Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / India / Kochi / Taj Malabar Resort & Spa, Cochin
Taj Malabar Resort & Spa, Cochin
Kochi, India · Taj Hotels · High Luxury
The government built a Willingdon Island hostel in just two months for two lakh rupees, opening it on 8 March 1935, a day before the first Bibby Liner steamer, the Shropshire, docked at Cochin Harbour's man-made island, dredged from the sea in 1928. Indian Hotels took over in 1984; the Heritage Wing reopened under Taj on 14 April 1987, and a year-long renovation finished in 2024.
- 93 rooms
- Opened 1935
- Neighborhood: Willingdon Island
About Taj Malabar Resort & Spa, Cochin
- Willingdon Island itself was dredged from Cochin Harbour in 1928, a man-made island built for ocean steamers.
- The original L-shaped hostel later gained a second wing, forming the U-shaped Heritage Wing that still stands; a 63-room Tower Wing followed after Taj took over.
- Spencer's and Co., then D.C. Johar and Co., ran the Malabar before Indian Hotels arrived in 1984.
History
The Taj Malabar stands at the tip of Willingdon Island, the great man-made island created in Cochin Harbour in 1928 from soil dredged from the sea. When ocean-going steamers began calling and shipping lines sought passenger accommodation, the government hastily built a Government Hostel, constructed in just two months at a cost of two lakh rupees, which opened on 8 March 1935, a day before the first Bibby Liner, the 'Shropshire', docked. Initially known as the Willingdon Island Hotel and later the Malabar Hotel, the original L-shaped building offered European-style comforts, polished teakwood floors and a swimming pool, and proved so popular that a second wing was added to form the U-shaped Heritage Wing that survives today.
Run over the years by Spencer's and Co. and then D.C. Johar and Co., the hotel was taken over by the Indian Hotels Company (Taj group) in 1984; its 33-room Heritage Wing reopened under Taj on 14 April 1987, and a modern 63-room Tower Wing was later added as the property grew. In 2023–24 the Taj Malabar underwent a year-long, top-to-bottom renovation, reopening in 2024 with refreshed interiors that honor Kochi's maritime and multicultural heritage while overlooking the harbour and the Arabian Sea.
The setting
7 km from Mahatma Gandhi Road. 9 km from Paradesi Synagogue.
Restaurants and bars
- Pepper — Restaurant · All-Day-Dining
- Rice Boat — Restaurant · Coastal Speciality
- Matancherry Bar — Bar
- Dolphin's Point — Restaurant · Grills
Experiences
- Heritage walk at Fort and Matancherry — Heritage walk at Fort and Matancherry.
- The Cochin Art walk — The Cochin Art walk.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Sauna
- Fitness center
- Yoga
Open Taj Malabar Resort & Spa, Cochin in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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