India, July 9 -- Morning hymns blare through a temple loudspeaker in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, stirring the stillness that had settled over the night like a handspun Kandangi saree. I squint to see the time before dangling my legs over the edge of the high four-poster bed to reach my slippers. In the soft morning light, the patterned floor looks even more exotic. I bend down and caress it gently, seeking permission to step on it.

It had been too dark to notice much when we checked in the night before, but now I can see it. The quiet elegance of an ancestral Chettiar mansion, painstakingly restored as a heritage hotel. Generously sized rooms with silver-painted doors, whirring ceiling fans and teak wardrobes are a luxury in the days of box ...