1882 ReviewsSituated on Willingdon Island with a magnificent view of Cochin harbour, Vivanta by Taj - Malabar is a fine balance between yesterday and tomorrow. Get set to be delighted with small surprises from the moment you enter.The lobby is a unique mix of chic and classic. This arrival zone sets the tone for guestrooms and banquet facilities that deliver the ultimate in urban relaxation. The heritage wing, built in 1935, has graceful Victorian interiors that aptly reflect the inherent beauty of Cochin. And the tower wing houses newly renovated guestroom suites, each a delicate mix of the classic with the contemporary. Technology is woven through it all. Vivanta by Taj - Malabar, has all the entertainment and connectivity options todays traveller requires.
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Willingdon Island,Cochin,Kerala,IndiaSituated on Willingdon Island with a magnificent view of Cochin harbour, Vivanta by Taj - Malabar is a fine balance between yesterday and tomorrow. Get set to be delighted with small surprises from the moment you enter.The lobby is a unique mix of chic and classic. This arrival zone sets the tone for guestrooms and banquet facilities that deliver the ultimate in urban relaxation. The heritage wing, built in 1935, has graceful Victorian interiors that aptly reflect the inherent beauty of Cochin. And the tower wing houses newly renovated guestroom suites, each a delicate mix of the classic with the contemporary. Technology is woven through it all. Vivanta by Taj - Malabar, has all the entertainment and connectivity options todays traveller requires.
Rating from 1882 reviews
Sleep QualityRoomsServiceValueCleanliness 
Manu Kumaran on 08/02/2018 10:48
Absolutely recommend this quaint old school property from the Taj Group. A special shout out to Saneej Pottakad for taking extremely good care of me..
Waking up to beautiful views of the backwaters and the gastronomic delights at the breakfast buffet set a wonderful tone for the day to come..
Definitely a place to visit.. over and over again
Christopher B on 07/02/2018 06:56
Delightful quiet spot on island tip overlooking busy harbour halfway between business centre and tourist spots. Friendly staff. Great garden, pool and spa. Delicious food. Access via taxi or walk/ferry. Idyllic.
pratik s on 03/02/2018 18:13
Having lived in a few Taj properties, I expected the same hospitality at this hotel, but I was left disappointed
I had gone to this hotel with my colleagues for an office event and throughout our 3 day stay there, we were subject to rude hosts and restaurant staff who were completely untrained.
The highlights in chronological order
1) We reached at 10am and were told that rooms will be available only from 2pm. Fair enough.. the problem though is that most of the hotel has very poor cell phone reception. I needed to use the internet at 12 for a call. I was rudely informed that internet would be provided only post 2pm despite multiple requests
2) We were informed that the rooms were ready at 1.30, but asked to wait at the lobby for half an hour in a display of basic lack of courtesy and common sense. The manager at the receptionist pointed at the clock as justification for this behavior
3) While the tariffs of the rooms were the same, that vastly different in all aspects. We were having the backwaters but from the window was restricted to the roof of the floor downstairs. Some other colleagues got lucky
4) We were holding an awards night internally and wished for seating for 40 colleagues which we had informed in advance. They arranged the seating like people were supposed to attend a wedding. We asked for a banquet style seating with people in groups around round tables. Imagine our surprise when the duty manager started abusing us for this simple request. He said it will take more than an hour to arrange 4 tables. We managed to call him down and finally the request went through. The table setup took all of 10 minutes.
5) The waiters in their restaurant are untrained who don't understand the basic concept of keeping cutlery ready on the table for meals. Every single person has to take permission to use every piece of cutlery.
6) The place is full of Westerners and the attitude of the staff was bordering on racism towards Indian guests. What an irony!
Will never recommend this place to anyone particularly Indians. Be ready to be treated 'differently'
Alan M on 03/02/2018 16:53
While this property does not exude the Taj experience, it is a reasonable place to stay while in Cochin. The main areas of the facility are lovely with nice views over the waterfront; the infinity pool is beautiful with a convenient pool bar. There is a fine breakfast and lunch service, but the time and attention to the service is seriously lacking. The rooms are adequate but could use some updates. The service from the pool staff and restaurant were confused at best. Simple orders of french fries and a drink poolside literally took well in excess of one hour and were still incorrect (across multiple people). The checks for the orders were all incorrect and required adjustment. A group dinner, while enjoyable, was impacted by the lack of attention to service expected from this level of hotel. Ultimately, I would suggest that improvement could be achieved through improved training and perhaps having a staff with better language skills.
Siddy0208 on 01/02/2018 13:39
This property, by the price range it operates in, falls in the 5Star deluxe range of hotels in India. Comparing my experience here with other such hotels in other Indian cities, me and my group of friends were left disappointed.
Firstly, the rooms themselves were just okay, not great at all for the price paid. We got a room on the ground floor, which is relatively worse off. There were multiple service issues during our visit. Staff seemed a bit rigid and didn't find the warmth and hospitality that we have come to expect of Taj. We had planned an event and we faced a lot of issues owing to lack of support from the staff. The manager in particular was very rude to my friend. Food was also okay for me (nothing to talk about) and the assortment was definitely a disappointment.
Hence, I am not sure why this property is as highly rated as it is. They should either raise their service standards or lower prices.
