Puri, East India, India

The Mayfair is the smartest option in Puri, Odisha’s principal pilgrimage centre. It’s located right behind the beach, away from the noisy centre of town and has a rather boutique feel, with nice little temple carvings and statues dotted around, and a row of votive terracotta elephants beside the overflow pool. The rooms are spacious and well presented, opening on to breezy balconies. And there’s a path leading through a gateway at the bottom of the hotel straight on to the sand – perfect for watching fishermen at work in the mornings and catching the sunrise from the Bay of Bengal.