Kara Hotel Fort Kochi
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Kara Hotel fort Kochi
Kara Hotel fort Kochi

Explorers invited

Welcome to Kara. An 8-room contemporary hotel in Fort Kochi that has seen history unfurl.

Our stately building was once a Portuguese mint for silver coins. And then home to the Dutch East India Company (their emblem, VOC, graces our threshold till date). And later still, an English plantation manager’s bungalow. Even today, Kara is at the heart of it all.

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The heritage wing

With just three rooms tastefully designed, our heritage wing is as exclusive as it gets. The rooms are spacious, with lofty ceilings and split-level mezzanines that double up as cosy reading corners, or tuck-aways for an extra bed. The wooded interiors, tiled roofs and open-to-air bathrooms are inspired by local architecture. The yard-cum-shower in our largest room is an absolute delight.

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Kara Hotel Heritage Rooms
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Kara Hotel Heritage Rooms
Kara Hotel Heritage Rooms
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The modern wing

If your tastes lean towards minimal luxury, we recommend these rooms. Plushly fitted and sparsely decorated, each room has just one adornment — a stunning work of art by a renowned artist. With views of the garden and the overhanging trees, they exude understated elegance. The largest room, opening out to the iconic Parade Ground and its burst of tropical foliage, gives you the feeling of stepping into a Secret Garden.

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Kara Hotel Modern Rooms
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Kara Hotel - Modern Rooms
Kara Hotel - Modern Rooms
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Discover Kara’s secrets

Kara Hotel Art

Art

Art and history are cozy comrades within our walls. Our 8-room hotel can be best described as an art hotel. Our art deco heritage wing is filled with iconic work by modern masters. And the modern, minimalist wing has artworks by renowned contemporary artists from Kerala. For even newer voices, step into our contemporary art gallery housed within the hotel premises.

Connoisseurs of art can begin at the gallery and stroll through the café, common spaces and living areas of Kara to discover their favourites. Each room also comes with a masterpiece.

Kara Hotel Art

Food

The Fort has always been a mosaic of cultures. And the food at Kara, reflects this. Our recipes, some comfortingly familiar, some surprisingly unique, have been borrowed from cultures that form the fabric of Fort Kochi. Set forth on a gastronomical exploration.

Kara Hotel Art

Architecture

To restore the aging bungalow to its present glory, renowned architects, Goetz Hagmuller from Austria and Bijoy Jain from Bombay, worked on the aesthetics. The result is a space that is true to its Dutch roots, and elevates it to a contemporary escape. Set about exploring nooks that are art deco, Dutch and quintessentially native.

Kara Hotel Art

Experiences

Colonial ruins. A rare synagogue. A church that once held the remains of Vasco da Gama. Chic boutiques and art cafes. Our neighbourhood in Fort Kochi ticks all the boxes for the explorer in you. But if you truly wish to unravel the soul of Fort Kochi, put on a pair of comfy shoes, and come along for a walk.

Our curated capsule of experiences—Art and Things We Heart— lets you in on little secrets of Fort Kochi. The vibrant, secular history of this place will come alive as we make stops to sample a bread-cake brought in by the Dutch, nibble on sweet treats and spiced chai of the Gujaratis, listen to kutcheris in the Tamil Brahmins homes, or watch arangetrams by young dancers. While old traditions thrive here, modernity has found a cosy spot too. And it is evident in the avant garde design stores and art galleries that dot the landscape. We’ll be making stops here too.

Kara Hotel Experiences
Kara Hotel Experiences
Kara Hotel Experiences
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Meet Maneesha

Say hello to the creator of Kara, Maneesha Panicker. She believes in slow travel, immersive experiences and giving back to local communities.

She is always game for gallery hopping, telling stories about the Fort, sharing secret spots for the best meen curry, and of course, a leisurely walk. She was once a city-slicker (a New Yorker, at that!). But she gave it all up to start her first travel venture—Silk Route Escapes—an experiential travel outfitter. And then went on to create Kayal Island Retreat, an award-winning boutique retreat in the backwaters of Kerala, with just four rooms. Kara is her invitation to you, to explore one of her favourite destinations, her home—Fort Kochi.

Testimonial

The dream – the goal – of a cultural traveler is to be steeped in the local traditions, history, and utter timelessness of a place and people other than your own.

I awoke on my first morning at Kara surrounded by colorful art, the warmth of sun and wood-carved furnishings, and most alluringly, the cobblestone walk from my room to the outdoor shower and bath. As if that were not enough, the table outside my door beckoned with coffee, juices, fruit and local breads. It was then that I realized two nights at Kara were not enough.

Dawn Drew.
Former VP, Nat Geo Travel.
United States of America
May, 2024