8 homestays for times you want a get-away from home

INR 12,900 per night includes breakfast and tax.

The dining room serves hearty Continental and Indian cuisine with a selection of beers and wine. Solar powered heating systems, rain water harvesting and water drawn from a natural spring are some thoughtful practices in play at The Birdcage. Some of the herbs and produce comes from their organic kitchen garden while the rest is sourced from neighouring farms.

Tip: The room with the skylight is perfect for those who like to start their day bright and early.

Starting at INR 8,000 per night includes breakfast.

Sawantwadi Palace Boutique Art Hotel, Sawantwadi

In the sleepy town of Sawantwadi sits the Sawantwadi Royal Palace, home to its royal family. The former Tai-Saheb Wada that housed the five queens of Sawantwadi has been converted into an art-forward boutique stay housing six palatial suites, a global cuisine restaurant and a swimming pool. Shraddha Bhonsle and her husband Lakham Bhonsle, the millennials of the royal family, are CIA graduates from New York and are behind this charming stay. The rooms open up into sun-lit balconies and offer plush bathrobes, Ayurvedic bath products and OTT-loaded televisions. The breakfast includes freshly baked croissants, three styles of butters and fluffy pancakes. Lunch is a proper Malvani thali. For dinner you can opt between two tasting menus, of which one is Ramen focused. The Chocolate Caramel Gateau with home-made Kerala vanilla bean ice-cream and mixed berry jam is the perfect end to the meal. They are happy to organise a Ganjifa art workshop at the Palace or a private picnic experience amidst the Amboli ghats.

INR 13000+ per night includes breakfast.

Large bay windows provide expansive views of the valley. The library is filled with books from floor to ceiling. The architectural and interior design choices reflect a deep appreciation for both the natural surroundings and sustainable living. Just two hours away from Chandigarh, it’s a convenient retreat from city life. The homestay is named after their family dog, Maya, and is also home to two other dogs, Max and Mastaa, who add a welcoming touch to the place.

Price on request.
 

Vijay and his family are from the Badaga tribe so you can expect traditional Badaga cuisine along with chef Vishanth’s style of continental cuisine offering cauliflower soup, steamed fish, butternut squash pie and roast chicken with a rhubarb sorbet for dessert. The sunsets on the lake are as magnificent as the moon rise.

Tip: Make sure to attend a tea-tasting session with Vijay.

INR 12,000 per night includes breakfast.
 

You can try traditional preparations like the pork pandi curry, paputtu (rice cakes) and a sweet and spicy wild mango curry. Long walks around the estate interspersed with elaborate meals and naps in the garden, best describes your stay here.

Tip: Request for a chattai to be laid out in the garden at night to watch the stars come out and fill the sky.

INR 18,500 for two people; including all meals, estate activities, fishing and birdwatching.
 

The food is local Andhra cuisine—crisp dosas and paniyarams for breakfast, for lunch and dinner there’s an array of local veggies, and curries complemented with a chicken or mutton preparation. Piping hot samosas to gooey brownies are available at tea time. You can go kayaking in the neighbouring lake or take a hike up the nearby hill giving you a panoramic view of the dense forest that surrounds Velanga. It is the perfect getaway for a solo traveller.

Tip: You can sign up Nikita's Slow Pottery residential courses starting November 2023.

Rooms start at INR 15,000 for the 3-night weekend stay, all-inclusive.