I’ve been extensively travelling around India since 2013. Many of my memorable trips have to do with the places I stayed at. In this post, I’ll share some offbeat hotels in India I stayed at that had great views. These places range from budget to expensive so pretty much everyone can check them out.
In the Thar desert in Jaisalmer
My trip to Jaisalmer on 1 January 2015 was special as I took a leap of faith to travel with people I hadn’t ever met before (one of them was through an online dating app!). I stayed at the Prince Desert Camp in the Thar Desert, which was literally in the middle of nowhere. During evenings, we watched performances to Rajasthani folk songs, followed by traditional meals like Dal Batti Churma, Ker Sangri and Gatte ki Sabzi. We climbed sand dunes to watch the best sunsets, and at midnights, we sneaked out to sleep under the stars, while discussing Italian slasher films and Kanti Shah’s Gunda.
Cost: Mid-range to expensive. Book here
Overlooking Bhimtal town in Uttarakhand
In August 2017, I ticked Uttarakhand when visiting Bhimtal-Nainital. Since that trip, I always suggest people to visit Bhimtal over Nainital, which is 30 minutes further down, but much more relaxed and non-commercial. In Bhimtal, I suggest people to stay at the Fern Hillside Resort. I loved my stay there. The rooms offer an expansive view of Bhimtal town as the property sits on a hilltop. You feel like you’re living in the clouds, supervising Earth from up there. City lights at nights used to look like twinkling stars beneath you. Morning walks were fun strolling through deodar trees around the property. And when we didn’t feel like stepping out, we chilled in the infinity pool facing the valley.
Cost: Mid-range. Book here
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrF44jJnEFe/
Inside the Saptura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh
In 2016, I did a unique walking expedition in the Satpura Tiger Reserve with Reni Pani Jungle Lodge. By day, we hiked on foot in the core forest spotting animals in the wild. At night, we stayed in tents strategically placed within a kilometer of a forest office that was always locked! I remember how I stepped outside my tent one night to answer nature’s call but ran back inside on spotting a pair of shiny eyes with my torch. My imagination ran wild!
We hiked 21km over two days. When the heat got harsh, we jumped off gorges to cool off. Dinners were magical, drinking wine and eating kebabs under the naked sky while thousands of stars glimmered above us. And when we left, the camps left with us. There was no trace that we had lived there!
Cost: Expensive. Check here
On a beach in Coastal Karnataka
In May 2023, we stayed at a beautiful beach-facing property – OmBodhi Retreat – in Kumta in North Karnataka. The beauty of the place was that we had the Baad beach – an empty, super clean and pretty beach to ourselves! The rooms were clean and well laid out. There were a lot of trees on the property, so it was always pleasant, even on sunny afternoons. Often, I sat on the beach chairs facing the sea, having a beer or reading a book. The hotel was just an hour’s drive to Gokarna, so you could visit the touristy side of Gokarna during the day and return to an empty and quieter beach to relax. There was a ferry from Kumta that could accommodate two-wheelers, which further cut travel time to Gokarna to 30 minutes. If you’re planning Gokarna, I highly recommend staying here in Kumta and doing a day trip to Gokarna instead.
Cost: mid-range. Compare prices here
By the Ganges in Haridwar
In February 2018, I ticked bunjee jumping off my list (Read my experience), when I was visiting Rishikesh-Haridwar. In Haridwar, I stumbled upon this lovely heritage property – Devnadi – once the holiday home of a Nepali queen, and later to Ramanand Sagar – the creative head of the legendary TV serial ‘Ramayana’. The haveli was more home than hotel with most of its interiors still intact including a quaint little elevator to the lower level leading to their private ghat with the Ganga River flowing calmly in its backyard. During evenings, I used to join in the Ganga aarti and dine at the private ghat soaking in the magical views of the river.
Cost: Mid-range. Book here
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5FymbTJg7d/
At a vineyard in Nashik
We owe Nashik a ‘thank you’ for shining as the wine capital of India. While Sula changed the game for Indian wines (read my experience of visiting Sula), let’s be honest, their commercialization is working against them now. I prefer York or Soma Vineyards, within a kilometer of Sula, both are quieter and make great wines.
In September 2018, we rode from Mumbai to Nashik and stayed at the Regenta Resort Some Vine Village. The property is blessed with the views of the Gangapur Lake and surrounded by the Sahyadri mountain range. Our room opened to the view of sprawling vineyards and an infinity pool, where we spent our evenings drinking wine and watching the sunset. They even offer a complementary wine tasting, and I brought home a Shiraz Cabernet.
Cost: Expensive. Book here
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpSSPKdg6i_/
By the backwaters in Poovar, Kerala
Poovar was a holiday I gifted myself. It was pure indulgence, but it’s good to pamper yourself every once in a while. We were on a road trip in Kerala in March 2017, where our last stop was Poovar, a tiny island sandwiched between the backwaters of Kerala and the Arabian Sea.
Read about my road trip from Trivandrum to Poovar
We stayed at the Estuary Sarovar Portico in Poovar which was all things fancy – right from a swim in the pool under the moonlight to buffets on a floating restaurant. We also squeezed in a 30min massage after a stroll on their private-access beach. And if that wasn’t all, we took a drop to our car park by speed boat through Poovar’s backwaters. The resort was a world in itself, away from the hectic lives we lead in the city.
Cost: Expensive. Book here
Marveling at the living root bridges in Meghalaya
In a heartbeat I said yes to hike to the Double-Decker living Root Bridge in Nongriat (Meghalaya) in May 2018, without realising what I had signed up for. A decent level of fitness was a huge plus, which I lack thanks to my sedentary lifestyle.
After 3500 steps, we reached Charlie’s guest house. A musty room with a single bed and an attached bath is all we got. Electricity conked off every now and then, and we ate dinner with a candle light. But boy, was that dinner good or what! It was a vegetarian meal but the veggies tasted like pork. Hot ‘lal cha’ (red tea) on rainy mornings were among the simple pleasures of living there, cut off from civilisation.
Cost: Budget. Contact:086522 25785
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2mFfa9l8L2/
Window to the world in Omkareshwar
I love religious towns. I’m hardly religious but I enjoy watching people go about their faith. Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh had a lot more soul compared to Banaras. I stayed at the state run MPT Temple View which was right by the Narmada River, and my room had the view of the Omkareshwar temple and the jhula pul. Evening temple bells and soft prayer chants were music to my ears over those two days. There are hardly any hotels in Omkareshwar, just dharamshalas and ashrams so this is a great stay option. If I weren’t pressed for time, I could have easily spent a week here; and I can’t wait to go back!
Cost: Budget. Book here
At the southern tip of India in Kanyakumari
While backpacking in southern Kerala in March 2017, we crossed the border into Tamil Nadu to visit Kanyakumari. We stayed at Hotel Sea View which was literally the last resort in the row at the southern most edge of the sea. Our room had a jaw dropping view of the Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock standing tall in the ocean. Nights were magical with both monuments glittering under the sky. It was the last thing we saw from our room before we slept and the first thing we saw when we woke up.
Cost: Mid-range. Book here
A version of this story was first published on Tripoto as Bookmark these rooms with a view for every type of traveller (April 2019)
Travel Resources
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Liked this post on offbeat hotels in India? Also check out….
- Baratang Island is the Andaman’s best kept secret
- David Scott Trail: A trail through Meghalaya’s past
- A lesson in history in Maheshwar
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Unique Post!!! I must say I have been to so many travel posts but its rare to find unique and good one. Thanks to this post for to giving the readers a little offbeat idea. Thanks once again.
Hi Edwina, amazing post. I loved each one of the places you stayed in. They don’t seem to be too expensive either. It’s amazing when you can get a different stay experience other than your regular hotel stays.