253 Best Hotels in India

This large and well-located hotel, right in the middle of town, is primarily used by business travelers. Its neatly furnished rooms with wooden floors are on the small side. There's a spa, a salon, and a swimming pool as well. 

One of Thekkady's finest resorts, Spice Village has well-maintained thatch-roof cottages that are built into a hillside with lush plantings, including a spice garden that adds fragrance and privacy. Room interiors have knotty pine furniture and trim, white walls, red-tile floors, and hand-loomed upholstery and bedspreads. There are two restaurants and a bar, and the resort organizes jungle treks, paper-making lessons, and Indian cooking classes. The property is also eco-friendly, running partially on solar energy and recycling all its waste within the premises.

This lush, palm-fringed 17-acre property spanning the banks of the Vembanad Lake has cottages overlooking the lake or its private lagoon. You can board a ferry for an hour-long complimentary ride along the backwaters or climb aboard a hotel-owned houseboat for a day-long cruise. The spa offers great ayurvedic treatments and there's a doctor for consultation as well.

Spread over 4 acres, this family-friendly resort offers large rooms with private or semi-private balconies and stunning views of the surrounding Aravalli Range. Rooms are clean and well-appointed but have bland interiors. The in-house Sterling Local restobar is a nice place to unwind with a drink and finger food, while Aravali restaurant serves Indian and international fare, both a la carte and buffet. The resort can get busy and noisy during peak season and weekends.

Set in a Portuguese family home in one of North Goa's most charming villages, Sunbeam is owned by Indian stylist Jivi Sethi, whose lively, unabashed approach to design is seen throughout the property. Unexpected elements include a mirror-lined massage parlor, Goan antiques alongside modern Indian accents, and a colorful swimming pool featuring a not-at-all-subtle phallic fountain. Sethi's staff is attentive and the kitchen sends out wonderful food, from complex European fare and Thai food to homey Goan and simple breakfasts, all to be savored in the fuchsia-papered dining room.

Like a mirage in the desert, this contemporary, elegant fort-style hotel rises out of the sand, luring you to its ramparts. The interior is equally impressive: built in old-world style and constructed and carved breathtakingly from yellow sandstone, it features high ceilings, sweeping marble floors, arches, antiques, enormous courtyards, reflection pools, and spacious, richly furnished rooms. Located on the road going out to the Sam dunes, Suryagarh is isolated from Jaisalmer. Given that you are marooned in the Thar, many an amenity has been provided for—billiards, gym, pool, spa, a bar, and several restaurants. The staff also organizes a wide variety of excursions.

Located right off the curb from the popular Aadivart Museum and five-minute walk from the western temples, this property packs modern amenities within palatial interiors. Each of the four suites comes with a Jacuzzi, and all rooms look out to the sprawling gardens surrounding the hotel. There's a swimming pool and a kids' play area with board games. High ceilings and marble showpieces lend a regal look to the place, while the furnishings are kept simple. Food is a mix of Indian and continental dishes like chicken stroganoff and pastas, but your best bet is to stick with local dishes such as Bundeli chicken.

The old meets the new at Taj City Centre, where the decor—terracotta walls, dancing dolls, and exquisitely woven carpets—upholds local artistic traditions. The rooms are spacious and the location is near high-end shopping destinations. The onsite spa offers ayurvedic treatments.

Beside tranquil Benaulim Beach, well away from the mass-tourist clutter of Colva, is one of the most attractive places to stay in South Goa---and where the staff is kind and the rooms are spacious, too. You can opt for a villa with an outdoor private pool or one with a hot tub overlooking the Arabian Sea; all have shady verandas looking out onto the golf course and sea. The lobby has gleaming marble floors and spotless white sofas. The spa offers ayurvedic treatments as well as Western massage therapies. In addition to a fine-dining Goan restaurant and a more casual all-day restaurant with an Italian bent, there's a lobster shack just above the beach.

Part of the haughty City Palace complex, this 19th-century retreat on the eastern bank of Lake Pichola is run by the Taj group and oozes stateliness and history—royal portraits, antiques, chandeliers, ornate ceilings, and an abundance of crinkled-edged arches set the tone. Rooms and suites are spacious, with marble floors, furnished with silks and period furniture; some have window seats (one has a swing as well) and great views. The dining opportunities of this hotel are equally memorable—you can opt for lake-view breakfasts, a sunset terrace tea, or a poolside dinner.

Previously known as Taj Gateway, this hotel has modern rooms done in soft colors with brass-accented furniture and eclectic Indian art. The upper-story rooms are cozy and quiet, with great garden views. Dine at the specialty Varuna restaurant for a posh Indian meal, or at Chowk for continental flavors.

Outside the Old City, this hotel offers a respite from the hustle and bustle, and what it lacks in excitement, it makes up for in hospitality and subdued charm—and children will enjoy the nightly puppet show. The modern rooms are tasteful and spacious with rich furnishings, though they lack the artful decorations of other hotels in the city. Some rooms overlook the pool and some the garden, and second-floor rooms have small balconies. Marwar, the multi-cuisine restaurant with a large breakfast buffet, is open all day, while The Good Earth is open for dinner and offers Cantonese and Sichuan cuisines. For a drink, The Bar, which is open all afternoon and evening, serves cocktails and bar snacks, and the Poolside Grill serves Indian barbecue in the evenings.

Housed in charming Goan village–style cottages and villas that face lush gardens or the broad expanse of Sinquerim Beach, all guest rooms at this Taj resort include private terraces, luxurious bedding, marble bathrooms, and flat-screen TVs. The freeform pool affords both views of and access to the beach, and it's adjacent to the children's program facility. The three full-service restaurants specialize in Thai, Goan, and continental cuisine. Myriad recreational activities are offered for adults and children, and a world-class spa has ayurvedic treatments, yoga, and therapeutic massage in a serene setting.

The brightly colored villas and cottages at this tranquil resort set among rubber trees have broad verandas overlooking a small lagoon where guests can canoe or pedal-boat. A few of the cottages offer views of Vembanad Lake. The main building here is a former 19th-century plantation house built by the son of an English missionary. There are two restaurants, a bar, and an outdoor swimming pool, as well as daily houseboat trips.

Choose this opulent, ocean-facing hotel if you don't mind paying a decent buck for a luxurious stay far from the city's main sights but close to some of its best restaurants, bars, and clubs. The lobby seems like an acre of marble, and the huge, sparkling chandeliers and fountains add to the refined atmosphere. The more expensive rooms are remarkably luxurious and modern, with bedside controls for lights, curtains, and air-conditioning, and bathrooms with both showers and tubs. By comparison, the lowest-priced rooms are much more basic and dated. But the views—especially those that aim directly down the Bandra-Worli Sea Link—are unparalleled.

The fifth Taj property in Mumbai, this hotel shares the high standards of all the others; each room offers all the regular mod-cons---free Wi-Fi, deep-soaking bathtubs, and DVD player. All guests have access to the pool, spa, sauna, in-house restaurants, special diet menus, babysitting services, and salon.

The well-placed Taj Wellington Mews's well-outfitted, elegant (but unremarkable) serviced apartments have all the amenities required for long-stay (and short-stay) guests. There's also a fancy Jiva Grande spa, a garden, a pool, jogging track, and fitness center with personal trainers---and the usual unflappable Taj service.

Formerly known as Taj Gateway, this hotel offers a good view of the Taj Mahal from some rooms and its rooftop restaurant. The rooms feature marble inlay flooring and jaali work, and some rooms come with daybeds by the window to enjoy views of the Taj. The elegant marble lobby opens into an excellent restaurant. Guests can go for a dip in the temperature-controlled pool surrounded by acres of landscaped lawn, or visit the JIVA Spa (spread out across five air-conditioned tents) offering therapies inspired by yogic principles.

Getting around this hilly property is a workout—especially the hike to the skylight-topped restaurant—but the setting on 66-acre cardamom plantation is phenomenal. The cottages, all ensconced in lush greenery, come in different varieties, with some being single rooms while others occupy multiple floors and have spacious living rooms and balconies. Furnishings are of cane and rubber wood. The main restaurant has a glass roof and great location overlooking tall trees.

Nestled in the Aravali hills, this haven offers secluded villa accommodations, spa treatments, and a chance to interact with the community. Dotted over 7-acres, 14 traditional-style domed villas have large bathrooms, walk-in closets, and high levels of privacy and relaxation; most have a private pool. Spa treatments are customized to suit each guest. Some of the fresh produce used in the hotel is from its attached organic garden, which you can visit. The resort supports a local school and guests are encouraged to interact with villagers—and even volunteer to teach the children if they wish.

While a stay at Trident—built to look like a rambling haveli 9 km (5 miles) from the center of town—does not offer the authentic royal experience, it does make for an interlude of gracious living. The property looks out onto the Mansagar lake and its exteriors are of light pink stone. Interiors feature the finest Rajasthani marble, with rooms furnished in soothing colors; opt for a lake-facing room.

This tasteful and stylish hotel, across the harbor from Fort Kochi, is a low-rise, tile-roof building that wraps around a central courtyard and is outfitted rather plushly for both business and leisure travelers. A beautiful oil painting of Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama meeting the Zamorin of Calicut in the 15th century is a backdrop in the reception area. The rooms, which face either the pool or the garden, have sand-color wood floors that complement soothing cream and teal color schemes. Due to the central courtyard, hallways are full of natural light. 

The Oberoi's less luxurious cousin continues the same tradition of excellent service, and because room rates vary according to occupancy, it can be great value in the off-season. It's connected to its more famous counterpart by a corridor of luxury shops. The interior design is pretty standard for an upscale Indian hotel—simple and luxurious, with such Indian flourishes as paintings by local artists and various prints. The Trident isn't a heritage property and doesn't try to be, and it tends to attract a business crowd.

Built around a large garden courtyard with fountains, a soothing expanse of green lawn, and a pool, this place is a real oasis in Agra. The spacious rooms are in soft browns, with wooden flooring, coffeemakers, and views of the gardens or the pool. The lobby is, perhaps, the most inviting part of the hotel: bright yellow chairs, dark-wood accents, and modern chandeliers made of glass tubes are infused with sunlight. There's live Indian classical music, folk dancers, and a henna artist by the pool every evening.

A more moderately priced option among Udaipur's luxury hotels, the Trident is removed from the downtown bustle, amid acres of beautiful gardens on Lake Pichola. The architecture is striking, but the lobby, decorated in white marble arches lacks grandeur. Rooms, done mainly in white, facing the garden or pool, are well equipped and modern, though nondescript. The restaurant serves Indian and continental dishes (buffet and à la carte) at lunch and dinner.

It's hard to pass up regal accommodations at moderate prices in luxury-driven Udaipur, particularly when the hotel's rooftop is one of the liveliest places in town. Every room in this towering boutique hotel across Lake Pichola from the City Palace, re-created to look "heritage," is decorated with antique furniture and art that relate to specific regions and people in Mewar history—evidence of personal involvement of the Rajput owners. Most of the rooms lack lake views, but from the hotel pool and from the rooftop restaurant, which serves Indian and international cuisine, you get spectacular views of the Udaipur skyline. There's also a center courtyard garden to while away time.

One of those faux havelis that abound in the Bani Park neighborhood, this small, comfortable hotel does a zealous job of re-creating old Rajasthani charm with colored glass windows, Mughal arches, ornate ceilings, mirror work, murals, old photographs and portraits, painted peacocks, turrets, and a giant entry arch. Rooms are masterfully decked out with dark green marble floors and period-style furniture. The rooftop restaurant serves wholesomely made Indian cuisine and even a few continental dishes. It has an annex hotel around the corner—Umaid Bhawan—with similar rooms and facilities.

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.