Kerala Holidays, India

An off-shoot of the stylish Malabar House in Fort Cochin, Kanam – aka ‘Serenity’ – occupies a beautiful colonial bungalow inland, on a hilltop smothered in rubber trees and spice plantations.

Featuring the chain’s trademark mix of modern designer style and traditional Indian chic, the place oozes rural gentility, with polished eggshell floors and four-posters in its rooms, and there’s a dreamy garden where you can swim in a pool screened by cashew bushes. Yoga, Ayurveda, cycling trips and elephant rides are optional extras that tempt many to stay an extra night or two.

Our opinion

A small boutique hotel set in a plantation of rubber and spice with stylish rooms and a small pool.