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with the rooms on the ground floor). Pick room 105 and you get to overlook The Malabar House next door; at press time, Coral was adding one or two new rooms, but its safe to say that she is retaining her homestay roots despite a more guesthouselike presentation—after all, she and husband, Bernard, lived here 32 years before opening up for guests. Also recommended is Walton’s Home Stay (Princess St.; 0484/221-5309; www.waltonshomestay.com), which has recently had a face-lift that has greatly improved its nine rooms (they all have private verandas and are air-conditioned; Rs 1,200–Rs 2,600 double); and the even better-value Noah’s Ark Homestay (see below).

Delight It’s the people—a lovely, warmhearted family—that makes this 300-year-old Portuguese house worth considering. Accommodations may be slightly rudimentary, but they’re well-thought out, with personally designed fittings, furniture, and decor. Owner David Lawrence, who grew up in this house, even created false ceilings in the rooms to mimic the ambience of a traditional Keralite house: “We had no architect, no designer—it’s all done to our thinking. We think it’s good for ordinary people,” he says. In fact, the rooms are pretty cute, with a few inoffensive kitschy elements thrown in; showers are open plan, but there’s always hot water thanks to solar heating, and clean towels and linens. David’s wife, Flowery, gives cooking lessons, and you’ll chew the fat around the breakfast table for hours. This ain’t luxury, but it’s authentic, and nowhere else will you find keener insights into life in a Roman Catholic Fort Kochi household. Besides, David is like a one-man travel agency, and he really knows local history.

Parade Ground, Post Office Rd., Fort Kochi 682 001. /fax 0484/221-7658 or 0484/221-6301. www.delightfulhomestay.com. 6 units, all with shower only. High season Rs 2,500 A/C double, Rs 1,600 (non-A/C double; low season Rs 1,200 A/C double, Rs 800 non-A/C double. Rates include breakfast and taxes. MC, V. Amenities: Family dining room, TV lounge; airport transfers (Rs 650–Rs 695); cooking classes. In room: A/C (in some) and fan.

Hotel Fort House The best feature of this budget “hotel” is undoubtedly its location right on the waterfront—it even has a private jetty (though no rooms overlook the water as such). Two wings of simple, unfussy rooms opening on to shared verandas run along either side of a leafy open courtyard, with the harbor at one end, and the main road on the other. Rooms in the newer wing are shabbily elegant, and clean with no frills—just a few cane chairs, a simple bed made up white sheets, and a large spherical light dangling above. Request a room close to the water and you’ll have less road noise (although harbor traffic never lets up). As is often the case at such budget lodges, the whole place buzzes with travelers—it’s great for lazing on the porch with a book, or simply staring out at the endlessly coming and going ships. Local guides and sightseeing can be arranged, and an in-house tailor can whip up casual clothing in a matter of hours. There is also a brand-new Ayurvedic center, but still no pool.

2/6A Calvathy Rd., Fort Cochin 682 001. 0484/221-7103 or 938-748-6150. www.hotelforthouse.com. fort_hs@yahoo.com. 16 units, all with shower only. High season Rs 3,800 standard double, Rs 2,500 smaller double; low season Rs 2,660 standard double, Rs 1,750 small double. Rates include breakfast; 15% tax extra. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; airport transfers (Rs 750–Rs 850); Internet (broadband near reception; Rs 50/hr.); tailor. In room: A/C, no phone.

Noah’s Ark Homestay Run by a warm and welcoming family that loves meeting you as much as you’ll enjoy spending time in their home, this is one of Fort Kochi’s best homestays, and very conveniently located if you want to be right up close to all the action. The large family home is in the Modernist style—lots of concrete, twisting stairways, straight lines and sharp angles, but with wonderful natural light and generous balconies. Interiors have a touch of the ’70s to them and they’re immaculately