#BloggerContest: Holiday Inn—A Magical Stay in Kochi

As travel bugs, our all-time favourite destination is our hometown Kerala. The more we explore God's Own Country, we learn how much more we still have to explore. Out of all the cities, small towns and villages, the love for Kochi has always been very special. We have our cousin staying in Kochi and we never miss a chance to enjoy the vintage charm of 'the queen of Arabian Sea' which was once a Dutch as well as British Colony. Since Kochi is a popular tourist destination (among Indian and foreigners alike) the city is home to many good hotels. One of the best among these is the Holiday Inn.

We got a chance to experience the hospitality at Holiday Inn a while back and needless to say we had a memorable stay. We had been to Kochi for a wedding and we choose Holiday Inn as we had heard great reviews about the hotel. The fact that the hotel was close to the wedding venue was an added advantage. Since we were a large group, we were expecting a slight delay in check-in, but to our surprise, the check-in formalities were completed and all of us received the keys to our allotted rooms within no time.

Rooms at the Holiday Inn are spacious and well furnished with cupboards, a sofa, an office table and chair and king size bed. The walls decorated with minimal paintings gave an elegant touch to the room. The best part? Our room offered beautiful views of the city! We reached the hotel in the evening after a tiring drive, so all we wanted was a good sleep.

The next morning we woke up quite late and quickly rushed for breakfast. The breakfast hall, Masala is spacious with a wide buffet spread (buffet breakfast was included in our package). We mainly focused on our favorite authentic Kerala food which itself had quite a lot of varieties. We thoroughly enjoyed our first meal of the day and rushed to the rooms to get ready for wedding functions. The Holiday Inn has five restaurants offering a variety of cuisine. Masala is the main dining option which serves buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Deli KC is a coffee shop serving a variety of tea, coffee and finger foods. For Italian food, head to Roma. Oasis is the exotic poolside bar and Stadia is a sports theme bar with options for indoor games. Our personal favourites were Roma and Deli KC. 

We were very happy with the service standards of the hotel and the friendly and helpful staff who made us feel at home. Because we were busy with the wedding celebrations, we didn’t get time to explore the other services the hotel offered, like the gym, spa and the bar. But we made sure we spent some time near the swimming pool where we enjoyed a relaxed time along with chilled glasses of beer and delicious snacks. 

We had a memorable two night stay at Holiday Inn and I confidently say it is one of the best hotels in Kochi. The hotel has a number of room options available, right from deluxe rooms to luxurious presidential suites. The hotel has ample parking space and even if you don’t have your own car you can get around the city using app based cabs like Ola/Uber, or auto rickshaws. 

The Holiday Inn is around 30 km from the Kochi International airport and it will take you an hour to get to the hotel. All the main attractions of Kochi are within 7 km of the hotel. Overall a great stay and I look forward to staying at the Holiday Inn again. 

Book Your Stay at Holiday Inn, Kochi!