Hotels in Delhi & Udaipur?
 

Hello -- I'm looking for either modern boutique or 4-5 star hotels in India. There appear to be few boutiques. Any suggestions besides the Impearial in Delhi? I've stayed there once before (it was a beautiful hotel) but don't think it's possible this time around.
RE: The Modern in Delhi -- can someone provide a recommendation?
Udaipur? Is there a good heritage hotel?
Thanks!

Greetings! There are very very few boutique hotels in Delhi, although there are a few, and I do know a few more are up and comming. A slow trend. Overall, now that toursim in India is finally booming, there is somewhat a hotel shortage in Delhi at the 4/5 star level during the peak months and prices are subsequently sky-rocketing. Anyways, about the few boutique properties other than the ultra expensive and luxurious Imperial, there is the MANOR Hotel, as i beleive you were referring to. This is a very small boutique hotel, more like a calm and quiet home. It is located in a upscale residential neighborhood of Delhi called New Freinds Colony, in far South Delhi. It has a nice garden and somewhat of a retreat country-feel, but location is not the best for sightseeing. But it is a nice alternative if you are seeking a really small intimate experince. There are very few rooms! A great newly re-designed boutique-ish option may be the VERY centrally located PARK HOTEL, on Paliment Street, just across from the Jantar Mantar Observatory and in the thick of downtown Delhi. This hotel is just around the corner from Connaught Place and parallel to Janpath road and market where you will find the great happening street market and later down, The Imperial Hotel! so location of the PARK is great. The five star Park has been completely and totally renovated,(it was very non-descript business like before!) *however, now it is a contemporary design boutique hotel, and quite comfortable and quite plush. What a renovation!~!~Also great resturants too, superb 24 hour glamorous multicusine cafe, (great flat bread pizzas!) aND SUPERB designer Indian resturant called Agni!! It has totally redifned/upgraded its image to a stylish hotel and the price here will still be far less than Imperial. Some other options that come to mind if you are seeking a smaller more intimate feel is the OBEROI MAIDENS HOTEL in Old Delhi. This is a charming old colonial property, and much much much less than the other Oberois. It is a great alternative and puts you close to the thick of the action in Old Delhi! A few more ideas if you want a small-casual place are the small guesthouses in one of my favorite nieghborhoods of Delhi called Sundar Nagar. This is one of the greenest poshest neighborhoods of town, very central,and filled with huge family homes. Amongst these sprawling homes you will find four or five upscale guesthouses such as Jukasco Inn, Maharani Guest House and my all-time favorite which has apparently gone quite upmarket/boutque, Shervani Fort View!. I stayed there almost all last year and have yet to see the new-improved Shervani but will be there next week and i can report. There are a few other smallish so-called boutique options around the city, but I think that is enough suggestions for starters but please feel free to drop me a line if you need any other help/ booking suggestions, etc. I am a American woman living in/out of Delhi. Happy to help! Bonita!

The best boutique hotel in Delhi is The Manor but it is not located very well. A great new property again with a not great location from the perspective of South Delhi is the Trident Hilton. A recently renovated property with colonial charm is the Claridges - good location too. Udaipur - Shiv Niwas is beautiful. Take a look at www.heritagehotels.com for some ideas.

Hi again. I got so carried away with writing about Delhi,(my home away from NY!) that i forgot to comment on UDAIPUR, one of my favorite cities in Rajasthan. Yes, yes, there are plenty of heritage properties in Udaipur to choose from. Of course you can go for the ultra-famous Lake Palace Hotel, run by the Taj group of Hotels and located right on Lake Pichola. (most rooms with Lake views!) other idea....If you can not afford Lake Palace, there are plenty of toehr Palace/heritage properties in town..Adjacent to the city Palace you can go for Shiv Niwas Palace or FAteh Prakesh Palace. Some rooms have lake views. And of course, although it is not a heritage property, I might mention the ultra-luxurious gorgeous Oberoi Udaivilas property in UDAIPUR. Breathtaking!

Hi again. I thought of a few more ideas in/around UDAIPUR. One other very reasonable and intersting option in UDAIPUR is Udai Kothi, a small hotel which looks like a traditional Haveli/ mansion. a lovely place! And of course, I must mention one more property, near Udaipur, (about 25 KM) DEvi GArh! It is absolutely a breathtaking, a restored 18 century Rajput Palace with a unique modern design appeal! So there are plenty of choices in UDAIPUR and abound at all prices. happy travels.

We stayed one night at the newly renovated Park in Delhi. The Imperial put us up there on the executive floor because they accidently overbooked. Although there was nothing really wrong with the Park other than street noise and a very mediocre complimentary breakfast in the exec lounge, I would not recommend it if you are looking for a boutique kind of experience. It is basically a fairly large faceless hotel where you wait in line for check-in/ check-out with everyone else. The rooms are modern (remote control draperies, etc.) and the bath was relatively spacious but it was all pretty bland - nothing special, especially compared to the Imperial. The location however is excellent.

Of course the Park is nothing like the incredible IMPERIAL, but for a fraction of the price, for its excellent location and newly designed rooms, it is a viable option for those seeking affordability and a central location. *Boutique in Delhi is not very common, hard enough just to get a room, but the PARK is now calling itself a contemporary design boutique Hotel. The renovations for the whole Hotel have just been completed and it is much better than the OLD PARK, for sure!