The Bungalow, located at Vypeen side of the harbor mouth of Port of Cochin, with its own history and culture. Built in 1930, this heritage building of Vypeen is a mixture of Portuguese, Dutch and Kerala architectures. Vypeen is a meld of Portuguese, Dutch and English influences; where history is alive even today.
Near St. Theresa's Chapel Vypeen, Kochi (Cochin) 682508 India
The Bungalow Heritage Homestay
407 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
There are 2 rooms at this wonderful homestay. Both are equally good. The house is a traditional Kerala home. The house has a beautiful wooden interior. The family, Neema,Prasad & Olivia, are so welcoming. The breakfasts are amazing. In fact, everything was just perfect. This was our second stay, and we were not disappointed. It is only a 2 minute walk to the ferry to take guests from Vypin Island to Fort Kochi or Ernarkulam. We would definately recommend staying here.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Location
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
During our Kerala holiday we mainly stayed in Homestays in order to “get to know the locals” and the real Kerala. The Bungalow went above and beyond! We got the history, all the stories and could ask any question. Neema is open and energetic & also very interested in getting to know her guests and Prasad has a good quiet sense of humour and a wealth of information. They have travelled the world together for a decade so apart from the good stories that also mean that communication is perfect. The rooms are beautiful & well kept and so many interesting heirlooms dotted about. It is an artificial situation to move into the house of “strangers” - a bit like a first date. We all show our better side and as Neema & family spends much more time with their guests than we experienced elsewhere my husband found it a bit less relaxed (still enjoyed it). The more you invest your self the more you gain back. So if you want to learn about India from the perspective of a modern comfortable middle class family with traditional roots then stay at The Bungalow. And don’t get me started on those breakfast Dosas...
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our stay at the Bungalow was lovely, the bungalow had such an interesting history and feel to it, and is the perfect location to get a 10 minute ferry ride to Kochi for sightseeing whilst also located on a quiet street. Neema and her husband (our hosts) were a delightful couple and made us feel at home immediately. The food cooked by Neema was delicious, would definitely recommend eating dinner and breakfast at the home stay- she was able to cater to our families dietary requirements and the food was our first introduction to south india food. Our rooms and bathrooms were clean, private, and had everything we needed. Would definitely recommend, it was a wonderful experience.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
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Neema’s Bungalow Heritage Homestay is truly special, exceptional. Neema and her husband Francis, welcomed us with such warmth. The house is tenderly cared for and immaculate; Neema’s cooking is SO delicious. Our room was pretty and quiet, with AC and lovely light. This homestay is carbon negative! Solar powered, filtered safe drinking water (no plastic)! We loved staying on Vypin Island, a few minutes walk to the 3 rupee ferry to Fort. Exploring Vypin is also quite interesting and away from the more touristic Fort. Neema connected us with an expert guide who took us to places we never would have been able to see focused on the Jewish history of the region, but including the first Church in India, and the palatial house once owned by a local matrilineal dynasty, and ended in lunch by the Arabian Sea at Chennai Beach, where we had a lovely swim. The tour was highlighted in Neema’s helpful guest guidebook, otherwise we never would have found out about it.
We loved Neema’s cooking so much we arranged for her to make dinner for us. Five exquisitely prepared dishes.
Neema and Francis helped us plan details of the next step of our trip. We weren’t planning on it, but we loved it so much that decided to return for one more night before heading home.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Enjoy Neema’s cooking — you’ll make her very happy if you eat everything!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am so glad that we had the opportunity to stay at this Bungalow Heritage Homestay. It is truly an experience we will never forget. The building is so beautiful, both inside and out and is filled with the most wonderful furniture and decorations from around the world. We really felt very at home at Neema's and we were made to feel extremely welcome from the moment we stepped through the door. We had the best night's sleep in the room Sao Gabriel - the bed is super comfy! The breakfast was also delicious...and plentiful!! Overall just the most wonderful experience and we are both so pleased to meet Neema and Prasad. I really hope that we will be able to return to this gorgeous homestay someday in the future.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a great stay at this Heritage house built by Neema's Great grandfather. This building is soooooo..... beautiful, with teak wood floorings and the house is in three different styles. Glad that we had an opportunity to stay with Neema's family.
Breakfast served at The Bungalow was really tasty and this made us to book a course with her in her kitchen.
She runs a Cookery school named as Neema's Kitchen in the same property. We booked a Non - Veg course with a group of four and the experience was just mind blowing. The class was fully hands - on and we really enjoyed our time with Neema. Great stay with Class.
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed for 3 nights. (And I wish I had stayed there longer.) The family is friendly and the room is clean and comfortable.
The house is filled with marine art like a museum, and has a traditional yet elegant atmosphere. Hot showers are provided. My stay in Kochi was even more fulfilling because I was able to stay here.
The house is located just a stone's throw from the port of Vypin and there is no problem in crossing to Fort Kochi by boat every day. (Fort Kochi is a 5 minute boat ride and costs only INR3.)
I was lucky to stay in the calm atmosphere of this house in Vypin rather than Fort Kochi. It was a wonderful and comfortable stay. Thank you for all the memories.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We are delighted with Neema's hospitable and loving nature. With Neema you don't feel like a guest, but like part of the family. Here you experience Indian culture
Her beautiful and historic house is very well located. From here you can get anywhere quickly and easily.
Both Neema and her husband Prasad took time for us every day and gave us great tips on how to get around Kochi as cheaply and authentically as possible (ferry, water metro, metro, train) and explore the best places. They also helped us plan our onward journey. We chatted and laughed a lot together. Neema also offers well-organized and very tasty cooking courses. After breakfast, which Neema always prepares with love, it should be clear to everyone that this experience is not to be missed!
Conclusion: If in Kochi, then a stay with Neema and her family is a MUST!
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We visited The Bungalow for a second time and enjoyed another lovely stay with Neema, Prasad and Olivia. We were made to feel so welcome in their beautiful traditional home which is spotlessly clean and very comfortable. Nothing was too much trouble and we were very grateful for their advice and their interesting stories. Breakfasts were delicious and varied. We had different traditional South Indian breakfasts every day and ate far too much! Once again, thank you for a lovely stay. We will be back to visit again
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travelling solo for the first time since covid was a worrying experience yet as soon as I emailed Neema my mind was reassured. She helped put my mind at ease offering advice on airport transfers & going above & beyond to greet me at 430am for an early check. I felt extremely welcome in their beautifully traditional family home, I’d forgotten an adaptor so Neema lent me her charger. I also booked her cookery course which is great! I would love to return with my family as the rooms are private & comfortable yet can be made to be adjoining. A homestay not to miss!
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Email Neema for a quick response
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Buchu
Its about 2 minutes walk from The Bungalow Heritage Homestay to Ferry station and 5 minutes ferry takes you to the heart of Fort Kochi. From there all 5 venues of Biennale are walking distance. Main venue of Aspinwall is just 2 minutes to walk from Fort Kochi Ferry station.
There are more places to choose from in the Kochi (Cochin) area.
LOCATION
IndiaKeralaErnakulam DistrictKochi (Cochin)
NUMBER OF ROOMS
2
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Are there any historical sites close to The Bungalow Heritage Homestay?
Many travellers enjoy visiting St. George Orthodox Koonan Kurish Old Syrian Church (1.9 km), Aspinwall House (0.8 km), and Kadavum Bagam Synagogue (3.4 km).
