Fort Kochi & Wellington Island

Pros Stay at Fort Kochi to soak yourself in the old world charm. Many boutique hotels and heritage homestays are located in and around Fort Kochi area.
Explore the likes of The Malabar House, Old Harbor, Koder House, Eighth Bastion , Old Lighthouse Bristow Hotel and Delight Home Stay.

Cons Away from the main city for air road and bus connections. Fort Kochi is area a tad touristy.
Recommendation: The pros outweigh the cons, if your purpose is to soak in the character of Kochi.

Wellington Island

Pros Exotic location.
Upscale (5-star) hotels on Wellington Island: Taj Malabar Resort & Spa,Casino Hotel,Trident Hotel Cochin
Cons Away from the city conveniences.

MG Road & nearby areas

Pros Everything is located nearby, the metro station, railway station shopping centers, restaurants etc.
Try the likes of Grand Hotel, ibis Kochi City Centre or Illam Heritage. There are plenty of similar hotels in the MG Road area.
Cons Though high on convenience, the area is less on heritage character.

Marine Drive

Pros This area is a ideal mix of business and tourism. It's a bustling business area, overlooking the backwater. You can walk to the boat jetty, parks, cruise ferries and so on.
Cons The area is a bit hectic.

Bolgatty Island

Stay here, you'll not regret! The backwater view is phenomenal.
Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty is the splurgy 5 star hotel. Towards the tip of the island, is the mid range Bolgatty Palace and Island Resort, a heritage hotel with character.
Cons Not many choices here.

Cherai Beach

Pros Cherai is unadulterated resorts zone. Reasonably close to the city center & other tourist attractions. The Cochin International airport is closer to Cherai than the city center. At Cherai, you'll experience the ambient of backwater and beach in one go.
Try Club Mahindra Cherai Beach. There are many similar ones...
cons Everything is aimed at the tourists.

Bypass Road

Pros The upscale business hotels like the Holiday Inn Cochin, Kochi Marriott Hotel, Crowne Plaza Kochi, Leisure Inn VKL Kochi , Ramada Resort by Wyndham Kochi etc are located on the national higway that bypesses the city. This location is near to highway, for quick intercity travel.
cons This is a commercial zone. Nothing much of a character for the area, except the Ramada Resort by Wyndham Kochi, Leisure Inn VKL and Crowne Plaza Kochi. All the three overlooks panoramic backwater area.

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