60 Best Hotels in Kerala, India

This hotel, which lies adjacent to one of the most popular malls in the city, Lulu Mall, is a good choice for those who want to include shopping on their agenda. The gleaming, modern lobby has a piano and a massive antique clock; the rooms are spacious and have gorgeous views of the city. There's a seafood restaurant and two bars as well. The on-site spa offers a range of therapies, including ayurvedic massages.

Unlike the sober Dutch mansions nearby, the three-story Koder House sticks out due to its brick exterior's fire-engine color and slightly unusual, Portuguese-inflected architecture. The six eccentric, attractive rooms are filled with antique furniture, overstuffed armchairs, red coir carpets, and enormous bathrooms. The home was built in 1808 and originally housed Kochi’s most-respected Jewish family.

The highlight of this relaxing resort with elegant rooms is the impressive infinity pool, which overlooks the mighty Vembanad lake. The 27 rooms, all in a two-story heritage Kerala building, have four-poster beds and wooden accents. The lobby and other shared areas are simple and functional and look out onto well-tended lawns. The resort is about a 30-minute drive from Alleppey.

In these lovely, traditional, red-roofed Kerala bungalows, the only sounds you're likely to hear are the crashing of the waves from nearby Odayam and Edava beaches. The 12 cottages face each other in a coconut palm grove with a lotus pond and are simply furnished and comfortable. Some cottages are non-air-conditioned and therefore cheaper.

Sprawling over a long stretch of a swimmer-friendly beach, the 10 air-conditioned rooms in this beach-facing property are a good option if you want a quiet stay and to spend time lounging along the sandy shores of the Arabian Sea. The resort has sprawling gardens and a restaurant that serves Indian cuisine.

This strictly ayurvedic resort is quieter and even closer to the water than its neighboring sister property, Somatheeram Beach Resort. Its simple, circular brick cottages are neatly arrayed on ascending terraces—the rooms inside are small, with red oxide floors. "Special" cottages have better sea views. Alcohol is not permitted.

This 25-acre eco-friendly resort, built to resemble a traditional fishing village, offers an unspoiled palm-fringed beach and an excellent ayurvedic center. Brick paths lead through rows of deceptively modest thatched-roof cottages that are both extremely spacious and comfortable—they have traditional red oxide floors, coir matting, bamboo roll blinds, cane furniture, and hand-loomed furnishings, with open-air bathrooms sporting banana trees.

Set on the secluded Marari beach—considered one of Kerala's finest—this select set of luxury villas each has its own butler and chef plus a fully equipped kitchenette. The villas, built in authentic tharavad style, have either dark wood or brightly colored walls, and showcase stylish furniture and brass fittings; bathrooms are open-air and filled with trees. There are plenty of activities on the grounds, including cooking classes, yoga, and ayurvedic treatments. Kochi is an hour away.

Fluttering eucalyptus trees frame an alluring resort of tile-roofed cobblestone cottages, some of them two stories, offering memorable views of Mattupetty Lake. The cottages are well-spaced in this family-owned property, allowing each privacy. Pine furniture adorns each of the rooms, and the overall decor is a mellow green and white, with eucalyptus trees etched on the walls. The two-bedroom cottages have a living and dining area.

This beachfront budget hotel on Kovalam’s main beach offers private sea-facing balconies in every room that let you see all the action—people strolling, sunbathing, swimming, and fishing—on the bustling Lighthouse Beach. The building is a bit drab, but air-conditioned rooms are spacious, with high ceilings; all are simply furnished. Suite rooms are a better bet, with large white-and-green tiled bathrooms.

Among bougainvillea, coconut palms, banana trees, orchids, and acacia stand thatch-roof, circular cottages and beautifully maintained traditional nalukettu (quadrangular buildings) wooden houses, most with commanding sea views, making this ayurvedic hotel a popular choice, though a minimum 14-night stay is required. A well-lit path leads down to the crescent-shape beach. It's next door to the Niraamaya resort and about 15 minutes from the main Kovalam beach. The cottage rooms are comfortable and spacious, with bright-white tiled bathrooms.

A fork in the road branches off to a mile-long, bumpy road that leads to a spice plantation holding this small resort that emerges like a little paradise from the undergrowth. The whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs lie perched on a hillside, each of them featuring well-lit, attractive rooms with colorful highlights. The hotel’s glass-and-bamboo-fronted reception building also houses a spa, a bar, and a restaurant. A variety of wildlife lives in the forest surrounding the property.

Located close to the airport, this luxury hotel has a colorful, art-filled lobby and clean, modern rooms. The vibrant---though not garish---color palette continues to their main restaurant, O Cafe, that overlooks the large swimming pool. There's a spa and a salon onsite.

Just opposite the Chinese fishing nets, this 1837 Dutch heritage building, a former brokerage house, features 13 tastefully decorated rooms with bright walls, antique fixtures, and contemporary Indian artwork. The rooms have views of either the fishing nets or the courtyard. Guests can dip in the elevated pool or read under a canopy of tall trees. The restaurant serves local seafood dishes as well as wine and beer.

This hotel is the former home of the late Sir Robert Bristow, the architect of the modern port of Kochi, and it is one of the only Kochi hotels that opens out onto a beach. Some rooms look out to the Arabian Sea, while others have a view over the garden and swimming pool. Rooms are large (though in need of maintenance). Pool-side villas and ocean-view suites are attractive.

Housed in a 200-year-old former Jewish home, this boutique hotel has five rooms, each designed like an art gallery and displaying the works of different artists. The hotel organizes different experiences for guests, like heritage walks through Kochi, houseboat cruises, and cultural performances. The on-site fine-dining restaurant specializes in contemporary Kerala cuisine.

This is one of the few modern chain hotels in the city, where most of the rooms come with a view of the backwaters. Its popular multi-cuisine restaurant, World in the Pot, overlooks the pool; there's also a Chinese restaurant, Venice, that serves interesting cocktails. The hotel has its own houseboat and organizes a two-hour lunch cruise for an extra fee.

One of the first swanky, world-class riverside and backwater resorts in the Calicut area (though a fair drive outside of town), Kadavu signaled Malabar's foray into tourism. You enter the lobby under a traditional mandapam, a wood-frame canopy supported by pillars. The courtyard opens onto an enormous swimming pool, from which steps descend to riverfront cottages. These cost extra but are worth your while—they have balconies screened by coconut palms. Rooms in the main building are large and have bay windows and are very classily furnished, with plenty of wood highlights and silk furnishings.

Set in a lush garden, this cliff-side resort offers modest rooms, most featuring spectacular views of the Arabian Sea, and is within walking distance to Varkala Beach and the cliff above it, where a variety of seafood stalls pop up during high season. The bright rooms with wood furnishings and private balconies have 24-hour room service. There are two multicuisine restaurants, an ayurvedic spa, and a terrace with sea views.

Set in Chinnakanal, in lush green surroundings away from the commotion of Munnar, this fairly ordinary hotel offers rooms that capture the country-lodge feeling quite perfectly. The split-level deluxe rooms feature sitting areas with wood floors, comfortable couches, and working fireplaces, while their balconies offer panoramic views of the Anayirankal Dam. There's a pool and gym as well.

This large and well-located hotel, right in the middle of town, is primarily used by business travelers. Its neatly furnished rooms with wooden floors are on the small side. There's a spa, a salon, and a swimming pool as well. 

One of Thekkady's finest resorts, Spice Village has well-maintained thatch-roof cottages that are built into a hillside with lush plantings, including a spice garden that adds fragrance and privacy. Room interiors have knotty pine furniture and trim, white walls, red-tile floors, and hand-loomed upholstery and bedspreads. There are two restaurants and a bar, and the resort organizes jungle treks, paper-making lessons, and Indian cooking classes. The property is also eco-friendly, running partially on solar energy and recycling all its waste within the premises.

This lush, palm-fringed 17-acre property spanning the banks of the Vembanad Lake has cottages overlooking the lake or its private lagoon. You can board a ferry for an hour-long complimentary ride along the backwaters or climb aboard a hotel-owned houseboat for a day-long cruise. The spa offers great ayurvedic treatments and there's a doctor for consultation as well.

The brightly colored villas and cottages at this tranquil resort set among rubber trees have broad verandas overlooking a small lagoon where guests can canoe or pedal-boat. A few of the cottages offer views of Vembanad Lake. The main building here is a former 19th-century plantation house built by the son of an English missionary. There are two restaurants, a bar, and an outdoor swimming pool, as well as daily houseboat trips.

Getting around this hilly property is a workout—especially the hike to the skylight-topped restaurant—but the setting on 66-acre cardamom plantation is phenomenal. The cottages, all ensconced in lush greenery, come in different varieties, with some being single rooms while others occupy multiple floors and have spacious living rooms and balconies. Furnishings are of cane and rubber wood. The main restaurant has a glass roof and great location overlooking tall trees.

This tasteful and stylish hotel, across the harbor from Fort Kochi, is a low-rise, tile-roof building that wraps around a central courtyard and is outfitted rather plushly for both business and leisure travelers. A beautiful oil painting of Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama meeting the Zamorin of Calicut in the 15th century is a backdrop in the reception area. The rooms, which face either the pool or the garden, have sand-color wood floors that complement soothing cream and teal color schemes. Due to the central courtyard, hallways are full of natural light. 

Located by the backwaters of Kochi harbor and away from the touristy hub of Fort Kochi, this hotel has clean, modern rooms with excellent views over the water or the city. There's a pool, a gym, and a spa offering ayurvedic treatments.

This large and centrally located hotel, with its hospitable staff, has a large outdoor swimming pool, an ayurvedic spa, and a 24/7 gym, plus two restaurants, a bakery, and a bar. Spacious rooms feature warm linen accents, wood floors, and panoramic city views, while suites add living rooms and balconies.

Less than a kilometer from the gates of the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary stands a cute two-story cobblestone building with 10 cottage-style rooms. Each room in this cozy B&B has its own outdoor entrance, and those on the second floor can be reached by individual spiral staircases. The hotel does not have its own restaurant, other than a room for breakfast, though there are a number of restaurants within walking distance.

Set along Lake Vembanad, this luxurious resort offers a variety of rooms from cottages with lagoon views to villas with private pools overlooking the lake. There are three restaurants and a bar, an excellent spa, daily yoga, along with a slew of outdoor activities from cycling to fishing and bamboo rafting.