Best Homestays in Honnavar: An Honest Guide by Type of Traveller

How we chose, and our bias

We are the D'souza family and we run De antique Pauli's Homestay, the first entry here. That is an obvious bias, so here is how we have handled it. Everything we say about the other five comes from their own websites or public listings as of September 2026, not from rumour or from our opinion of them. Prices and ratings change, so check with each property before you book.

Honnavar stays differ mainly in three things: where they are, what they cost and what kind of building you sleep in. Decide those three and the choice becomes easy.

1. De antique Pauli's Homestay: for backwater boating and a heritage house on a budget

Our own place. A 1960 red laterite family home in Tari-Bagel, on the river side of town, a few minutes from the bus stand. The same family runs Pauli's Boating, so the jetty is about 100 metres from the rooms and sunrise and sunset rides are arranged from the house at the government rate of ₹1,500 per boat.

Single rooms, AC or non-AC, are ₹1,500 a night and the family room for four to six is ₹2,500 to ₹3,000. Food is cooked at home, vegetarian and non-vegetarian. It suits couples, families and small groups who want to be near the water and the town without paying riverfront prices. It does not suit you if you want a pool, a river view from the bed or a resort restaurant.

See our rooms and rates Staying with us for the boating

2. Areca County: for a plantation stay with premium cottages

A heritage farm stay on an areca estate about 6 km outside Honnavar town, built around a 1929 family home. It offers a small number of premium cottages, pure vegetarian food and farm walks, and describes itself as pet-friendly. It is the right choice if you want space, greenery and a higher level of finish, and you have your own car. It is not in town, and boating is arranged rather than on site.

3. Hongirana, Aaradhya and Mayura homestays: for a choice of budgets near Apsarakonda

Three family-run homestays marketed together, close to Apsarakonda Falls and the backwaters on the south side of the river. Their site lists rates from about ₹1,500 to ₹3,800 a night depending on the property, and they arrange boating and transport. A sensible pick if you want to be near Apsarakonda and the Eco Beach and like having three price points to choose from.

4. The Coastal Breeze Homestay: for a river view from your room

A riverfront homestay with most of its rooms facing the Sharavathi. Their site lists river-view rooms at around ₹6,500 to ₹7,500 a night with breakfast, and it is well reviewed on TripAdvisor. This is the one to look at if waking up to the water matters more to you than price.

5. Honnavar River Front Home Stay and Boat Ride: for riverside cottages and its own boats

A riverside property with cottages and its own boat rides, and the most reviewed stay in town on Google, with several hundred reviews at the time of writing. Like us, it combines staying and boating in one place, in a more rural riverside setting.

6. Anjanadri River Front Stay: for an island and kayaking

A stay on a Sharavathi river island with kayaking as well as boating and home-style coastal food. Their site advertises two-day packages from about ₹2,950. Choose it if the idea of sleeping on an island and paddling yourself appeals.

Quick chooser

If you only read one section, read this.

• Want boating at the door and a heritage house, with rooms from ₹1,500: De antique Pauli's.
• Want a plantation, premium cottages and vegetarian food, and have a car: Areca County.
• Want to be near Apsarakonda with a choice of budgets: Hongirana, Aaradhya or Mayura.
• Want a river view from the room and will pay for it: The Coastal Breeze.
• Want riverside cottages with boats on site: Honnavar River Front Home Stay.
• Want an island and a kayak: Anjanadri River Front Stay.

Where to stay in Honnavar, area by area A 2-day Honnavar itinerary

Before you book any of them

Message the property directly and ask five things: whether the room is air-conditioned with an attached bathroom, how far the boat jetty is, whether meals are available and of what kind, whether there is parking and pick-up, and whether the price is per room or per person. Every honest host in Honnavar will answer in a few minutes. Boating itself costs the same everywhere, because the district fixes it at ₹1,500 per boat for an hour.

When to book, whichever one you choose

Honnavar gets busiest between October and March, when the weather is driest and the backwaters are calmest for boating. Long weekends, Christmas and New Year fill first, for both rooms and the overnight trains and buses that bring most visitors here, so if your dates fall on one of those, book three to four weeks ahead rather than waiting until the week before.

At De antique Pauli's, a short WhatsApp message to +91 88280 91411 tells you in minutes whether your dates are open, since we take bookings directly with no portal in between. Ask for the dates to be held rather than just quoted, since an open quote can be given away to the next message.

Outside the October-to-March season, and especially in the monsoon, there is usually more room to spare across town, and this is also when Jog Falls and Apsarakonda are at their fullest, if that matters more to you than beach weather.