Mr and Mrs Smith
Marari Beach Resort, Alleppey, Kerala
This is the ultimate coastal hideaway, where you chill in a hammock or enjoy
an excellent activities programme. Everything you need for a lazy (or busy)
holiday is under one thatched roof. Highlights are the glorious beach and a
fantastic pool.
Details: B&B doubles from £130 (0845 0340700, www.mrandmrssmith.com).
Old Harbour Hotel, Fort Cochin, Kerala
Simple sophistication . . . a fresh whitewashed interior is enhanced with hip
artwork in a property that has been refurbished to reflect its former
colonial glory. Bedrooms are spacious and elegant. A raised infinity pool
and a Keralan restaurant are highlights.
Details: B&B doubles from £80 (book through Mr and Mrs Smith, as
above).
Nilaya, Arpora, Goa
The hotel is set in luscious gardens in the hills of northern Goa and
designed in Goan-gothic style red stone. The result is similar to a jungle
fortress. There are ten individually designed rooms, a yoga pavilion and a
team of Ayurvedic doctors at hand. While away the hours admiring the valley
views from the pool.
Details: Half-board doubles from £218 (00 91 883 2227 6793, www.nilaya.com).
Alastair Sawday’s
Le Duplex, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu
The oldest and probably the most gorgeous villa in town, once the
18th-century home of the former French governor of Pondicherry. It sits in a
quiet street where mango trees flourish. Food is fresh, organic and locally
sourced. Rooms have wide balconies, sweet-smelling teak, antique pillars and
high ceilings.
Details: Doubles from £33. Lunch and dinner from £6 (41 3222 6999, www.sarovarhotels.com).
Banjara, Sangla Valley, Himachal Pradesh
Almost 3,000m (9,800ft) above sea level, and a short drive from Chitkul,
this remote and remarkable encampment is surrounded by mountains. Hidden
among apple orchards on the banks of the Baspa river, its “tents” have
comfortable beds, dressing tables, heaters and hot-water bottles. A flap
opens to your own bathroom with stone sink, Western-style loo and
hot-water-bucket shower, while “public rooms” extend from dining tent to
hammocks by the fire.
Details: Full board for two people from £55 (11 2686 1397, www.banjaracamps.com).
Shahpura Bagh, Bhilwara, Rajasthan
This 19th-century home has vast flagstone terraces (ideal for yoga) and an
unusual viewing gallery. Large, cool bedrooms are well served by bathrooms
with claw-foot tubs. Something of the past remains here: most of all Uncle
Indrajit, who continues a tradition of care as a homoeopath. An unhurried,
beautiful place.
Details: B&B doubles from £72. Dinner from £6. (14 8422 2077, www.shahpurabagh.com).
Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay India (£11.99, 01275 395431, www.sawdays.co.uk).
Hip Hotels
Devi Garh, Delwara, Rajasthan
A slick, minimalist hotel 45 minutes outside Udaipur. Cutting edge may
seem inappropriate in Rajasthan’s rustic ambience, but it works. Before the
arrival of the British, the interiors of the Mogul-era palaces were often
empty with the exception of mattresses and cushions.
Details: doubles from £200. (020-7307 2792, www.hiphotels.com).
Fort Tiracol, Quepem, Goa
Finding a beach to yourself in Goa is not easy. Fort Tiracol is a
spectacular exception. On the border of Goa and Maharashtra, it was a
Portuguese fort strategically placed at the mouth of a river. As a guest,
you get the beauty of Portuguese colonial architecture and a perfect stretch
of beach to yourself.
Details: doubles from £68 (book through Hip Hotels, as above).
Surya Samudra, Pulinkudi, Kerala
Kerala is different from the rest of India; people don’t speak Hindi, the
weather is humid, people’s skin is darker, and the sense of colour is much
more subdued than in Rajasthan, for example. This is a mellow, almost
Balinese, version of India. Situated on a promontory with beaches on both
sides, Surya Samudra, with its collection of original Keralan teak fishing
huts, is about as authentic as it gets without any compromises on comfort
and luxury.
Details: doubles from £82 (book through Hip Hotels, as above).
i-escape
Vivenda dos Palhacos, Majorda, Goa
Vivenda opened this year and is the first boutique hotel in South Goa.
Tucked away down a coconut-fringed cul de sac in the gently paced village of
Majorda, this restored Hindu house is fronted by a Portuguese manor — the
creation (and home) of the brother-and- sister team Simon and Charlotte
Hayward. Spread over two buildings are six double bedrooms with en suite
bathrooms, and a self-contained cottage in the grounds. There is a graceful
12m pool with wooden sunloungers, and the beach is ten minutes’ walk away.
The house-party atmosphere allows you to enjoy lively conversations around
huge banqueting tables.
Details: B&B doubles from £28 (0117 9428476, www.i-escape.com)
.
Chhatra Sagar, Pali, Rajasthan
Stay in tents pitched on a dam overlooking a lake teeming with birds, in
the heart of rural Rajasthan. The camp is an updated version of the 1920s
hunting parties hosted by the Nimaj family, who have owned the surrounding
working farmland for the past century. The Nimajs are still on hand to
organise tours to the local village silversmiths, a walk through the
outlying pastures or a sailing trip on the lake. The gorgeous hand-painted
henna floors are the outstanding feature of Chhatra Sagar’s 11 tents
together with bathroom, dressing room and comfortable bed.
Details: Full board and excursions from £180 for two (book through
i-escape, as above).
Philipkutty’s Farm, Pallivathukal, Kerala
This place consistently receives glowing feedback on i-escape’s site. It’s an
unpretentious Keralan homestay and popular with families. You stay on a
small farm island in the Kerala backwaters, in one of five cottages with
lakeside views and breakfast verandas. Each is an antique-filled open-plan
affair. You get a real feel for Keralan life and culture served by the
Mathew family. All meals are included in the price. These feasts, cooked by
Mrs Mathew Senior, are invariably the high point of the day.
Details: Full board and activities from £75 for two people, under 5s
free. (book through i-escape, as above).
A bargain hunter's guide to India
Bargains abound in India, and if you’re good at haggling, you’ll come away
with armfuls of goodies for your money. If you prefer fixed prices, head for
one of the government emporia.
Textiles
Although you can get hold of Anokhi’s fusion of Eastern and Western fashion in
the UK, it’s much cheaper in India, where linen trousers can be had for a
tenner. For block prints, check out Soma, which has branches throughout the
country.
Spectacles
You’ll get the same treatment from an Indian optician as you will here, but
the glasses are much cheaper – we picked up a pair in Delhi for £20 that
cost £150 in the UK. And they were ready in 24 hours.
Jewellery
Whether it’s intricate silver filigree from Orissa or chunky jewellery from
Rajasthan, silver is a quarter to half the price you’ll pay in Britain. Buy
by weight and have it made into bespoke items. Precious stones cost about a
third less.
Pashminas and silk
Take your pick of pashminas anywhere in the north of the country. We found a
pure silk one for £14. Don’t be tempted by the ultra-soft shahtoosh, which
fits through a wedding ring and is woven from the hair of slaughtered
Tibetan antelope. Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh is the place for silk brocades
and stunning saris.
Antiques and wood
Whether it’s a small curio or a wooden door, the choice of antiques is
overwhelming. The best places to find them are Cochin in Kerala, and Jodphur
in Rajasthan.
— Note that the tax-free allowance for souvenirs and gifts is £145pp. If you
bring in something worth more than the limit, you must pay charges on the
full value. Jo Morris
Getting to India
Flights:
British Airways (0870 8509850, www.ba.com),
Air India (020-8560 9996, www.airindia.com),
Jet Airways (0808 1011199, www.jetairways.com)
and Virgin Atlantic (0870 3802007, www.virgin-atlantic.com)
have non-stop flights to Delhi and Bombay from Heathrow.
Charter flights:
Thomsonfly (0870 1900737, www.thomsonfly.com)
and MyTravel (0870 2418984, www.mytravel.com)
fly to Goa from Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester. Monarch (0870 0405040, www.flymonarch.com)
flies to Goa from Manchester and Gatwick (winter only).
Getting around:
By air: budget flights have revolutionised travel in India. No-frills
domestic airlines include Air Deccan (www.airdeccan.net),
Air India Express (airindiaexpress.in),
Go Air (www.goair.in), Paramount Airways (www.paramountairways.com),
and Spicejet (www.spicejet.com).
Kingfisher (www.flykingfisher.com)
has the edge with better legroom and inflight meals.
Airpasses are worth buying for multiple flights: Trailfinders (0845 058 5858)
offers seven-day airpasses on Jet Airways from $350 and 15-day passes on
Indian Airlines from $630.
By rail: Indian Railways (www.indianrail.gov.in)
carries 10 million passengers a day over a route network of 63,000km. There
are eight passenger classes to choose from, so you shouldn’t have to ride on
the roof. Even for a single journey it’s best to buy an IndRail Pass (a
half-day pass lasts up to 12 hours), available in Britain from SD
Enterprises (020-8903 3411, www.indiarail.co.uk).
Further information:
India Tourist Office (020-7437 3677, www.incredibleindia.org).
Renata Rubniko
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