed’s mattress costs three lakhs, often giving guests the best night’s sleep of their lives. Subtly with eclectic decor and modern conveniences, a refrigerator is hidden in a dark wood bureau that’s also home to a beverage tray. There is also a flat screen TV with dozens of international channels.

Spot-on air conditioning means we never even have to find the control panel.

the bathroom

Dark double doors give a sense of the scale of the bathroom and the glass-enclosed shower. The toiletries come in a beautiful clay jug.

Each room and each bathroom is different. Some suites have stunning golden finished bathrooms.

facilities

Owner Manju is eager for guests to try a traditional Kerala breakfast at Ginger House’s waterside restaurant.

A tropical fruit platter, curried eggs, rice and coconut steam cakes, paratha “bread” and more curries all contribute. Traditionally, Keralites start the day with a substantial breakfast, have curry for lunch, then eat a little in the evening.

In the heart of Mattancherry, the restaurant has an all-day menu open to residents and non-residents alike. Guests enjoy chili fish, curries, local breads and international menu options as purple-flowered water hyacinths are carried over the lake by the tide.

Above the gardens are red bougainvillea, blue Bengal clock vine and yellow wild allamanda guests use sun loungers and a small pool on the most beautiful spot in the roof gardens.

location

In Old Cochin, Ginger House Museum Hotel is perfectly located between the Vambanad Lake and the artistic, crafty streets of Mattancherry. In Hebrew, mutton means gift and cherry means reconciliation. Fourteenth-century Jews fleeing European persecution were gifted land by the Maharaja of Cochin.

Take a three-hour tuk tuk to see the sights of Kochi, visiting Chinese fishing nets and remnants of European colonialism.

The Church of St. Francis built in 1503 and the house of Vasco de Gamo record that the Portuguese first arrived in search of trade in spices, textiles and timber. They were driven out by the Dutch who themselves lost to the British Empire. The Church of St. Francis was lucky to survive as the British destroyed many other Portuguese churches.

Much of the Santa Cruz Basilica was also rebuilt after British vandalism. We also call a Hindu temple, which has three elephants as part of the festival, and also an Orthodox church.

An unusual stop is at Cochin’s hand laundry where, since the 1780s, washing has been hung to dry on ropes made from coconut fiber and pressed with an iron, heated by hot coconut shells.

Located around the waterways, a visit to Cochin has to include a cruise or the Water Metro which covers 15 routes and 75 km. There is a stop at Mattancherry.

Look for cranes, egrets, herons and skylarks as you pass fishing boats, docks, coast guard vessels and waterfront hotels.

The artificial Willingdon Island, controversial in 1936 when it was built as a deep dock, proved invaluable for supplying India during the Second World War and saw the production of many landing craft ready for the expected invasion of Japan.

Another nice touch

George, forever at reception, is the ultimate concierge, promptly arranging tuk tuk tours, backwater cruises, guided walking tours of Mattancherry to visit palaces and synagogues, trips to the Hill Palace Museum and the Kerala Folklore Museum.

The staff are warm and hospitable, keen to promote Kerala cuisine and culture but accommodating when we want to fall back on the convenience of English breakfast tea and toast.

Relax with exceptionally good value massages including Ayurveda and Marma and join Hatha Yoga classes where all levels are welcome.

Golden shards of ginger coating ice cream and tangy ginger lemonade pay homage to the history of the house.

expenses

Rooms, including an extensive Indian breakfast, start from around £230.

The best bit

We live in a living and ever-evolving museum. Owner Majnu has antiquities scouts all over India who constantly send him their finds. He can often be found at mealtimes, assisting with service and checking that guests are enjoying their stay.

final judgment

A totally unique boutique property that blends old world charm with contemporary luxury.

Located in Old Cochin, within a tuk-tuk ride of all the city’s major attractions, The Ginger House Museum Hotel offers guests the opportunity to venture out into the walkable streets of Mattancherry with a pedestrianized area of ​​cafes, craft shops and textile dealers just yards away. The perfect base to start your exploration of Kerala – God’s Own Country.

Disclosure: We were sponsored by Invest Ginger House Museum Hotel.