Try a holiday that lets you learn a new skill even while you unwind

Want to play with clay up in the hills?

Mood for food  

What better way to know a place than to learn its cuisine? The Bangala in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, is a heritage hotel that offers three-day and week-long masterclasses in Chettinad cuisine (Rs 80,000 for a four-day stay with cookery classes thrown in). In the three-day cooking course, you will learn 30-40 recipes. Local chefs train you in traditional recipes and you also get to learn about the history of the cuisine, its spices and ingredients. The Rajbari Bawali, a majestic heritage property near Kolkata, is another place where you can pick up local cuisine, in this