Aramness

The world's last Asiatic lions live in one forest, Gir, and Aramness describes itself as the only boutique lodge on that park's border. Founder Jimmy Patel grew up on family trips to Sasan Gir and built his lodge on former farmland inside the 18 square kilometre teak forest that skirts the park, country the semi-nomadic Maldhari tribe shares with the lions themselves. The name splices two Gujarati words: aram, meaning rest, and ness, a local village.

A village rather than a hotel

Nicholas Plewman Architects and Fox Browne Creative modelled the lodge on neighbouring Haripur village: a haveli whose cool central courtyard is fringed by the dining room, sitting room and library, and 18 double-storey kothis arranged with the informality of local village homes. Each kothi has one or two ground-floor bedrooms, a sitting room, a bathroom with tub plus an outdoor shower, a shaded courtyard with its own small pool inspired by Indian stepwells, and a first-floor veranda facing the teak forest. Hand-carved sandstone jali screens, their pattern taken from the perforations of a dried sal leaf, throw dappled light across the rooms.

"Ours is the only boutique lodge that borders the Sasan Gir National Park."

Lions, thalis and slow drives

Game drives run twice daily and Aramness caps its vehicles at four adults and one child for a more intimate run at the park. Guided walks in the surrounding teak forest and visits to a Maldhari family fill the middle of the day. Food is Gujarati at heart, developed with the chef and writer Kamini Patel: three dinners during a stay feature the traditional thali, and a gola ice cart stands by the infinity pool. There is a spa with steam rooms, a yoga pavilion with twice-daily sessions, and a library you can book for private dinners. Keshod airstrip is 35 km away; road transfers take about 3 hours from Rajkot and 7 from Ahmedabad. Note the park closes from 16 June to 15 October each year, and the two room categories are simply Kothi and Family Kothi, the latter with two bedrooms for families. As Indian safari lodges go, this is as complete a piece of placemaking as we have seen described.