Brunton Boatyard

My stay at Brunton was the last part of my visit to Kerala following five very relaxing nights at Marari Beach! Just like Kochi itself, the moment you step into Brunton, you go through a time portal! It's a beautiful colonial place that time has left untouched! It's Raffles without the tourist glitz! And it's all the better for it!

The hotel is grand! From the beautiful paintings along the wide corridors to the green courtyard and scenic sea views, you would be forgiven if you thought you were in a different era! It has a prime location and you can enjoy numerous walks through the town visiting all the sites.

I love the way the rooms maintain their character with high beds, old wooden window blinds and many with balconies overseeing the ferry terminal and the Chinese fishing nets. Yes, it may be noisy from the boat traffic, but I wouldn't have it any other way! It's all part of the charm. Even though they provide ear protection in the room, I did not find it necessary.

I really enjoyed the complimentary sunset cruise and had fun spotting dolphins in the morning playing just outside the hotel. The local fishermen are all happy to demonstrate their fishing nets and will invite you "on board" for photos.

The hotel has a wonderful rooftop restaurant serving the most delicious fish platters as well as a bar and two other indoor restaurants. Breakfast and lunch can all be served on the outside veranda near the pool overlooking the harbour.

All members of staff are extremely helpful, attentive and happy to assist in any way possible! The service is faultless. 

I hope time continues to leave this place untouched. I am looking forward to some more time travel to the past, in the future.

This hotel is in the old town of Cochin. The new town is a busy Indian city but the old town looks like you went to Key West. There are shops with high prices, plenty of restaurants and a high concentration of foreign tourists (including us). If you want to stay in the old town this is a good location. You almost fall on the China nets when you walk out the door. The hotel is clean and pleasant but the food is average. The service at breakfast is slow and somewhat unreliable. I liked my stay here but wasn't as positive about it as some of the other places I stayed in India. We also visited the cultural show. Sounds like a Corn Ball tourist thing to do, but actually was interesting. The dance that you learn about is seen in many parts of Kerela and the cultural show helps to understand what you are seeing, not just a guy in green face paint.

A delightful hotel with rooms facing the sea - you will never be bored sitting on your balcony watching everything from fishing canoes to large container ships going by. The hotel is an oasis of calm in busy Fort Kochi - the only drawback is the VERY noisy ferries which run continuously all day but fortunately do not run at night. Very nice swimming pool and a small adjacent garden where you can eat breakfast. One night we ate at the seafood barbecue restaurant on the roof terrace - delicious food but a little on the pricey side. There is a good restaurant opposite the hotel and other restaurants only a short taxi/tuctuc ride away.
Rooms were well equipped. My husband and I both celebrated our birthdays whilst we were there and were presented with delicious personally decorated cakes. Staff were all very helpful - nothing was too much trouble - would certainly recommend this hotel.

Greated by a most beautiful old 1930's looking, courtyard reception with rooms with atmosphere that took you back when people had tea inIndia with perhaps a Gin & Tonic, (quinine) ....

Here was a setting for another 'rome with a view' ala India...

We were greeted and shown to an period style room all befitting of the hotel style ...made you smile when you entered.

We were asked if we were dinning in the hotel and recommended to the terrace restaurant that evening..we had the hotel make the reservation.

we dressed and left the room to dicover this terrace restaurant with great anticipation of something new.....

We were shown to our table by our restaurant manager hi apperance was a young handsom man of mid 30's who asked if i had a reservation when i said yes ,he took my word for it...no problem.

we sat at the table and looked over a boat docking station that every 15 mins a new arrival of passengers would enter this dockside disembark wait for new pasengers to fill ( an old war Landing craft) that took them with vans bikes and busses away from the shore and off to another destination not far away..no sooner had this departed when another craft arrived and did the same allover again........One big thing the noise of the boat craft people carrier..passenger boat was deafening it had no silencer on its engine and roared itself away from the shore every time it had to leave. Great sound for a romantic evening ....

Whilst we were settling down and very aware of these boats comming and going and the noise....we had not noticed that we had not recieved any table attention for at least the first twenty mins'..why i do not know but ther were ten tablesandonly six occupied waiters running up an down and the resuarant man'was helping a table take some pictures...35mins still no service...no menue to look at no water nobread actually NOTHING..45mins i'm begining to blow a fuse... a few waves at the waiters get ignored....

eventually the manager and i came to verble blows and we had dinner...good start?

Food ...fish ...Lobster Bisk the best highly recomend..

The following day we toured Cochin Jewish Quarter the very early settlement of the Jewish traders in this part of India...apparently still tresured by the locals and by the indian kings for the legacy of thes highly educated highly respected jewish settlers...we visited the oldest Synagouge in India a building with a magnificent atmospher of history and worship..messmorising.... loved it its a must.

We were with a driver who insisted that we meet with an old lady shop keeper by the name of Sarah Cohen.. the most charming indian Jewish mother that i have ever come across..steeped in her own history with a thousand stories to tell ..as lively as an 18 year old looking 21 somebody whispered (.......over 80) we bought every thing we could buy from this lady books on the history of the Jews in cochin etc etc she obliged by signing with 'Love & Kisses'
Sarah Cohen...Cochin 2012.

After we drove away back to our hotel and another terrace dinner..with the compliments of the hotel...very kind very correct...but i would have prefered ...just dinner not war..

We left the following day for Kerrala by basket Boat....'Romantic as hell'