Take a ride through the "other" India.

India's north has been overdone. Nothing against it, but we all know about the Taj Mahal. And you don't want to travel half way around the planet to meet more tourists. Turn, rather, to India's undiscovered south and the Golden Chariot, a five-star luxury hotel on train tracks.

With 18 thematically designed coaches and 44 cabins, the Golden Chariot threads through southern India from high-tech Bangalore to the Indo-Portuguese city of Goa. Guests are taken on a week-long sojourn, stopping at the old Maharaja capital of Mysore (the Mysore Palace is the most visited royal abode in India by Indians), the temples of Halebidu and Belur, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi, capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. On the journey itself, guests can partake of the gym, two restaurants, the Madira Bar and the Argoya Spa. And the best part? Nothing is overdone, except for the opulence.

goldenchariot.org

David Perry

9/22/08