83 Best Hotels in India

Small design details, spacious grounds, and lake-view rooms with private patios just steps from the water make this large backwater resort sparkle. The traditional tile-roof buildings have ornate wooden carvings on the facades, while rooms have high ceilings, exposed wooden rafters, and decoratively tiled floors. The resort also has luxury one-bedroom and two-bedroom houseboats and floating cottages that can be booked for a day cruise or an overnight stay on Vembanad lake.

The expansive lawns of this 12-acre property feature a lovely walking track, a rose garden, and an organic kitchen garden, while inside the hotel all is grand and cool white-marble elegance. There are chandeliers, curving white staircases, and well-chosen Indian antiques throughout. The rooms (some with king beds) have teak wood furniture and large bay windows overlooking the pool or gardens; they are decorated in soft cream shades and rich fabrics. The Mahuaa bar on the first floor is a particularly lovely spot, and the in-house restaurant, Gautama, serves great food.

Convenient for visiting the caves, this gleaming Mughal palace is all bright marble and stone, inside and out—its windows and doors arch to regal Mughal points, and the grand dome over the lobby is hand-painted in traditional Jaipuri patterns. The warm, Ajanta-esque rooms have solid furniture with matching headboards and mirror frames, and all look out onto the garden. Many rooms have their own balconies. Stone paths wind through the five acres of beautifully landscaped lawns. The staff is obliging, and go out of their way to make you feel safe and welcome.

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.

Set on the banks of Vembanad Lake, this backwater hotel offers lake-facing cottages and garden rooms with private open-air bathrooms; three bamboo villas have their own private pool. Rooms are simply furnished but lack the traditional Kerala architecture that neighboring resorts provide. There’s an ayurvedic spa, a swimming pool, and a multi-cuisine restaurant.

In a quiet location off the main road near Candolim, this resort from the Acron Hotels group resembles a classy Portuguese mansion and is competent and professional in its service and facilities. The property overlooks verdant rice fields and an imposing whitewashed church behind busy Candolim. A free shuttle service transports guests to nearby Candolim Beach, and the busy Calangute stretch is a short taxi ride away. All rooms come with balconies—ask for a pool-facing one.

A former leisure palace of the Maharanas of Udaipur, this 18th-century haveli-turned-heritage hotel has a fantastic location on Lake Pichola with views of the City Palace and surrounding ghats. Spacious rooms retain their traditional architecture and are done up in calming colors with bold accented furnishings. The baradari or enclosed pavilion on the lower level is a great place for a sunset drink followed by dinner at Ambrai restaurant. For a special evening, consider splurging on a meal at Badi Mahal, the haveli's beautiful inner garden where you dine at a rose-petal strewn lakefront pavilion accompanied by live music from a musician duo.

Spread across 9 acres, Pushkar’s loveliest and most expensive hotel has an outdoorsy lodge feel and there are golf carts to get around. Many of the cottages, with their beehive-shape tiled roofs and cobblestone walls, have private side patios and open-air showers set in greenery. Rooms, furnished with delicately etched tree murals and rich silks, have an understated and modern elegance. There are better priced rooms in the main hotel building, but they lack locational charm.

A seriously steep walk downhill through green environs brings you to a clutter of whitewashed, terra-cotta-roofed cottages, clinging to the slope, where you get a bird's-eye view of tea plantations for miles around, including workers' settlements and a small blue-roofed church. These snug, modest cottage rooms, with parquet floors and interiors done in soothing creams and white, and their verandas, are peaceful and make great spots to catch the valley action.

Located on the bustling Bazaar Road, this 1877 building originally functioned as a granary storing food grains before being renovated into a hotel. The cheerful yellow color of the building's exterior extends to the spacious rooms, which feature high wood-beamed ceilings and vintage-style beds. There’s an inner courtyard garden, a small swimming pool, and a restaurant by the water featuring authentic Kutchi dishes.

This six-story high-rise beachfront hotel is a good choice for those needing easy access to the airport, but not much else. Its chief assets are its big, bright rooms, every one with a direct view of the rolling ocean.

Cradled in the Aravali hills, this late-19th-century club is where British officers and royalty from Gujarat and Rajputana came to escape the summer heat, and now it combines modern amenities with its country style. Set on18 acres of gardens, with waterfalls and an artificial lake, the main building is a rambling old bungalow with a red-tiled roof and plain but comfortable rooms. There's a restaurant and bar on-site, as well as a billiards room.

History, style, and attitude combine to make spending time in this 200-year-old Portuguese mansion turned boutique hotel a pleasure. Artfully put together public and private spaces feature stenciled walls with whimsical architectural details throughout, and the open-air lobby has high ceilings and comfortable old-world upholstered couches. Each of the guest rooms (some of which have balconies overlooking the garden or pool) is furnished with antique Goan furniture, four-poster beds, and one-of-a-kind bedspreads.

This rambling, boutique hotel is one of the best places to stay in Baga—the lively beach scene is only a few minutes' walk away, and the friendly staff treat you like family, making up for any upkeep deficits. Open-air public spaces, including the lobby and restaurant, have private seating areas sheltered by varying levels of lush landscaping. Each room is different in size and character, so see what is available at check-in before settling in; choose a second-floor room for more privacy and better views. The finish in the bathroom isn't very high-spec, but you're paying for location and the cool, boutique-y vibe. The restaurant specializes in Goan, Chinese, Continental, and Indian food.

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.

The cottages here are spacious, clean, and refreshing, and the experienced staff looks after all your needs. The garden is small, but well kept.

Located close to the Old City and its attractions, this moderately priced boutique hotel sports a blend of Rajput and Mewar architecture. Rooms are compact (even the suites are only slightly larger), but they do have all the basic amenities and are immaculately clean; two of the suites also come with views of the City Palace. Savor a mix of Rajasthani, North Indian, and international fare at the rooftop restaurant, which has great views of the city and the palace. The pool on the rooftop is rather small but has pretty jharokha-style architecture, and of course, lovely views.

In Jaipur's popular C-Scheme neighborhood (with hip coffee shops and boutiques), this palace, dating from the 18th century and retaining its regal ambience, is a peaceful, intimate, and charming alternative to staying in the rowdy Old City. Run by the royal Diggi Rajput clan, this refreshing retreat has large open courtyards, lawns, and extensive gardens; rooms are simple, clean, and well maintained, with elegant dark wood furniture (some with four-poster beds) and traditional Rajasthani features. The restaurant offers Indian dining with alfresco and terrace seating; the breakfast buffet is included in the price. The city's hub is just a 15-minute walk away.

A boutique hotel in a quiet neighborhood, Ekaa is perfect for a taste of homely hospitality. The interiors are inspired by Agra's crafts and monuments, featuring hatching patterns and concave ceilings. The rooms are furnished with linens, marble decor, digital prints, and paraben-free bath products---all sourced locally and available for sale at the in-house boutique. Spread across three floors, the property has ample indoor and outdoor spaces including an open-plan dining room, lounge areas, a terrace, and a courtyard. The team is entirely local to Agra, and offers tours of the city that take you beyond popular emporiums and monuments to experience hyper-local culture. At the property, the same is offered by way of their Pattal ki Daawat, a five-course meal featuring dishes cooked in Agra's homes.

On a 500-yard-long spit of outstretched private land, surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Arabian Sea and Otter Creek, this beautiful, small property has attentive service and comprises five elegant beach houses and three tents that are separated from the mainland by the saltwater creek—access is via a private bamboo footbridge. The beach houses sleep between two and six persons, depending on the house; each tent sleeps two in a double four-poster bed. The property is closed May through September.

Just a few minutes on foot from the Gateway of India, the Fariyas is a solid midrange hotel, well located in Colaba. It has a small marble lobby with glass chandeliers and brass ornaments. The rooms, with contemporary furnishings and wood floors, are inviting, though pricey given the lack of luxury. Ask for a room with a sea-facing view.

This century-old, somber red fort in the dusty village of Luni is now a heritage hotel offering a real get-away-from-it-all experience. It has spacious courtyards and delightful rooms that have small, arched windows called jharokhas; Rajasthani-style furniture and fabrics; and old photographs. Many of the small rooms have stairways leading to an alcove or to the bathroom. The waterwheel—now a fountain in the bar—was originally used to channel water around the fort. The restaurant has a fixed-price Indian menu. Consider a night here if you are driving from Udaipur to Jodhpur.

This bright yellow heritage building has charming rooms with four-poster beds that are set around a stylish central courtyard. Near the beautifully tiled pool, there's an ancient mikvah or natural spring used for Jewish rituals---it is one of the last to exist in Kerala today. 

Extremely popular with businesspeople because of its central location between South Mumbai and the western suburbs, India's tallest hotel—33 stories—has a luxury rooftop bar that is one of the city's hottest (and most expensive) nightspots. Earth tones and warm colors are the order of the day throughout the hotel, from the marble and wood lobby to the spacious rooms: the standard rooms come in three sizes, from 385 square feet to nearly 600 square feet, while suites range from the living-room-bedroom-double-walk-in-closet setup to the massive Presidential Suite.

Built into a steep cliff and in a style similar to the area’s tea plantation bungalows, this luxury hotel offers sweeping views of Munnar Valley; that is, when it’s not engulfed in a thick mist. The bright and colorful rooms all offer mountain views and some have private terraces. There are two restaurants—one of which is completely enclosed in glass—a bar, a gym, a coffee shop, and an ayurvedic spa.

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.

Set 2 km (1 mile) from two of Trivandrum’s top sights—Padmanabhaswamy Temple and the Kuthiramalika Palace Museum—this seven-story business hotel offers wonderful views of the city and is known for its incredible staff and service. The warm rooms feature large picture windows, comfortable beds, and modern bathrooms with walk-in rain showers or bathtubs while suites add a living area complete with a sofa bed. There is a bar, a restaurant, a gym, and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel also has EV charging facilities.

Comfortable and large but somewhat bland rooms are available in this modern block hotel a few yards from the sea. Each executive room has its own balcony and affords excellent views of the beach and the rippling Arabian Sea. The service is warm and attentive, and rooms have all the modern amenities. There is a local temple nearby.