15 Palace Hotels In India To Check In For A Royal Treatment

Now under the Taj banner, this palace was originally owned by the Mewar of Udaipur. A vision in white marble, with the Aravalli Mountains looming behind, the interiors are as grand as the gilded rooftop. We suggest you check into The Shambhu Prakash suite, kitted in European splendour with high arches and pillars. You can also sail on an antique gondola or the royal barge while the sunset makes for a romantic setting. Or lounge by the magnificent pool with a butler at your service. They also host weddings and help with decor and catering for your special day. Perched atop the waters of Lake Pichola, the Mewar Terrace redefines magnificence in marble, making it a beautiful spot for romantic dinners or proposals. 

Google rating: 4.8/5

Price per night: INR 29,000 for a luxury room with garden view, INR 42,000 for a palace room with lake view, INR 79,000 for a historical suite 

Amenities offered: Dining on the Barge, royal interiors, romantic Mewar terrace, spa, in-house butler and concierge, wellness spa with international therapies, wedding packages

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @tajlakepalace

Contact: +91-294-2428800‬

Skip the city life for this lavish treat, which blends perfect amounts of royal and relaxed, just an hour from Jaipur. Steeped in the hills and holding about 500 years of heritage, here is where you go for solitude and splendour. Four-poster beds, floral walls, intricate carpets, and a royal kitchen await, and if that isn’t enough, perhaps their mosaic swimming pool will do the trick. This 16th-century palace boasts a flawless sandstone structure, polished to perfection with the Aravalli hills in the backdrop. 43 deluxe rooms and suites unfurl in this hotel, where you can embrace the old-world imperial life with regality. What began as a Rajput Fort built using exquisite marble and detailed masonry stands tall today as a glamorous staycation spot. The interiors of the Samode Palace have detailed murals dating back 250 years, while the property's Hall of Mirrors, the Sheesh Mahal, flaunts its ornamented pillars, reflective of the rich heritage it has been tasked to preserve. 

Google rating: 4.6/5

Price per night: INR 17,000 for deluxe room, INR 20,000 for deluxe suite, INR 41,000 for royal suite

Amenities offered: Darbar Hall dining, Sheesh Mahal for candlelit dinners, spas with Ayurvedic treatments, swimming pools, wedding packages

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @samode_hotels

Contact: +91-124-4460920, 141-2632370, 2631068

LBB tip: The Samode Palace was also the set for the infamous series, The Royals, on Netflix. 

If there is one thing the Nizams got right, among various others, it was their opulent lifestyle. Named as Mirror of the Sky, its cascading gardens, Venetian décor, and European interiors transport you to the Renaissance ages. Fitted with marble flooring and facing the courtyard as tradition demanded ages ago, the well-preserved luxury rooms here will make you squeal with delight. Situated 609 metres above sea level, this palace offers an authentic glimpse into Nizam life, complete with horse-drawn carriages, elegant staircases, and 60 rooms and suites that provide expansive vistas with an encompassing view of the 400-year-old city of Hyderabad. Dine at their fine-dining establishment, Adaa, begin your day with a royal breakfast at Gol Bungalow, and catch some high tea at Celeste. This is Nizam living at its finest!

Google rating: 4.7/5

Price per night: INR 28,000 for a palace room with garden view, INR 75,000 for a historical suite with city view, INR 2,03,000 for a royal suite with garden view

Amenities offered: Dining establishments including Adaa (Hyderabadi cuisine), Celeste (fine dining), and Gol Bungalow; spa and wellness packages, swimming pool, billiards room, ballroom. 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Contact: 040 6629 8585

Instagram: @tajfalaknuma

One of the lesser-known palaces, this one at Orchha is set in the hills and smack in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary (Orchha Wildlife Park), you’ll be in the lap of luxury throughout. Without burning a hole in your pocket (comparatively), the Amar Mahal palace offers rooms built according to the Bundela kings’ way of life. Think open courtyards, large windows to take in fresh air (why not, as it’s a zero-pollution zone), and a large swimming pool, reminiscent of a Roman bath. Located in the Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh, the town was founded by Rudra Pratap Singh after 1501. The present form of the Amar Mahal retains the old-time charm of the original construction in 1895. Amar Mahal is the perfect place to live and learn more about Madhya Pradesh and Bundelkhand royalty.

Google rating: 4.4/5

Price per night: INR 5,000 per night for a deluxe room (without dinner, lunch, or breakfast and pickup drop-off inclusion) 

Amenities offered: Local village tour, river rafting, Tara Gram organic unit, visit to Amar Mahal's organic farm, bird watching, trekking, cycling trails, arti ceremony in Raja Ram Temple. 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: 11 AM onwards

Instagram: @amar_mahal

Contact: +91-7007426150,+91-7223934362,+91-8470883819

Known for its lavish lifestyle and hospitality, the hotel exudes true Gwalior tradition from the get-go. This regal, though smaller, palace is set amidst nine acres of rolling lawns with stone carvings and intricate filigree work. Divans, silk drapes, mirrors, lamps, and mosaic walls mark the luxury rooms, while the suites take it up a notch or two with Chanderi curtains, canopied beds, and historic artefacts decorating the shelves. Opt for the villa for sheer luxury and lounge in your private pool, just like King George VI, perhaps, did when he visited the palace. This 144-year-old treasured landmark also decks up big for special days with its wedding packages. With 50 opulent rooms and suites, royalty lives it up big and real here. Crafted by the illustrious HH Maharaja Jayaji Rao Scindia, you will arrive here in horse-drawn carriages, dine on age-old traditional recipes from the royal Maratha kitchens, relax at the wellness spa that takes after age-old treatments, and enjoy sprawling views of the Gwalior fort.

Google rating: 4.4/5

Price per night: INR 12,000 for a luxury tent with a sit-out, INR 13,000 for a grand luxury twin bedroom,  INR 14,500 for a palace room, INR 26,000 for a royal suite. 

Amenities offered: Gwalior fort views, signature spa treatments, royal dining to live classical music, 50 rooms and suites. 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @tajushakiranpalacegwalior

Contact: +91 75124 44000, +91 75124 4400 / 05

Set off on a magical ride to the 15th-century heritage hotel on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. With seven palace wings, it really is one of the most interesting hotels to be created from what was once a warrior’s fort. Built on several levels, the architecture means you can swim out of your room to join the larger pool or just wade in the cove around your private space. Hanging garden walks, historical and mysterious hikes take you nine floors underground, while upwards treks see you conquering dunes that have stood the tests of time. For the adventurous ones, they have the first zip line tour in the world, and you can have an aerial view of the town below. Built on the two-million-year-old Aravalli Hills, this 553-year-old fort, turned palace hotel, is conveniently located on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. It has been installed with lifts to explore the two-tiered property, but the entire architecture will take you back centuries. 

Google rating: 4.2/5

Price per night: INR 8,000 for Barsat Mahal, INR 8,000 for Lehsuniya Mahal with garden view, INR 9,000 for Kurma Mahal, INR 11,500 for Shringar Mahal, INR 11,500 for Gomedak Mahal with garden view

Amenities offered: Wedding packages, spa and swimming pool, temperature-controlled pool, vintage car ride, camel ride, TV lounge, evening tea, guided fort tour

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Contact: 01494 672 800

Instagram: @neemrana.hotels

Nestled in the quiet Sandur valley, along the Tungabhadra river, the luxurious Shivavilas Palace Hotel still belongs to the original owners — the Sandur Ghorpades of the erstwhile kingdom. While retaining its grandeur, what we love about the palace is that it is homely and not really intimidating. Pick from 12 rooms here, including a fancy Maharani suite or even the Maharaja suite. They also have a manicured garden with benches to take a book and read, or just float about in the swimming pool. Be welcomed with a proper arti thali, take a heritage walk along the gardens, or immerse yourself in some retro aristocracy with their vintage car museum. 

Google rating: 4.6/5

Price per night: Contact online for specific rates, for a deluxe room, Maharaja Suite, or Maharani Suite

Amenities offered: Bird watching, spa, swimming pool, billiards room, gymnasium, Darbar hall museum, heritage walk, palace tour. 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: 11 AM onwards

Instagram: @shivavilaspalace

Contact: +91 9480815521

Set in the fortress town of Jodhpur, the Raas Boutique Hotel is a beautiful paradox – swanky new buildings set against the old red sandstone fort. Almost takes you back to director Christopher Nolan’s version of Nanda Parbat from the DC Comics universe. Inspired by The Walled City, the new parts of the hotel merge with age-old carvings (typical of Jodhpur), and it’s quite exciting to wake up in a contemporary bedroom and be able to draw the curtains to a glorious past of the Mehrangarh Fort. There are luxury rooms, each with a balcony for privacy and a view. All in monochrome, the chic look is a fabulous contrast to the bright red sandstone jharokha windows. But if you want to live it up and spend some extra moolah, pick the suites. Our favourite spot at this hotel is the swimming pool, made of the original fort walls and red sandstone. 

Google rating: 4.6/5

Price per night: INR 22,000 for garden view, INR 25,000 for luxury room, INR 33,000 for duplex suite, INR 36,000 for heritage suite

Amenities offered: Gem Palace shop, spa, fort adventuring, Osian excursion, The Stepwell Square

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: 11 AM onwards

Instagram: @raashotels

Contact: +91 82399 26000 

While we would love to have our wedding here just like Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal, what with all the hidden staircases and marble arches, what we really, REALLY would love more is just relaxing at this stunning, and uber luxurious spa in Barwara. Just as it opened, in the middle of 2021, we had an opportunity to check it out, and it is beautiful. Unlike some other palace hotels, this one is all about open space and vastness. The Sanctuary Suite is the simplest room you can check into, and it comes with a living room, bedroom, and two showers (one outdoors, of course). The Fort Suite is all that plus a terrace for you to gaze out into the distance from, while the most fancy room here is the Raja Man Singh Suite which is designed with Rajasthani interiors and overlooks the lake, Chauth ka Barwara Mandir Temple and Aravali range with a pool and a dining pavilion to boot, it's a little bit expensive (or however expensive you call INR 65,000 per night in lean period, and INR 90,000 during peak time!). When you are not exploring the fort, relaxing in the massive spa, getting massages with their own range of indigenous essential oils, muds, clays, gels, and vegetable oils, then maybe zip off to the Ranthambore National Park in search of those majestic yet elusive tigers. They also organise heritage walks and gorgeous sunset drives. Sign up for those, for sure!

Google rating: 4.7/5

Price per night: INR 47,000 for a sanctuary suite, INR 52,000 for a fort suite, INR 63,000 for an Aravalli view suite, INR 71,000 for Burj suite

Amenities offered: Tiger safari, heritage walk, Aravalli sunset spotting, temple and arti ceremony, spa and wellness

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: 11 AM onwards

Instagram: @sixsensesfortbarwara

Contact: +91 7462 257777

If opulence and a once-in-a-lifetime experience are what you're after, then you have to check into the Umaid Bhawan Palace. With all the trappings of a modern hotel, but set in heritage art deco buildings, this palace, gleaming in golden sandstone, is the grandest mix of old and new. There are two swimming pools, a billiards room, tennis courts, and, of course, the JIVA spa by Taj. So either soak up the luxury of the INR 50,000 a night, or maybe take the erstwhile Maharaja's car for a spin. And not just any car! Pick from his heritage collection, including the 1927 Silver Ghost Rolls-Royce!  All palace bedrooms are done up in the Art Deco style, while the suites are a blend of Western and Indian grandeur, so really, you'll be feeling like a king in all of them. Just that the Royal Bedroom Suite has a view of the nearby Mehrangarh Fort, which makes for stunning photographs during the night. Even today, the royal family lives in this palace in a separate wing. It is Jodhpur's last great royal palace and is surely worth a stay. 

Google rating: 4.5/5

Price per night: INR 37,000 for a palace room, INR 56,000 for a historical bedroom suite, INR 1,31,000 for a grand royal bedroom suite

Amenities offered: Views of the blue city, subterranean zodiac pool, 26 acres of garden, royal welcome, wellness spa, wedding packages, dining at Risala, Pillars and Trophy Bar. 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @umaidbhawanpalace

Contact: +91 0291 2510101, +91 0291 6607000

The Noormahal Palace replicates the regal architecture of its ancestral lineage from Jaipur. With 125 luxury rooms and suites, the palace is a beloved wedding destination, thanks to its beautiful construction fusing Rajputana and Mughal influences. This palace in Karnal has four different venues where different parts of your special day can be held. The Hazuri Bagh is two acres of green lawns, where you can browse a book while nursing a drink or simply walk and admire the sunset. It also houses the Fateh Mahal restaurant, where Sangeet is often held. Sheesh Mahal is the palace's banquet hall, adorned with mirrors, where you can host a beautiful spread to entertain and have conversations. The Noor-E-Mehtab is a terrace venue overlooking Karnal, while the Rani Ka Bagh lawn is a perfectly manicured expanse for picnics and buffet parties. 

Google rating: 4.5/5

Price per night: INR 10,000 onwards for a club room, INR 15,000 onwards for a club royal room, INR 20,000 onwards for a heritage suite, INR 85,000 for a presidential suite

Amenities offered: Spa and wellness sauna, hair salon, gymnasium, laundry services, Polo Bar, Frontier Mail restaurant, wedding packages across venues like Noor-E-Mehtab, Rani Ka Bagh lawn, Sheesh Mahal, etc. 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @noormahalpalace

Contact: +91- 9996787891/92/93/97/904

This palace dates back to 1835, when it was the official residence of the Maharaja. Adorned with lattice marblework and manicured Mughal gardens, this palace is as authentic as the royal experience gets. Its in-house dining space, Suvarna Mahal, boasts of royal recipes from Mughal kitchens of the bygone era. Take a heritage walk of the palace, dine under the stars at Verandah, and indulge in some TLC at J Wellness Spa. It is rightly called the 'Jewel of Jaipur,' and is a staycation you will gladly remember for long. 

Google rating: 4.7/5

Price per night: INR 38,000 onwards for a palace room with garden view, INR 41,000 for a historical suite with courtyard view, INR 1,02,000 for a royal suite with courtyard view

Amenities offered: Mughal gardens, royal butlers, Suvarna Mahal's 18th-century decor, J Wellness spa, wedding packages, 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @rambaghpalace

Contact: +91 14164 80442, +91 14123 85700, +91 14166 71234

This 19th-century residence is nestled peacefully on the Shamla Hills in Bhopal. The architecture is a beautiful convergence of British interiors, Italian Renaissance, and Greek architecture. Wake up to stunning views of the Upper Lake as you admire the beauty of the surrounding Bougainvillea and Champa vines. Authentic home-cooked flavours and farm-fresh ingredients will welcome you at their fine dining space. It also has five regal banquet halls, perfect for weddings or gatherings. As one of their previous guests remarked, "it's too intimate to be a palace, and too welcoming to be a hotel." 

Google rating: 4.5/5

Price per night: INR 8,000 for a regal room, INR 9,000 for a palace room, INR 12,000 for an imperial room

Amenities offered: Mughal gardens, royal butlers, Suvarna Mahal's 18th-century decor, J Wellness spa, wedding packages, 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @jehannumapalace

Contact: +91 755 4235100

Maharana Fateh Singh built this dome-structured palace in the 20th century, and amidst its silent but regal walls is preserved a world of luxurious comfort. Earlier, housing the guests of the House of Mewar, this palace now hosts 17 suites carrying original portraits and paintings owned by Jaipur's royalty. Each of the suites also opens to panoramic vistas of the city. You can dine on authentic Rajasthani thalis at the Paantya restaurant or sip and float away at their Jagmandir Island Palace. They have royal suites, terrace rooms, palace suites, and more, amply furnished the Mughalian royal way, for a comfortably luxurious stay. 

Google rating: 4.5/5

Price per night: Contact online for their specific rates, you can view their packages here. 

Amenities offered: Paanghat spa and salon,  Paantya multi-cuisine restaurant, The Pool Deck, Palki Khana, Panera and Jagmandir Island Palace. 

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @shivniwaspalace

Contact: +91 294 2528008

This 19th-century fort palace is the closest you get to Alwar's rich monarch legacy. The property has seven terraced gardens, often compared to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and its ruined ramparts have been lovingly restored and compared to the rich architecture of Machu Picchu. The palace has 109 suites and rooms, named after India's leading painters and designers. This heritage resort is a perfect place for photo-ops, pre-wedding shoots, and weddings. This restored regal monument is a sight to behold in the calmness of the night, where you can capture fleeting moments amidst luxury. 

Google rating: 4.4/5

Price per night: INR 11,000 for Kanchan Mahal, INR 11,000 for Sanjay Mahal, INR 15,000 for Goswami Mahal, and more. 

Amenities offered: Rani Mahal, Mardana Mahal, Deewar Mahal, Khajoor Mahal, Marigold Bar, Pataal Kund swimming pool, vintage car rides, palace tours

Timings: Check in: 2 PM onwards, Check out: Noon onwards

Instagram: @neemrana.hotels

Contact: +91 124 4666166