India Vacation Rentals

If you have exotic taste buds, you’ll love India: exotic fruits, rich and creamy yogurt drinks, spicy chai (tea) and fabulous vegetarian dishes are on offer all over the subcontinent. The specialty in Goa is fish curry. Eaten with rice, it’s truly delicious, and the fish used in the dish usually depends on the catch of the day.

Head further south and enjoy the famous masala dosas of Kerala. These savory pancakes are rolled up with vegetables and eaten with coconut chutney and a thin vegetable soup. In every Indian city you’ll see vendors selling samosas fresh out of the hot bubbling oil on the sidewalk.

Food tends to be plainer in the north, where there is less variety, but you’ll always find a plate of dahl (an Indian lentil dish) and rice. And don’t forget to sample some Indian desserts, but only if you have a super sweet tooth!

The Taj Mahal is probably India’s most famous icon, and it certainly is impressive, but India has so much more to offer. From sitar music and kathakali dancing to contemporary Mumbai art galleries, India is bursting with things to see and do.

Admire the Punjab’s Golden Temple shimmering in the sunlight, or explore the ancient Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Bodh Gaya. Visit the elephant sculpted rocks of Maharashtra’s Elephant, or discover one of the biggest antique collections in the world at Hyderabad Salar Jung Museum. Whatever you choose to do in India, you’ll come away feeling culturally uplifted.

Pushkar’s camel fair is held every November and as one of the world’s last truly traditional fairs, it’s a must-see attraction. Virtually every temple in the country has its own festival, and the culture is rich: Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and animists coexist peacefully for the most part. The Kumbh Mela, held four times every 12 years, attracts millions of pilgrims, while the more modern Jaipur Literary Festival is the world’s largest free festival of its kind.

Several modern music festivals have begun to spring up in India, with Festa de Diu in Gujarat being touted as ‘Asia’s longest beach festival.’ Leave your India hut for a night of dancing on the sand! The Hindu festival Holi is celebrated every spring when people take to the streets and douse one another with bags of powdered paint, and Diwali, the festival of light, is held each fall.