Coral House

Over forty species of birds have been recorded in the Coral House's garden, which is a strange boast for a homestay two minutes' walk from the Taj Mahal ticket window. That is the whole trick of this place: it sits in Tajganj, in Amarlok Colony near the East (VIP) gate, on exactly the doorstep every Agra visitor wants, yet behind the wall it behaves like a leafy family bungalow rather than a tourist hotel.

A painted house, room by room

The hosts are Sanjay and Pratibha, an Agra-born couple who speak English and German. He has worked as a professional guide and naturalist for more than 25 years, useful whether you need a bird identified over breakfast or a reliable tuk-tuk arranged; she decorated the house, and it shows. Each room is individually themed around a contemporary Indian artist, tribal art or miniature painting, set against period furniture throughout. The site calls the style shabby chic and art deco, and the whole place is family and kid friendly, with no-smoking rooms and plenty of open space.

A leafy garden with forty-plus recorded bird species, two minutes from the Taj Mahal ticket window.

Run like a home, not a hotel

Practicalities are homestay-simple. All rooms are air-conditioned with daily housekeeping included, breakfast comes with the room, and dining is communal, indoors or alfresco in the garden, arranged deliberately so that travellers end up talking to each other across the table. Rooms have separate access, so you can slip out for sunrise at the Taj without waking the house. There are several lounges, terraces and patios, a TV lounge with a library of books, free Wi-Fi throughout, laundry at a small extra cost, and help with taxis and transfers when you move on.

Agra overnighters often treat the city as a three-hour transaction. In our view the Coral House is the argument for staying properly: sunrise at the East Gate, an afternoon in the garden with the birds, and hosts who know the city as only natives can.