Allan's Inn
Allan's Inn is an economical option in Fort Kochi, Kochi, handy for travellers focused on Chinese Fishing Nets, Fort Kochi and the main sights.
Guests typically choose Fort Kochi for its balance of location and price; Allan's Inn is a good fit if you want to be near the action in Kochi.
Key facts
What’s included
Around Fort Kochi
Getting around Kochi and getting in from the airport
You do not need a car in Kochi itself; the metro, the ferries and autorickshaws cover almost everything. Kochi Metro runs about 28 km from Aluva through Edappally, Palarivattom, Kaloor, MG Road, Kadavanthra and Vyttila to Thripunithura, with fares of ₹10–₹60 and trains from roughly 06:00 to 22:00. The state ferry from High Court jetty in Ernakulam to Fort Kochi takes about 25 minutes for under ₹10, and the Water Metro's air-conditioned boats link Vyttila, Kakkanad, Bolgatty, Vypin and Fort Kochi for ₹20–₹40. Autos start around ₹30 for the first 1.5 km, and Fort Kochi to Mattancherry is a ₹100–₹150 ride.
From Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery, count on 30 km to Ernakulam and 45 km to Fort Kochi. A prepaid taxi is roughly ₹1,000–₹1,300 to Marine Drive and ₹1,600–₹1,900 to Fort Kochi, taking 50 minutes to 1 hour 30 depending on the Edappally and Vyttila junctions; the low-floor airport bus is around ₹100–₹140 but slow. The cheap trick is a ₹400 auto or taxi to Aluva metro station, 10 km away, then the metro. Trains use Ernakulam Junction (ERS) and Ernakulam Town (ERN), with some long-distance services stopping only at Aluva; for buses, Vyttila Mobility Hub is where KSRTC and private services to Alappuzha, Muvattupuzha and Munnar leave from. Hire a car with driver, about ₹3,000–₹4,500 a day, only for Munnar, Thattekkad, Kodanad or Athirappilly.
How many nights do you need in Kochi?
Three nights covers Kochi city properly; five to seven if you want Cherai, Alappuzha or Munnar attached. Day one belongs to Fort Kochi on foot — the fishing nets at high tide, St Francis Church, a Kathakali show at around ₹400 with the make-up starting an hour before curtain. Day two is Mattancherry and Jew Town: the Dutch Palace and the Paradesi Synagogue, both cheap to enter at ₹10–₹15, then the spice lanes, remembering the synagogue is shut on Fridays and Saturdays and the palace on Fridays. Day three works best as water — the Water Metro out to Vypin, or a Kumbalangi backwater morning, or Hill Palace at Tripunithura, which closes on Mondays.
For a week, add two nights at Cherai for the actual beach, 35 km from Ernakulam over the Goshree bridges, and either one night on an Alappuzha houseboat 55 km south or two nights in Munnar 130 km east, about four hours by road. Do not try Munnar as a day trip; eight hours of driving for three hours of tea estates is a wasted day, and Eravikulam National Park shuts for roughly six weeks in February and March for tahr calving. Thattekkad's Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, 60 km north-east near Kothamangalam, needs a dawn start to be worth it. Athirappilly, 70 km north on the Chalakudy river, is a comfortable half-day with entry around ₹50 and is at its loudest from July to September.
What hotels actually cost in Kochi
Budget in Kochi means ₹900–₹2,000 a night: a clean lodge near Ernakulam Junction or a two-room homestay in Fort Kochi, fan or basic AC, hot water in the morning, breakfast sometimes thrown in. Mid-range is ₹2,500–₹6,000 and is where the city is strongest — courtyard homestays off Burgher Street, business hotels in Panampilly Nagar and Kakkanad, and beach-facing rooms at Cherai, generally with AC, a lift, and breakfast included. Above ₹9,000 you are into the restored Fort Kochi warehouses and harbour-front properties on Willingdon Island and Bolgatty, where ₹12,000–₹25,000 buys sea-facing balconies, a pool and a proper restaurant. Kakkanad inverts the usual pattern: rooms cost more Monday to Thursday for Infopark visitors and drop ₹800–₹1,500 at weekends.
Rates spike hardest from 22 December to 2 January, when Fort Kochi doubles for the Cochin Carnival and New Year, and again over the Onam weekend in August or September. Biennale winters lift Fort Kochi weekends from December onwards, and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Punnamada on the second Saturday of August pulls rooms out of Kochi as well as Alappuzha. The cheapest beds of the year are in June and July, when the same ₹4,000 room in Fort Kochi often goes for ₹2,200. Check whether the quoted rate includes GST — Kerala hotels below ₹7,500 attract a lower rate than those above it, and some listings show the pre-tax figure.