Neemrana’s Glasshouse on the Ganges
Rishikesh

If you follow the Ganges upstream from Rishikesh, where the foothills thicken into forest and the river runs quieter, you’ll find Neemrana’s Glasshouse on the Ganges, a barefoot-luxury Himalayan hideout for soulful wanderers and low-key romantics.

More a spiritual sanctuary than slick hotel, this eccentric and atmospheric riverside retreat is wrapped in fruit orchards, flame of the forest trees and Himalayan stillness. It's perfect for soulful seekers, soft adventurers and those who would rather do sun salutations on a private beach at dawn than sip cocktails in a designer bar. Yes, it’s a little bit hippy, but in the best possible way.

The décor leans into Neemrana’s signature charm - artfully mismatched, with hand-painted headboards, vintage prints and rooms named after sacred rivers like Yamuna and Saraswati. Don’t come expecting seamless tech or high-thread-count indulgence, the Wi-Fi is patchy and that’s precisely the point.

Instead, the Glasshouse gives you something far rarer, a chance to tune into the rhythm of the river and retreat from the clatter of modern life. Tucked into the Garhwal hills, the cottages and riverside tents gaze straight onto the Ganges, where you’ll spot holy men bathing, kingfishers diving and the mist drifting like incense at sunrise.

Afternoons are best spent hiking through the jungle, sipping herbal tea beneath lychee trees, or lying flat out in the garden watching the light shift on the water. The small Ayurvedic spa offers earthy treatments and flower-petal baths, or there’s always the yoga shala, where the air smells of river, rain and neem.

Meals are a colourful spread of locally sourced Garhwali dishes, fragrant vegetarian curries, hearty lentil stews  and wild greens cooked with care, served on a terrace overlooking the forest. As night falls, the property is lit with lanterns with the hum of cicadas your soundtrack.

Featured in Condé Nast Traveller India, The Glasshouse on the Ganges has been praised for its spiritual setting and understated elegance along the sacred river. It remains a quiet favourite among in-the-know travellers seeking to tap into a softer, more sacred side of India.

This is not a place for everyone, so if you crave sharp service, strong Wi-Fi and lots of gloss, look elsewhere. But for couples, solo travellers and meditative types looking to reconnect with nature (and possibly themselves), the Glasshouse offers something elemental and rare.

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.
Bill Bryson