60 Best Hotels in Kerala, India

Built in a combination of Dutch and Portuguese colonial styles, this elegant hotel is on the site of a former boatyard, facing the Chinese fishing nets and featuring antique fixtures and furnishings, right down to the light switches. Guest rooms offer four-poster beds and luxurious, colonial-style bathrooms with showers and bathtubs; most rooms have balconies offering picturesque views of the harbor.

Built into the side of a steep hill, this tranquil hotel, located 6 km (3¾ miles) from the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, offers sweeping views of the verdant valley below and the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The rooms are spacious and feature picture windows, a sitting area, a private balcony, plus bathrooms with modern fittings, a floor-to-ceiling window, and standing-only showers. The restaurant uses organic produce and spices from the on-site farm. There's also a swimming pool and watch tower.

Set around a network of canals and pristine lawns, this lush 25-acre heritage resort is right on Lake Vembanad and is known for its palatial traditional villas fitted with ornately carved teakwood ceilings, colorful mythological murals, and open-air garden bathrooms with private pools. Some offer direct access to a 250-meter (820-feet) meandering pool. There are two main restaurants, an excellent ayurvedic center, and houseboats, as well as daily yoga, afternoon tea, and traditional dance performances.

Perched on a cliff, this large and luxurious hotel was designed by Charles Correa, one of India's most famous architects. The property houses the Kovalam Palace, the former summer retreat of the Travencore Royal Family, which has four opulent suites. Rooms have balconies that overlook either the sea or the garden. The enormous lobby, with a sloping roof, is lit by massive skylights. Golf carts take you around the 67-acre property, that has six dining options and three swimming pools.

This luxurious Relais & Chateaux property set in an early-18th-century Dutch villa is highlighted by a courtyard garden with a pool and a stunning frangipani tree. Rooms in this delightful hotel, which once housed European traders and bankers, are a mixture of regional-traditional and contemporary styles. Each room is adorned with antiques and paintings, and some come with high four poster beds.

Overlooking the sea, this rambling and simply beautiful resort, a top Kerala location that is built along a hillside, has an exquisite beach, lovely views, and a great deal of peace. Magnificent sculptures, hammocks, pools of flowers, and discreet stone fountains dot the meticulously maintained grounds. Most rooms are in restored wooden houses, each with an intricately carved facade, a domed wooden ceiling, open-air bathrooms, and ocean-view patios. Kovalam beach is about 15 minutes away by road. 

Small design details, spacious grounds, and lake-view rooms with private patios just steps from the water make this large backwater resort sparkle. The traditional tile-roof buildings have ornate wooden carvings on the facades, while rooms have high ceilings, exposed wooden rafters, and decoratively tiled floors. The resort also has luxury one-bedroom and two-bedroom houseboats and floating cottages that can be booked for a day cruise or an overnight stay on Vembanad lake.

Nestled in a picturesque valley and surrounded by lush green hills, the rooms and villas here sprawl over so many acres that golf carts or buggies remain busy ferrying guests around the property. The ambience is relaxing, the views spectacular from every point, and service excellent. For a luxurious stay, opt for a villa, which come with a large private pool; some rooms also come with a plunge pool and balcony. The restaurant puts out top-quality local and Western dishes.

Set on 15 acres of manicured gardens, among hundreds of palm trees, the gorgeous Taj resort with a top-notch spa is easily one of the best places to stay in Kovalam. The rooms are decorated in traditional Keralan and Balinese styles. Golf carts can take you down to the gardens, a private beach, a seafood restaurant, and the lagoon. In this heavenly microcosm you have an opportunity to experience the best of Kerala—the scenery, local food, and wonderful ayurvedic treatments.

Isolated at the tip of Willingdon Island, this grand hotel offers a heritage sensibility and style with a stunning carved-wood ceiling in the lobby and a similarly styled bar with a harbor view. The rooms are divided between two wings: the Heritage Wing, which dates back to 1935, and the Tower Wing, which is more modern. All rooms and suites have wooden flooring and Kerala-style furnishings, with some offering views of the harbor.

The hillside views on this cardamom, coffee, and vanilla plantation are stunning. Accommodations, which are behind the planter's home, among a grove of towering trees, are large and homey rooms with exquisite embroidered linen, wall hangings, and curtains. The wooden, chalet-style dining area has a small library upstairs, under the rafters, with breathtaking views.

Although not as luxurious as some of its neighbors, this backwater resort with pretty white bungalows with terra-cotta roofs is set on a lovely 13-acre property that has ponds, lush coconut palm groves, and a small lagoon running through it. The rooms, each with their own patio, are spacious, stylish, and furnished in muted colors. High ceilings, wood trim, and solid-wood furniture give them a substantial feel.

Set on the banks of Vembanad Lake, this backwater hotel offers lake-facing cottages and garden rooms with private open-air bathrooms; three bamboo villas have their own private pool. Rooms are simply furnished but lack the traditional Kerala architecture that neighboring resorts provide. There’s an ayurvedic spa, a swimming pool, and a multi-cuisine restaurant.

Set on Marari beach in a quiet neighborhood are four luxury cottages in a delightful garden hotel surrounded by palm trees. Each cottage, decorated with Kerala-style furnishings, has a spacious veranda where all meals are served and a traditional open-air bathroom with modern fittings; some have their own private swimming pool. For those who want to do more than just soak up the sun, there are spa treatments, yoga, and biking tours around Marari village.

The main draws of this basic resort sandwiched between the roar of the Arabian Sea and the ripple of a backwater lagoon are its ayurvedic treatments and serene surroundings. The midsize rooms, in a whitewashed, one-story building, are simply furnished and well maintained, with cane furnishings and private sitouts (patios) facing the lagoon. A two-minute walk gets you to the public beach. It is 4 km (2½ miles) north of Kovalam, on the way to Trivandrum.

A seriously steep walk downhill through green environs brings you to a clutter of whitewashed, terra-cotta-roofed cottages, clinging to the slope, where you get a bird's-eye view of tea plantations for miles around, including workers' settlements and a small blue-roofed church. These snug, modest cottage rooms, with parquet floors and interiors done in soothing creams and white, and their verandas, are peaceful and make great spots to catch the valley action.

Located on the bustling Bazaar Road, this 1877 building originally functioned as a granary storing food grains before being renovated into a hotel. The cheerful yellow color of the building's exterior extends to the spacious rooms, which feature high wood-beamed ceilings and vintage-style beds. There’s an inner courtyard garden, a small swimming pool, and a restaurant by the water featuring authentic Kutchi dishes.

This serene Kerala backwaters resort, bordered by the lake and the backwaters on three sides and crisscrossed with canals and footbridges, is dotted with bungalows, private pool villas, and mansions. Ettukettu, one of the restaurants here, is painstakingly reassembled from parts of an approximately 300-year-old Kerala tharawad (traditional house). The hotel has a butterfly garden.

Merging the old with the new, this boutique hotel reflects the heritage of Kochi's Dutch era, offering elegant rooms with modern conveniences. From the model of the 17th-century Batavia ship that sits at the reception to paintings that harken back to the city's seafaring past, a nautical theme runs through the property's decor. There's a lush lawn and swimming pool.

This bright yellow heritage building has charming rooms with four-poster beds that are set around a stylish central courtyard. Near the beautifully tiled pool, there's an ancient mikvah or natural spring used for Jewish rituals---it is one of the last to exist in Kerala today. 

Built into a steep cliff and in a style similar to the area’s tea plantation bungalows, this luxury hotel offers sweeping views of Munnar Valley; that is, when it’s not engulfed in a thick mist. The bright and colorful rooms all offer mountain views and some have private terraces. There are two restaurants—one of which is completely enclosed in glass—a bar, a gym, a coffee shop, and an ayurvedic spa.

Conveniently situated between Fort Kochi and Jew Town, this luxury hotel with its landmark clock tower features an atrium-style lobby with marble flooring and a large trompe l’oeil paying homage to the building’s original occupants---the East India Company. The light and airy rooms are decorated in a British colonial style with wooden floors, bright patterned area rugs, and intricate wall mouldings; suites add sitting areas and balconies with prime views of the waterfront. 

Calicut's premier hotel is frequented by airline crews and wealthy Omanis, who come for lengthy treatments at the well-regarded ayurvedic center. A beautiful wooden ceiling with exposed beams caps the lobby, and rooms are posh, with wooden floors and touches of wood trim. They are furnished largely in soothing whites and creams, with silk curtains. Some quarters have a leafy view; others overlook the pool.

Set in Kochi’s bustling antiques market, this luxurious boutique hotel has a unique policy: if you like any piece of furniture or artwork in the hotel—all collectible antiques—you can purchase it. The eight rooms, which are spacious and offer views of Lake Vembanad, are individually decorated with antiques from all over India and constantly changing as new inventory arrives to the hotel’s own antique store, Heritage Arts. There’s also a restaurant, swimming pool, and small garden.

Set 2 km (1 mile) from two of Trivandrum’s top sights—Padmanabhaswamy Temple and the Kuthiramalika Palace Museum—this seven-story business hotel offers wonderful views of the city and is known for its incredible staff and service. The warm rooms feature large picture windows, comfortable beds, and modern bathrooms with walk-in rain showers or bathtubs while suites add a living area complete with a sofa bed. There is a bar, a restaurant, a gym, and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel also has EV charging facilities.

Comfortable and large but somewhat bland rooms are available in this modern block hotel a few yards from the sea. Each executive room has its own balcony and affords excellent views of the beach and the rippling Arabian Sea. The service is warm and attentive, and rooms have all the modern amenities. There is a local temple nearby.

A ferry transports you to this former maharaja's hunting lodge, an enormous, red-tiled-roof heritage bungalow, located on an island inside the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can spot wildlife from your balcony. Now run by the Kerala state government tourist department, the six simple but very large rooms are decked out with period furniture and offer views of the palm-lined pathway and beyond to the lake and wildlife preserve.

The clean, modern rooms at this Hyatt are spread over six floors and all come with a view of the city. There are two main restaurants, an in-house bakery, and Regency Lounge that's open 24 hours and is perfect for small bites. The state-of-the-art fitness center is also open 24 hours.

This small, homey resort south of Kovalam near the beach has specialized in ayurvedic treatment since 1997. Rooms in the marble-floor main building, are simply furnished and spotless; some have balconies overlooking a coconut grove or the pool. The beach is a short walk away.