Contents
The New Asian Hotel: A Sanctuary for the Senses
The Imperial New Delhi, India
The Manor New Delhi, India
Amarvilas Agra, India
ITC Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers Kolkata, India
Ananda—in the Himalayas Tehri Garhwai, India
Neemrana Fort Palace Alwar district, India
Vanyavilas near Ranthambhore, India
Samode Palace near Jaipur, India
Rajvilas Jaipur, India
Devi Garh near Udaipur, India
Udaivilas Udaipur, India
Fort Tiracol Heritage Hotel Pemem, India
Siolim House Bardez, India
Nilaya Hermitage Arpora Bhati, India
Pousada Tauma Calangute, India
Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa cansauiim, India
The Verandah in the Forest, Maharashtra 134
The Park Hotel, Bangalore 138
Shalimar Spice Garden Resort, Murikkady 144
The Malabar House, Fort Cochin 148
The Brunton Boatyard, Fort Cochin 152
Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom 156
Hotel de I'Orient, Pondicherry 160
The Park Hotel, Chennai 164
Cocoa Island, South Male Atoll 170
Soneva Fushi Resort and Spa, Baa Atoll 176
Four Seasons Explorer, North Male Atoll 182
Soneva Gili Resort and Spa, South Male Atoll 186
Ulpotha, near Embogama 192
Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla 198
The Elephant Corridor, Sigiriya 202
The Tea Factory, near Nuwara Eliya 206
Taprobane, Weligama Bay 210
kahanda Kanda, near Galle 216
The Sun House, Galle 222
The Dutch House, Galle 228
The Villa Mohotti Walauwa, Bentota 232
The New Asian Hotel: A Sanctuary for the Senses
Recent years have seen an Asian design boom, with Oriental-influenced spas, architecture, interior design, furnishings and handicrafts gaining recognition in the world arena. Global attention is focused on the East—for inspiration, ideas and aesthetics—and increasingly as a holiday destination.
India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have always been visited, but it is only in the last decade or so that they have begun to build ground-breaking, internationally acclaimed hotels, villas and resorts. In this book we showcase what we consider to be the best the region has to offer. Often trendy, and definitely seductive, jaw-droppingly beautiful, knock-your-socks-off stunning, sometimes modern minimalist, other times simply stylish, each property is unique. There are chic urban resting holes, modish rustic retreats, sybaritic sea-sand-and-sun resorts, even a private island or two. Places to escape to, to surrender to the power of pure visual artistry—and chill. Places where your soul will be soothed and your senses seduced. Places where high-style hedonism has been elevated to an art form.
Until reasonably recently, cultural tourists to the area would have restricted their visits to the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur triangle and the kaftan-and-kiff set would have settled for a beach in Goa, Sri Lanka or possibly the Maldives. But with better transport links, a more demanding clientele and some stunning off-the-tourist-track properties, the scene is changing. Be it the joy of the remote, the thrill of the city, a beach, jungle or mountain location, or a combination of the above, the region delivers. And in environments that are design-worthy and intelligent.
Individuality is key. Some hotels are incredibly simple (one even has no electricity, phone or running water), others are swanky, six-star and super-deluxe. At some there's an eco-friendly ethos, at others the emphasis is on heritage and history. There are city-slick modernist cubes, home-away-from-home hostelries, hip hideaways and renovated forts and palaces. Some are recognized brands, others are privately owned and run. Many are recently opened, representing a new wave of consumer-led hotel architecture that offers peace, privacy and escape in drop-dead gorgeous surroundings.
All the hotels in this book dare to be different. Visually, architecturally and in terms of size, location and amenities, they vary widely; where they are similar is in their commitment to quality. They are also ravishingly photogenic. Enjoy.
