Homestays in India

Mahindra Homestays is a new venture from one of India's most powerful families (they're involved in all sorts of businesses, from auto making to finance). The website, aimed at European travellers, allows you to search by region, price, type of building or type of activity--you can specify that you'd like to stay somewhere where you can go bird watching, practise yoga or enjoy an Ayurvedic massage, for instance.

It's been getting lots of feedback from the U.K. media, including a funny, warts-and-all piece by Gerthin Chamberlain in The Guardian.