For travellers seeking more than just a standard hotel room in India, there's no shortage of choice. A land of contrasts where desert sands meet misty mountains, tropical coasts brush against dense jungles, and centuries-old palaces sit alongside eco-conscious retreats, this country offers an extraordinary array of immersive, unique accommodation. These are stays that offer a distinctive experience, inviting guests to slow down, connect with nature or culture, and embrace their uniquely Indian surroundings.
Here we explore some of the most remarkable and memorable properties across the country, highlighting what makes each one exceptional: the design, the setting, the experiences on offer, and the thoughtful ways they engage with local communities and the environment. Whether you’re drawn to desert fortresses, tea estate retreats, jungle hideaways, or coastal sanctuaries, these stays promise more than comfort; they offer stories, landscapes, and moments that linger long after the journey ends.
Lying beside a large reservoir in the desert, RAAS Chhatra Sagar consists of tented pavilions and stone villas clustered around the water’s edge, with views across mirror-flat reflections and desert landscapes. Interiors lean on local stone, hand-crafted furniture and muted palette that brings the outdoors in. Guests can stroll lakeside at dawn, bird-watch from the deck, paddle or simply absorb wide skies. The experience is intentionally slow-travel: a reset into environment and design rather than glitzy resort bustle.
Nearest airport: Jodhpur or Udaipur then drive
Sustainability/Community: Low-impact built form, regional materials, nature-centric programme.
Why it’s unique: Desert-water-edge experience with an understated luxury touch and distinctive locale.
Set in the heart of Thekkady’s spice-growing hills, Spice Village celebrates Kerala’s rural aesthetic with mud-and-thatch cottages that echo traditional village architecture. Each cottage opens onto manicured gardens or spice plantations, providing fragrant, sensory immersion in the region’s natural bounty. Guests can enjoy guided plantation walks, cooking classes, ayurvedic treatments, or boat trips on Periyar Lake, all while surrounded by verdant hills. The property champions sustainability, from local sourcing of ingredients to energy-efficient design, and works to support nearby communities through employment and cultural exchange.
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport (~4.5 hours drive)
Sustainability/Community: Eco-conscious operations, local crafts and food, village employment.
Why it’s unique: Combines heritage-inspired rural architecture with hands-on spice plantation experiences.
Diphlu River Lodge sits on the edge of Kaziranga National Park, offering elevated wooden cottages amidst riverside forest. Its architecture blends local Assamese craftsmanship with modern comfort, providing an authentic jungle hideaway. Guests can embark on early morning jeep safaris, elephant-back excursions, or guided walks to spot one-horned rhinoceroses, swamp deer, and myriad bird species. The lodge is committed to sustainable tourism, supporting local guides, using solar energy, and conserving natural water resources.
Nearest airport: Jorhat Airport (~3.5 hours drive)
Sustainability/Community: Eco-friendly energy and water use, local guide support, wildlife conservation awareness.
Why it’s unique: Provides intimate proximity to Kaziranga’s wildlife while living comfortably in forested surroundings.
Situated on the edge of the salt marshes of the Great Rann of Kutch, Rann Riders is an intimate desert camp with luxury tents elevated above the white sands. Guests wake to panoramic sunrises, explore nearby villages and salt flats, and enjoy starlit dinners accompanied by folk music performances. The tents are designed to balance comfort with simplicity, often featuring locally woven textiles and earthy décor. The camp is mindful of sustainability, using solar power and engaging with local craftspeople for décor and cultural programming.
Nearest airport: Bhuj Airport (~2.5 hours drive)
Sustainability/Community: Solar power, local crafts, cultural immersion with village communities.
Why it’s unique: Combines remote desert landscapes with authentic cultural experiences in Kutch.
Glenburn Tea Estate overlooks the misty Dooars region and the winding Teesta River, offering heritage-style colonial bungalows surrounded by tea plantations. Guests can join guided tea tours, take hikes along forest trails, or relax in the drawing rooms while absorbing valley views. The estate’s afternoon tea rituals and farm-to-table meals accentuate its leisurely, immersive feel. The property emphasises eco-responsibility and local community engagement, sourcing staff from nearby villages and supporting school initiatives.
Nearest airport: Bagdogra Airport (~2 hours drive)
Sustainability/Community: Local employment, eco-conscious operations, school support programs.
Why it’s unique: Combines a living tea estate with heritage accommodation and panoramic river valley scenery.
Located in the historic Qila Mubarak complex of Patiala, Ran Baas showcases the grandeur of Punjabi royalty with tastefully restored heritage suites. Guests can explore the palace architecture, relax in opulent rooms with modern amenities, or enjoy curated cultural events and local cuisine. Courtyards, gardens, and antique furnishings create an immersive royal atmosphere. The hotel contributes to cultural preservation and local employment, engaging artisans and culinary experts from the region.
Nearest airport: Chandigarh International Airport (~1.5 hours drive)
Sustainability/Community: Cultural preservation, local employment, heritage awareness.
Why it’s unique: Offers an authentic taste of royal Punjabi living in a restored historic fort complex.
Nestled in the forests near Una, Slow Living X Eco-Retreat is a boutique eco-lodge featuring timber and stone cottages with private terraces. The retreat prioritizes wellness, with yoga sessions, forest walks, and meditation spaces, alongside eco-conscious design. Guests can explore nearby trails, enjoy organic meals, or unwind in sauna and spa facilities. The retreat operates sustainably, using solar power, organic food sourcing, and community engagement in environmental projects.
Nearest airport: Chandigarh International Airport (~3.5 hours drive)
Sustainability/Community: Solar energy, organic farming, local community projects.
Why it’s unique: A forest retreat blending eco-living, wellness, and nature immersion.
Perched among the kikar and gum arabic trees in Syari Valley, The Tree House Resort offers elevated “nest” rooms with modern comforts and panoramic valley views. Guests can stroll forest trails, enjoy outdoor lounges, or participate in cultural evenings. The resort’s design integrates with its natural surroundings, providing the sensation of living among the treetops. It engages local communities for staffing, decoration, and cultural programming, supporting village livelihoods.
Nearest airport: Jaipur International Airport (~45 minutes drive)
Sustainability/Community: Eco-friendly construction, local employment, cultural programming.
Why it’s unique: Provides a treetop experience near Jaipur that feels secluded yet stylish, blending nature with comfort.
Nestled on a verdant cliff above the Arabian Sea in Kerala’s Varkala region, Soul & Surf fuses the relaxed rhythms of surf culture and yoga with a quiet coastal retreat tone. The property offers rooms in a traditional Kerala-style building as well as a modern block, all of which enjoy views over the sea and gardens. Guests may join morning surf lessons at nearby beaches, practise sunset yoga in the rooftop shala, or lounge in the garden with fresh café-style food from the on-site pizza oven or barbecue nights. Beyond the accommodations and activity schedule, the team behind Soul & Surf emphasises giving back: they run a surf club for local village children, partner with a Kerala-based charity, and maintain sustainability commitments.
Nearest airport: Trivandrum International Airport (~1 hour drive)
Sustainability/Community: Surf club for village kids, charity partnerships, local employment.
Why it’s unique: Combines an active coastal lifestyle with a strong lean to community.
Tucked into the rugged landscape of rural Rajasthan, SUJÁN Jawai offers a small luxury tented camp that pairs refined accommodation with wildlife encounters (especially leopard-spotting safari drives) and conservation programming. Guests stay in large canvas tents with full bath, plunge-pool decks and wild views, immersed in nature yet provided high-end comfort. The model showcases how luxury meets low-impact wilderness hospitality, with curated experiences, expert guides and a sense of place firmly anchored in the landscape and culture.
Nearest airport: Udaipur or Jodhpur then drive.
Sustainability/Community: Wildlife conservation focus, local employment, low-impact design
Why it’s unique: Wilderness-luxury camp in a less-travelled area of India.
In the heart of historic Old Delhi’s labyrinthine lanes lies Haveli Dharampura, a restored 19th-century Mughal-era mansion (haveli) awarded the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The architecture features cusp-arched gateways, stone-walls and traditional courtyards that shelter guests from the intense energy of nearby Chandni Chowk. Rooms are boutique-styled with modern comforts while preserving the heritage charm. Guests can immerse into Old Delhi’s character through guided heritage walks, rooftop kite-flying views, live Kathak dance or Ghazal performances in the evening, and curated high-tea or tasting-menu dining experiences.
Nearest airport: Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
Sustainability/Community: Cultural conservation, heritage revival.
Why it’s unique: A deeply local urban boutique stay embedded in Old Delhi’s historic fabric.
High in the Himalayas near Manali, GlampEco Stays offers one of India’s first luxury geodesic-dome glamping sites: sleek dome-shaped tents perched in an apple orchard at ~2,600 m altitude, with sweeping views of the Dhauldhar range and valleys below. The domes are complemented by eco-mud-house rooms built with local stone, slate, bamboo and natural materials. Guests may opt for spa treatments, café hang-outs, valley hikes, mountain walks or simply relax in a light-filled dome under snow-capped peaks. This is glamping elevated – blending wilderness access with design-led comfort.
Nearest airport: Kullu-Manali Airport (or Chandigarh with onward drive)
Sustainability/Community: Use of local materials, eco-design, emphasis on minimal-impact stay.
Why it’s unique: A strong visual concept of domes at altitude, all set in the dreamy Himalayas.
Located within the Western Ghats’ forested hills, The Machan occupies a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot and offers tree-house style accommodations 30–45 feet above the forest floor. Each unit (or “Machan”) is elevated on platforms, some reached via wooden bridges, and designed with natural materials, glass facades or open decks, blending luxury with nature. Architecture and interior design emphasise ecological responsibility: solar and wind power systems, minimal disturbance to natural surroundings and views of uninterrupted forest canopy. Guests can stargaze through retractable roofs, wander forest trails, indulge in spa treatments in the woods or simply listen to the trees from their deck.
Nearest airport: Mumbai or Pune then ~2–3 hr drive
Sustainability/Community: Location in UNESCO-recognised hotspot, eco design, regenerative forest focus.
Why it’s unique: Elevated forest living with luxury comforts and a strong design narrative.
Set amidst manicured tea bushes and hillside vistas in Darjeeling, Singtom Tea Estate & Resort offers a refined heritage-bungalow experience. The original tea-estate building is named the oldest tea-estate in the world, restored and integrated into each stay with large verandas, views of the Himalayan foothills and an emphasis on the estate’s active tea-growing heritage. Stay here and you can wander through tea gardens, enjoy estate-fresh breakfasts, sip afternoon tea while overlooking green slopes and perhaps join a tea-plucking excursion. The combination of colonial-bungalow architecture, landscape-awareness and slow-travel mood makes this a compelling alternative to standard mountain resorts.
Nearest airport: Bagdogra Airport (near Siliguri) then ~3 hr drive
Sustainability/Community: Active tea-estate, local staff, emphasis on provenance.
Why it’s unique: Tea-plantation ambiance paired with curated hospitality and a calm high-altitude landscape.
Emerging from the desert sands of the Thar, Suryagarh is a modern-fort design boutique hotel built of golden sandstone and styled with turrets, courtyards and heritage-inspired interiors. The hotel offers spacious rooms, private-pool villas, a desert-spa and rich cultural layers — all set within the dramatic terrain of western Rajasthan. Beyond the brick-and-stone architecture, Suryagarh showcases Rajasthani hospitality, regional cuisine, village visits, camel-treks and desert picnics under the stars. It straddles luxury and authenticity in the desert frontier.
Nearest airport: Jaisalmer Airport, or Jodhpur Airport + drive
Sustainability/Community: Local materials, regional cultural programming.
Why it’s unique: Desert fort setting with thoughtful design and elevated service in a remote location.
A restored 15th-century fort-palace perched on a ridge about halfway between Delhi and Jaipur, Neemrana Fort-Palace conveys majestic heritage with ramparts, courtyards and rooftop vistas. It’s been converted into a boutique heritage hotel that retains significant original architecture while offering modern amenities. You'll enter through ancient stone gates, wander through layers of courtyards and ramparts, and stay in rooms that recall palace quarters. Rooftop terraces and sunset views over the Aravalli hills heighten the mood.
Nearest airport: Delhi (Indira Gandhi) or Jaipur + drive
Sustainability/Community: Heritage conservation, local crafts, reuse of historic fabric.
Why it’s unique: One of India’s pioneering heritage-hotel conversions, with strong story-telling and landmark status.
On the banks of the Ganges near Rishikesh, Glasshouse on the Ganges offers a calm riverside retreat with design-led cottages, forest trails, yoga decks and gentle styling. While not ultra-tented or remote-wild like others, it stands out for its minimalist luxury, natural materials and strong sense of place (river meets forest). Here you can rise with the sun over the Ganges, practise yoga in the open air, walk in nearby forest and then relax by the river with coffee or sunset drinks. The balance of calm, design and location appeals to those seeking boutique understated luxury.
Nearest airport: Dehradun (Jolly Grant) or Delhi then drive
Sustainability/Community: Natural materials, sensitivity to surroundings, lifestyle-oriented.
Why it’s unique: A minimalist luxury river-side stay that contrasts with the hustle of other destinations.
Header image: Suryagarh Jaisalmer — Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
