Deluxe
Hotel Malabar, Ph 6 811, Singles 570Rs, Doubles 900Rs Plus 10% Tax,
100 Rooms, 2 Restaurants, Bar, Car Hire. All Rooms Are Airconditioned. The
Hotel Lies At The Northern Tip Of The Island, And Has A Beautiful View And
A Swimming Pool.
Fort Cochin/Mattancherry
In The Oldest And Most Picturesque Part Of Cochin There Are Only A Few
Hotels. If You Arrive In Ernakulam In The Evening You Don’t Have To Rush
Over To The Mainland.
Budget
Elite Hotel (Don’t Confuse It With The Elite Tourist Home In Ernakulam),
Ph 25 733, Has Singles For 25Rs And Serves Good Meals In The Restaurant
On The Ground Floor.
The Princess Tourist Bungalows Diagonally Opposite Have Similar Prices, Ph 26.676. .:
The Port View Lodge Isn’t As Good, And Is Only Recommended For Those On A Really Tight Budget. It’s Old And Has Bedbugs. If You Go There Ask For A Room With A Harbour View Otherwise The 2ors For The Singles And 3ors For Doubles Is Too Much.
Standard
The Hotel Seagull, Ph 28 128, Is Situated Right On The Waterfront, But Caters Mainly For Indian Tourists, Doubles For 6ors (Airconditioned 1 Lors). It Has A Restaurant And Bar.
Related Travel Information
This Island Group Belongs To India, And Lies Between 190km (118 Miles) And 300km (186 Miles) West Of Kerala. Of The 36 Coral Islands, With A Total Area Of 32.4 Sq Km (13 Sq Miles), Only Ten Are Inhabited. The Population Of 50,000 Are Mostly Muslim.
The Main Industry Is Fishing (Tuna And Sharks). That Could Change If They Were Opened Up For Unrestricted Tourist Development. On The Other Hand The Laccadives Are A Restricted Area, And Travellers Who Want To Visit The Islands Have To Get A Permit In Delhi. The Only Exception Is The Island Of Bangaram.
There Isn't Much Accommodation Available And What There Is, Is Not Very
Appealing Except For The Hotel Malabar.
Cochin, With Its 700,000 Inhabitants (1 Million In The District), Is The Largest City In Kerala And An Important Port. It Consists Of Four Parts:
Fort Cochin/Mattancherry: The Charming Old Section Of Cochin, Built On A Peninsula Where The Gpo Is Located. It Has A Charm Of Its Own And Is Worth Seeing.
Perumanoor (Ernakulam)-Willingdon Island: Every 20 Minutes Between 6am And 10pm, Daily 35 Services. This Service Is Not Really Of Interest To Tourists.
Ernakulam-Willingdon Island-Mattancherry: Between 6.30am And 9.45pm And In The Opposite Direction Between 6am And 9pm - 25 Services Daily. A Large Part Of These Are By F.P. Boats (Fast Passenger) Which Don't Stop At Willingdon Island.
It Is About 10 Minutes' Walk From The Embarkation Jetty On Willingdon Island To The Tourist Office And The Hotel Malabar. The Ferry Doesn't Stop At The Tourist Office Boat Jetty.
For The Dutch Palace And Jewish Quarter
Before They Get To Mattancherry, The Few Non-Fast
Kerala Tourist Reception Centre, Shanmugham (Shunmuham) Road, Ernakulam, Ph 353 234. Open Daily From 8am-6pm. They Take Bookings For The Bolghatty Palace And Cochin Sightseeing Tours As Well As For The Hotels In Periyar Park, But You Have To Pay A Hefty Booking Fee. Govt Of India Tourist Office Near The Hotel Malabar, Willingdon Island, Ph 6 045 Open Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-Lpm. Very Friendly And Helpful. They Have Plenty Of Pamphlets About India Even If They Are A Bit Out Of Date.
Pai And Company, 1st Floor At The Southern End Of Broadway, Ernakulam, Have A Good Selection Of Books
