Yab Yum Resort

Soften your edges in playful thatched igloos, hidden within a magical sand garden behind the nearly-deserted white sand Mandrem beach

Chivalric white pennants flutter above the discreet entrance, then a winding path leads from the beach into the dappled, swept-sand garden of Yab Yum (Tibetan for 'father-mother'/'two-in-one'). The resort has 12 comfortingly rounded, grass-roofed domes and 4 simpler blue-and-white cottages. Shaded by coconut palms during the day and twinkling with strings of fairy lights and blue paper lanterns by night, it seems to have leapt from the pages of a fairytale.

Manager Charanjit (he's happy to be called by his surname Pal as that’s much easier to remember) clearly knows the importance of caring details. An incense-burner is in each room; hand-woven, richly-coloured Rajasthani 'paintings' hang above every bed; muslin curtains waft in front of the propped-open palm window shutters. Countless baby potted plants are lovingly watered daily. A tasty organic breakfast is served on your own little table outside your pod or cottage. You can either sunbathe by the fireplace circle and plunge pool, or have sunloungers carried down to the beach.

Highs

• The wide-open, nearly-empty, silky-sanded beach is just outside the garden - perfect for long romantic walks
• The protected, enclosed peace of Yab Yum is safe, well-kept and great for families, too
• The yoga shala has Astanga and Iyengar classes, and good Ayurvedic treatments too - plus a tree-house massage room
• There are clusters of beach life a short walk left or right, with beach restaurants, stalls and lots of masseurs
• We loved the complimentary incense and candles, and the bowl of water by your door to wash sandy feet in

Lows

• This is not a hotel - think of it as a superior, charming beach shack and you won't be disappointed
• The cottages are pretty basic inside - we preferred the quirky, lilac-painted igloo interiors
• It's staffed by young locals - friendly and competent enough, but don't expect over-eager, Western-style service
• With fans rather than air conditioning, the igloos can get stuffy - though it's more eco-friendly