The Green Hotel

Built for the princesses of the Maharaja of Mysore, the pure white Chittaranjan Palace is a haven for hot and tired travellers. Its cool interiors, with red and blue stained glass windows and beautifully proportioned marbled upstairs reading rooms filled with original 19th century furniture, are a delight to wander and relax in. After negotiating the sun-baked lively streets of this small city – built on the silk and spice trades – being able to flop in the peaceful gardens bordered by beds bursting with marigolds and phlox is a luxury. Enjoy a candlelit cocktail or lime soda served on the lawns in the evening. The hotel is run on ethical and sustainable principles – the staff are trained from orphanages supported by the hotel’s profits, heating is from solar panels, wash water is recycled to the gardens and small ponds are stocked with mosquito-eating tilapia. There is a very good craft shop, travel office and coffee house on site and all food is beautifully cooked and presented in the garden with inclusive breakfast offered as either Western (fruit, curds and eggs) or Indian (light idylls and beautifully flavoured coconut and mustard seed sambar).