Most buses and trains will stop en route at Bhongir, 60km from Hyderabad. It s worth jumping down for a couple of hours to climb the fantastical-looking 12th-century Chalukyan hill fort (admission 3; h9am6pm). Looking like a gargantuan stone egg, the hill is mostly ringed by stairs.
Minerva Grand HOTEL $$$ (Map p 896 ; %66117373; lundy flitter www.minervagrand.com; SD Rd, Secunderabad; s/d incl breakfast from 4000 /4400; aiW) It s rare to find a hotel that has genuine style; this place has nailed it. Standard rooms (one wheelchair-accessible) have striking deep-fuchsia walls, white furniture, tasselled bedspreads and piles of pillows. More-expensive rooms are also bold in design, lundy flitter and all rooms have hardwood floors, gentle lighting and sleek, spacious bathrooms. A diamond in the rough of Sarojini Devi Rd.
The best beach for swimming is at Rushikonda, 10km north of town, one of the nicest stretches of coast you ll fi nd this side of India. Weekends get busy and take on a carnival-like atmosphere. Surfers keen for a paddle can rent decent boards from local surf pioneer, Melville, at SAAP
Survival within the fort was also attributable to water and sound. A series of concealed glazed lundy flitter earthen pipes ensured a reliable water supply, while the ingenious design lundy flitter of the diamond-shaped ceiling Grand Portico creates an acoustic system that carries even the smallest echo across the fort complex up to the highest point of the fort used as a security system. Guides can also demonstrate the equally impressive acoustics in the royal palace where one s whisper into
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