COTTAGE IS THE NEW COOL

Even though travel has picked up again, the pandemic seems to have changed preferences for good, with more travellers opting for small, remote, boutique properties with fewer keys for effective physical distancing. RADHIKA TANDON samples four such retreats.

- RADHIKA TANDON

THE OTHER DAY at the airport, I watched masked travelers walk past me while announcements about social distancing played on a loop. And I was struck by how quickly we have adapted to this COVID-era reality when less than two years ago all of this would have sounded like a dystopian novel. The way we travel has changed, perhaps forever. It made me wonder: what else has changed about our journeys?

My accommodation preferences certainly have seen a dramatic shift. This year, I found myself searching for cottage-style resorts, drawn to the privacy and physical distancing that they naturally offer. I stayed at places that ranged from a little Goan beach shack to a garden resort in Ladakh—all worlds apart, but with a few striking similarities. Here are four charming resorts of note that I checked into over the last one year.

RAKKH RESORT PALAMPUR, Himachal Pradesh

THIS GORGEOUS RESORT has 25 cottages spread over two hills, with views of the Palampur valley below and the Dhauladhar range behind. The rooms have no TV, Wi-Fi, or room service, but are luxuriously appointed. Of note are small touches such as superb showers, shelves filled with indoor family games, and the nightly delivery of a hot footbath with organic salts.