The Best Beach Hotels to Book in India

This sprawling, five-star resort has four restaurants, a half-mile, white-sand beachfront on Goa’s famed southwest coast, and a luxury spa – all within an easy 40-minute drive from the airport. Choose from deluxe rooms and suites, or private villas with flower-strung verandahs and private plunge pools. There’s also a nine-hole golf course, and optional excursions to local spice plantations or an antique-filled traditional Goan house.

Once the summer retreat of the royal family of Travancore (an Indian royal family from c.1729 to 1949), this spectacular castle-turned-hotel overlooks the Arabian Sea from a lush, palm-covered hilltop setting in Trivandrum – the capital of Kerala. Dating from 1932, it still boasts loads of period-era touches, despite a slick contemporary renovation. Expect royal treatment, too, including private sun decks, gazebo dining with tailored restaurant menus and a dedicated staff of butlers. Rates include half-board and full-board options.

Think thatched, locally inspired huts and cottages built on stilts at this eco-friendly resort in the Andaman islands – an archipelago of tropical forests, mangroves and palm-fringed white-sand shores in the Indian ocean. Each private accommodation has shaded wooden verandas and canopied beds, and the hotel is surrounded by jungle and close to the islands’ most iconic beaches. Optional add-on experiences include scuba diving, beach treks and tours of the hotel’s own livestock farms and vegetable gardens. Special packages are tailored to couples and adventure-seekers.

This beachside hotel and Ayurvedic retreat centre is in laid-back Kovalam, a small coastal town just south of the Keralan capital. Sleep in palm-shaded, traditionally inspired Keralan cottages and bungalows overlooking the Arabian Sea, with excursions to a local fishing market, cruises on the picturesque Poovar estuary or day trips to nearby Trivandrum. Wellness packages include detox, stress management and even Covid-19 after-care programs, all with a focus on restoring the mind-body connection.

Built into the ramparts of an 18th-century Dutch fort, this five-star resort is a short drive away from the Unesco-listed city of Mamallapuram – a serene Hindu temple complex south of bustling Chennai. Accommodation includes rooms, cottages and villas overlooking the sparkling Bay of Bengal, with the lushly manicured grounds standing out like an oasis of green against the beach. You’ll find the usual luxury comforts such as multiple multi-cuisine restaurants, including a seafood joint with palm-fringed outdoor gazebos, and an on-site spa.

On Havelock Island, a diving mecca of coral reefs and deep-orange sunsets in the stunning Andaman and Nicobar island chain, this sprawling resort boasts sumptuously furnished, wood-panelled cabanas, chalets and bungalows. Expect relaxing seaside views and spa services on request. The location – reachable by private and public ferries from Port Blair – is the perfect base for the biodiversity-rich island’s famous scuba diving and snorkelling, with packages with combined stays at other Andaman locations on offer from the resort.

Built on to a banana and betel nut plantation on Havelock Island, this petite Andaman resort features TV-less rooms and private villas that encourage full relaxation. Run by a husband-and-wife team, the hotel is managed with family-like, down-to-earth hospitality (there’s no butler service here) and offers on-demand yoga classes and excursions to unspoilt beaches – including a secret spot where you can upgrade to a beach camp of parasols, towels and a picnic. The hotel restaurant serves up Andaman seafood with a twist thanks to its British chef: sugar-cured tiger prawns, spiny lobster with nimbu (Indian lemon) hollandaise and papaya and coconut curry. Beaches and local markets are a 20-minute walk away, or the hotel can arrange scooter rentals or tuk-tuks.

Your one-stop shop for all things Ayurveda, this deluxe wellness spa features a team of medically certified Ayurvedic practitioners. Lounge in spacious, poolside villas or bunk in a Keralan houseboat in between treatments. Personalised programs combine yoga and naturopathy (natural healing treatments) alongside traditional oil-based massages and therapies that are tailored to tackle gut imbalances, detoxification, rejuvenation or even diabetes management. The resort is located between Cochin and Alleppey, making it a convenient stop on any Keralan itinerary.

Spread out over multiple swimming pools and palm-shaded lawns, this sprawling Goan resort overlooks Varca Beach. Similar to a classic all-inclusive, it boasts no less than six restaurants and bars, from Italian pasta at a swim-up bar to Goan classic dishes at the beachfront seafood restaurant, although drinks and dining are à la carte. Rooms and suites are furnished in an international style and have private balconies facing either the pool and gardens or the Arabian Sea.