A heritage palace courtyard representing exceptional stays in India
1%Travel
Club

The 1% address book · 40 cities

Stay somewhere
worth remembering.

Hotels with history. Homestays with generous hosts. Retreats that change the pace. These are reference points we admire—not a pay-to-list directory.

Browse by region

Independent recommendations

40 places to
start looking.

Most photographs show the property itself, via Wikimedia Commons. A few cities still carry an indicative image of that stay type.

The Imperial New Delhi in Delhi01 · Delhi

Heritage hotel · Delhi

The Imperial New Delhi

A 1936 landmark where Art Deco and Lutyens-era architecture meet an exceptional art collection.

The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai02 · Mumbai

Harbour icon · Maharashtra

The Taj Mahal Palace

Mumbai's storied 1903 hotel, looking directly toward the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea.

The Leela Palace Bengaluru in Bengaluru03 · Bengaluru

Palatial city stay · Karnataka

The Leela Palace Bengaluru

A garden estate whose architecture takes cues from Mysore Palace and the Vijayanagara Empire.

A city classic in Chennai04 · Chennai

City classic · Tamil Nadu

Taj Coromandel

A longstanding Chennai address named for the historic Coromandel Coast.

The Oberoi Grand in Kolkata05 · Kolkata

Colonial landmark · West Bengal

The Oberoi Grand

The Grande Dame of Chowringhee, a celebrated heritage address in central Kolkata.

Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad06 · Hyderabad

Palace hotel · Telangana

Taj Falaknuma Palace

A former Nizam's palace, completed in 1897 and set high above Hyderabad.

A heritage boutique in Ahmedabad07 · Ahmedabad

Heritage boutique · Gujarat

The House of MG

A restored 1924 mansion close to the old city's celebrated Sidi Saiyyed latticework.

A city classic in Pune08 · Pune

City classic · Maharashtra

Blue Diamond – IHCL SeleQtions

One of Pune's original luxury hotels, rooted in the leafy Koregaon Park neighbourhood.

Rambagh Palace in Jaipur09 · Jaipur

Royal palace · Rajasthan

Rambagh Palace

A royal guesthouse dating to 1835, known for marble latticework and Mughal-style gardens.

A modern city stay in Chandigarh10 · Chandigarh

Modern city stay · Chandigarh

Taj Chandigarh

A polished base for exploring Chandigarh's singular modernist architecture and gardens.

A nawabi-inspired hotel in Lucknow11 · Lucknow

Nawabi-inspired hotel · Uttar Pradesh

Taj Mahal Lucknow

A refined city stay shaped by the decorative language and hospitality of Awadh.

A monument-view resort in Agra12 · Agra

Monument-view resort · Uttar Pradesh

The Oberoi Amarvilas

A Mughal-inspired retreat 600 metres from the Taj Mahal, with direct monument views.

BrijRama Palace in Varanasi13 · Varanasi

Riverside palace · Uttar Pradesh

BrijRama Palace

A restored 18th-century palace directly on Darbhanga Ghat, approached by boat.

A contemporary luxury in Amritsar14 · Amritsar

Contemporary luxury · Punjab

Taj Swarna

A modern city hotel whose interiors reference Punjab's craft, culture and history.

Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur15 · Udaipur

Island palace · Rajasthan

Taj Lake Palace

An 18th-century summer palace occupying its own island in Lake Pichola.

A design heritage hotel in Jodhpur16 · Jodhpur

Design heritage hotel · Rajasthan

RAAS Jodhpur

An 18th-century haveli paired with contemporary architecture beneath Mehrangarh Fort.

A desert retreat in Jaisalmer17 · Jaisalmer

Desert retreat · Rajasthan

Suryagarh

A sandstone fortress-inspired hotel set beyond the city amid the Thar Desert.

A beach resort in Goa18 · Goa

Beach resort · Goa

W Goa

A lively contemporary resort above Vagator Beach on Goa's northern coast.

Brunton Boatyard in Kochi19 · Kochi

Waterfront heritage · Kerala

Brunton Boatyard

A harbour-facing stay built on the site of a 19th-century Fort Kochi shipyard.

A contemporary city stay in Thiruvananthapuram20 · Thiruvananthapuram

Contemporary city stay · Kerala

Vivanta Thiruvananthapuram

A polished base in Kerala's capital with locally inflected modern interiors.

A plantation stay in Munnar21 · Munnar

Plantation stay · Kerala

Windermere Estate

An intimate property around a planter's bungalow on a working tea and cardamom estate.

The Green Hotel in Mysuru22 · Mysuru

Eco heritage hotel · Karnataka

The Green Hotel

A sustainability-minded hotel occupying the restored Chittaranjan Palace and its gardens.

A heritage-style resort in Hampi23 · Hampi

Heritage-style resort · Karnataka

Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace

A resort inspired by Vijayanagara architecture, near the extraordinary ruins of Hampi.

Palais de Mahe in Puducherry24 · Puducherry

French Quarter boutique · Puducherry

Palais de Mahe

A mansion-style heritage hotel within the walkable streets of the French Quarter.

A garden heritage resort in Madurai25 · Madurai

Garden heritage resort · Tamil Nadu

Heritage Madurai

Garden villas, a temple-tank-inspired pool and a two-century-old banyan tree.

Vivanta Coimbatore in Coimbatore26 · Coimbatore

Contemporary city stay · Tamil Nadu

Vivanta Coimbatore

A central, design-conscious base for the city and the nearby Western Ghats.

Novotel Varun Beach in Visakhapatnam27 · Visakhapatnam

Seafront hotel · Andhra Pradesh

Novotel Varun Beach

A modern Beach Road hotel with broad views across the Bay of Bengal.

A lake-view retreat in Srinagar28 · Srinagar

Lake-view retreat · Jammu & Kashmir

Taj Dal View

A hillside property between the Zabarwan mountains and the changing light of Dal Lake.

The Grand Dragon Ladakh in Leh29 · Leh

High-altitude hotel · Ladakh

The Grand Dragon Ladakh

A locally rooted luxury hotel in Leh, set at more than 11,000 feet.

Wildflower Hall in Shimla30 · Shimla

Himalayan resort · Himachal Pradesh

Wildflower Hall

An Oberoi retreat in Chharabra on the former estate of Lord Kitchener.

A riverside resort in Manali31 · Manali

Riverside resort · Himachal Pradesh

Span Resort & Spa

A longstanding mountain resort spread along the banks of the Beas near Manali.

Ananda in the Himalayas in Rishikesh32 · Rishikesh

Wellness retreat · Uttarakhand

Ananda in the Himalayas

A destination spa on a former maharaja's estate overlooking the Ganges valley.

A boutique heritage stay in Dehradun33 · Dehradun

Boutique heritage stay · Uttarakhand

The Manor House

A small colonial-influenced address amid gardens on historic Rajpur Road.

A landour heritage hotel in Mussoorie34 · Mussoorie

Landour heritage hotel · Uttarakhand

Rokeby Manor

An intimate 1840 country house in Landour, one of Mussoorie's enduring landmarks.

Mayfair Darjeeling in Darjeeling35 · Darjeeling

Hill heritage hotel · West Bengal

Mayfair Darjeeling

A characterful former summer house near The Mall and Governor House.

A hillside resort in Gangtok36 · Gangtok

Hillside resort · Sikkim

Mayfair Spa Resort & Casino

A full-service Sikkim resort combining mountain setting, spa and extensive gardens.

A lakeside retreat in Shillong37 · Shillong

Lakeside retreat · Meghalaya

Ri Kynjai

Khasi-inspired cottages above Umiam Lake; its name translates as serenity by the lake.

A gateway city hotel in Guwahati38 · Guwahati

Gateway city hotel · Assam

Vivanta Guwahati

A spacious contemporary base at Khanapara, well placed for onward journeys into Assam.

A urban resort in Bhubaneswar39 · Bhubaneswar

Urban resort · Odisha

Mayfair Lagoon

A garden-filled resort spread across ten acres in the heart of Bhubaneswar.

A beach resort in Puri40 · Puri

Beach resort · Odisha

Mayfair Waves

A polished coastal stay with direct access to the Bay of Bengal beachfront.

How we curate

The right stay
changes everything.

We compare atmosphere, architecture, hosting, location and the small operational details that determine how a place actually feels.

Our final shortlist is shaped around you. We can mix a landmark hotel with an intimate family home, a wilderness lodge or a few restorative nights at a retreat.

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