“Your room and everything in the hotel is for sale,” 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, it was the site of a Mattancherry ginger warehouse. It then found another life as part of the Ginger House Museum hotel complex which also includes an 80,000 square foot antique emporium and a restaurant.
George is exaggerating though. 142-year-old, 100-foot-long snake boat, on display at Antique Emporium, not for sale. For hotelier Majnu, it is a heritage museum and an essential symbol of Kerala culture. Or lawn cannons, pointed anxiously at my suite window, also for sale. Such arms sales are bureaucratically very complicated.
Today, 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. 2025 will see three more Waterside Rooms available for booking, all with views of Vembanad Lake, India’s longest lake flowing into the Arabian Sea.
welcome
From Jew Street, Mattancherry, our taxi turns into a drive to the idols of Tamil Nadu deities. “Only minor gods,” dismisses George.
Cold mango juice is appreciated as we complete the check-in formalities after an hour taxi ride from Cochin International Airport.
Lotus Suite
Outside a thick, intricately carved heavy dark door, we instantly catch a view of Vembanad Lake. The traditional key is also heavy and the door bolts were probably designed to prevent tampering.
A square has hints of a temple in the decoration, with hanging Indo artworks and dancing figures, and the veranda shows a procession of Hindu festival horses.
Fit for a Maharaja, the four-poster bed’s mattress alone costs three lakh rupees, often giving guests the best night’s sleep of their lives. Combining subtly eclectic decor and modern conveniences, a refrigerator is hidden in a dark wood bureau that’s also home to a drinks tray. There is also a flat screen TV with dozens of international channels.
Spot-on air conditioning means we never have to search for the control panel.
the bathroom
Dark double doors give the bathroom a sense of scale and glass-enclosed shower. The ornaments come in beautiful clay pots.
Each room and each bathroom is different. Some suites have spectacular gold-finished bathrooms.
Everything you need to plan your trip in 2024
convenience
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, people in Kerala start the day with a substantial breakfast, eat curry for lunch, then eat less in the evening.
In the heart of Mattancherry, the restaurant has an all-day menu open to residents and non-residents. Guests enjoy chili fish, curries, local breads and international menu options as the purple-flowered water hyacinth flows over the lake at low tide.
Above the garden with red bougainvillea, blue bengal clock vine and yellow wild allamanda there are sun loungers for guests and a small pool in the most beautiful roof garden.
location
In Old Cochin, The Ginger House Museum Hotel is perfectly located between Vembanad Lake and the artistic, artisanal streets of Mattancherry. In Hebrew, matan means gift and cheri means settlement. The land was gifted by the Maharajah of Cochin to Jews fleeing European persecution in the 14th century.
Take a tuk-tuk for a three-hour tour to see the sights of Kochi, 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 spices, textiles and timber trade. They were knocked 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 churches of the Portuguese.
Most of the Santa Cruz Basilica was also rebuilt after the vandalism by the British. We also call a Hindu temple, where three elephants will appear as part of the festival, and also an Orthodox church.
An unusual stop is the hand laundry in Cochin where, since 1780, clothes have been dried on ropes made from coconut fiber and pressed with iron, heated by hot coconut shells.
Surrounded by waterways, a trip to Cochin should include a cruise or water metro to explore 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 ships and waterfront hotels.
The artificial Willingdon Island, controversial in 1936 when it was built as a deep dock, proved invaluable for supplies to India during World War II and saw many landing craft ready for the expected invasion of Japan.
Other nice touches
George, forever at reception, the ultimate concierge, promptly arranges tuk tuk tours, backwater cruises, guided walking tours of Mattancherry to see palaces and synagogues, trips to the Hill Palace Museum and Kerala Folklore Museum.
The staff are warm and hospitable, eager to promote Kerala cuisine and culture but accommodating when we want to return to the comfort of an English breakfast of tea and toast.
Relax with exceptionally good value massages including Ayurveda and Marma, and join hatha yoga classes where all levels are welcome.
Golden portions of ginger-coated ice cream and a tangy ginger lemonade pay homage to the house’s history
cost
Rooms start from around £230, including an extensive Indian breakfast.
The best bit
We are housed in a living and constantly evolving museum. Malik Majnoor has antiquities scouts all over India constantly sending him their finds. He can often be found during meals, helping with service and checking that guests are enjoying their stay.
Final verdict
A completely unique boutique property that blends old world charm and contemporary luxury.
Located in Old Cochin, within a tuk-tuk tour of all the city’s major sites, the Ginger House Museum Hotel offers guests access to the walkable streets of Mattancherry, with its pedestrian precincts lined with cafes, craft shops and textile merchants just yards away. Kerala is the perfect base to start your exploration – God’s Own Country.
Disclosure: Our stay sponsor was Ginger House Museum Hotel.
Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards is a travel writer from Oxfordshire, UK. Although Michael published his first travel piece nearly four decades ago, he continues to find new luxury destinations to travel and write about.
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