Team-BHP
(
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
I don't know the statistics but it would be fair to say that travel related info on team-bhp is as valuable as info on cars and bikes. It is always a challenge to find hotels that are not generic, not over-marketed, etc.
I invite you all to contribute to this thread. The location of the hotel must be absolutely one of a kind and highly desirable. The hotel could be 0-star or infinity-star, the only criteria is that the location should be wow and more importantly unique. Mind you, this is not a recommendation/review of hotels - just pointers to get you started if this type of travel is your thing. Most of these hotels do not come highly recommended.
You need not have stayed in the hotel but at the same time some personal familiarity is required.
I can think of a few, most of which I found the hard way before the invasion of google maps and tripadvisor, etc. I have not included many fabulous hotels with great locations like beachfront hotels because they are not unique. Also not included the over-marketed places like Taj lake palace, Taj amarvilas, etc. - do they need any more promotional material? :)
Hampi Boulders, Hampi
Location highlight: On the banks of Tungabhadra river with amazing landscape with boulders
Bonus: can explore Hampi
Royal Orchid Brindavan, Mysore
Location highlight: Overlooking Brindavan gardens
Leela (Now Raviz), Kovalam
Location highlight: On seaside cliff
Taj Gateway, Madurai
Location highlight: On a hilltop, overlooking Madurai
Taj Falaknuma, Hyderabad
Location highlight: On a hilltop, overlooking Hyderabad
Bonus: Taj palace category hotel
Bungalow on the beach, Tranquebar
Location highlight: Danish history in India
Bonus: Beach
Refreshing thread. All the places you've mentioned are picturesque and have jaw dropping sceneries!
Another place I would like to mention is "The Kumaon" in Almora. We were planning a trip there, this summer but couldn't unfortunately :(
https://thekumaon.com/
Probably already well known but their rooms and location is probably the best for me in Goa nearby beautiful Agonda beach. We went there from Agonda for anniversary dinner 3 years back and have definitely marked it as our stay next visit.
The Cape Goa
https://www.thecapegoa.com/ 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnandB
(Post 4947148)
|
Cabo Serai in South Goa is also coming up strong with Excellent reviews, do give it a try!
https://caboserai.com/
Trident, Nariman Point has a most fantastic location at the end of Marine Drive. The ocean facing rooms on the higher floors offer a fantastic view of the entire golden necklace and the Arabian Sea. You can see the city and the water for miles. On a lucky day, you may even see the Ambanis drying theplas on their terrace lol:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreesh1009
(Post 4947134)
Refreshing thread. All the places you've mentioned are picturesque and have jaw dropping sceneries!
Another place I would like to mention is "The Kumaon" in Almora. We were planning a trip there, this summer but couldn't unfortunately :( https://thekumaon.com/
|
Stayed here on my recent trip to Uttarakhand. Will vouch that it\'s the most scenic hotel that I\'ve stayed at. Even during a pandemic, all the 10-12 chalets were sold out. Lower chalets cost 16.5k/night and the upper ones cost 18.5k/night. The views are similar, the only difference is that the upper chalet gets a terrace while the lower ones get a porch.
The best part is that you wake up to the striking views of the Himalayas which pictures can't do justice to.
Sharing just a few, which are handy with me at this moment.
Hotel Pemaling Dirang. View from room (Premium category)., Arunachal Pradesh
Sinclairs, Chalsa, West Bengal
Gulmarg Meadows, Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir
Ashan Mount resort, Sonmarg, Jammu & Kashmir
Dhikala FRH, inside Corbett, Uttarakhand
Holong Bungalow, inside Holong/Jaldapara forest, West Bengal
Cherry Resort, Temi Tea Garden, Sikkim
Apart from the above places, I have found all the HPTDC hotels located in very good locations which always offer great view.
Now, this is one thread that I would happily contribute to. Been to some wonderful hotels around the country and at beautiful locations to boot. Sharing some places and pictures in no particular order :
From down south,
Brunton Boatyard in Kochi is a beautiful sea front boutique hotel. Fabulous heritage property and fabulous sea food to boot.
Amanvana Retreat Kushal Nagar is another nice one and fantastically located beside Kaveri rivulet. The entry is from the usual road but once you enter the property, it’s another world altogether. Set amidst the lush greens and separate cottages for guests, with the rivulet flowing, creates a wonderful ambiance.
From up North,
The
HPTDC Khajjiar property is right where the scenic vistas are for your taking. The cottage located right in one corner surrounded by trees is one beautiful sight.
Aamod Dalhousie also gives you wonderful views although the location might not be to everyone’s liking being right on the road. But the place does gives you beautiful vistas.
Asia Health resorts Mcleodgunj, this place is just for the views. The sunset seen from the dining deck and the rooms is one of the best I have seen till date.
And now from East,
Allita Hotels Kurseong, set amidst the hills and surrounded by hillocks, this is one beautiful property. The hotel is better known now as the place where the great Rajnikanth stayed while shooting for a movie.
Ghonday Resort Kaluk, Sikkim. Little hotel but offering wonderful service and is located wonderfully. The mountain views are amazing and worth going back every now and then.
Sendra Park Resort Loktak, Manipur. Situated on a hilltop and offering majestic views of the largest fresh water lake in the entire north east India, the cottages are wonderful and unique in some ways too.
Yuru Resort Kalimpong, the latest property that I have been to recently and fell in love, for the views it offers. The Kanchenjunga views from the property is just majestic and one can simply sit and enjoy the views for long hours. The added bonus is the wonderful food ranging from Indian to continental and native dishes too.
Two special mentions:
Baramangwa farmhouse is not exactly a hotel but a homestay but what location. The walk to the place can be tedious for some folks but once in the property, you can only soak in the atmosphere.
Margaret’s Deck- Not a hotel but a restaurant and is on the way towards Darjeeling. One can stop for some lip smacking food and the views of the lush greenery it offers.
Also, the APTDC Rushikonda property and Park Hotel, both in Vizag also are located wonderfully. In fact, the APTDC Anantagiri resort is also a delightful property. Since, location is the criteria, many homestays also make the cut but I would stick to hotels for now. These are the properties I have stayed at and hence included the same here in this thread.
The most exotic hotel for me is the hotel on the tree.
The view from the top.
Full travelogue
is here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by androdev
(Post 4947123)
Leela (Now Raviz), Kovalam
Location highlight: On seaside cliff
|
We did the first Skoda Kodiaq review at this place in 2017. Usually we don't get any time to look around the property since we are very busy driving and shooting pics. However, as we rushed to the airport early morning, we found our flight cancelled. The next flight was in the night. So we had to return to the hotel and were happily stuck in this hotel for the whole day. :D
Nameri Eco Camp situated near Nameri National Park & Tiger Reserve, about 45 kms from Tezpur, Assam. The camp is managed by Assam Bhoreli Angling and Conservation Association.
I do not have pictures at hand but Maharashtra's MTDC beach properties such as Ganpatiphule etc were always at some of the best locations. Will dig them out but this can help:
https://youtu.be/EFVmoT8FtwQ?t=210
(3:30 min is where you can see the nice location)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Samba
(Post 4947191)
Sharing just a few, which are handy with me at this moment.
|
Just adding few more, thanks to my poor memory, I missed to add these in my previous post. Will add more, if I can recall some more hotels/resorts from where the view was breathtaking.
View from Polo Orchid, Cherrapunji, Meghalaya
View from Reema Resort, Paro, Bhutan
View from Red Hills nature resort, near Ooty, TamilNadu
View from hotel Sherpa Chalet, Sandakphu, West Bengal
View from Tango beach resort, Neil Island. Andaman
Edit : Excellent thread idea, androdev :)
Am hooked to this thread.
Great thread, thanks!
Let me share some of the hotels we staying at.
Probably one of the best and nicest hotels we ever stayed in all our travels must have been the Taj Lake Palace hotel in Udaipur.
https://www.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj/...alace-udaipur/
Upon arrival at the airport we were picked up by car, a very nice Jaguar XJR and whizzed to the lake. You cross the lake in a nice little boat. That is when you get your first view of the hotel:
Splendid rooms, outstanding service from all staff.
Mrs D lounging, before we head for the bar and evening entertainment. If there was ever a place where one sips a G&T prior to dinner, this is it!
Not sure if they still do, but they used to have a restaurant on top of the roof. Dining out there, under the moon and stars, overlooking the lake and the coast line of Udaipar is a truly unique experience. The food is absolutely outstanding!
Of course, this hotel is well known amongst James Bond fans; It was also the residence of Octopussy, from the same movie!.
A very different experience, but again, totally unique is our stay at the Glenburn tea estate in Darjeeling.
The day we arrived the monsoon rolled it. Quite the experience to witness how this whole magnificent scenery gets swallowed up by clouds. The rooms are very very good, really well done. Roomy with very nice decor.
Dining is done at one large table where all the guests sit down together. Not to everybody’s liking, but we really enjoyed it. Interestingly enough, at the time, we were the only non-Indian staying there. The food is very good!
The tea factory is right next door and a tour of it is complementary. (or at least was for us).
It took well over two hours. Made a little video of it at the time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io614MTFqoU&t=241s
A few other memorable hotels we have visited. Of course, whenever we visited Jaipur we planned to stay on the way at Fort Neemrana
https://www.neemranahotels.com/fort-palace-neemrana/ 
Stunning view across the valley before you head for the bar/restaurant.
Lastly, for those in the Delhi area, or wanting to visit the Delhi area: Fort Mud Kuchesar.
It’s only about 80 km from Delhi. One Sunday we decided to drive up there. We showed up at the gate at around 1300 hours. The gate was locked and bolted. After some honking the guard showed up and wanted to know if we had a reservation? Of course, we have a reservation, OMG you did not get our reservation, we drove all the way from Delhi and you did not get our reservation??? The gate was unlocked, unbolted and opened swiftly. From here on we had the most pleasant and enjoyable afternoon. The Fort is well maintained. Although for lunch there was no menu as such, they served us an excellent meal. Many Indian dishes we hadn’t tasted before. Afterwards, we spent some time wondering around this magnificent building. Mrs D, as you’ll notice below, was dressed in appropriate attire for these surroundings.
We have stayed at so many gorgeous, unique and pleasant places all over India. These were some of the very memorable ones.
Jeroen
| All times are GMT +5.5. The time now is 22:10. | |
