The next time you have a long weekend to spare but don’t know where to ‘escape,’ consider this list. Te Aroha, Dhanachuli This boutique resort sits on a hillside, looking down into a valley of hamlets, terraced fields and pine…

Unplug. Recharge. Reconnect. Unwind with a trip to these destinations, not far from home, that make for a perfect choice for the upcoming long weekend. When 1 May, 2015 to 4 May, 2015 Where to go Colombo, Sri Lanka Once considered a…

If 2014 left you aching for some days off work, 2015 is your year. The upside – the year has plenty of three- and four-day weekends to help you recover from routine. The flipside – you need to get planning…

Since India is full of unseen places waiting to be discovered, we felt one list would simply not be enough. And so, here’s the second installation of 10 offbeat places waiting to be discovered in India. Loktak Lake, Manipur About…

Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site, the magnificent capital of the Vijayanagar Empire is an open-air museum of 20 elaborate temples and other smaller structures. How often have you struggled to understand the adulation a destination commands from travellers —…

Once little more than an army outpost, Pune is a city that epitomizes ‘New India’, with its baffling mix of capitalism, spiritualism, ancient and modern. Whether on a business trip or visiting relatives, here are a few things you should…

Trekking through mountains, crossing streams and villages, enjoying a picnic, staying at village homes, not having the mobile signal for hours – these are definitely the highlights of my trip to Uttarakhand. On this trip I ignore the hill stations…

The last stretch is a dirt track across a kilometer and a half. The car manages to gobble up the road as we reach Bugadahalli village in Sakleshpur district in Karnataka at around three in the afternoon. It is sleepy,…

The massive statue of Bahubali, looking out over the town of Shravanabelagola, is often seen in brochures of the Hassan-Belur-Halebidu circuit. It is certainly intriguing enough to merit a detour. 438 feet above looks easy on paper, but as one…

Coorg has earned itself the rightful title of ‘adventure capital of Karnataka’. Located on the eastern edge of the Western Ghats, it has a diverse topography, with mountains, coffee plantations, thick forests, paddy fields and rivers. These form a suitable…

The wildlife of India comprises a fascinating melting pot of animals from Europe, Asia and ancient Gondwanaland all swirled together in a bewildering mix of habitats ranging from steamy mangrove forests and jungles to sandy deserts and icy alpine meadows.…

‘An erstwhile hunting lodge of the Mysore Maharaja’ – this description of the Kabini River Lodge is enough to conjure visions of grandeur and luxury. Spread over 54 verdant acres near the Nagarhole National Park (also known as Rajiv Gandhi…

The ‘hill-station’, that entity which promised us pine forests, log huts and cognac, is an outdated species. Civilization has left us with a more practical version called the ‘hill-city’, which is an elevated hub of commerce and construction. Is it…

The mainly arid countryside around Jodhpur is dotted with surprising lakes, isolated forts and palaces, and intriguing villages. It’s home to a clutch of fine heritage hotels where you can enjoy the slower pace of rural life. Here’s a look at some of these: Mandore…

The beauty about a weekend getaway is that everybody has an interpretation of the ideal one. For some it means never getting off the hammock, for others it’s about never getting on it. Some get their joy taking long drives…

Oh joy! August, a month filled with long weekends has finally arrived and since it’s our duty to hand-pick the best places to enjoy these holidays, we will start with Sattal, the perfect refuge from Delhi’s chaos. Scenic long walks…

Surreal, stark and yet stunning – you soon run out of words to describe Hampi and its silhouetted monuments, as they stand vigil over time. An overnight train journey is all that separates the chaos of Bangalore from the haunting ruins.…

As Myanmar/Burma opens up, sanctions lift and life there rapidly changes, more travellers are venturing into this alluring country. Because changes happen so quickly, it is difficult to find up-to-date information on what to expect when visiting the country. Here…

In this excerpt from Short Escapes from Mumbai, journalist and publisher, Frederick Noronha explores the Portuguese remains of Mumbai and its surroundings.   The areas in Mumbai and its surrounds were ruled by the Portuguese from 1534 to 1739. Bacaim…

For a country with the oldest golf course outside the British Isles, India doesn’t exactly spoil golfers for choice. But what it lacks in numbers, it makes up in character: from the iconic Delhi Golf Club in the Capital, to…