“Everything is for sale in your room and in the hotel,” says George, Manager of the Ginger House Museum Hotel. “If you like the bed we can ship it back to England for you.”
For two centuries, until 1990, this was the site of a Mattancherry ginger warehouse. Then it found another life as part of the Ginger House Museum Hotel complex which includes 80,000 square feet of an antiques emporium and a restaurant too.
Though George exaggerates. The 142 year old, 100 foot long snake boat, displayed in the antiques emporium, isn’t for sale. For hotel owner Majnu, it is an essential symbol of the Heritage Museum and of Kerala culture. Nor is the cannon on the lawn, worryingly pointing at my suite’s window, for sale either. Selling such weapons is too bureaucratically complex.
Currently, the unique Ginger House is a boutique hotel with just nine rooms. Mid-December 2024 a tenth room, overlooking the estuary of Venbanad Lake, will open. 2025 will see a further three waterside rooms available for booking, all with views of Vembanad Lake, India’s longest lake that flows towards the Arabian Sea.
The welcome
From Jew Street, Mattancherry, our taxi turns into a cobbled drive of statues of Tamil Nadu gods. “Only minor gods,” dismisses George.
Chilled mango juice is appreciated, as we complete check-in formalities, after the hour’s taxi ride from Cochin International airport.
The Lotus Suite
Beyond a thick, intricately carved heavy dark door, we instantly see the view through to Vembanad Lake. The traditional key is heavy too and the bolts on the door were probably designed to resist rampaging hordes.
The decor with hanging Indo art-work and dancer statue on a plinth, has hints of a temple and the balcony looks out onto a row of Hindu festival horses.
Fit for a Maharajah, the mattress of the four poster bed alone cost three laks, often giving guests the best night’s sleep of their lives. Subtly combining eclectic decor and modern convenience, a refrigerator is hidden away in the dark wood bureau which is also home to the beverage tray. There’s also a flat screen TV with dozens of international channels.
Spot-on air conditioning means that we never even have to search for the control panel.
The bathroom
Dark double doors give a sense of the scale of the bathroom and the glass-surrounded shower. Toiletries come in cute earthenware jugs.
Every room and every bathroom is different. Some of the suites have spectacular golden finished bathrooms.
Everything you need to plan your trip in 2024
The facilities
Owner Manju is keen for guests to try a traditional Kerala breakfast in the Ginger House’s waterside restaurant.
A tropical fruit platter, curried eggs, steam cakes of rice and coconut, paratha “bread” and more curries all contribute. Traditionally, Kerala people start the day with a substantial breakfast, have a curry for lunch, then eat little in the evening.
At Mattancherry’s heart, the restaurant has an all day menu open to residents and non-residents. Guests enjoy chilli fish, curries, local breads and international menu options as purple-flowering water hyacinth drift by, carried on the lake by the tide.
Above the gardens with red bougainvillea, blue Bengal clock vine and yellow wild allamanda guests have use of sun loungers and a small pool on the most idyllic of roof gardens.
The location
In Old Cochin, The Ginger House Museum Hotel is perfectly positioned between Lake Vembanad and the arty, crafty streets of Mattancherry. In Hebrew, mattan means gift and cherry translates as settlement. Fourteenth century Jews fleeing European persecution were gifted the land by the Cochin Maharjah.
Take a tuk-tuk for a three hour tour to see the sights of Kochi, visiting the Chinese fishing nets and the remnants of European colonialism.
St Francis’ church built in 1503 and Vasco di Gamo’s house record that the Portuguese were the first to arrive in search of spice, textiles and timber trade. They were edged out by the Dutch who themselves lost out to the British Empire. St Francis’ church was fortunate to survive as the British destroyed many other Portuguese churches.
Most of the Santa Cruz Basilica was also rebuilt after British vandalism. We also call in on a Hindu temple, with three elephants scheduled to appear as part of the festival, and the Orthodox Church too.
An unusual stop is at Cochin’s hand laundry where washing has been hung out to dry on ropes made from coconut fibre and pressed with irons, heated with hot coconut shells, since the 1780s.
Located around waterways, a visit to Cochin has to include a cruise or the Water Metro with 15 routes and 75 km to explore. There’s a stop at Mattancherry.
Look out for cranes, egrets, heron, and skylarks as you cruise past fishing boats, docks, Coast Guard vessels and waterfront hotels.
The artificial Willingdon Island, controversial in 1936 when it was created as a deep dock, proved invaluable for supplying India during the Second World War and saw the manufacture of many landing craft ready for the anticipated invasion of Japan.
Other nice touches
George, forever at reception, is the ultimate concierge, instantly arranging tuk tuk tours, backwater cruises, guided walking tours of Mattancherry to visit the palace and the synagogue, trips to the Hill Palace Museum and Kerala Folklore Museum.
Staff are warm and hospitable, keen to promote Kerala cuisine and culture but accepting when we want to slip back to the comfort 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 a sharp ginger lemonade pay tribute to the house’s history.
The cost
Rooms, including an extensive Indian breakfast, begin from around £230.
The best bit
We are staying in a living and constantly evolving museum. Owner Majnu has antiques scouts throughout India constantly sending him their finds. He can frequently be found at mealtimes, helping with service and checking that guests are enjoying their stay.
The final verdict
An utterly unique boutique property that blends old world charm and contemporary luxury.
Located in Old Cochin, within tuk-tuk travel of all the city’s major sites, The Ginger House Museum Hotel also gives guests the opportunity to step out onto Mattancherry’s walkable streets with a pedestrianised area of cafes, craft shops and textiles dealers just yards away. The perfect base for beginning your exploration of Kerala – God’s own country.
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by Ginger House Museum Hotel.
Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards is a travel writer from Oxfordshire, UK. Although Michael had his first travel pieces published nearly four decades ago, he is still finding new luxury destinations to visit and write on.
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