21 Best Hotels in India

Ensconced on the first floor of Colaba's Lansdowne House is a 100-year-old home made over into a hipster-chic boutique hotel with vintage furniture, chrome fans, and old-fashioned tiled flooring. Location, of course, is excellent---it's right next to the royal Taj Mahal Towers and in the pulsing center of Colaba. The in-house dining is rather sparse, although the coffee bar is excellent; luckily, you have all of Colaba's restaurants at your feet.

This luxurious boutique guesthouse is steeped in the folklore of Lord Krishna, with the interiors painstakingly hand-painted with scenes from his life as well as themes of festivals and nature. Each of the seven rooms and two suites is uniquely designed—some with lotuses, others with birds—and feature window seats, comfy beds, spacious bathrooms, and high-quality amenities. The garden is a mini fruit orchard, dotted with tables and block-printed sun umbrellas. There are plenty of cozy nooks and a library to lounge in, a pretty terrace with chevron flooring, and a mid-sized pool to cool off in. Meals are prepared in the onsite kitchen by local home chefs and range from Rajasthani fare to global cuisines. The hosts are warm and friendly, making it a point to meet all guests for high tea or a meal, and are in-the-know about everything that is interesting and cool in Jaipur. They also conduct hands-on cooking classes and take you on curated walks to meet Old City artisans and see how traditional crafts are practiced.

This 120-year-old restored Portuguese home—with a lovely front porch, elegant dining room, and cozy living room—has lots of pizzazz thanks to owners Simon and Charlotte Hayward, and yet maintains an intimate feel. The rooms and bathrooms evoke the spirit of the siblings' experiences in Bengal and Tamil Nadu—an all-white loungey Ooty Room, named for a hill station; an antique-filled Alipore (a posh neighborhood in Kolkata) Room with a narrow, elongated bathroom; a rustic room, evoking Madras, with an outdoor bathroom. The inn's gem might be the Lorryback Bar, which features a colorful painted wooden back like those found on traditional Indian lorries (trucks). The rural setting means possible street encounters with stray dogs, pigs, and roosters—not unusual in Indian villages.

Hospitality and attention to detail are second to none at this little-known guesthouse, Delhi's only combination of style and affordability. In a quiet, leafy, upper-class neighborhood this jewel offers a taste of residential life, and its rooms are simple but cozy, with bright fabrics and large windows. The restaurant is delightful and the rooftop terrace, with flowering plants and wrought-iron furniture, is unbeatable on a winter day. 

Loutolim's laid-back charm is captured in Norman and Carol Steele's warm and inviting country inn, with its lovely rooms and great home-cooked food. Relaxation is the order of the day, and the well-landscaped 1½ acres have some delightful nooks and crannies to do exactly this. There's also the lively pool area, with colorful Rajasthani accents and an innovative jungle shower. The couple is happy to share maps for nearby nature walks as well as arrange any other trips. Six dogs and six cats are on the premises, but the pets are obedient and in general stay out of the way.

Suited to Palolem's long-term backpackers, Ciaran’s has evolved over the years from beachfront, coco palm–thatched huts into proper cottages, all with an individual veranda and set around a small garden. Don't expect luxurious amenities, but rooms are clean and well-maintained, and visitors tend to spend most of their time on the beach, just outside their doors, anyway. It is also probably the most popular of the local bunch, so make sure to book well in advance. There is free Wi-Fi, affordable massages on request, and a multi-cuisine restaurant.

The best reason to stay here is the hotel's proximity to city sights and access to a lovely garden barbecue restaurant out front. The rooms are simple, with no extra frills or great views, but clean and up to mark—some have lemon yellow accents and some have bold pink accents. There's also small lobby where you can relax for an evening cocktail. Set in the grounds of the vintage car museum and at the edge of Gulab Bagh near City Palace, this property is managed by the HRH group that runs many of the city's royal hotels.

This cozy haveli hotel, inside the 11th-century fort, is run like a homestay by the family who owns it, and makes for a special stay. Rooms, each quite different from the next with special names—Rising Sun Room, Sweet Purple Rooms, Opium Room and so on—with window seats, carved stonework and carved wood furniture, are accented in bright hues according to their theme, and are at different levels.

The terrace, where one can lounge about and watch Jaisalmer's spectacular sunsets/sunrises is the best spot to position yourself in this hotel.

Still the residence of a well-to-do family, this guesthouse has small, beautiful rooms with quirky charm, and classical Indian concerts are often held here. There is a great veranda overlooking the river and Assi Ghat, and inside, there is a Shaiva shrine and 14 guestrooms. Delicious dinners, served under a galaxy of lamps and chandeliers, are Brahmin-style vegetarian. Book months ahead for peak season.

The quirky, charming, and nearly 500-year-old Juna Mahal, owned by a priestly family once attached to Jodhpur's royal temples, is tucked away from the congestion in one of the upper streets of the Old City (access is by auto-rickshaw) and resembles a carved dollhouse. While first impressions might be underwhelming, the wonderful views from the rooftop vegetarian restaurant and the warm and hospitable owners are good reasons to stay. Rooms are named after Hindu gods and have neatly whitewashed walls, antique furniture, vegetable-dye handloomed soft furnishings, and private bathrooms (some are not attached). The Lord Ganesh room is the best due to its sweeping views and spaciousness.

Famous for its traditional Rajasthani thali available in its rooftop eatery, comfy KB has accommodations that are equally authentic and striking and located smack in the center of town near the historic Patwon ki Haveli. Room highlights are cheery Rajasthani furnishings, window seats, balconies, and accents in stone. Bathrooms are gray-tiled and clean. Views of the Fort and the Patwon ki Haveli from the terrace are impressive. Though KB Lodge's accommodations are more basic than its sister hotel Killa Bhawan, inside the fort, it is still pleasant.

In these lovely, traditional, red-roofed Kerala bungalows, the only sounds you're likely to hear are the crashing of the waves from nearby Odayam and Edava beaches. The 12 cottages face each other in a coconut palm grove with a lotus pond and are simply furnished and comfortable. Some cottages are non-air-conditioned and therefore cheaper.

A restored Portuguese villa with clean rooms and antique furniture, this heritage guesthouse is a popular place among those who know Goa well, and it's only about half a kilometer from here down to Sinquerim Beach. Rooms are sunny and bright, and many overlook a charming garden.

A stone's throw from the sea, and reasonably priced, this rustic collection of beach huts is emblematic of accommodations in Palolem and a good place to get a no-frills beach hut experience. Standard rooms lack air-conditioning, and are thus worth avoiding in favor of the sea-facing air-conditioned deluxe shacks or cottages. The restaurant serves everything from seafood and cocktails to cheese toasties and enchiladas. This property is quite basic, but it's an experience and more comfortable than some of the other huts. 

Perfect for foodies, wildlife enthusiasts, and those who like to engage with locals, this cozy homestay in the upscale C-Scheme residential area is run by an energetic young couple, the Rathores—one a naturalist who runs wildlife tours, the other a food enthusiast who offers cooking and rangoli (a form of folk art) classes. Rooms are simple and modern but comfortable and very clean, with coordinated color schemes and large bathrooms; the upstairs rooms have a rooftop patio. Apart from the four rooms, the homestay also offers a cottage with private courtyard. Outside there's a lush garden with a swing. A simple but enriching continental or Indian breakfast is included, and dinner is an option that's well worth taking up. The homestay is a little hard to locate, so call for directions before arriving.

More than 500 years old, this budget and mildly eccentric hotel is located at the highest point of the Old City, just below the fort, and has a great vibe—traditional, local, and chilled out. The haveli lodging has basic accommodations yet opulent decorations, sprawled across many levels, with each room having a distinct look. The highest rooms, which are spartan, open out onto a terrace and have wonderful vistas of the Blue City; other rooms open onto a second-floor sitting area or into the courtyard. The house was gifted by the maharaja of Jodhpur to his army commander Shri Akheraj Sa Singhvi in 1778.

There are very few comfortable lodgings located inside Jaisalmer fort, but this is one of them---but note that it is a climb to get to rooms on higher floors or the terrace. The rooms are done in an austere but comfortable manner, and some have nice views. They showcase yellow sandstone, multihued pane doors, and colorful Rajasthani furnishings. The rooftop terraces offer grand vistas of both the city within the fort and beyond.

Travelers who appreciate a sense of place love the warmth of the WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn, a unique hotel in the center of historic Fontainhas that was built in the late 1800s. Nearly half of the rooms are in the older wing, while the remainders are in the newly added extension. Each room comes with a blend of period furnishings and modern art. In addition to a quiet restaurant on the veranda, there's an airy breakfast and dining area inside that's decorated in sleek black and white; it's the perfect place to enjoy the hotel's Goan seafood specials, read the paper, or simply escape from the chaos of Panaji's traffic. There's a small jacuzzi on the rooftop available for in-house guests.

The four spacious and beautiful antiques-furnished rooms in this historic annex of the Panjim Inn, with their four-poster beds, carved rosewood dressers, and plenty of windows, are a reminder of the times when colonial homes stood along the banks of the river. The mosaic tile floors and walls of the bathrooms resemble a crazy quilt and were designed by local artists. There's an art gallery on the ground floor. Guests use the restaurant and public rooms of the Panjim Inn, just across the street.

Several blocks from the street noise of Rua de Ourem, this vintage and stylish property built around a central garden courtyard is noted for being one of the few Hindu homes in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood. It is furnished with elegant antique cupboards and teak and rosewood four-poster beds. Guests can dine and take advantage of the services of the Panjim Inn, which is a two-minute walk away.

Less than a kilometer from the gates of the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary stands a cute two-story cobblestone building with 10 cottage-style rooms. Each room in this cozy B&B has its own outdoor entrance, and those on the second floor can be reached by individual spiral staircases. The hotel does not have its own restaurant, other than a room for breakfast, though there are a number of restaurants within walking distance.