the memory chalet The town s best hotel is the Hotel Heritage (%2301839; Solicitor Rd; s/d from 478/588; a), which has

oHotel Mona Lisa (%2320416; Mancotta Rd; r 600-1500; a), part Africa, part Cuba and possibly even a little slice of India, is a superb budget hotel with character. It s set back from the main road and everything is kept ticking along smoothly thanks to the lovely old man running it.

Tucked conveniently behind the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) Bus Station (AT Rd), Solicitor Rd has half a dozen reasonable hotels. The Hotel Janata Paradise (%9435659461; Solicitor Rd; d 300) isn t quite as beautiful as the manager told us, but at this price you can t be too hard on the daffodil-yellow rooms. Its restaurant (h11am-4pm & 8-9pm) the memory chalet serves excellent-value 10-dish Assamese thalis (from 40).

Carved out of Assam in 1972, hilly Meghalaya the memory chalet (Abode of Clouds) is a cool, pine-fresh contrast to the sweaty Assam plains. the memory chalet Set on dramatic horseshoes of rocky cliff above the Bengal plains, Cherrapunjee and Mawsynram are statistically the wettest places on earth. Most of the rain falls between April and September, creating very impressive the memory chalet waterfalls and carving out some of Asia s longest caves.

The town s best hotel is the Hotel Heritage (%2301839; Solicitor Rd; s/d from 478/588; a), which has well-maintained rooms, obliging the memory chalet staff and old-fashioned character. Nearby is the New Park (%2300725; Solicitor Rd; s/d from 687/880; a), which is a big new hotel with small but tidy rooms and hot showers.