253 Best Hotels in India

Located by the backwaters of Kochi harbor and away from the touristy hub of Fort Kochi, this hotel has clean, modern rooms with excellent views over the water or the city. There's a pool, a gym, and a spa offering ayurvedic treatments.

This chain property is more business-oriented than the average Panaji hotel, with the added oomph of high-tech features such as surround-sound home-theater systems, multimedia panels, and LCD screens in all rooms. The aesthetically pleasing rooms are styled in contemporary fashion, and the top-notch facilities are kept in great repair.

This large and centrally located hotel, with its hospitable staff, has a large outdoor swimming pool, an ayurvedic spa, and a 24/7 gym, plus two restaurants, a bakery, and a bar. Spacious rooms feature warm linen accents, wood floors, and panoramic city views, while suites add living rooms and balconies.

A pair of outdoor pools (one carved into the hillside with views across the Arabian Sea), along with contemporary Indian artworks and well-groomed grounds make this beachfront resort a joy at every turn. Rooms and suites come in various categories—all have wonderful outdoor spaces (either a balcony or garden patio), and most offer a nightly turndown service. Extend the experience by heading to the cavernous spa center for a massage or the Vagator beach-facing bar for live DJ beats and drinks.

Long a dreamy setting for royal getaways, this fine example of Rajput architecture offers a taste of country palace living at a reasonable price (unless you choose one of the suites, which are considerably more expensive than the rooms). The rooms are spacious and feature antique carved furniture and Rajasthani paintings on the white walls. The red sandstone heritage hotel is surrounded by lush, expansive green gardens on the outskirts of Jodhpur and on the banks of Bal Samand Lake. The park around the artificial lake, built in the 12th century, contains a nine-hole golf course and other activities, plus a small bird sanctuary---but watch out for aggressive monkeys. The hotel provides bikes to cycle around the area.

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.

Relax and enjoy the fine service, as well as the peace and quiet, at this graceful palace and fort in the Thar Desert in rural Khimsar, a two-hour drive (90 km [56 miles]) from Jodhpur. Dinner is served by candlelight in the crumbling ruins of one of the original fort towers, and if you feel like exploring, you can take a safari or tea on the nearby sand dunes. The best rooms are in the original structure; some rooms even have furniture from the 1920s. For the complete desert experience, stay in luxury tents in Khimsar village 7 km (4½ miles) from the fort.

A long driveway through the spacious grounds here leads to a place where efficient and friendly staffers create the kind of warm, intimate setting you'd normally associate with a smaller hotel. The exterior of the building is decorated simply with red bands of elephants chiseled on its bleach-white facade. Standard rooms, in two wings around the pool, are spacious, plush, and comfortably elegant, with views onto the verdant garden of palms and bright flower beds. Corner suites are vast.

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.

The Y is about the cheapest you can go and still have a decent, clean, and safe room. Rooms are in a colorless modern block and lack anything special, though the air-conditioned rooms are more pleasant and less drab than the non-air-conditioned ones. Whichever you opt for, expect just the basics, plus a shower. Everything is at an average level of cleanliness, though the halls and stairwells could be spiffier. Ask for a street-facing room; some have balconies. Rates include morning tea and buffet breakfast and dinner in the dining hall (guests only); room service is available for a slightly higher cost. It's essential to reserve a month or two in advance. Most rooms are singles or doubles, but there are also triples and "family" rooms (the latter have four beds). There's a common room, and it's good place to meet fellow travelers.

Set along Lake Vembanad, this luxurious resort offers a variety of rooms from cottages with lagoon views to villas with private pools overlooking the lake. There are three restaurants and a bar, an excellent spa, daily yoga, along with a slew of outdoor activities from cycling to fishing and bamboo rafting.