Boutique hotels in India

India has an extraordinary supply of historic buildings that now work as small hotels. Maharajas' palaces and merchants' havelis in Rajasthan, colonial mansions in Goa and Pondicherry, tea bungalows in the Himalayan foothills and Kerala's old family homes all offer a more personal stay than a large hotel.

Rajasthan

Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer are the heart of the heritage hotel trade. Each has havelis and palaces with courtyards, painted walls and rooftop views of forts and lakes. Winter is the best time, when days are warm and nights are cold.

The cities

Delhi, Mumbai and Agra reward careful choice of base: a restored haveli in Old Delhi, a calm Colaba townhouse in Mumbai, a rooftop facing the Taj in Agra. Varanasi's ghats and Rishikesh's riverbanks have their own riverside stays.

The south and the coast

Kerala's backwaters, Munnar's tea hills and Coorg's coffee estates are slow, green and humid. Goa and Pondicherry mix Portuguese and French colonial streets with the sea, and the Andaman Islands add beaches.

The mountains

Darjeeling, Shimla and Leh sit in the Himalaya, with colonial hill hotels, tea estates and high-altitude desert. Choose the season carefully: the monsoon from June to September affects most of the country except Ladakh.

When to go

October to March is the best time for most of India. Summer is extremely hot in the plains.