The Serai, Kabini India, Karnataka

The Serai is a refreshing modern hotel just an hour’s drive out of Mysore. This very special part of the Nilgiri biosphere is teeming with lush forests, rare bird species, and lots of wildlife. On the banks of the Kabini River, the Serai offers cottage style accommodation with all the luxury amenities you’d expect from this high-end resort group, as well as spectacular views of the water from every angle.

Wildlife lovers will be thrilled to spot hundreds of colourful and endemic bird species. The area has the largest congregation of magnificent Asiatic elephants, and if you want to learn more, you can chat to one of the on-site guides and naturalists at the resort. If you haven’t exhausted yourself in a kayak on the river, on a jungle safari, or atop a Harley Davidson, you can work out at the hotel gym or swim in the pool. If you have, you can organise a massage or a treatment at the spa.

The Serai has only 16 rooms, all of them with superb views of the Kabini River and all featuring private verandas, air-conditioning, and luxurious furnishings. Some have atmospheric open sky showers with fibreglass roofs, and the villas have their own non-heated Jacuzzis. The standard is high and the comforts are plentiful.

This isn’t a tribal or a traditional experience, but more of a modern luxury accommodation experience. Come here if you want to get lost in the spectacular jungle surroundings of Nagarhole National Park but come home to exceptionally luxurious mod cons.