Staying by the harbor
A delightful stay at Brunton Boatyard, Kochi, featuring vintage decor, serene backwaters, and a sunset cruise amidst historical landmarks.
On arriving at the hotel, I had some refreshments which were followed by lunch, for which I had a Kerala thali. The entire hotel had a lovely vintage vibe which was even reflected in the dining room with some shotguns, rifles, and paintings in the background. The restaurant was named Armoury.
After lunch, after taking a little walk and admiring the floral beauty. As I got into the room, I was able to spot some humpback dolphins in the backwaters. It was only some glimpses. A frequent spot however was the Brown Kites and the Brahminy Kites which dived into the water to catch fish or just tried to land on the higher trees. The room also had some vintage decor pieces and There was a small balcony as well where one could gaze at the ships passing by as the port was very near.
After all of that, there was a little brief about the history of Brunton, originally a boatyard owned by the British, the Brunton brothers who sold the property to CGH Earth when leaving India. The building was then constructed in place approximately 26 years ago. It was close to the great trading houses of British India when pepper from Kerala was considered as precious as gold.
Right after this walk, there was a small snack break followed by a sunset cruise in the backwaters of the Vembanadu Lake, the Periyar River, and the Arabian Sea which due to its moderate shallowness and the salt level is a perfect condition for dolphins, which are spotted here sometimes. During our cruise, I saw a lot of historical buildings including a clock tower. I also got a chance to see a dredger hard at work. At the end of the ride, I saw Kochi’s iconic Chinese fishing nets against the sunrays in all their glory. The hotel building too looked like some English or Dutch Victorian mansion from a distance hidden in the greenery.
The next morning, had a couple of banana and pineapple pancakes with honey and chocolate, saw some kites perching, and saw a pelican stationed at a rock waiting for a catch. I had breakfast a little early so I was gonna go to wait at the reception and then I saw a peacock jump in from the window. It was glorious and beautiful. After some other people came, it jumped off, tried finding it outside, but couldn’t, instead, I found a lovely pink blossom.
Later I went to a nearby Mattanchery Market just for a walk and visited a small Dutch palace now known as Mattanchery Palace, on the way, which was converted into a museum. The evening I went to St. Francis church built in 1503 by the Portuguese. It still had the 15th and 16th-century flavor in it. Next to it was a small grave of Vasco Da Gamawhere hes was buried before his remains were moved to Lisbon, the man who discovered the sea route to India, had died while his third time in the church which is why it was chosen as his burial point.
