Sikkim
This special but very simple ridge-top place is home to Tibetan-Lepcha brothers, a monk and an incense-maker. They're descended from Gangyap's semi…
Must-see hotels in India
Gangtok
This loveable family hotel in Tadong, 3km below Gangtok, has corridors of botanical prints leading to spotless ensuite rooms. There's a lounge adorned…
Sikkim
This excellent budget option high above Mangan is backed by a lush fruit garden and has dazzling dawn views of Khangchendzonga from the two bright, fresh…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Managed with considerable love and flair by a charming French woman, the five-room Shanti Guesthouse is one of Zanskar's most appealing places to stay. It…
Gujarat & Diu
Set in stately gardens with a retinue of peacocks, this former maharaja’s palace dating from 1859 is now a wildly atmospheric heritage hotel. The lobby…
Varanasi
Varanasi's original hostel is in a four-storey residential building 2km or so from Assi Ghat. Dorms in six-, eight- and 14-bed variations are livened up…
Lucknow
Lucknow's most accommodating budget option is in the leafy neighbourhood home of Naheed and her family, who keep their distance but offer eight spacious,…
Dharamsala
Friendly, secluded Trimurti is rare in maintaining the essence of 'old' Dharamkot. Its eight neat, spotless rooms are centred on a lovely green garden but…
Shimla
Shimla’s glitziest hotel wraps most of its plush rooms around a multistorey piano-bar atrium, yet maintains a discreet sense of colonial-era charm that…
Himachal Pradesh
At the entrance to the Padam Palace, and incorporating historic features that are considerably older, the high-comfort Nau Nabh (Nine Queens) is a…
Varanasi
Varanasi’s cheapest hotel with a swimming pool, Surya has standard three-star Indian rooms, but a modern makeover means the luxury rooms in particular…
Jaipur
In Kanota Bagh, just south of the city, this genuine heritage hotel has genuine heritage splendour. There’s a lavish dining room with liveried staff, an…
Assam
Agoratoli Resort overlooks paddy fields fringing the national park's eastern Agoratoli range, whose gate is just 900m away. The seven appealing rooms and…
Arunachal Pradesh
Lounge amid lush tea gardens at the Siang Tea Garden Lodge, which has simple but comfy rooms with ethnic-themed decor, garden-fresh tea and awesome,…
Ramesh Jangid’s Tourist Pension
Rajasthan
This guesthouse, run by genial Rajesh, son of Ramesh at Apani Dhani, offers homey, clean accommodation in spacious, cool rooms with big beds. Some rooms…
Himachal Pradesh
Set amid lawns and camphor trees 12km southeast of Palampur, this 1930s summer palace was built for the Nawab of Bahawalpur then used by the Dogra royals…
Shimla
Perfectly located and with an attractive white-and-blue half-timbered exterior, Clarkes opened in 1898 and in 1934 was the first property of what would…
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
Owned by the House of MG, this intimate hotel has six rooms facing a tranquil courtyard and a mezzanine patio with traditional Gujarati swings. The animal…
Himachal Pradesh
Four comfortable, rustic cottages along with a cosy cafe space and open-sided yoga 'temple' are layered up a steep, rural hillside just across a…
Eastern Rajasthan
About 25km north of Kishangarh, Roopangarh Fort has been converted into an evocative hotel. Rooms are large, and decorated with lots of traditional…
Maharashtra
For a bit of rustic cultural immersion, good-hearted man about town Sadeek and his uncle Rafiq have four simple rooms in their village home, 2km from the…
Sikkim
One of Sikkim's most memorable getaways, Mayallyang is run by youthful host Gyatshe, an energetic anti-dam campaigner who sees homestays as an important…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Mumbai's best hostel fills four floors of a crusty, can't-miss-it grey-and-pastel-rosé residential building in Colaba, with tiled stairwells and other…
Darjeeling
Originally a maharaja’s summer palace but renovated within an inch of its life, this plush choice sits among manicured gardens and a bizarre collection of…
Maharashtra
Run by a very hospitable family, this long-running place has been hosting happy travellers for years (though slow internet often derails their ability to…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
Around 12km southeast of Alleppey, long-running Green Palm Homes is a series of homestays in a picturesque village on a backwater island, where you sleep…
Nagaland
This fantastic homestay is run by the friendly Phejin, the descendant of a legendary Konyak headhunter, and she does an excellent job familiarising guests…
West Bengal
This pioneering programme, active since 2007, aims to harness tourism to empower local women tea pluckers. Twenty family houses on the Makaibari tea…
Agra
Rooms in this very welcoming hotel are decked out in elegant dark-wood furniture and stylish decorative tiling. The slightly pricier Club rooms have nicer…
Northern Kerala
Amid coffee, fruit and spice plantations with sweeping reservoir panoramas, Amaryllis elevates the humble Kerala homestay into a luxury-boutique affair…
Kochi (Cochin)
Above an astonishing private antiques collection, each of these eight exquisitely and individually themed design-meets-heritage rooms – with glossy…
Jodhpur
This 250-year-old building inside the walled city is a popular, efficient and friendly place. Rooms vary greatly and are individually decorated with…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
Across the road from the beach, this thoughtfully renovated 1860s heritage home offers Alleppey's most character-filled accommodation. The 10 rooms have…
Bikaner
This superb hotel has been developed out of the beautiful Rampuria Haveli – a gem in the old city, 300m southwest of the City Kotwali police station. It…
Leh
Central, yet set around a peaceful garden-courtyard with seating beneath apricot trees, this long-standing favourite has old-fashioned but well-maintained…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
This characterful 1890 mansion has seen far better days but retains elements of original tile work and Italian chequerboard marble flooring. The inner…
Kerala
Hidden from the beach but with the backwaters on your doorstep, Les 3 Elephants is a soothing French-Indian-owned resort with boutique flair. The…
Karnataka
The very rustic Tiger Ranch has basic cottages, a thatched-roof dining hall and fine home-cooked food. There's good walking in the surrounding forest, and…
Sikkim
Sharing oblique views of Khangchendzonga, Norbu Ghang has two entrances and two personas. The 'Resort' places Sikkimese-style half-timbered duplex…
Orchha
MP Tourism's main Orchha property is a pretty good choice. Accommodation and a good pool are set amid well-kept gardens with views to the river and the…
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