North Goa
These luxury designer beach cottages (deluxe, luxury, grand and suite) are enveloped in a gorgeous leafy garden, just steps from the beach. Stand-out…
Must-see hotels in South India
Kochi (Cochin)
This 1960s hotel, with its polished original art deco fittings, exudes the sort of retro glamour that contemporary hotels would love to re-create. The…
Northern Kerala
Secluded and on an 80-year-old estate overlooking banana plantations, ginger crops and rice paddies, this charming homestay (which translates as My Own…
Kerala
Two properties only 100m apart: one consists of beachfront Keralan-style cottages, while the other has Keralan teak houses filled with handcrafted…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
A very good deal, this easy-going, homely and colourful backpacker hang-out sits 500m inland from the beach and 2km north of the train station. The two…
Panaji
Perched on a small hill above the Sao Tomé district, with fine views over the Mandovi, this spa-hotel-casino is a good option for a little bit of old…
Chennai (Madras)
Smart, swish and bang up to date, this towering, triangular hotel is the most central of Chennai's newer top-end offerings. Contemporary art surrounds the…
Chennai (Madras)
Perfectly located on a quiet street just a block away from an international mix of restaurants, cafes and upscale shops. The 13 unpretentious rooms come…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
Overlooking leafy gardens, 400m from the beach, this beautiful old whitewashed building with sky-blue shutters – once a radio station – now doubles as a…
Tamil Nadu
Part of the wonderful Quest Academy water-sports centre, these four fan-cooled, beach-chic concrete huts with thatched roofs and open-air bathrooms huddle…
Tamil Nadu
Friendly, well run and packed with character, this colourful century-old mansion is still owned (and lived in) by the original family. Of its 126 rooms,…
Palolem
One of the largest hut resorts in Palolem, Dreamcatcher’s 60-plus sturdy huts are nevertheless secluded, set in a coconut grove just back from the far…
Mumbai (Bombay)
On a quiet, tree-lined street, this small hotel is a very sound choice. It has clean, if tiny, rooms with cable TV and king-sized beds that represent good…
Kovalam
Overlooking palms from its hillside perch, a five-minute climb inland from Lighthouse Beach, tranquil, Italian-operated, adults-only Paradesh Inn…
Kovalam
Scented by frangipanis, the sumptuous Leela sprawls across the headland separating Hawa and Samudra beaches. Spacious, smartly designed rooms have…
Maharashtra
The best hotel nearest the train station, this upper midrange, professionally run business hotel is 1.3km from the rails. The modern bathrooms, flat…
Munroe Island Backwaters Homestay
Kerala
Hidden away in the backwaters of Munroe Island, 16km north of Kollam, this cheery hammock-strewn homestay is popular with travellers for its low-key…
Chennai (Madras)
The gleaming, ultramodern Park Hyatt has swanky, straight-lined rooms kitted out with pod-coffee machines, smartphone docks and king-size beds; a divine…
Munnar
Aranyaka's sweet, peach-hued contemporary cottages (most sleeping up to four people) are dotted across a peaceful landscaped garden, drinking in fine…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
This attractive heritage-style family home, 4km north of Alleppey, enjoys a tranquil location close to Punnamada Lake. The two fan-cooled rooms are neat…
Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay
Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
The Radisson's luxurious chalets, villas and bungalows are strewn across manicured gardens stretching 500m to the beach. Somewhere in the middle is India…
Munnar
The 26 smart, lemon-scented, contemporary-meets-classic-Keralan cottages at this shaded hillside resort are hidden away under a luxuriant shola (virgin…
Varkala
This simple, friendly, good-value modern hostel decorated with arty murals sleeps budget travellers in a five-bed women-only dorm or mixed dorms for six…
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
A hot-orange (unsigned) heritage home has been lovingly transformed into a unique, relaxed, colour-bursting retreat in the northern French Quarter. Each…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
Fronting Vembanad Lake, 16km north of Alleppey, this Spanish-German-run jewel blends heritage style and Indian antiques with bold contemporary design and…
Coonoor
A colonial-era priory turned gorgeous heritage hotel, the Taj-group Gateway has homey cream-coloured rooms immersed in greenery, most graced by working…
Kannur
Costa Malabari pioneered tourism in this area and consists of three lovely homestay-style properties just back from Thottada Beach. Costa Malabari 1 has…
Kannur
In a prime spot among palms, frangipanis and oleanders, facing northern Thottada Beach, charming Blue Mermaid has two immaculate rooms in a traditional…
Kannur
In a stellar clifftop location overlooking secluded Adikadalayi Beach, this wonderfully friendly address is a sprawling family property of well-presented…
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
The old Tamil Quarter has almost as many mansions as the French Quarter but is off most tourists' radars. Reincarnated under environmentally friendly…
Varkala
Comprising two revamped houses huddled back from the North Cliff, German-run MAC fuses a sociable traveller/yogi vibe with uncluttered rooms jazzed up by…
Kochi (Cochin)
This gorgeous 1890s traditional Syrian-Christian home is on a 16-hectare organic farm surrounded by backwaters, 28km southeast of Fort Cochin. A restored…
Chennai (Madras)
The top-end Taj Group has five hotels in and around Chennai, but this is the only one with historical ambience, built in the 1850s as the British governor…
Ooty (Udhagamandalam)
The Savoy is one of Ooty’s oldest hotels, with parts dating back to 1829. Cottages and swing-chairs are set around a charming lawn and garden. Colonial…
Dr Franklin’s Panchakarma Institute
Kerala
Though not on the beachfront, friendly Dr Franklin's is a reputable, more affordable alternative to the flashier ayurvedic resorts, with tidy, comfortable…
Tamil Nadu
In calm palm-shaded grounds, Quest Academy offers three fuss-free thatched huts with shared bathrooms, along with a clutch of tents (single/double ₹1250…
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
This grand restored 18th-century mansion has breezy verandas, keen staff and antique-filled old-world rooms in all shapes and sizes: some are cosy attics,…
Kerala
Around 7km southeast of Kovalam, charitable Bethsaida is a smart and secluded beachside escape, with sculpted gardens, seductively slung hammocks, putting…
Tamil Nadu
Mirrored cupboards, in-room tea/coffee sets and splashes of colour make the GRT's smart modern rooms pretty characterful for Vellore. The free wi-fi,…
Varkala
Chicly stripped-back rooms and cottages, sharp service and hanging chairs and hammocks greet you at this fresh and welcome arrival on Varkala's growing…
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