The Raintree Lodge is a boutique hotel at mid range guest house prices. It only has a few rooms, so be sure to reserve well in advance. Having been to Fort Kochi 20 years earlier, I was a bit shocked to see how it had become an upmarket tourist resort. Kerala and Karnataka are no longer viable destinations for adventuresome travelers, BUT....if you end up in Fort Kochi, stay here! The rooms are comfortable and clean. The staff are helpful and polite. In a country where customer service is hard to find, the Raintree Lodge is exemplary. The best part of all is the roof terrace. Most evenings, my family and I had it all to ourselves. The views make one wonder if it is Lisbon or Trastevere in Rome. This place is excellent value for money. May their prices stay midrange!

Raintree is a small property tucked away at a short walk from the Fort Kochi sea-front. If you're travelling as a couple and are lucky enough to have one of the rooms with a small balcony overlooking the lane, then it can really make your day. But being a family of three, we were not so lucky, and ended up in one of the larger rooms located at the back of the hotel, without any view from the room. We had asked for (and paid for) an extra bed, so it came as a big surprise when we were told that an extra 'bed' actually translates to a mattress on the floor. We refused to accept that, and after a quick call to Jude (who handled our reservation earlier) a proper bed was installed.

The room was nice overall, with a spacious bathroom. They didn't profess room-service while we made the booking, so the tea we managed to get in small plastic cups were actually a bonus. Overall, the staff were attentive to the small needs, including quickly allotting us an alternate room when they were not able to get the AC to function.

Overall, value for money, but minus the character that makes a small hotel stand out in the crowd.

We stayed at the raintree over the new years period and would highly recommend. It was great value, the rooms very clean, staff helpful and the location great. Recommend the rooftop garden.

I stayed here for a few days in January 2012. A driver picked me up at the airport in the early hours of the morning, and I was happy to see that there was always somebody inside the lobby, whatever the time of day. I went straight to sleep, and it was really quiet. It's a great location, at the top quiet end of Peter Celli Street, which runs into Princess Street. It's just around the corner from the Santa Cruz Basilica and from the Kathakali theatre (shows and concerts at night, and raga in the mornings). The room was large, clean, spotless, as was the en-suite bathroom, and I had my own little balcony. Everybody was really charming and helpful. I will definitely stay there again!