Sajhome Kochi

Our recent 3 night stay at saj homestay was an excellent experience. As most other reviewers on here have already stated, the property is extremely clean and hot water is always available. The prices are fair by other Kerala homestay standards, and an outright steal in comparison to the hefty prices of accommodation in major Indian cities we recently visited. The homestay on the left side of saj charges something like double what saj charges!

Moreover, Mr. Sadiq did not charge us extra for a third person in the room (and provided a clean mattress and sheet plus pillow for the third person). He also organized a two day tour of Munnar for us, including a one night stay at a similarly priced property in Munnar. He also organized a great 3 hour houseboat tour for us. The fresh orange juice with pulp is excellent and saj's other staff such as baiju and the cleaning lady are very helpful and friendly.

FYI -- The two best internet cafes in fort cochin are located next to each other and a 10 minute walk from saj homestay (one of them is called cafe de net and is near a well known store called "shop n pay" or something like that if memory recollects). Other less decent internet cafes are located along the way to cafe de net.

Krishna cafe serves great (but limited) food for vegetarians.

Kerala people in general are among the friendlies on earth, and women are very safe walking alone at night. After being conned and harassed in Delhi, this was a wonderful experience for me and my parents who are visiting India as NRIs after two plus decades.

A norwegian couple I met in Goa adviced me to stay at Saj´s home while in Cochin. I made my booking by phone one day before my arrival, and I was lucky to get a room. Saj sent me a driver to pick me up at the airport in Cochin, and since I travelled on my own I really appreciated this service.

The location is nearby all the things I liked to see in Cochin. Besides a good price, nice and clean rooms Saj treats his guests like his friends. He´s happy to advice you where to go and what to se, both in Cochin and in Kerala in general.

I gladly recomend this home stay.

Kristina from Sweden

If you're looking for a great place to stay in Fort Cochin, Saj Homestay is highly recommended. We were delightfully surprised by our fantastic stay there in December 2007. The place is centrally located, with a great deal of attractions within walking distance. A plethora of information can be offered by the owner Ali Sadiq. He will provide you with maps and show tickets, set you off on a day trip out of the city, or just offer any sort of advice catered to your travelling goals. The place is impeccably clean with warm showers. The bottom floor is actually the home of Mr. Sadiq's adorable family, which gives the place a comfortable, home-like feeling; this also means that someone is always available to offer your help if you might need it. Moreover, each of the staff pays careful attention to each guest and will welcome you upon your arrival after your day of travelling. Mr. Sadiq was kindly willing to offer his home computer for internet usage, but there is also a fairly priced internet cafe just down the street. In addition, bags can be left at the hotel after check-out. Finally, the price is incredible at only 900 IR for a two person room, with TV, balcony, and air-con.

www.sajhome.com

The hotel is well situated in Fort Kochi. Rooms are very clean, bathrooms are big. The owner is very helpful and friendly. He found us accommodation and transport to Munnar at the very last minute at Christmas time. He gave us useful advice on what to see in the city or where to find impossible train tickets to Goa! I would recommed this place to anyone, especially if it's your first trip to Kochi! And after the welcome you received, you wanna come back!

Que dire du Saj Home si ce n'est que j'y retournerai avec plaisir. Accueil Irréprochable, rassurant, souriant, un patron d'une gentillesse rare qui se plie en quatre pour vous aider. Chambre vraiment très propre et confortable, la notre avait un petit balcon privatif, climatisée ou non. 8 chambres, ambiance familiale. Rassurant ma soeur est arrivée seule au milieu de la nuit 5h avant moi un taxi envoyé par l'hôtel l'attendait à l'aéroport. J'y suis repassé avec grand plaisir au retour de Munnar. Visitez le site : www.sajhome.com

saj was a very clean and cozy looking homestay with clean rooms and very helpful staff. you can ask sadiq to help you with anything!

he booked us yoga classes, taxis, plane tickets and he can also help you with trips to lakshadweep islands and tickets to all dance and theatre performances.

we stayed over a week and were very delighted of the homely feeling and easy access to all of fort cochi's sightings.

We stayed for 2 nights at Saj home and I can highly reccommend it. The owner & staff are so pleasant, and instantly make you feel at home - they will go out of their way help you with bookings, advice, anything you need.

The rooms are very clean and the breakfasts are great. Really good value for money, and good location - within walking distance to most areas of interest. I would definately stay here again.

Saj Homestay was a wonderful surprise in Fort Cochin. We stayed in 2 rooms with balconies. The rooms had screeens on the windows and attached bathrooms with hot water and showerheads. The rooms were spotless and very comfortable. The owner and staff were also very friendly and helpful. They booked tickets for a dance performance for us and a taxi to the airport. If you are looking for a relaxing and affordable place to stay, I'd highly recommend Saj Homestay.

We arrived in Fort Cochin at the height of tourist season; New Year's Eve. We had already booked a (very expensive) hotel, but walking into town, we passed by Saj Home, and Saddiq called to us from the balcony, asking if we wanted a room. We ended up staying for three nights, and he was very helpful, booking us to see a dancing performance and on a backwaters tour. (The backwaters tour is a must in Kochi!) With very clean rooms and common areas, breakfast served on a balcony, and reasonable rates (we paid 1500 rupees per night, and the exchange rate was roughly 40 rupees to the dollar, so it was about $40 a night), I'd give it a big thumbs up.

I found Sajhome on the internet and wrote an email to book two nights in November 2007. He responded same day. When we arrived we were greated as we got out of the autotaxi and it felt like meeting an old friend. He had just added an extra story so our room was new and very comfortable with a small balcony away from the street.

Unfortunately we had planned too little time here but to our defense we had no idea Cochi was such a jewel to vist. Alis helped us plan our stay and booked tickets for a dance theatre and also booked for ayurveda massages. Make sure you try that - it's 1,5 hours in heaven for 600 rps.

If I have to mention one thing that stands out about this place it has to be his wife's cooking. She made the most amazing keralan breakfast for us. They also offer laundry service at a low cost. It's located within walking distance from many interesting historical buildings and the harbour where you can easily spend half a day watching daily life