Hotels in India

New to the Gold List

The "tastefully decorated" suites at this former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur have Mogul and Rajasthani influences, including marble floors, regional artwork, and sheer fabrics. The pub Steam is in a restored train. Strolling the gardens is "a very pleasant experience."

85 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

The setting of this 250-year-old white marble palace in the middle of a lake "has got to be one of the most unique, exotic, and romantic in the world." Garden-filled courtyards, cusped archways, and patterned corridors "are so regal," as are rooms with silks and murals. A fleet of vintage Cadillacs and Buicks shuttles guests around town. Amrit Sagar Bar offers wines, spirits, cigars, and hookahs.

83 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

"This is where you'll see Mumbai's most fashionable people." A 1903 landmark by the Gateway of India, it includes Moorish, Indian, and Florentine architecture. Tower rooms overlook the city or the Arabian Sea, and those in the palace section are "a pleasing melange of antiques and artifacts." The cuisine is Japanese at Wasabi by Morimoto.

565 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa

New to the Gold List

Although this low-rise British colonial hotel is near Connaught Place, it's "set back from the city's teeming thoroughfares." Public spaces are appointed with teak and rosewood furnishings and Indian sculptures,"just walking the corridors is an outing." Carved mahogany and oak furniture and Lalique lamps set the tone in rooms. Spice Route, which serves Southeast Asian food amid regional art from the region, has "an enormous interior."

231 rooms

Amenities: Pool

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2006

Bank on "impressive views of the Taj Mahal" from this 2001 property. The design,marble inlaid with precious stones, geometrically patterned sandstone floors, Rajasthani drapes, and scalloped arches,fuses Mogul and Indian motifs. Each room is like "a small palace" with a hand-embroidered headboard and teak floors. Enjoy live sitar and tabla music as you dine on Indian dishes at Esphahan.

109 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

This fort-style hotel re-creates the days of the Rajputs, "but with today's comforts." The 32-acre grounds include a restored haveli, or mansion, that houses the Banyan Tree spa. Expect "service that astounds you," earning a perfect score. Accommodations are divided between rooms and tents; the latter have teak floors and freestanding bathtubs. At Surya Mahal, dine on local dishes in an outdoor courtyard.

71 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa, Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2006

The architecture of this four-year-old palace, set on 30 acres of former hunting grounds by Lake Pichola, is "truly outstanding," with carved pillars and soaring turrets earning it a perfect Design score. The lobby's central gold-leafed dome and white Thassos marble fountain is "just spectacular." Perfect-scoring staff are "very professional and diplomatic." Rooms with Indian arts and crafts and inlaid furniture also merit a perfect score.

87 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa