Travel Stories
Iceland Luxury Hotels: Robb Report
I wrote about Iceland for the January 2018 Travel issue of the Robb Report.
Vivanta by Taj, Bangalore: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This luxury hotel has spacious soothing rooms, a Jiva spa offering excellent treatments, pool, fitness centre, Indian and Italian restaurants, all held together by the intuitive service that the Taj hotels are known for.
Sandhotel, Reykjavik: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
Sandhotel is situated in the heart of Reykjavik's hip shopping street, Laugavegur, and is bordered by Iceland's oldest gentleman's tailor and a cult bakery. Warm staff and thoughtful touches including a mobile phone, and chic comfortable rooms with locally sourced organic toiletries, make it a great place to stay.
Marriott Whitefield: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This sprawling hotel in the midst of the evolving business district of Whitefield – a busy and buzzing district on the outskirts of Bangalore – has 321 rooms, unintrusive service, great restaurants, and an amazing spa.
For Qantas magazine on Mumbai Cricket
About stadiums, fans and ethos of cricket in Mumbai.
28 Kothi: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This boutique guest house with just five individually-styled rooms makes a virtue out of its quirky minimalism. The Instagrammable interiors are dotted with thoughtful design touches. Dinner, which is prepared on request, is superb and served in the candlelit garden.
Shahpura House: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This meticulously maintained 64-room heritage hotel, in a quiet residential area of Jaipur, is owned and run by an aristocratic family. They live on the top floor and take pleasure in sharing their traditions and festivals in a way that is both authentic and ebullient.
Samode Palace: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This 16th-century palace nestled in the ancient Aravalli hills has striking wall murals, atmospheric rooms, an infinity pool, and a great wine cellar. It's an hour outside Jaipur, and run by the same family that lorded over 45 surrounding villages in princely times.
Hilton Embassy Golflinks: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This hidden pearl in the heart of Bangalore affords quiet, spacious studio-style rooms with kitchenettes for long-stay guests. Facilities include a spa, swimming pool, badminton court and restaurants.
Latest Articles
Hindustan Times | Valentine’s Day
Where do the city's singles go to have fun and meet dates? She laughed but proceeded to list a number of places – restaurants, clubs, bars, speakeasies, but the one that stuck was Watsons.
Indian Express feature on my work
Thank you, Arnav Chandrasekhar, of the Indian Express, for this nice feature of my work with a cool headline!
Hindustan Times | Harvest Festival
It is the season of Makara Sankranti and therefore, it is the season of transits and transitions. It is the beginning of the auspicious time in Hinduism. . It is the beginning of the auspicious time in Hinduism.
Wines from unusual lands for Sommelier India
Wine trends happen as a consequence of the economy combined with a knowledgeable, curious and open-minded drinking public,” says acclaimed sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier. We are sitting at Chambers restaurant in New York, which she cofounded in 2022.
Bangalore’s Colonial Era: Hindustan Times
Before every festival, my mother used to walk through the bazaars to get a flavour of the season. She would enjoy the fresh turmeric plants and sugarcane stalks before Yugadi and come back refreshed. During the Christmas season, I do something similar.
Video Interview of Shoba Narayan in The Hindu
Thank you to The Hindu for featuring Namma Bangalore 2.0 in such a generous feature and video interview. Thanks to editors Shonali Muthulaly, Preeti Zacharaiah and videographer Ravichandran for filming me.
Nine features I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition) a while back
Interviews with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
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Shoba Narayan is an award-winning Indian author, journalist, and freelance travel writer based in India. She specialises in luxury travel, immersive journeys, and Indian culture with a focus on food, wine, culture, cities, and identity. With over two decades of experience, she has contributed travel features to Condé Nast Traveler (US edition), Travel & Leisure, DestinAsian, Mint Lounge, The National (Abu Dhabi), Taj Magazine, and Hindustan Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph UK, The Guardian UK, and Robb Report among others. Her awards include the James Beard food-writing award and a Pulitzer Travel Fellowship. Her travel writing spans India, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, the Maldives, Bhutan, Costa Rica, and beyond — always with a focus on the sensory, the cultural, and the deeply human. Based in Bangalore, India, Shoba is a leading voice on South Asian travel, reviewing luxury hotels in India and abroad, and writing immersive features on traditional Indian crafts, and contemporary Indian culture. As a freelance travel writer and memoirist, she writes evocative, deeply researched features on everything from birding in Costa Rica to spiritual tourism in Bhutan.
For editors: Shoba Narayan is an Indian travel writer and food writer, who contributes to assignments on travel, food, culture, and Indian cities. She has reported from across the world and writes narrative-driven features with a strong sense of place.
Key Expertise: India travel writer, freelance travel writer India, South Asia travel journalist, luxury travel India writer, food and travel writer India, Indian food writer, Bangalore travel writer, South India travel writing, cultural travel writer, narrative travel journalist, travel features India, heritage travel India, slow travel India, sustainability travel writer, hotel and destination features India, travel essays South Asia.