Top choice in Kerala
Marari stays don't get better than this: four intimate, independent boutique villas dotted along or near the beachfront, washed in dusty reds, whites and turquoises, serving wonderful Keralan cooking and with honey-coloured sand gracing front gardens. Two-room Lotus shares its back-garden pool, yoga deck and ayurvedic massage rooms with Palm (three rooms) and one-room, private-pool Hibiscus and Orchid. Book ahead.
A fifth villa is due for September 2019.
26.78 MILES
Originally built in 1568, Mattancherry's synagogue was partially destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662, and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took…
26.83 MILES
Mattancherry Palace was a generous gift presented to the Raja of Kochi, Veera Kerala Varma (1537–65), as a gesture of goodwill by the Portuguese in 1555…
9.35 MILES
This reserve on the 5-hectare site of a former rubber plantation on Vembanad Lake is the haunt of a variety of domestic and migratory birds. October to…
27.67 MILES
The unofficial emblems of Kerala’s backwaters, and perhaps the most photographed, are the half-dozen giant cantilevered Chinese fishing nets on Fort…
24.95 MILES
Created in Kerala style from ancient temples and beautiful old houses collected by its owner, an antique dealer, the family-run folklore museum houses a…
26.62 MILES
Around 13km east of Ernakulam, this impressive 49-building palace complex was formerly the residence of the Kochi royal family. It now houses the…
27.3 MILES
The heritage of one of India’s earliest Catholic communities – including vestments, silver processional crosses, altarpieces from the Kochi diocese and…
27.54 MILES
Constructed in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, this is believed to be India’s oldest European-built church. The faded-yellow edifice that stands…
5.22 MILES
In a grand building fronted by Greco-Roman columns, this intriguing museum houses a priceless, astonishing collection of crystal, porcelain, South Indian…
5.26 MILES
Dedicated to the goddess Bhuvaneshvari, this major Hindu temple in central Alleppey has a soaring, rainbow-coloured Tamil Nadu–style gopuram.
5.36 MILES
A few blocks back from the beach, the candy-striped 1862 lighthouse contains a small museum with an original oil lamp, but is best visited for the 360…
5.41 MILES
Alleppey's main beach is 2km west of the city centre; swimming is fraught due to strong currents, but the sunsets are good and there are a few places for…
5.69 MILES
One of Alleppey's most popular Hindu temples, in the busy bazaar area.
9.35 MILES
This reserve on the 5-hectare site of a former rubber plantation on Vembanad Lake is the haunt of a variety of domestic and migratory birds. October to…
8. St Mary’s Syrian Knanaya Church
14.19 MILES
Perched on a low-lying riverside hill 2km northwest of central Kottayam, this bright-white church was founded in 1550 by Syrian Knanaya Christians (the…