Hotel Index
Premium Hotels Across India
Every real premium hotel we book, across every region — pick a destination below or see the full spread.
Munnar, Kerala
Windermere Estate
★★★★☆
Windermere Estate is a family-run resort set on a working cardamom and coffee plantation in Pallivasal, just outside Munnar. Just eighteen rooms are spread across plantation villas, cottages, and garden rooms. Red cedar accents and simple, tasteful furnishings run through every category. Many rooms open onto private sit-outs facing the estate's terraced hills. Daily life here follows the rhythm of the plantation. A guided walk each afternoon takes guests through the cardamom fields and up to caves on the property. From Windermere's viewpoint, the 360-degree outlook takes in tea gardens, misty hills, and the estate below. Food is served across a handful of characterful spaces. Pine Top handles everyday meals, The Barn hosts fine dining, and Boulder Garden is reserved for outdoor barbecues. The Hut offers snacks and tea through the day. Fire pits and hammocks are dotted through the gardens for quieter evenings. For travellers who want Munnar's tea-estate scenery without a large hotel footprint, Windermere Estate delivers exactly that. Its plantation setting, family ownership, and genuinely local rhythm make it one of the hill station's most distinctive stays.
Thekkady, Kerala
Spice Village – A CGH Earth Experience
★★★★☆
Spice Village is a CGH Earth resort built as a recreation of a Kerala spice-growing village, on the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady. Fifty-two cottages sit among real spice gardens, built from coir matting, thatch, and other natural materials. Each cottage keeps a separate sitting area and en-suite bathroom, with organic toiletries in keeping with the resort's sustainability focus. The resort's own paper-making centre shows guests how it turns plantation waste into handmade paper. Two restaurants serve Keralan and international dishes, largely using produce grown on site. An outdoor pool, a children's pool, and a spa tub sit within the gardens, alongside massage and Ayurveda treatment rooms. Thekkady itself is best known for wildlife. Spice Village puts guests within easy reach of Periyar's boat safaris and forest walks, as well as working spice and cardamom plantations nearby. An indoor tennis court and business centre round out the facilities for longer or working stays. Spice Village suits travellers who want Thekkady's forest and plantation setting matched by a resort that takes sustainability seriously. Its village-style layout and spice-garden grounds set it apart from a standard hotel stay.
Wayanad, Kerala
Vythiri Village Resort, Wayanad
★★★★☆
Vythiri Village sits in thirty acres of rainforest near Vythiri town, at about 2,600 feet. A mountain stream runs through the grounds and more than 150 bird species have been recorded here. Rooms range from garden rooms up to cottages in traditional Kerala style and pool villas with an eight-metre infinity pool. The forest is dense enough that the villas feel well separated. The resort runs an activity list most days: a canopy zip-line, a rope bridge sixty feet up, guided nature walks, cycling, archery and a fish spa. The Nawa spa handles Ayurveda. It markets itself as five-star. We seed it as the premium tier for Wayanad, the value option against Taj Wayanad, and it earns that on setting alone.
Kargil, Ladakh
Hotel The Kargil
★★★☆☆
Hotel The Kargil sits in the middle of Kargil town, off the main market on Hospital Road. It opened in 2017 and was the first fully air-conditioned hotel in Kargil. There are thirty rooms and three suites, all heated, with modern bathrooms and hot water around the clock. The upper floors look out over the town and the surrounding hills. There is a restaurant serving Ladakhi, North Indian and Kashmiri food, a coffee shop and a travel desk that arranges permits and cars. Kargil has no luxury hotel. This is the best in town, and it is the property both our premium and luxury western-Ladakh trips use for the Kargil night.
Leh, Ladakh
Stok Palace Heritage
★★★★☆
Stok Palace is the home of the Ladakhi royal family. It was built in 1820 and sits in Stok village, about 14 kilometres from Leh, on a ridge above the Indus valley. The family still lives in part of it. A few of the palace rooms are let to guests, each one furnished with old Ladakhi pieces, painted woodwork and family objects. This is a heritage stay, not a hotel. There is no television, no air conditioning and limited Wi-Fi, by choice. Meals are Ladakhi and are taken with the family or in the palace kitchen. The palace museum, one of the best collections of Ladakhi royal art and thangkas, is on the same site. Stok is quiet, rural and dark at night, a complete change from the town.
Sham Valley, Ladakh
The Apricot Tree
★★★★☆
The Apricot Tree stands just outside Nurla village, on the road between Leh and Lamayuru, looking down on the Indus. It is a modern hotel built in the Ladakhi style, with carved wood, stone walls and warm interiors. The rooms are large and well heated, and most face the river and the mountains beyond it. There is a garden, a terrace restaurant and a quiet lounge. Nurla is a good base for the western Sham valley. Alchi is a short drive one way, Lamayuru the other, and the hotel sits low enough that guests sleep well. It is the sensible premium choice for a night or two in Sham, a real hotel with hot water and heating rather than a basic guesthouse.
Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, Rama International
★★★★★
Welcomhotel Rama International is the calm base for Aurangabad. The city is now called Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. This ITC Hotels property sits in 45,134 square metres of landscaped gardens. Its design recalls the grandeur of Ajanta and Ellora. Both UNESCO sites are a short drive away. Bibi-ka-Maqbara is closer still. There are 228 rooms and suites. Dine at Madhuban or in the open-air Sholla. Unwind at Madhushala, the bar. There is a pool, a fitness centre and a health club. Your private guide can plan the caves, the Daulatabad fort and Grishneshwar around the hotel's gardens. It is the right base for the Ajanta and Ellora circuit.
Lonavala, Maharashtra
Fariyas Resort Lonavala
★★★★★
Fariyas Resort Lonavala sits on Frichley Hills in the Western Ghats. Lonavala is the hill break for Mumbai and Pune. The resort wraps rooms around lawns, a waterpark and a temperature-controlled indoor pool. Every room has a balcony. The kitchen is vegetarian. Eat at Cafe Frichley for all-day dining. Book Asian Fusion for dinner. There is a spa and a fitness room. Your private guide can add Karla and Bhaja caves, Rajmachi and Tiger's Point. It is the easy, family-friendly stop on a Mumbai to Pune route.
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Trident, Bandra Kurla
★★★★★
Trident, Bandra Kurla is the modern address in Mumbai. It sits in Bandra Kurla Complex. The airports are close. The NMACC and the Jio World Convention Centre are steps away. The hotel has 412 rooms and 24 suites. Some look onto the pool. Eat at Botticino or Maya. Take a drink at O22. Visit the Trident Patisserie for a quick coffee. The spa and the 24-hour fitness centre are for guests. Your private guide can build a day around Bandra's cafes, Worli and Colaba. This is a smart base for a first or a last night in Mumbai.
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Trident, Nariman Point
★★★★★
Trident, Nariman Point sits near the tip of Mumbai's sea-facing peninsula. It rises high over Marine Drive. Rooms look across the Arabian Sea. At night the Queen's Necklace lights the shoreline. The pool terrace is a rare green pause in South Mumbai. Eat at Frangipani, India Jones or The Verandah. Take sunset drinks at Ness. The spa and the fitness centre are for resident guests only. The financial district and the galleries are minutes away. Your private guide can plan Colaba, Kala Ghoda and the Gateway from this address. It is a sound, sea-view base for a first night in Mumbai.
Nashik, Maharashtra
The Source at Sula
★★★★☆
The Source at Sula is a vineyard stay in Nashik. Sula Vineyards founded the winery in 1999. The estate is Tuscan in spirit. It looks over rolling vines, Gangapur Lake and the hills. Rooms are warm and wood-beamed. Many open onto garden or vineyard terraces. Take a winery tour and a tasting. Cycle between the rows. Dine at La Bodega. Take a drink at The Rose Bar. Spa treatments and a pool are on site. Your private guide can time Nashik's temples and Trimbakeshwar around a night here. It is the right stop for a wine-country pause in Maharashtra.
Pune, Maharashtra
Novotel Pune Nagar Road
★★★★★
Novotel Pune Nagar Road is a polished modern base in Pune. It sits at Weikfield IT City Infopark in Viman Nagar. The airport is close. So are the city's cafes and old quarter. There are 311 rooms and suites. Many look over the pool or the city. Eat at The Square or Fuzion. Take a late drink at Bar Code. Dine poolside at Soak. There is a pool and a fitness centre. Your private guide can plan Shaniwar Wada, the Aga Khan Palace and a day to Lonavala. This is a sound base for a night or two in Pune.
Kashmir to Kanyakumari
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