Another Kind of Waterfront

Waterfront hotels, anybody? here's the catch. No beaches, no islands. Effectively, water water everywhere, but not for you to swim. Puts you off? well, these places will make you rethink the beach bum ideology...


1) Explora en Patagonia, Patagonia, Southern Chile

gives you the big O by just looking at its pictures. a stunner of a location, one that you'd never want to leave. and the best part is that the countryside is exactly like this, and pretty much unexplored. the design is simple and the crowning glory remains the breathtaking views. luxurious-ity is obvious.


rates start from USD 2660 per person for 4 night packages. thats a cool 1.3L we're talking about. plus getting there, which happens to be the farthest continental point from India.


www.explora.com


2) Blanket Bay, South Island, New Zealand

South Island New Zealand is enough to make you go weak in the knees. add to that a super luxe retreat set by a mirror lake and voila. the design, sadly, is cliched rustic borrowed from lodges in the rocky mountains, and unlike explora, is not a revelation. the service and standards more than make up for the lack of likeable design though. 


rates start from NZD 745, thats about 26K.


www.blanketbay.com - beware though, the worst website for a hotel of such repute. 


3) Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan

iconic is the word. despite the fact that for half the year, the hotel is pretty much a stump in the centre of a drying lake, come monsoons (and the following winters) the hotel is heart-achingly-romantic in its centre of the lake fairytale setting in the most romantic city of the east. curio filled design, usual for the heritage hotel mumbo jumbo, but its somewhat ok. after all, the hotel is all about the kitsch factor.


rates start from 17k.


www.tajhotels.com - lacks good photos, but you'll be able to find them across the net.


4) Banjaar Tola, Kanha National Park

next to one of the best places in india to spot a tiger, banjaar tola sits by the side of the meandering banjaar river. a collab between taj and &beyond (the leading safari operators from africa) the place is awesomely chic and luxurious and offers one of the best wilderness experiences outside africa. the waterfront? well, the place is oriented towards waterside views, and if photographs are anything to go by, its quite delicious.


rates start from 18k


www.andbeyondindia.com


5) Sumahan on the Water, Istanbul

a former brewery turned chic hotel, sumahan is one of the few waterfront properties in istanbul and offers fabulous bosphorus views from fabulous rooms. very contemporary, very understated. the best retreat that a city of many great hotels can offer, and thats saying something.


rates start from EUR 300. thats roughly 18k.


www.sumahan.com


6) Villa d'Este, Lake Como, Italy

regarded as one of the definitively luxe properties on earth, villa d'este is a celebrated lakeside legend, on the shores of the lake of the jetset. superb views, superb food, superb service. classic decor, but italian style handles that really well. the place even has it own coat of arms.


rates start from around EUR 600. thats 36k.


www.villadeste.it


Special Mentions


The Peninsula, Hong Kong
Asia's premier grande dame sits on the Kowloon waterfront and is a bonafide urban landmark. routinely placed on the world's best lists, the hotel did not make it to the list because of its primarily business orientation. and the waterfront is restricted to views, there isn't much happening on the immediate side. otherwise its probably as luxurious (if not more) than the others above.


The Oriental, Bangkok
Another legendary hotel, but the water here is a busy one. full of life and excitement, it doesn't quite bring out the required calmness. But the best bet in Bangkok, a city which probably features the highest number of hotels which rank among the world's best.


Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai

everybody knows it. but then again, the waterfront is all about the crowds taking photos of the hotel or the gateway. the hotel just gives views.


Taj Malabar, Kochi
close runner. the only issue is that its a great hotel, but narrowly misses the super-luxe mark.


Huka Lodge, New Zealand
another close runner. Blanket bay tipped this because of a more spectacular setting. otherwise NZ's most celebrated hotel offers a peacefully luxe holiday by the banks of a river ideal for angling.