Best Luxury Hotels in India

The nearby palaces and traditional Mewari architecture served as the inspiration for Nimish Patel, as she designed this grand lakeside property from scratch. It spans 50 acres teeming with birdlife, featuring pastel-coloured and gilt domed pavilions housing 87 rooms, a spa and several restaurants. The decor provides an old-world elegance, while staff offer an attentive first-class service with personalised and lavish attention to detail. Dine alfresco by candlelight beside a lily pond, relax next to your private plunge pool beneath a mustard-hue fringed parasol, book some Ayurvedic treatments, take a yoga class and spend some time reading in the library.

On the eastern side of the lake and a short walk from the City Palace Museum, the Taj Fateh Prakash Palace dates back to the 19th century and is itself something of a museum. It opened under its current guise on the 1st of January 2020, with 65 glamorous heritage rooms and suites. The polished hotel boasts an enviable art collection, a 1000 kilogram central crystal chandelier and the award-winning Sunset Terrace restaurant where you can catch some live music. There’s also a spa, a pool and a bar to be enjoyed onsite.

Right in the middle of Lake Pichola, this palace was built back in the mid-18th century, as the summer residence for the royal dynasty of Mewar. By the middle of the last century, the Taj Lake Palace was accepting paying guests and was featured in the James Bond movie, Octopussy. But its regal atmosphere and level of service never left, with 24/7 butler service and a water taxi available whenever you want it. Additionally, there are four restaurants, a rooftop bar, a pool, a spa and 360-degree water views. This hotel is certainly something very special and exudes classic romance.

If you prefer a more contemporary vibe, book one of 80 soundproofed rooms here. You’ll enjoy direct lake views with the Aravalli Mountains in the background. Dine on the terrace of the main restaurant, choosing from a menu of international cuisine, with a glass of something from its walk-in wine cellar; tuck into Indian food overlooking the lake; and cosy up beside the fire as you listen to live Rajasthani folk music in the bar. The Leela Palace’s other amenities include a spa, an outdoor pool and a gym. It first opened in April 2009, part of a small luxe chain of resorts and has become especially popular with business travellers.

A majestic colonial-style landmark on the city’s coastline, The Leela Palace occupies 4.8 acres of shoreline. Inside are award-winning Chinese and Indian restaurants, an international buffet, elegant high-teas served in a seaview lounge, an old-world cigar bar offering cocktails and caviar and a French-inspired patisserie/chocolatier shop. A carefully curated art collection can be viewed throughout the property and the hotel has its own ensemble of musicians taking guests on a voyage of Carnatic music. 326 rooms and suites spread across 11 floors are suitably grand, as are the spa and the pool areas.

If you want a luxurious place to party – or to bring the kids, this Marriott hotel has it all. There’s an in-house cosmopolitan nightclub, with sets from live bands and DJs, as well as signature cocktails and snacks. The property is set across 18 floors, incorporating 260 bedrooms, 21 suites, several restaurants, a bakery and a full-service spa. Outside there’s a pool and Bar-B-Q alfresco dining area. With a pillow menu, an onsite florist, a limousine service, in-room minibars, business services, a laundry valet and 24-hour room service, everything you need is provided. The JW Mariott in Kolkota welcomes families – children have their own play area.

The extensive formal grounds surrounding this fort-like building (erected in 1727), provide a sense of calm, with lotus ponds, elegant sculptures and wandering peacocks. Yoga, meditation and locally-inspired treatments in the spa aid guests’ serenity, as do four-poster beds with cream drapes, sunken marble tubs and antique furnishings. Ideal for a romantic escape, the hotel has its own ancient Shiva temple for vow renewal ceremonies and the option to stay in a five-star tented room. And with a focus on timeless elegance, rather than technology, it’s a superb choice for those wanting to unwind and experience traditional Indian life in luxury.

Receive royal standard treatment when you check into the Rambagh Palace. Indeed the building was once inhabited by a maharajah and is unashamedly grand. 78 rooms come with hand-carved mahogany furnishings, high ceilings, detailed decoration, gilt touches, modern-day conveniences and personal butlers. Public areas outstrip the footprint of rooms, meaning it always feels spacious and refined. Facilities include a picture-perfect courtyard, croquet lawn, huge spa, yoga pavilion, a putting green, two restaurants, plus an eatery in a vintage steam train carriage, and indoor and outdoor pools. Attentive staff adorn guests with garlands, invite them to candle-lighting ceremonies and offer intricate henna tattoos.

This 18th-century property used to be called home by prime ministers, before being carefully restored by the Taj Group. The main building has 102 bedrooms and is surrounded by 18 acres of beautiful Mughal gardens; within the manicured grounds is a large outdoor solar-heated swimming pool. Romantic private dining can be arranged, or guests can eat Royal Indian cuisine at Cinnamon, Italian food at Giardino and international dishes at Marble Arch. After dinner, the Marigold Bar is a sophisticated spot to enjoy a single malt and a cigar. The Jai Mahal Palace is in Civil Lines, close to the city’s shops and restaurants.

A contemporary property that’s conveniently located for access to the airport, the JW Marriott in Jaipur has 374 bedrooms with picture windows. Cribs and rollaway beds can be requested, plus there’s a minibar, satellite TV and an iPod dock in every room. The hotel’s amenities include a full-service spa, an outdoor pool and a kids’ splash pool. Its signature restaurant, Okra, has won awards for its global menu, and guests can also sample authentic Indian cuisine at Saffron, or tuck into the freshly baked delicacies for sale at the in-house Jaipur Baking Company.

Enabling guests to escape from the – at times – frenetic pace of the city, The Lodhi is surrounded by seven acres of sanctuary like grounds. Its proximity to the Lodhi Gardens and Delhi Golf Club adds to this sense of removal from the areas of heavily concentrated population. Yet many attractions lie within a short walk or drive. The Lodhi’s entrance is flanked by large carved elephants and its exterior clad with smooth golden stone. A great place to relax, the property has a spa, a long heated pool, yoga and pilates classes, sports courts and a hammam. There are two restaurants and some rooms come with private plunge pools.

Designed by internationally renowned Khun Lek Bunnag, this unusual building was inspired by the five elements of Hindu philosophy (air, water, fire, earth and sky). Full of high tech gadgetry, everything in the bedrooms – like lighting and curtains – is controlled from an iPad. It has the longest swimming pool in town (108 metres long) and is surrounded by gardens, creating a cocoon of serenity. These include an area for growing the produce that’s served in the restaurants – the hotel also has cows and a mini fruit orchard. Guests can dine on Chinese food at Chi Ni or international cuisine at Kiyan.