Anantya by the Lake

A lake at the end of India

Anantya by the Lake sits inside the Vaikundam Estate, a working rubber plantation on the banks of Chittar Lake in Kanyakumari district — about as far south as India goes. The land's history runs back to the royal family of Travancore; the British planter Sir Daniel Hamilton is credited with establishing rubber here, and the estate has been with one family since 1957, now into its third generation.

The resort takes its design cues, by its own account, from Laurie Baker and Geoffrey Bawa: mud walls, exposed brickwork, handmade tiles on sloping roofs, and windows large enough to let the tropics in. Thirty-one villas fall into six categories, from bathtub cottages to pool villas claiming the best of the lake and mountain views.

One of South India's most quietly convincing lake addresses.

Meals happen at Swaad, an al fresco dining room looking over the lake with a pan-Indian menu; drinks at the Soma bar; barbecue nights out at Flat Rock. Ayurveda has a dedicated centre, Astitva, offering consultations and multi-day programmes — and the lake itself is clear enough that guests are invited in for a swim.