Hotel Index
Luxury Hotels Across India
Every real luxury hotel we book, across every region — pick a destination below or see the full spread.
Havelock Island, Andaman & Nicobar
Barefoot at Havelock
★★★★★
Barefoot at Havelock sits behind Beach No. 7 — Radhanagar — the beach Time magazine once named the best in Asia. The resort is a short walk through forest to that sand. It is built as an eco-resort, from thatch, wood and local materials, and it holds sustainability certifications that most Andaman properties do not. Accommodation ranges from air-conditioned tented cottages up to standalone Andaman and Nicobari villas, all set among rainforest rather than in a row. The dive centre on site has been rated Havelock's best, and the resort arranges diving, snorkelling, kayaking and paddle-boarding directly. The OMA Spa runs treatments in an open thatched pavilion. Dining is at The Swimming Elephant, a large thatched hut, with a focus on island seafood. This is the rustic-luxury alternative to Havelock's polished five-star — closer to the forest, and on the island's best beach.
Havelock Island, Andaman & Nicobar
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Andamans
★★★★★
Taj Exotica sits on Radhanagar Beach No. 7, once named Asia's best beach by Time magazine. The resort spreads across 46.5 acres of tropical forest on Havelock Island, known locally as Swaraj Dweep. Every stay here is a villa stay. There are no standard rooms, only 72 pool and garden villas raised on stilts among the trees. The architecture borrows from the design language of the Jarawa tribe, native to these islands. Thatched roofs, natural wood, and wide balconies keep the resort in conversation with its forest setting. Villas open onto private plunge pools or shared garden views, depending on category. Interiors mix minimalist comfort with local craft touches. Dining follows the same island-forward approach. Restaurants serve fresh local seafood alongside international menus, often under open sky. The Jiva Spa offers treatments drawing on Ayurvedic tradition, set within its own garden pavilion. An Olympic-length infinity pool overlooks the sea, and a second pool sits closer to the beach for quieter mornings. Active travellers have plenty to do. The resort runs snorkelling trips to nearby reefs, and Havelock's dive schools are a short trip away. Kayaking, cycling, and nature walks through the surrounding forest round out the activity list. A kids' club keeps the resort family-friendly without disrupting its quiet luxury feel. Reaching Havelock takes some effort. Most guests fly into Port Blair, then take a ferry of roughly ninety minutes to two and a half hours depending on the vessel. That journey is part of the appeal. Few five-star resorts in India feel this remote, or this untouched. For travellers chasing a genuine barefoot-luxury escape, Taj Exotica delivers a rare combination: five-star service on one of the world's most celebrated beaches.
Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar
Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, Bay Island, Port Blair
★★★★★
Welcomhotel Bay Island stands on Marine Hill, a wooded promontory jutting into Port Blair's harbour. The legendary architect Charles Correa designed it, and that pedigree still shows. Sloped roofs and timber pavilions step down the hillside toward the water, built to work with the terrain rather than flatten it. The hotel holds just 46 rooms and suites, a small number by five-star standards. That scale keeps the place personal. Public areas open onto the sea on nearly every side, and much of the property is built around covered, breezy pavilions rather than sealed corridors. It feels closer to a well-run island retreat than a conventional city hotel, despite sitting only a few kilometres from Port Blair's airport and the Cellular Jail. Rooms split into three categories: Deluxe Rooms facing the garden, Superior Rooms facing the bay, and Executive Suites that add a separate living area with sea views. All come with high-speed WiFi, an electronic safe, and modern bathrooms finished in local tile work. WelcomCafe Bay Leaf, the main restaurant, opens onto al fresco seating with harbour views and serves a fresh-seafood-forward menu alongside Indian, Chinese, and European dishes. Swizzle Bar takes over in the evenings, an open-air lounge built around timber columns with the sea visible past the railing, pouring a solid range of Indian and imported spirits. An outdoor pool, a 24-hour fitness centre, and a full-service spa round out the amenities. For travellers who want proper five-star service and a genuine sense of place on their first or last night in the Andamans, before or after island-hopping to Havelock or Neil, Bay Island remains one of Port Blair's most established addresses.
Guwahati, Assam
Radisson Blu Hotel, Guwahati
★★★★★
The Radisson Blu is a modern five-star on the bank of the Brahmaputra, on the edge of Guwahati. The rooms are large and well kept, and the upper floors on the river side look straight out over the water. There is an outdoor pool, a spa, a gym and several restaurants, including one for Assamese food. It is a short drive from the Kamakhya temple, the ferry ghats and the airport road east to Kaziranga. It is the most comfortable base in the city, and the easy choice for a first or last night around a flight.
Jorhat, Assam
Thengal Manor
★★★★☆
Thengal Manor is a country house in the tea gardens outside Jorhat, built in 1880 by the Barooah family, who still own it. The house is little changed. Wide verandas, high ceilings, old furniture, family portraits, a library. The first Assamese-language daily newspaper was printed here. There are only a handful of rooms, so it is quiet, and meals are Assamese home cooking. The gardens run to the tea, and a walk before breakfast is part of the stay. Majuli, the gibbon sanctuary and Sivasagar are all day trips from here. It is the way to stay in the tea country rather than pass through it, and the luxury choice for a Jorhat leg built around heritage and tea.
Kaziranga, Assam
Diphlu River Lodge
★★★★★
Diphlu River Lodge sits on the bank of the Diphlu, a small river that marks the southern edge of Kaziranga, opposite the park. The cottages are built on stilts, in bamboo, cane and thatch, in the local way. Each has a private deck looking over the river or the forest. They are simple and well made, with no televisions, and the sound at night is the water and the birds. It is a small lodge, run on eco-friendly lines, and it is the property the British royal visit chose in 2016. The park's Central Range gate is a short drive, and the lodge arranges every safari, with naturalists who know the animals. It is the best stay at Kaziranga, and it books out well ahead in season.
Delhi, Delhi
The Imperial New Delhi
★★★★★
The Imperial has stood on Janpath since 1936. It opened just before India's independence, in the final years of British rule in Delhi. The architecture blends Victorian charm, colonial grace, and Art Deco style. Few Delhi hotels carry this much genuine history within their walls. Step inside and you enter something like a private museum. The Imperial holds one of India's largest collections of 19th-century art. Paintings, prints, and antiques line every corridor and public room. Guests often spend an hour walking the halls before they even check in. The hotel sits in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi, moments from Connaught Place. India Gate and Rajpath are a short drive away. This location suits travellers who want to explore central Delhi on foot, then return to calm within minutes. Rooms and suites number over 200 in total, split across Deco, Imperial, and Heritage categories. Each has high ceilings and abundant natural light, a hallmark of the building's original 1930s design. Marble bathrooms and modern comforts sit alongside period furniture and art. The result feels neither dated nor generic. Dining here spans several distinct restaurants. 1911 serves all-day multi-cuisine fare on a colonnaded terrace. San Gimignano offers Italian cooking under an open-air pergola. Spice Route, one of Delhi's most celebrated restaurants, draws on Southeast Asian traditions. Its carved wooden panels alone took years to complete, made by artisans from Kerala. The Patiala Peg bar pours whisky in a room styled after old Punjab. An outdoor pool and full-service spa round out the leisure offering. The Imperial Spa uses natural products and traditional techniques for facials, massages, and body treatments. Guests can also browse the hotel's boutiques, or take afternoon tea in the Atrium beneath its glass dome. The Imperial belongs to The Leading Hotels of the World, a mark reserved for genuinely exceptional independent properties. It has hosted heads of state, diplomats, and celebrities across nine decades. Even so, the service style stays personal rather than stiff. For travellers who want Old World Delhi with five-star comfort, few addresses compare. The Imperial offers history you can see and touch, not just read about in a brochure. That makes it a natural base for exploring Delhi's monuments, markets, and museums, all while returning each evening to a hotel that is itself a landmark. Connaught Place's shops and cafes sit within walking distance, and the metro station at Rajiv Chowk connects easily to the rest of the city. Guests arriving from Delhi airport typically reach the hotel within 45 minutes outside peak traffic. Doormen in period uniform still greet arrivals at the porte-cochere, a small detail that sets the tone before guests even step inside. It is the kind of touch that repeat visitors notice and mention long after their stay.
Delhi, Delhi
The Lodhi
★★★★★
The Lodhi is a modernist luxury hotel on Lodhi Road, next to the Lodhi Gardens and Humayun's Tomb, in the greenest part of New Delhi. It was built as the Aman New Delhi and kept the same architects' scheme. The rooms are among the largest in the city, in stone, teak and leather, and many have their own balcony plunge pool. The grounds hold a fifty-metre pool, clay tennis courts, a large spa and a hammam. There are four restaurants, including one of Delhi's better Indian kitchens. Service is quiet and unhurried. It is the choice for a Delhi stay that is calm and private rather than grand and historic, and it is walking distance from the tombs and the gardens.
Delhi, Delhi
The Oberoi, New Delhi
★★★★★
The Oberoi, New Delhi sits across from Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to the 16th century. Many rooms look straight out at its dome and gardens. Others face the green fairways of the Delhi Golf Club instead. Either way, the view rarely feels like a typical city view. The building itself favours restraint over excess. Clean architectural lines and a hushed, art-filled lobby set the tone from arrival. A striking bronze sculpture, the Tree of Life, anchors the lobby space. Marble floors and considered lighting carry that same calm through the public areas. Every one of the hotel's 220 rooms and suites comes with a personal butler, a standard that goes beyond what most five-star properties offer. In-room dining, laundry, and daily requests all run through this one point of contact. Italian marble bathrooms, oak writing desks, and full-length bathtubs feature across the room categories, along with premium bedding and high-speed WiFi. Dining spans three distinct restaurants. Dhilli serves refined Indian cooking, drawing on recipes from across the country. Baoshuan focuses on Pan-Asian and Chinese dishes in a moody, elegant setting. 360°, the all-day dining restaurant, offers international cuisine with live counters. A bar and lounge round out the evening options for guests who prefer a quieter nightcap. Outdoors, a landscaped pool sits away from street noise, screened by trees and the building itself. The Oberoi Spa offers massages and treatments across several private suites, along with a steam room and a well-equipped fitness centre. A business centre supports guests travelling for work, with meeting rooms available for larger groups and corporate events. The location itself is a genuine asset. Humayun's Tomb and the Sunder Nursery gardens are a short walk away. Lodhi Garden and India Gate sit within easy reach by car. Guests exploring central Delhi's monuments can treat the hotel as a genuinely restful base, not just a place to sleep between sightseeing days. Service consistency is what The Oberoi Group is best known for across its properties, and the New Delhi flagship upholds that reputation closely. Staff-to-guest ratios run high, and the butler system means requests rarely need repeating twice. For travellers who want five-star comfort paired with one of Delhi's best views, this hotel remains a genuine standout among the capital's luxury addresses. The Diplomatic Enclave setting also means quieter streets than central Delhi, without losing easy access to the city. Lodhi Garden and Khan Market are both a short drive away, useful for an evening stroll or a lunch outside the hotel. Business travellers benefit from the same calm, with the airport roughly 30 minutes away depending on traffic. It is a location built for guests who want Delhi's culture close by, without the noise that usually comes with it.
Manali, Himachal Pradesh
The Himalayan, Manali
★★★★★
The Himalayan sits on a slope at Hadimba Road in Manali, built to look like a Gothic castle in stone and dark timber. It is the work of a single owner-architect over many years, full of carved wood, stained glass, turrets and a private art gallery. The rooms are individual, warm and richly finished, and the orchard rooms look straight up at the Dhauladhar peaks. There is a spa, a heated pool and gardens among the apple and cherry trees. The Hadimba temple and its cedar grove are a short walk. Old Manali and the Mall are a few minutes by car. It is the most characterful luxury stay in the Kullu valley, and the one to book for a Manali leg with a sense of place.
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Wildflower Hall, an Oberoi Resort, Shimla
★★★★★
Wildflower Hall stands in twenty-three acres of cedar forest at Chharabra, about a dozen kilometres above Shimla, at twenty-five hundred metres. It was once the residence of Lord Kitchener, and the house is grand: panelled halls, log fires, deep verandas. The rooms are large and warm, and most look out over the deodars to the snow line. There is a heated indoor pool that seems to run into the forest, an outdoor jacuzzi in the trees, a spa, and terraced gardens. It is set well away from the town, which is the point. The staff arrange the drive into Shimla, the toy train, and walks straight from the grounds. It is the finest stay in the state, and the reason many trips base in Shimla at all.
Gulmarg, Kashmir
The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa
★★★★★
The Khyber stands at the edge of the pine forest above Gulmarg, at about 2,690 metres, facing Mount Apharwat. It is built of deodar wood and local stone, in a heavy alpine style, and it is about a kilometre from the Gondola base station. In summer the meadow and the golf course are at the door. In winter the snow comes up to the windows and the ski runs start close by. There are 85 rooms, suites and chalets, most with a fireplace and a mountain view. The spa is run with L'OCCITANE, with heated pools and a hammam. Several restaurants cover Kashmiri, Indian and European food, and a fire-lit lounge runs through the cold months. It is the only true five-star resort in Gulmarg, and the reason many travellers add two nights in the mountains to a Kashmir trip.
Kashmir to Kanyakumari
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