Brunton Boatyard

Fort Kochi is known for its charming lanes, the Chinese fishing nets that are as photogenic as advertised, the cafés, and the famous Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Into this very self-aware setting, CGH Earth has placed Brunton Boatyard: a restored Victorian-era shipyard right on the edge of Kochi harbour, with a facade that looks like it belongs to a colonial trading company – which, for the record, it once did. The original name of the shipbuilding firm that operated here, Brunton & Co., has been kept on. It's a building that carries its history visibly, which is more than most heritage hotels can honestly claim.

All 22 rooms face the sea. Lazy cargo ships, fishing boats returning at dawn, dolphins dipping in and out of the water, and sunsets over the palm-fringed shores of Vypin Island have converted more than a few city dwellers into slow travellers. Period furniture, four-poster beds, and deep verandas built for the specific purpose of watching ships come in with the tide make each room feel designed by someone who understood what the harbour outside was going to do at different hours of the day. Location, as they say, is everything: the Fort Kochi–Vypeen ferry terminal is a one-minute walk, and the giant cantilevered Chinese fishing nets that have made this stretch of coast one of the most recognised views in Kerala are essentially at the door.

The History Restaurant is named with complete sincerity, and earns it. The menu maps the multicultural trading history of this coast with a discipline that Kerala's culinary history actually supports: Chuttuly Meen speaks to a Jewish heritage; Samak Bil Harder Asful carries the weight of Arabia; Fish Moilee comes with its Syrian Christian identity intact; the vindaloo arrives trailing the Portuguese.

The Ayurvedic spa has daily treatments for anyone who needs to counterbalance the history and the food with something more restorative, and CGH Earth organises walking tours of Fort Kochi's colonial-era streets directly from the property – a small but significant courtesy that means you're not left googling a guide once you check in. Mattancherry is walkable from here too: the four-century-old synagogue, the Mattancherry Palace, the spice market and antique lanes of Jew Town. The entire precinct reveals itself slowly over multiple walks, which is a good reason to stay longer than you planned.

Time Out tip: Book a Harbour View Room over a standard one. The price difference is small, but you'll watch container ships and the famous fishing nets swing in and out of the water from bed. Don’t miss the complimentary high tea, a classic CGH Earth offering.

Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, approx. 36-45km or a one-hour drive away.