Recommended & pending a personal visit by our travel writer

Imagine yourself on an uninhabited island, isolated and surrounded by turquoise blue waters and white coral sands. This is Bangaram - a tear-drop shaped island in the undeveloped atoll of the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea off the west coast of India.

The resort was originally a guest house retreat of senior government officials on their annual vacation until it was leased out to an entrepreneur with different ideas on what an island resort should be - respect for the environment, community and the local ethos. To preserve the natural beauty of this idyllic destination, Bangaram was developed into a 30-room accommodation that is low-key with no air-conditioning (and therefore no diesel generator!), no telephones, no newspapers, no internet and no TV.

So forget the trappings of the Maldives...this is a stunning island surrounded by a lagoon that has five shades of blue and is rich in marine life. Enjoy the sea, snorkel on the house reef, learn diving (there is a full fledged dive centre), lie on the beach and sip a Bangaram Binge (the bartender’s most popular cocktail), succumb to an ayurveda massage, or just do nothing.

Bangaram is a great place for a romantic holiday. Families with children would also enjoy Bangaram – provided you can live without creature comforts. Today, it enjoys perhaps the highest repeat rate of any resort in India – customers keep coming back for the gentle, low-impact holiday experience that Bangaram offers.

See other places to stay in Bangaram Island | See other places in Lakshadweep Islands