Must-see hotels in South India
Chennai (Madras)
In business since 1951, Broad Lands was a hippie-era stalwart. This rundown colonial-era mansion, with leafy courtyards and rooms up rambling staircases,…
Tiruvannamalai
A place for individual or organised retreats rather than a permanent community, Sri Anantha Niketan has tree-shaded grounds, Arunachala views and basic…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Run by the same people as the excellent Sea Shore Hotel, it's not as attractive but its box rooms (some with partial sea views) are cheap as chapatis and…
Maharashtra
Large, plain and well-worn rooms that won’t win any awards for imagination or cleanliness but are among the cheaper options in this pricey city. It’s one…
Mumbai (Bombay)
A crumbling, colonial-era building on prime Colaba real estate, where owner Raj tows a line between welcoming and wishy washy. Rooms are spartanly…
Tamil Nadu
Attached to an outdoor meeting hall, this bizarre but friendly place has two clean, modern-ish, neon-blue-lit rooms (with kettles, hot water and air…
Panaji
With a nice location opposite Ourem Creek, Sona is a sound but pretty boring choice in a good area, and probably a fraction overpriced. Not all of the 30…
Panaji
Contrasting starkly with its heritage neighbours, this characterless blue-and-white corner place doesn’t look very appealing but at this price it’s not…
Port Blair
Overlooking the bay, this slightly modern hotel is fine if you get one of the sea-facing rooms or wood-panelled rooftop 'cottages', which have more…
Tamil Nadu
This dive of a hotel has two things going for it: price (though it's hard to call it good value), and absolutely perfect views from the top-floor rooms,…
YMCA International Guest House
Madurai
Convenient to the temple, Madurai's well-managed YMCA guesthouse offers basic, worn rooms that can be very loud street-side. If you want AC, you can do…
Calangute & Baga
Among the palms south of the main entrance to Calangute Beach, low-key Coco Banana has been providing a retreat for travellers for many years. Rooms are…
Margao
The omnipresent GTDC’s outfit in town is an acceptable but dull choice, with cleanish rooms and a good location opposite the Municipal Library. Persistent…
North Goa
Rooms are in the bland-but-functional mould you’d expect from GTDC accommodation, but the borderline budget-midrange price tag is reasonable value for the…
Chennai (Madras)
Sketchy-looking hallways open into spacious rooms that are basic and have scuffed walls, but are clean and totally doable if you're counting your rupees…
Tamil Nadu
Open to single travellers, the lemon-walled rooms here are tolerably clean and not bad value. No shower: water is by the bucket (₹40). It's on the…
Kerala
When not booked out by school groups, this is a drab but clean, secure and fairly helpful budget choice, though the very basic bathrooms have seen better…
The Western Ghats
A clean, bland midrange hotel with a decent restaurant, just 500m from Mettupalayam's bus station and 1km from the train station for Ooty.
Madurai
The West Tower's best asset is that it's very near the temple, but it’s also tolerably clean and quieter than some other cheapies.
Madurai
The walls are a bit scuffed, but the rooms are clean, mattresses are good, and TM is efficiently run. Not bad at all for the price.
Trichy (Tiruchirappalli)
These tolerably clean rooms are just about doable if you're desperate for a cheap sleep opposite the Central Bus Station.
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
Tired, pine-furnished rooms that aren't horrible but need some attention. It's clean, but you can do better elsewhere.
South Goa
Secure, central and bland as they come, the GTDC’s Vasco offering is serviceable if you get lost in Vasco.
Kerala
Cheap, cheerful enough and very basic budget guesthouse in a busy, central bazaar area.
