Would anyone other than Bibi Baskin have given up a national broadcasting career while that career was at its zenith? Can’t imagine many would, and certainly don’t believe any would go so far as to give it up to run a hotel. And that’s not to mention doing it all on the other side of the world.
As it happens, if Baskin’s Raheem Residency, in southern India, were a TV programme, it would have won an Emmy. The boutique hotel is on the beach at Alleppey – not that it’s much of a swimming beach. Beautiful as the coastline is, few Indians swim in the seawater, which is odd, considering the rivers are teeming with bathers and washers.
Bibi’s beach is, instead, a place where flocks of children gather to fly kites. You can sit back and enjoy it all, plus a spectacular sunset or two, from the tiny hotel’s rooftop restaurant. Or, if sunsets and kites don’t do it for you, turn around and watch the kids play cricket on the football pitch behind.
Bedrooms are gorgeous, full of antique furniture and four-poster beds, with beautiful coloured glass in the windows.
Throughout the region, as evening draws in and the lights come on, there’s the added thrill of having the generators switch off for a couple of seconds at frequent intervals. It leaves you in total darkness and reminds you just how far from home you are.