Alleppey, Kerala Holidays, India

Akkarakalam’s façade of traditional Keralan railings and pillared verandahs was clearly intended to be approached from the water, which is still how most guests arrive here. Stepping off the hotel boat, you walk though a neat little front garden to enter a quintessentially Kuttanadi interior of red-oxide floors, white walls and dark-wood furniture.

The feel is as close to that of the original ancestral home as a small hotel can get, down to the black-and-white family photos on the walls. The waterfront location is just perfect for deeper explorations of this fascinating area by canoe, as well as nocturnal crab catching trip – or just watching the world paddle past.