The last two and half decades have been remarkable both for India and for Choomti Travellers. India is experiencing great changes in lifestyles and communications, the middle classes are proliferating, the road networks are improving but the poverty and life in the villages don’t as yet show any great improvement or changes. Since reluctantly departing our original home, a houseboat in Kashmir, Choomti Travellers have made steady progress, sharing with increasing numbers of clients, our love of this country. Most of clients come to us through personal recommendation and many return to Choomti for their second (third, fourth…) time.

CHOOMTI IN TOWN

Choomti's two Directors Simon Bazeley and V.O.Varughese (a.k.a. Saji) are in the U.K. during July and August 2010. Do contact us if you have any queries or thoughts of visiting India. We would also welcome your recommendations, feedback and general ‘best bits’ to pass on to future clients.

Contact us now only by email until 20 August, when we will be available again on our Delhi phone number
By Telephone : +91-11-2331 1194
Or by Facsimile & Answerphone: +91-11-2371 5644
or e-mail us:

While our business, experience and offerings have grown, we continue to work closely with all our clients to ensure your holiday experience meets, and even surpasses your expectations. When not working directly with clients, we travel around India seeking out new accommodations and updating ourselves on existing ones, interacting with our local agents and other service providers spread throughout India, thus ensuring we know what we are talking about … INDIA!

Here is an update after recent travels by Choomti’s Directors Simon Bazeley & V.O.Varughese (Saji) to various places in India. Kerala & Rajasthan continue to be our favourite holiday destinations. We have also travelled quite extensively in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal & Tamil Nadu during the last few months.

RAJASTHAN

RAAS Haveli within the walled city of Jodhpur, has recently been converted from a 17^th Century haveli to a luxury heritage hotel. This hotel lies at the foot of Meherangarh Fort. There are wonderful views of the magnificent fort and the food and services are exceptional.
Our ever popular Rohet Garh has created a new luxurious property called MIHIR GARH (Sun Fort) located in the desert, a very peaceful location to relax and enjoy village activities. Every suite has a plunge pool or jacuzzi and ground floor suites have private courtyards. There is also an infinity swimming pool. Again the food and services are impeccable. Mihir Garh is located just an hour’s drive from Rohet Garh.
A couple of hours from Udaipur towards Jaipur is SARDARGARH, one of the magnificent forts of Rajasthan which has been recently and tastefully converted to an all suite heritage hotel . Closer to Jaipur, is the 17^thcentury FORT BARLI , a simpler fort with excellent Rajput hospitality.
Opening on 15 August 2010, 4 kms from the city of Jaipur is THE TREE OF LIFE RESORT & SPA. This boutique hotel will offer you relaxation coupled with style, beauty and unmatched service. The resort features 14 luxury villas set on seven serene acres of land.
In addition to the boutique hotel Killa Bhawan, there are now two luxurious tented camps in Jaisalmer namely THE SERAI JAISALMER & SURYA GARH.

KERALA

In Fort Cochin, the are now many options of heritage/boutique hotels. The Malabar House, Trinity, Brunton Boatyard, Old Harbour Hotel, Le Colonial , Tea Bungalow etc….
Alleppey/Muhamma: The attractive, small CASA DEL FAUNO at Muhamma on the Vembanad Lake side has recently been taken over by the management of Malabar House and will be rechristened as PURITY, a place for wellness, they are planning to re-open the property by 1^st of August 2010 .
Wayanad: The owner of Ayurvedic Homestay HARI VIHAR (Calicut) has recently opened a boutique plantation retreat located in Wayanad, North Kerala called MY GARDEN OF EDEN, a seven cottage luxury resort set in a 23 acre coffee & tea Estate, surrounded by evergreen forests on three sides.
Trivandrum/Kovalam: SURYA SAMUDRA BEACH GARDEN has recently been reopened after an extensive renovation by the new management and has been re christened as SURYA SAMUDRA PRIVATE RETREAT.
The creator of SURYA SAMUDRA has now designed the very exclusive Green Lagoon Resort which offers complete privacy. There are only four Kerala residences surrounded by Vembanad Lake and canals. It is located half an hour by car or boat from Cochin.
Homestays: We continue to use a select collection of homestays - Kanjirapally Estate (Gita & Mathew), Mundackal Plantation Homestay (Jose & Daisy), Thomas Chettans Farm Stay (Thampi & Geeta ), Mankotta Island (Laila & Chacko), Olavipe Homestay (Tharakans) where one can experience a stay with cultured and interesting Indian families.

UTTARANCHAL/HIMACHAL

Village Walks: Kalmatia Sangam near to Almora (having 10 rooms/cottages) has introduced walks between villages which provides an insight into the lives and daily routine of the Kumaoni villager. Overnight stays in the village houses gives you a chance to experience their warm and genuine hospitality. The accommodation is rustic but clean and has all the basic amenities. The walks end at a different village each afternoon.
The Judges Court at the Heritage Village of Pragpur and Chapslee in Shimla continue to provide excellent old world hospitality.

TAMIL NADU/PONDICHERRY

The very French city of Pondicherry (now known as Puducherry) has 4 boutique/heritage hotels - The Promenade, Hotel de L’Orient, Le Duplex and the CGH Earth’s The Maison Perumal, in addition to the near by ecofriendly The Dunes Village on the beach
Madurai: In addition to The Taj Garden Retreat which we have been using for many years, Heritance Madurai (the former British Madurai Club recently restored to its original grandeur ) offers a good alternative.

TIGERS !!!!

In Ranthambhore (Rajasthan) and Bhandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh) there have been excellent sightings of tigers reported by our guests. Some even spotted 7 tigers and a leopard. In Ranthambhore Khemvillas and in Bhandhavgarh King's Lodge are our preferred jungle lodges.

Kanha (Madhya Pradesh) is yet another place for sighting tigers; Kipling Camp and Singinawa are our favorite jungle lodges.

TALLIS GUIDES: In addition to the routine guides we provide, we can call upon a reservoir of well informed experts in all disciplines who have the first-hand knowledge and experience to deliver in-depth knowledge to our guests. They include young historians, knowledgeable enthusiasts, teachers, and volunteers with local conservation organizations, academicians, historians, artists, authors, performing artists, craftsmen, food critics, chefs, designers, socialites and photographers.

Forts and Palaces...

RAJASTHAN :
Shahpura Bagh, half way between Jaipur and Udaipur is a delightful family run Haveli and farm.

Surajgarh Fort and Alsisar Mahal in the Shekawati region have recently opened their forts/palaces and are charming..

or... Tents...

RAJASTHAN :
Alternatively, if you love camping, but your travelling companion isn't so sure, we can arrange a stay at Chhatra Sagar, between Jaipur and Jodhpur. This well run luxury tented camp is set on a dam and is managed by two brothers (and their wives).

Deogarh Mahal, 4 hours from Jodhpur and 3 hours from Udaipur is still a favourite place with many of our clients and continues to be well run by a charming family. Both Deogarh Mahal and another favourite, Rohet Garh (40kms from Jodhpur) have recently added-on luxury tents..

Spas and Homestays...

KERALA :
We continue torecommend some delightful homestays:

- Mathew and Gita of Kanjirapally Estate at Thekkedy/Periyar.
- Jai and Laila of Mankotta Island between Alleppey and Trivandrum.
- Jose and Daisy of Mundackal Plantation Homestay between Cochin and Munnar.
- And Olavipe Homestay of the Tharakan family between Cochin and Aleppey.

In Cochin we are using a new property by Neemrana (a group of non-hotels) called Le Colonial, where Vasco da Gama once stayed, which is an exceptional small hotel, almost like staying in a museum.

The Malabar House (best meal ever, anywhere!) and their nearby Trinity, as well as Bruntons Boatyard continue to be firm favourites.

KARNATAKA :
At last in Hampi, there is an excellent place to stay - Hampi's The Boulders Wilderness Resort, well run by Vikram and located close to the ruins of the Vijaynagara Empire, a World Heritage Site.

Two charming homestays, also in Karnataka, have recently opened: Gitanjali Homestay in Mysore and The School Estate in Kodagu (Coorg), close to Sidarpur.

At Om Beach, CGH Earth (formerly the Casino Group) have a superb and luxurious spa called SwaSwara..

Tigers...

MADHYA PRADESH :
Recently we stayed at Kipling Camp at Kanha (we saw 3 tigers!) and visited a lovely new property on the other side of the sanctuary called Singinawa, a luxurious property run beautifully by a husband and wife team who are deep into conservation.

A favourite at Kipling Camp is, of course, TARA (‘star’ of Mark Shand's book: "Travels on My Elephant").

The other wildlife sanctuary with a very good chance of seeing a tiger is of course Bandhavgarh, and we recommend King's Lodge and Tree House Hideaway (we saw 5 tigers!)..

Special (and unusual) places to stay...

NEW DELHI :
We continue to recommend almost exclusively for our clients The Imperial which is one of the finest hotels in Asia. We also recommend Tikli Bottom which is just outside Delhi.

WEST BENGAL, ASSAM :
The Assam Bengal Navigation Company who operate long distance cruises on the (mighty) Brahmaputra and Hugli river in their luxury river boats with 12 air-conditioned en-suite cabins, continue to be very popular with our clients.

KOLKATA (CALCUTTA) :
We recommend The Oberoi Grand (indeed very grand) or the medium priced Fairlawn which is best described as an institution!

DARJEELING :
The venerable Windamere Hotel is still going strong and is a firm favourite. Or, if you prefer somewhere away from town, we can book you in one of the four suites of Glenburn Tea Estate.

SIKKIM :
In Kalimpong, the Himalayan Hotel in Gantok, The Nor-Khill, or the simpler Netuk House
or 14 km away The Bamboo Resort (a lovely homestay run by a Sikkimese husband and Swiss wife), are all very different but special places to stay.

TAMIL NADU :
In the Chettinadu region of Tamilnadu is Visalam a 72 year old mansion restored to its original state, where the distinctive Chettinad cuisines are served in traditional fashion. In the same area Mrs. Meenakshi Meyyappan of The Bangala continues to look after our clients with humour and dedication.