History and heritage are scattered all over Karnataka. Some hotels in this South Indian state reflect its rich heritage. Some royal mansions have been converted to heritage hotels. These hotels are ideal if you are seeking glamorous staycation.
Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel
Located in Mysuru, the city of palaces, this excellent palace-turned-heritage-hotel exudes an old-world charm.
Built in 1921, this architectural masterpiece was designed to be similar to the St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
It has hosted national and international celebrities for over four decades.
Wikimedia Commons | Source
Shiv Vilas Palace
This exquisite palace-turned-luxury-hotel is located in Sandur near the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hampi. It covers around 20 acres. Your stay in this palace and its lush green resort is sure to be a memorable experience.
Royal Orchid Metropole
This upscale 1920 hotel is located in Mysuru. Spread over 2.5 acres, it is a perfect blend of old world charm and modern elegant design. This 30-room hotel is recognized as a Grand Heritage Hotel.
Perfect hotel for business stay in Mysore. Clean air, good ambience, spacious and well appointed rooms. The breakfast spread was extensive and tasty. Very satisfied with the stay and would recommend everyone to stay here once and experience luxury.
— Vijay Mhapsekar
Nehru Nilaya
This heritage hotel is located on top of Nandi Hills. It offers modest rooms, suites, cottages and patios. Built in British architecture, it was the summer retreat of Sir Mark Cubbon, who was the British Commissioner of Mysore state in the 1830s.
Wikimedia Commons | Source
Vajra Heritage
This heritage hotel is located in Rajaji Nagar, Bengaluru. It is well-known for its cleanliness and service.
Solo travel gives you many opportunities for self- reflection. India offers amazing destinations for solo female travelers. Here are some of them.
SRCM Meditation Center
Located in Chennai, this wonderful meditation center attracts visitors from all over the world. Stepping into this place is like crossing the threshold into another world.
Here you can learn techniques to relax, rejuvenate and to realize your true potential. Meditation is the main activity in this wonderful place. You need not pay anything to learn meditation here.
SRCM Heartfulness Meditation Centre
Amer Fort
Located in Jaipur, Rajasthan, this fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 16th century fort is located on Cheel Ka Teela on Aravalli hills. It was built by Maan Singh, a trusted general of Akbar.
Amer Fort Timing
10.00 am to 5.00 pm daily.
Cavelossim Beach
This beautiful beach is in between the Arabian Sea and River Sal. It is well-known for its black rocks, white sand and beach shacks. It is around 15 kilometers south of Margao.
Cavelossim Beach Shacks
Dom's Beach Shack, Sam's Beach ShackShack and Q-BA Beach shack are popular beach shacks in this region.
Kanha Shanti Vanam
Located in the suburbs of Hyderabad, near the Bangalore highway, Kanha Shanti Vanam is magnificent in its conception and design.
Great Raja Yoga Master Daaji resides here. Daaji is leading thousands of seekers onto the path of self-discovery through meditation and other simple techniques.
Kanha Shanti Vanam Images
Kovalam
This breathtakingly beautiful small coastal town is in Kerala. It is famous for its three curve shaped beaches, which offer many leisure options including sunbathing, swimming, herbal body toning massages, special cultural programmes and catamaran cruising.
Kovalam Leela
Officially known as The Leela Kovalam, this is the only cliff-top beach resort in India.
Nainital
This beautiful Himalayan town (elevation: around 2,000 meters) is in Uttarakhand. It is a popular hill station. This glittering jewel in the Himalyan necklace is famous for its scenic natural spledour and many natural resources.
Rishikesh
Located at the foothills of the Himalayas, this holy city is famous for its temples and ashrams. Ever since the Beatles rocked up at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Ashram in the late 1960s, this unique city has been a magnet for spiritual seekers.
Lake Pichola
This beautiful artificial fresh water lake (maximum depth: 8.5 meters) is in Udaipur. Created in 1362 CE by Pichhu Banjara, it is the oldest lake in Udaipur. This picturesque lake is famous for its island palaces. The City Palace complex, including the gardens at its southern end, extends nearly 1 kilometer along the lake’s eastern shore.
Lake Pichola Boat Ride Charges
Adult
Child
Regular Boat Ride
₹300
₹150
Sunset Boat Ride
₹500
₹200
Ambavilas Palace
Also known as Mysore Palace, this popular tourist attraction in Mysuru is famous for its various exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world. It is the official residence of the Wodeyars, the kings who ruled Mysuru between 1399 and 1950.
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Located at No. 9, Near Junction of Manakula Vinayagar, Kovil Street and Marine Street, White Town, Puducherry, 605002, this ashram was founded by philosopher, yogi, guru, poet, and nationalist. Sri Aurobindo in 1926. It is a vibrant centre of life in a modern urban setting.
Thoseghar Waterfalls
This scenic spot is a popular tourist attraction in Maharashtra. It is located near Thoseghar, around 20 kilometers from Satara.
This 500-m-waterfall is a seasonal waterfall, so it is advisable to plan your trip between July and October.
Bodh Gaya
Located in Bihar, this village is a Buddhist pilgrimage site. It is famous for the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, which was built to mark the place where prince Siddhārtha Gautama attained enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree. This is where he became Buddha (the 'Awakened One') 2,600 years ago.
Wikimedia Commons | Source
Mandarmani
This beautiful seaside resort village is in East Midnapore district, West Bengal. Some locals told me that the Mandarmani Beach is the longest motorable beach.
Kasol
This hamlet is in Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh, on the banks of the Parvati River, in Parvati Valley. Kheerganga Trek, Tosh, Malana, Rasol, Chalal, Parvati Pin Pass, Sar Pass Trek, and Manikaran Gurudwara are some popular places to visit in and around Kasol. Trekking, camping and stargazing are popular activities in this region.
Majoli
Also known as Mājuli, this island is the biggest river island in the world. The island is formed by River Brahmaputra in the south and the Kherkutia Xuti (an anabranch of the Brahmaputra) joined by the River Subansiri in the north.
Shimla
Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, this beautiful city is surrounded by snow-capped Himalayan peaks and green pastures. Traffic is banned from the central part of the city. This is what I like most about Shimla.
Packing List for Female Travellers
Travel line
Diva cup
Microfiber towel
Packing cubes
Sarong
Sleeping bag liner
Headlamp
Lock
Personal safety alarm
Hanging toiletry bag
First aid kit
Varkala Beach
This stunning beach is in Kerala. It is backed by palm-covered red cliffs. Some restaurants here play innocuous world music. There are stalls that sell T-shirts and silver jewellery.
Kaziranga National Park
This protected area is home to various animals including tigers, Indian one-horned rhinos and elephants. This park houses two-thirds of the world's Indian one-horned rhinos. This UNESCO world heritage site is located in Assam.
Hampi
This ancient town is in Karnataka. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Magnificent ruins (from the Vijayanagara Empire) of this unique town dot an unearthly landscape that has captivated travellers for centuries.
Ladakh
This Buddhist ex-kingdom is in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh means land of high passes. It is 11,400 feet above sea level. Even though it is a land of jagged peaks and barren landscape, it is alluring and awe-inspiring.
India is a beautiful country. It is a vast nation with diverse terrain – from Himalayas to Indian Ocean. There are many beautiful locations in this unique nation, which is dotted with many amazing monuments.
Bollywood movie makers have explored India meticulously. Here are some amazing Bollywood film shooting locations in India.
Pangong Lake
Also known as Pangong Tso, which, in Tibetan, means high grassland lake, Pangong lake is an endorheic lake near Leh in Jammu and Kashmir. This 134-km-long saltwater lake is in the Himalayas. It is at an elevation of 4,250 meters. Starting with the blockbuster ‘3 Idiots’, Bollywood movies have made Pangong lake a popular attraction.
Leh is well-connected with other cities and towns in the region. Flights are available from Delhi, Jammu and Srinagar. Kalka railway station (754 kilometers) is the nearest railway station.
Indians have to obtain an inner line permit for visiting this lake. If you are not an Indian you need to obtain a protected area permit if you want to travel from Leh to Pangong lake.
Pangong lake is around 150 kilometers from Leh. Government and private companies operate buses between Leh and the lake. I suggest that you take JKSRTC bus from Leh to Pangong lake.
Pangong Lake, Ladakh
Wikimedia Commons | Source
Udaipur Palace
This wonderful palace is in Rajasthan. It was built by several rulers of the Mewar dynasty over a period of around four centuries. It is a blend of Mughal and Rajput architectural styles. Popular movies 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' and 'Ram Leela' were shot here.
Flights are available to Udaipur from Jodhpur, Jaipur, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Delhi. The city has three railway stations: Ranapratapnagar (RPZ), Udaipur City (UDZ), Umra (UMRA); and two bus stations: Udaipur, Udaipur (Cg).
Udaipur Palace Rajasthan
From Wikimedia Commons
India Gate
This war memorial is located in New Delhi. Each face of this cenotaph has "Amar Jawan" inscribed in gold the words. "Amar Jawan" means immortal soldier. India Gate has featured in many movies, including Rang De Basanthi, Fanaa and Chandni.
The best way to travel in Delhi is by Delhi Metro. The nearest metro station to India Gate is the Central Secretariat, which is around 2.4 kilometers from the war memorial.
Shillong
Shillong, which is the capital of Meghalaya, is a popular hill station in Northeast India. This enchanting city is surrounded by pine trees. Rolling hills around the city have earned it the title "Scotland of the East". Bollywood movie 'Har Pal' was shot in Shillong.
The nearest airport (25 kilometers) to Shillong is the Umroi Airport near Barapani; and the nearest railway station (105 kilometers) is the Guwahati railway station.
Helicopter services are available between Guwahati and Tura, and Tura and Shillong, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; and between Guwahati and Shillong daily except on Sunday.
Shillong is well-connected by road. You can reach this beautiful tourist attraction by government bus, private bus or taxi. Road journey from Guwahati to Shillong gives you many opportunities to enjoy mother nature in all her glory.
Shillong Photos
Source
Rohtang Pass
This high mountain pass (elevation: 3,978 meters) connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh. The immensely popular song “Yeh Ishq Hai“ from the movie "Jab We Met" was shot here.
Rohtang Pass is around 51 kilometers from Manali. It is open from June to October. You need permission to visit this popular tourist destination. Permits are issued on first come first serve basis daily at the Tourist Information Center between 10 am and 8 pm. If you collect your permit today, you will be able to travel the next day.
Nearest airport (104 kilometers) to Rohtang Pass is the Bhuntar Airport; and the nearest railway station (103 kilometers) is the Joginder Nagar railway station. Buses and taxis are available from the airport and the railway station to Rohtang Pass.
Darjeeling
Located in the Lesser Himalayas at an elevation of 2,042.2 meters, this beautiful town was originally set up as a sanitarium or health resort by the British in mid 1800s. But over the years, it has become a major tourist attraction.
Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai, Hariyali Aur Raasta, Professor, Aaye Din Bahar Ke, Hamraaz, Baharon Ki Manzil, Jhuk Gaya Asman and Anurodh are some Bollywood movies shot in Darjeeling.
Darjeeling is in West Bengal. Nearest airport (95 kilometers) to this enchanting town is the Bagdogra Airport; and the nearest railway station (88 kilometers) is the Jalpaiguri Railway Station. Darjeeling is well-connected by road with other cities and towns in the region.
