How This Kerala Trip Brought Me Close To Art, Cuisine And Culture

I have a faint memory of my first visit to Kochi. Back in 2018, cruises ran from Mumbai to the Maldives, with Mangalore and Fort Kochi as docking points. My family and I were on one such cruise. When we got off at Fort Kochi, we only had three hours to explore the town. I don’t remember much except for being in awe of the greenery, colonial architecture and quiet charm of the streets. I do remember eating Kerala specialities like Puttu with Fish Curry and a Beef Vindaloo Thali at a restaurant named Oceano. Even in that short window, Kochi left an impression on me. I told myself then that I would return someday — and recently, that finally happened.

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As fate would have it, my mother and I made our way back to Fort Kochi and checked into the 150-year-old heritage hotel, The Malabar House.

If you want a front-row view of Fort Kochi’s colonial history, coastal cuisine, and contemporary art and culture in one walkable neighbourhood, The Malabar House is the perfect place to stay, especially if you’re visiting the Kochi Biennale. 

An Artistic Stay

Recently taken over by Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels and a long-time member of Relais & Chateaux, The Malabar House turns a restored heritage mansion into an intimate, art-filled retreat.

Its history dates back to 1755, when Dutchman Jan Herman Clausing bought the property from Mathew Henrich Beyls. Over the years, it passed through spice traders, tea traders and bankers. But it was its previous owners, Joerg Drechsel and Txuku, who transformed the 18th-century Dutch mansion into Fort Cochin’s first boutique hotel in 1997. Being passionate art collectors, they filled the space with contemporary artworks and antiques. As a result, entering the hotel feels less like walking into a hotel lobby and more like stepping into an art lover’s home.

At the lobby, a striking globe structure hangs dramatically beside the spiral staircase. Behind the lobby lies a small swimming pool – perfect for afternoon dips – and the main courtyard, which extends into the hotel’s restaurant, Malabar Junction. With stone paveways and frangipanis, the courtyard is where time slows, allowing you to pause and soak in the calm surroundings. 

Rustic Rooms

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Malabar House has 17 suites spread across the ground and first floors. Rooms are individually designed with handcrafted details, bright interiors, and private terraces or sit-outs that make relaxing easy. 

We climbed the spiral staircase to the first floor and checked into the Garden Roof Suite. The room featured vibrant red walls adorned with paintings, colonial furniture, colonial-style furniture, rustic cabinets and sculptural décor pieces.

Outside the rooms on the first floor are small tables and chairs where guests can sit back and enjoy views of the neighbourhood and the quiet main street outside – the kind of setting that encourages you to slow down and simply watch Fort Kochi go by.

Home-Style And Global Culinary Delights  

With Chef Jobin leading the kitchen at The Malabar House, the menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients and fresh catches of the day. My dining experience began with a classic seafood thali at Malabar Junction. Later that evening, we enjoyed dishes like Kerala-style beef fry, Grilled scampi and Karimeen Pollichathu – Pearl spot fish from the Vembanad lake, marinated in a spicy masala and wrapped in a banana leaf before being gently pan-seared. 

If you choose to indulge in some tipples, you can spend time at Divine, the hotel’s cosy wine and tapas bar.

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Whether you’re visiting during Onam or not, one dish you must try here is the traditional Sadhya. The team at Malabar Junction prepares and serves it exactly as tradition dictates — on a banana leaf, with each staff member bringing out dishes one by one. By the end of the meal, the leaf is filled with colours, textures and flavours. Somehow, we managed to finish everything.

Breakfasts are equally indulgent, whether you prefer a traditional South Indian spread of dosas and idlis or a more continental option with eggs and sausages.

Experiences & Excursions 

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If you truly want to experience the town, sign up for the Fort Kochi walk, a guided tour that brings the town’s layered history to life. The walks include stops at landmarks like St. Francis Church and the beach where the fishermen operate the famous Chinese fishing Nets. From there, the route passes through the bustling fish market, where you can see all the fishermen selling their fresh catch.

Another spot worth visiting is Mattancherry Jew Town, home to the Paradesi Synagogue. Known for its beautiful antique interiors, the synagogue features large windows that allow ample sunlight in, a 19th-century chandelier and hand-painted blue tiles from China, each tile having a different artwork on it. After that, stroll along Jew Street, lined with quaint cafés, antique shops, and colourful, rustic Instagrammable corners. 

Back at the hotel, opt for a traditional Ayurvedic massage. After a brief consultation with a doctor, two therapists perform a synchronised massage designed to relax and rejuvenate the body. In the evening, don’t miss a cultural performance at a nearby cultural centre. Watching a Kathakali dance performance – with its elaborate costumes, makeup and expressive storytelling – offers a glimpse into Kerala’s classical performing arts. And before you leave Fort Kochi, remember to pick up spices like peppercorns and cinnamon — after all, this region has been at the heart of the global spice trade for centuries.

Still Got Time? Head To Lake Vembanad For A Houseboat Experience

Following an art and culture-led stay, the next logical step is to explore Kerala’s backwaters. On the shores of Lake Vembanad, Malabar Escapes’ Purity resort offers just that opportunity. The boutique retreat has 14 rooms, including lake-facing deluxe rooms, garden suites with private terraces and premium Vembanad suites.

While the property itself is serene and beautiful, I chose to stay even closer to the water — aboard the resort’s private houseboat, Discovery.

Art continues to play a role here as well. Inside Purity, contemporary Indian artworks sit alongside antique sculptures, objects and furniture, creating an eclectic yet cohesive aesthetic.

Walking out into the green courtyard, I could see the lake shimmering in the distance — and the green Discovery Houseboat docked nearby. The houseboat offers a seamless transition between land and water, with Purity’s art-filled interiors and lake-facing verandas acting as a gentle prelude to the backwater journey. Soon, it was time to step aboard.

Inside The Houseboat

The Discovery Houseboat has recently been rebuilt while preserving its traditional architectural character. The design is inspired by the classic kettuvallam – wooden rice barges that once transported goods through Kerala’s inland waterways – now reimagined with a minimalist, contemporary aesthetic. 

Inside, the boat feels like a compact floating suite. There is a double bed positioned beside large windows overlooking the lake, a cosy bathroom, and a small dining space with sofa seating for indoor meals. But the real highlight lies upstairs with a wide veranda and open upper deck, where you can sit back and watch the backwaters slowly unfold as the boat glides along.

Backwaters On A Plate

As the boat cruises through narrow canals and open stretches of water, life along the backwaters reveals itself quietly. Cormorants drying their wings after diving for fish, fishermen casting Chinese fishing nets, and village homes dotting the shoreline.

One of the most memorable moments came for me during lunch. The houseboat docked near Pathiramanal Island in Kuttanad, where we enjoyed seafood biryani served against the backdrop of lush paddy fields and the vast lake beyond. Dessert was a delicate, tender coconut pudding.

Dining aboard Discovery celebrates Kerala’s regional cuisine, drawing inspiration from Kuttanad, Kottayam and Alleppey. Meals are prepared fresh on board by the houseboat’s chef using ingredients sourced daily from local markets and backwater farms. Some of the standout dishes include Kuttanadan Duck Roast, slow-cooked with black pepper and curry leaves, Kottayam Fish Curry simmered in a fiery kokum-based gravy, and Chemmeen Manga Curry, which include prawns cooked with raw mango and coconut. Vegetarian diners can enjoy a traditional Kerala thali with dishes like olan, avial, thoran and erissery served alongside Kerala red rice, papadam and house-made pickles.

In the afternoon, we were served Elai Adai, a classic Kerala tea-time snack made with rice flour dough filled with coconut and jaggery, flavoured with cardamom and steamed in a banana leaf.

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Although our cruise was just a day trip, longer stays allow for deeper experiences. You could take a shikara ride at sunrise to watch fishermen collect mussels in the Kumarakom backwaters or join a Kuttanad community experience where you explore narrow canals, enjoy a grandmother’s home-cooked meal and watch toddy being tapped from coconut trees.

Back At Purity 

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Once back at Purity, we decided to explore the surrounding village. A quiet walk led us to a nearby temple before we returned to the resort for a refreshing dip in the infinity pool overlooking the lake. Later that evening, we enjoyed our final dinner of the trip — a spread of seafood dishes ranging from fried to grilled tiger prawns.

When we left the next morning, we carried back far more than memories of a stay in beautiful hotels. What stayed with me most was how this journey revealed Kerala through its many layers – its art-filled heritage homes, its spice-laden cuisine, its centuries-old traditions and the quiet rhythm of life along the backwaters. 

At The Malabar House in Fort Kochi and aboard the Discovery Houseboat on Lake Vembanad, travel wasn’t just about seeing new places. It was about slowing down enough to experience the culture, communities and stories that make Kerala so unforgettable.