Where is The Real Marigold Hotel filmed? Hotel Le Colonial, Kochi

If you'd quite like to spend a month there yourself, the good news is their colonial mansion is not usually a retirement home for elderly celebrities. It's one of Kochi's most luxurious hotels: Le Colonial.

Lionel Blair clearly approves of his retirement home if not the neighbourhood

Le Colonial dates back to 1506 and is one of India's oldest colonial houses, possibly the oldest. For its first 150 years, it was home of the Portuguese Governor and it was one of the few houses not to be destroyed when the Dutch conquered Fort Kochi. After that, it was the home of the Dutch governors for another century and a half before it was sold to the British in 1795. It ended up being owned by English tea trader J Thomas.

Nowadays its eight rooms are kitted out with private bathrooms, air-conditioning, four-poster beds and wifi.

Bill Oddie tries to chill out by the pool

So how much does it cost? The Real Marigold Hotel informs viewers that the rent for a three-bedroom family house in Fort Kochi is just over £30 per week. Sadly Le Colonial is a little pricier. On Booking.com (which awards it a "superb" score of 9.3) the cost of a room at Le Colonial is currently £179 per night, which includes half-board.

Lionel Blair might not have been initially impressed with his new neighbourhood, but Fort Kochi is one of the nicest areas of Kochi to hang out. As well as boutique hotels, there's a lively art scene, excellent seafood and dilapidated colonial buildings that have been given a new lease of life as antiques-stuffed cafés.

Le Colonial is right next to one of Fort Kochi's most famous sights: Chinese fishing nets. In this traditional method of fishing, nets are strung from huge curved bamboo and teak poles that are operated from the shore. Legend has it that they were introduced by the Chinese explorer Zheng He in the 14th century.

Kochi is a major port city in the state of Kerala, which stretches along the Arabian Sea coast. Kerala is famous for its beaches, serene backwaters (lagoons), lush mountains, coconut curries and laidback attitude.

For more information: le-colonial.neemranahotels.com

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