Windermere Estate, Munnar, Kerala

Delightful fifteen-bedroom property, perched 1600m above a working tea plantation, Windermere Estate is Munnar's best hotel. Everything you'd want from a South Indian hill station stay, it provides personable service with a dose of history and charm. The Garden rooms are the smallest category, whilst the Planter's Rooms are the largest and include their own private balconies. All are decorated in antique furnishings with plenty of local teak and maple wood and provide the most magnificent views of either Windermere Estate's gardens, or the surrounding hills and valleys. Enveloped in nature, witness colourful butterflies fluttering between coffee and pepper plantations whilst chattering birds make their way from guava to peach tree. The open fire place in the dining room is a welcome feature during the cooler winter months. As much of the food as possible comes from Windermere's own plantation, whilst the rest is sourced at the local market. Dine on family recipes handed down the generations, in either The Barn or the rustic open-air Hut. Why not take a tour of the tea and coffee plantations or explore the picturesque town of Munnar on one of the hotel's bicycles. A tranquil stay, and a perfect detour from Kerala's well traversed backwaters.