India doesn't do subtle. Its best hotels are some of the most opulent anywhere: Rajasthani palaces glowing with gold leaf and mirrorwork, Mughal gardens, and a tradition of royal hospitality that goes back centuries.
Is India worth it as a luxury trip? Yes, if you go in with open eyes. You can sleep in a former maharaja's palace in Jaipur, watch the Taj Mahal from your room in Agra and drift through Kerala on a private houseboat. India will also show you poverty and noise that no five-star wall fully softens, and that contrast is why it stays with you.
Key facts
- Best months: October to March for Rajasthan. Summer for Ladakh.
- Where to stay: Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra.
- Regions at a glance: Rajasthan for palaces, Kerala for wellness and water, Goa for beaches, Ladakh for mountains and monasteries, Mumbai for food, art and nightlife.
- Caviar trip:The India Experience, 8 days through Delhi, Jaipur and Agra as a private trip for up to 8 guests.
Rajasthan: Palace Country
Photo: Pranav Panchal / Unsplash
Rajasthan is where Indian luxury is at its grandest. Several former royal palaces, some still part-owned by the royal families, are now hotels.
- Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur: it seems to float on Lake Pichola, and you'll know it from the Bond film Octopussy
- Rambagh Palace, Jaipur: the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur
- Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur: Art Deco grandeur, with the royal family still living in one wing
- The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra: rooms look out toward the Taj Mahal
- The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur: domed courtyards and terraced gardens on Lake Pichola, with two MICHELIN Keys in the 2026 India guide
Photo: Christopher Michel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0Cover photo: the central courtyard at The Oberoi Udaivilas, McKay Savage / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
I've written a whole guide to these hotels, with a classic route through them: Rajasthan's palace hotels.
Where we stay on our trip: The Oberoi New Delhi, Taj Rambagh Palace in Jaipur and The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra.
Kerala: The Anti-Rajasthan
Photo: Dileep M / Unsplash
Each region has its own mood. Rajasthan is palaces and history (best October to March). Kerala is wellness and green water. Goa is beaches and long lunches. Ladakh is high mountains and monasteries (best in summer). Mumbai is food, art and nightlife.
Where Rajasthan is grandeur, Kerala is calm. The backwaters, a web of lagoons, canals and lakes along the Arabian Sea coast, are best seen from a private houseboat while a cook makes Kerala dishes on board. My Kerala backwaters guide has the houseboat and Ayurveda details.
What Black Travelers Should Know
Photo: Rowan Heuvel / Unsplash
India has a complicated relationship with skin color, and colorism shows up in advertising and everyday life. Black travelers will likely get stares and requests for photos, especially away from the big tourist areas. You can always say no to photos, kindly and firmly.
The good news: India has a deep tradition of welcoming guests, summed up in the Sanskrit phrase "Atithi Devo Bhava," the guest is God. At the best hotels the service is beautiful, and our guides talk you through cultural dynamics before you go so nothing catches you off guard.
If you'd like to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise with all of that handled for you, start with The India Experience. You deserve to be the guest here.
Book a free consultation to plan your India trip.
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