Travel Stories
ITC Rajputana: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This hotel evokes the spirit of Rajasthan through the use of riotous colour, mural paintings, excellent Indian cuisine, and folk music every evening. The rooms with jewellery motifs, outdoor swimming pool and the pomegranate-themed spa offer respite from the desert heat.
Shangrila Bengaluru: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
With 397 rooms, this hotel in central Bangalore — a favourite for glittering Indian weddings — ably represents the Shangri-La global chain with an outstanding spa; Chinese, Italian, Indian and Japanese restaurants; and a rooftop bar that offers sprawling views of the city.
The Ritz-Carlton: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
With over 1,200 art works displayed all over, this jewel-like hotel in the heart of Bangalore has arguably the loveliest spa in the city, highly-rated Indian, Chinese and Continental restaurants, a Mercedes-Benz chauffeur pickup, and a wonderful design motif of painstakingly-carved extensive latticework.
ITC Gardenia: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This extremely environmentally friendly hotel adroitly mixes guilt-free luxury with sustainable practices, making it a great choice for eco-conscious travelers through its use of renewable wind energy, eco-friendly fittings, and recycles all water and waste.
Taj Coramandel: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
The only Chennai hotel that is part of the ‘Leading Hotels of the World,’ this 42-year-old landmark is where Chennai glitterati come for dates, engagements and weddings. It melds Chola bronzes, Tanjore paintings, Italian marble and Bohemian chandeliers to glittering effect.
Taj West End, India: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
With 150-year old raintrees, gulmohars, and banyans, this leafy 20-acre property successfully drowns out traffic noise and offers a significantly higher oxygen level, both luxuries without a price-tag. Quite simply, this is the most verdant hotel in Bangalore — beloved of locals and repeat guests.
Evolve Back: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
Six hours from Bangalore, this modern-day palace attempts to recreate the grandeur of the Vijayanagara Empire that ruled South India and Sri Lanka in the 14th century. Its pink façade and Indo-Islamic architecture take design cues from the Unesco world heritage sites down the road.
Taj Meghauli Serai: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
For wildlife lovers who want creature comforts alongside rhino, tiger and sloth bear sightings, Meghauli Serai, bordering Chitwan National Park, Nepal, provides pitch-perfect service— marrying hospitality from the Taj hotel group with ‘naturalists’ (park rangers) trained by South Africa’s &Beyond group.
JW Marriott, India: hotel review: The Telegraph UK
With its running trails, tennis courts, birding and photography groups that convene on weekends, Cubbon Park is an oasis amid the bustle of Bangalore, and right across the street from JW Marriott. As well as great access for the town centre, there are the pubs, restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries that are nearby on Lavelle Road - a two-minute walk from the hotel.
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Times of India: Bangalore Walk
For the Times of India 41st anniversary issue, editor Asha Rai asked me to write about Bangalore.
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.