Maldives · Kerala · Rajasthan · 48 stays
India first, and the rooms I would book again
Lake palaces in Udaipur, the Kerala backwaters, the quiet end of Goa. Then the Maldives, Bali and Dubai, for the couples who ask me for water outside the door.
By kind of stay
Where to start
Five lists I keep updated. Each one is built around a reason to travel rather than a category.
- Honeymoon, first weekFor the seven days straight after the wedding, when nobody wants to organise anything
- Palaces of RajasthanLake palaces, fort hotels and havelis in Udaipur and around
- Island water villasRooms with the water directly beneath, in the Maldives and Bali
- Kerala and Goa, slowlyBackwaters, plantations and the quieter end of the Goan coast
- Two nights in DubaiFor the stopover that turns into a proper short stay
By place
The places I keep returning to
Udaipur for the palaces, Kerala for the backwaters, Goa for the weeks with nothing in them. After that, the Maldives, Bali and Dubai for the ones who want water outside the door.
The hotels
On my list right now
Indian stays first, then the islands. All of them I have stayed in or vetted closely. Rates are live, so what you see is what the hotel is charging today.
Taj Lake Palace
5.0Udaipur, Rajasthan
The island in Lake Pichola. You arrive by boat, which sets the tone, and the suites keep the royal artefacts and the history intact. Ask for a lake-facing room and take the boat over at dusk.
Choose dates for prices
The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur
5.0Udaipur, Rajasthan
Three minutes' walk from Lake Pichola and built on the scale of an actual palace.
Choose dates for prices
The Leela Palace Udaipur
5.0Udaipur, Rajasthan
On Lake Pichola with the grandeur you'd expect and yoga on site. The lake position is the reason to pick it over anything newer in Udaipur.
Choose dates for prices
Kayal Island Retreat
Kerala
Four cottages on an island in Lake Vembanad, built with reclaimed materials and local architecture. Nothing to do, which is the entire reason to go.
Choose dates for prices
Soneva Jani
5.0Maldives
Overwater villas with the lagoon right under the deck, and the island villas if you'd rather have sand. This is the one I recommend when a couple wants water and nothing else on the schedule.
Choose dates for prices
Gili Lankanfushi Maldives
5.0Maldives
Overwater villas built from sustainable materials, with paddleboards and snorkelling straight off the deck. Solo travellers should know it is a quiet resort, not a social one.
Choose dates for prices
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
5.0Maldives
Overwater rooms on Rangali with direct access to the water, plus tennis and a sauna if you want more than swimming. The express check-in matters after a long seaplane day.
Choose dates for prices
Soneva Fushi
5.0Maldives
Seventy-one individually decorated villas on Kunfunadhoo, so no two feel the same.
Choose dates for prices
Naladhu Private Island Maldives
5.0Maldives
I'd send a couple here who want to be left completely alone.
Choose dates for prices
Milaidhoo Maldives
5.0Maldives
Small enough that the staff learn your name by day two.
Choose dates for prices
How I choose
I would rather show you six rooms than sixty
I do not list a hotel because it photographs well. I look at the room you actually get at the entry rate, how the staff treat a couple who are not spending the most that week, and whether the place is quiet when it says it is.
If I have not stayed somewhere, I say so, and I tell you who I trusted for the detail instead. When something changes, a refurbishment, a change of management, a beach that is no longer what it was, I take it off the list.
- Taj Lake Palace · Udaipur, Rajasthan
- The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur · Udaipur, Rajasthan
- Kayal Island Retreat · Kerala
Booking with me
What happens when you press book
Nothing hidden, nothing held back until the last screen.
Live rates, taxes included
The price you see is the live rate with taxes in it, not a starting figure that grows at checkout.
Charged only on confirmation
Your card goes through only once the hotel confirms the room. If they cannot take you, you are not charged.
Cancellation terms up front
You see the cancellation terms for your room and your dates before you pay, not in an email afterwards.
Questions I get asked
Can you plan the whole trip, not just the hotel?
I book the stays. I will tell you how the days around them usually work, but flights and ground arrangements are yours to make.
Do you only cover India?
No. Most of my planning is Indian travel, and the rest is the places my couples ask me for most: the Maldives, Bali and Dubai.
I am travelling alone. Is this list for me?
Yes. A good part of what I book is for solo travellers, and I note which hotels handle a single guest well.
How do I ask about a hotel before booking?
Message me on the account you found me through and tell me your dates. I will tell you honestly if it is the wrong week for that place.
Tell me your dates
If you know roughly when and roughly where, I can narrow it to two or three rooms that suit you.