India, Sept. 30 -- I arrived in Bekal at 10.30 p.m., after a long day of work and travel, and the first thing I noticed was the sky. There was almost no light pollution, only an extraordinary spread of stars above the road into The LaLiT Resort & Spa Bekal. A dinner of Kerala prawns and appam was waiting. By the time I reached my room, the day had begun to loosen its grip.

Bekal occupies a riotously green yet equally serene stretch of North Kerala, where the Nombili River and its backwaters meet the Arabian Sea. The LaLiT sits in the middle of this confluence, spread across 26 acres of gardens, lagoons, and waterways, with 38 suites. From my room, I could see the backwaters, while a short walk through the greenery led to a private beach...