India, Through Its Most Characterful Homes

My favourite houses to stay in on a journey through India

Shel, Ladakh

A family home in the high valleys of northern India, where village life unfolds beneath the Himalayas.

Located in Shey, close to the Indus, Shel is a lovely place to settle into the gentle rhythm of Ladakh. The house combines traditional Ladakhi materials with contemporary comfort, with just three bedrooms reserved for one party at a time. Hajra Ahmad, Shel’s Host and Resident Manager, adds a personal touch through her excellent local knowledge and thoughtful attention to detail. It is particularly suited to a family or a few close friends looking for a personal introduction to Ladakh.

Here, I would resist the temptation to fill every day. Wholesome meals, quiet time around the house and the landscape beyond provide their own pleasures. Once acclimatised, you can spend a morning discovering a nearby village, watch birds near the river or visit the monasteries of Shey and Thiksey. Returning to the same small house each afternoon allows those first impressions of Ladakh to settle. The stillness between outings becomes part of what you remember.

Anand Bhawan Palace, near Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh

A former royal home in northern India, close to the historic perfume-making town of Kannauj.

Leaving the mountains for the plains of Uttar Pradesh, the journey takes an unexpected turn towards fragrance. In Tirwa, near Kannauj, Anand Bhawan Palace offers an introduction to the ancestral home of the local royal family. Built in 1929, its verandas and Art Deco architecture give a sense of the house as it was almost a century ago. There is a rustic quality here that feels suited to a stay centred on the house’s story and the world beyond its grounds.

That world includes one of India’s most absorbing craft traditions. In nearby Kannauj, perfumers preserve the art of making attar, distilling fragrances from flowers and other natural materials using skills inherited over generations. Discovering their work brings a different dimension to the journey, inviting you to understand a place through scent. For me, it is precisely this connection between an intriguing family home and a distinctive local tradition that makes Anand Bhawan worth discovering.

Chanoud Garh, Rajasthan

A living palace in western India, where royal heritage remains part of everyday life.

Travelling west, Rajasthan brings a different scale and rhythm. At Chanoud Garh, the house expands into a palace, with courtyards and old architectural details shaped by generations of family life. The descendants of its former ruling family still call it home, and their connection with the surrounding village gives a stay here much of its character. This is one of my favourite places to experience Holi or Diwali, when the celebrations offer a particularly vivid introduction to the traditions of the household and community.

The kitchen deserves just as much attention. Recipes rooted in the family’s regal heritage give meals a sense of belonging to this particular place. Between them, there is the village to explore and time to venture into the countryside. I like the way Chanoud encourages you to pause between Rajasthan’s better-known cities, long enough to become interested in the everyday life around the palace gates.

The Bhuj House, Kutch in Gujarat

A restored home in western India, rooted in the distinctive culture of Kutch.

Continuing west into Kutch, another family house introduces a less familiar strand of India’s history. The Bhuj House was built in 1894 by Pestonji Sorabji Bhujwala, in an area once home to a small Parsi community. Damaged in the 2001 earthquake, it was later restored by his descendant Jehan Bhujwala and Jehan’s wife, Katie. Welcoming travellers gave the courtyard house a new chapter while preserving the family’s place within it.

For anyone interested in textiles, this is a place to unpack for several days. Kutch’s craft traditions invite close attention, and time spent with master artisans offers a chance to learn how they work and how those skills have passed through their families. Returning to the Bhujwala family’s home after a day with local artisans, you begin to appreciate the care that has gone into preserving it. Here, too, the story is one of keeping a family’s heritage alive for the next generation.

The Postcard Cuelim, Goa

A village stay on India’s western coast, far removed from Goa’s better-known beach resorts.

Further south, Goa’s paddy fields offer a softer setting. At The Postcard Cuelim, I would begin inland, among the quieter lanes and villages. A chapel dating back some 350 years stands within the grounds, and Portuguese architectural influences remain apparent in the house. Now a small boutique hotel, it has just six rooms, giving families and friends the chance to enjoy somewhere with an intimate atmosphere.

The food is another reason I like Cuelim, with local dishes adding to the pleasure of discovering this part of Goa. You can explore the village lanes, head to the coast or spend an afternoon around the house. For me, it is a lovely reminder of how much there is to enjoy in Goa beyond its beaches.

Chittoor Kottaram, near Kochi

A former royal retreat in southern India, surrounded by the waterways of Kerala.

Following the coast south to Kerala, the relationship between a home and its surroundings becomes inseparable from water. Chittoor Kottaram, on the backwaters outside Kochi, was a retreat for the rulers of Kochi when they came to worship at the nearby temple. Its quiet purpose is still easy to appreciate in the traditional Keralan architecture and waterside setting.

You can venture into Fort Kochi to explore its layered history, then return to the gentler pace of the waterways and local neighbourhoods. I especially like the thought of gathering family or close friends here for a celebration, allowing the house to become your own for a few days. Shared meals and time together would sit naturally within a place originally intended for retreat.

Philipkutty’s Farm, Kumarakom

Family-run boutique homestay on a private farm island in the Kerala backwaters.

Elsewhere on Kerala’s backwaters, a short crossing by country boat brings you to Philipkutty’s Farm. The island itself is part of the family story, reclaimed from Lake Vembanad in the 1950s and still cultivated below the level of the surrounding water. Coconuts, bananas and other produce grow on the working farm, while guests stay in separate villas along the waterfront.

The idea of welcoming travellers belonged to Vinod, Anu Mathew’s late husband, and she continues his vision with her family. That personal commitment is central to the place. Your own villa is private, with the warmth of a household close by and excellent food to bring you back to the table. Learning something of Kerala’s cooking, exploring the farm and watching everyday life along the water can comfortably occupy several days.

The Bangala, Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu

Heritage property in one of India’s most rewarding regions for food lovers.

Crossing into Tamil Nadu, the kitchen becomes an even stronger thread to follow. In Karaikudi, the Bangala owes its life as a heritage hotel to Meenakshi Meyyappan, affectionately known as Aachi, who helped open the family property to travellers in 1999. Her work introduced many visitors to Chettinad, and the recipes preserved in its kitchens remain a compelling reason to make the journey.

I would happily arrange the day around meals here, leaving time between them to explore the surrounding towns and villages. Chettinad’s merchant families brought materials and decorative influences home through their overseas trading connections, creating mansions of extraordinary individuality. Their houses give a sense of the breadth of that world, while The Bangala’s food offers a more intimate introduction. Architecture, living traditions and the family table begin to tell different parts of the same story.

The Belgadia Palace, Baripada in Odisha

Former royal residence in Baripada, surrounded by the forests and countryside of northern Odisha.

Turning towards eastern India, the next house draws us into Odisha’s Mayurbhanj region. In Baripada, the Belgadia Palace began as a residence for guests of the royal family before becoming their principal home. Sisters Mrinalika and Akshita Bhanj Deo have since opened its doors with the intention of bringing thoughtful tourism and opportunities to the surrounding community.

What appeals to me is how firmly their vision looks beyond the palace. Mayurbhanj’s artistic and craft traditions, together with the green Odia countryside, offer ample reason to explore this comparatively little-visited corner of India. Staying here gives you a personal introduction to a part of India you might otherwise overlook. Its future is being shaped with the culture around it in mind.

Bari Kothi, Azimganj in West Bengal

Heritage stay in the historic Murshidabad region of eastern India, surrounded by Bengal’s rich cultural landscape.

Further north in Bengal, the story of a merchant family returns us to some of the ideas first encountered in Chettinad. Bari Kothi, in Azimganj in the historic Murshidabad region, belonged to the Dudhoria family, members of the Sheherwali community of Jain merchants who migrated from Rajasthan. After half a century of disuse, their ancestral mansion underwent five years of restoration involving local people, many of whom went on to work in the reopened property.

That revival gives a stay here particular depth. The distinctive vegetarian cuisine introduces the community’s traditions, while the lanes of Azimganj and Murshidabad’s historic buildings offer a wider view of the region. There are textiles and local crafts to discover too. Returning to Bari Kothi, you can appreciate the practical work behind its restoration and the way a once neglected house has become part of local life again.

Glenburn Tea Estate, near Darjeeling

Tea estate retreat in northern West Bengal, with the Himalayan landscape of Darjeeling on its doorstep.

I would bring this journey to a close in the hills near Darjeeling, where Glenburn Tea Estate looks towards the Kanchenjunga range. Established by a Scottish company in 1859, the estate later passed to the Prakash family, whose history is closely entwined with Indian tea growing. Husna-Tara Prakash recognised the possibilities of sharing that world with travellers, and the restoration of the Burra Bungalow helped bring her idea to life.

At Glenburn, I would be keen to get out into the landscape. Paths lead through tea gardens towards forest and rivers, with opportunities for fishing and discovering how the leaves become the tea in your cup. A visit to Darjeeling and a journey on its heritage steam railway would also be high on my list. When the weather clears, the mountains appear beyond the gardens, bringing the journey back towards the Himalayas where it began.

If you would like to discuss including any of these luxury homes in your own journey through India, I’d be delighted to discuss them in detail with you. Please do feel free to get in touch.