India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (238 page)

19 Ashoka Rd., Connaught Place, New Delhi 110 001.
011/4119-1919.
Fax 011/4119-1988.
www.shangri-la.com
. [email protected]. 320 units. Rs 16,000 superior double; Rs 19,000 deluxe double; Rs 19,000 premiere double; Rs 22,000 Horizon superior double; Rs 22,000 Horizon premiere double; Rs 25,000–Rs 92,000 suite; Rs 2,500 extra bed. Taxes extra. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; bar; lobby lounge-bar; pastry shop; airport transfer (Rs 2,590); babysitting; doctor-on-call; health club; Internet (complimentary); indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis; Ayurvedic massage; heated outdoor pool; room service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (complimentary).

Expensive

The Ambassador Hotel
Not far from Lodi Gardens and Humayun’s Tomb, and practically next door to Khan Market, this hotel—operating since 1950—has an old-world ambience, with plenty of wood paneling and understated 21st-century luxuries like i-Pod docking stations. It’s not particularly elegant, and you might find standard guest rooms small and cluttered, but if you’re counting your rupees it offers relatively good value in this price category and is perfectly acceptable if the other recommendations are full. The superior guest room are worth the extra Rs 1,500 with French doors opening onto private balconies (not that there’s all that much to see) and large naturally lit bathrooms. Buffet breakfasts are taken in the bright, laid-back
Yellow Brick Road
coffee shop, which has an outdoor section that can be lovely in the morning. It’s less opulent and grandiose than some of the other upmarket hotels in town, with less formal but pleasant enough service.

Sujan Singh Park, Cornwallis Rd., New Delhi 110 003.
011/2463-2600.
Fax 011/2463-8219.
www.tajhotels.com
. [email protected]. 88 units. Rs 10,000 standard double; Rs 11,500 superior double; Rs 13,500 executive double; Rs 18,000 deluxe suite; Rs 1,000 extra bed. Taxes extra. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; bar; airport transfer (Rs 1,200); babysitting; currency exchange; doctor-on-call; Internet (Rs 552/hr., Rs 2,758/8 hr.); pool; room service; spa. In room: A/C, TV, minibar, MP-3 docking station on request, Wi-Fi (Rs 220/hr., Rs 661/day).

The Claridges
With over half a century behind it, this elegant old-fashioned hotel—in an upmarket residential neighborhood, convenient to many Central Delhi sights—may not offer the same posh luxury as the city’s overrepresented Western chains, but provides good access to local life as its smart, down-to-earth restaurants and watering holes feature highly on the local social barometer.
Dhaba,
the Punjabi restaurant, serves a refined, hygienic version of the simple, tasty food found along North India’s busy highways;
Sevilla
is the semialfresco Mediterranean restaurant under a canopy of trees and thatch; the attached vodka bar is sublime. Ongoing room renovations in recent years have been met with several steep jumps in price, and accommodations are a mixed bag, with rates charged according to the relative level of comfort and aesthetic appeal. The Claridges rooms in both wings have private balconies and a more sumptuous look than the deluxe category; club suites are aimed with business travelers in mind.

12 Aurangzeb Rd., New Delhi 110 011.
011/4133-5133.
Fax 011/2301-0625.
www.claridges.com
. [email protected]. 137 units. Rs 11,500 deluxe double, Rs 13,000 Claridges Room double, Rs 16,000 Club double; Rs 25,000–Rs 45,000 suites; Rs 2,000 extra bed. Taxes extra. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
4 restaurants; 2 bars; tea lounge; patisserie; airport transfer (Rs 2,200); babysitting; currency exchange; doctor-on-call; health club w/spa/sauna/steam; Internet (Rs 200/hr., Rs 700/day); outdoor pool; kiddies’ pool; room service. In room: A/C, TV, DVD on request, hair dryer, minibar, scale, Wi-Fi (Rs 200/hr., 700/day).

The Park
The fabulous Park has injected some humor into the serious aspirations of Delhi’s other five-star properties, with a chichi designer makeover that extends from the cool drama of the prettily festooned lobby, to the ultratrendy restaurants and bar, and right into the elegant guest rooms and intelligently designed bathroom. If you require a tub, book a “luxury premium” room, which is enormous. Because of the curved shape of the hotel, guest rooms vary in size somewhat: The largest are at the corners of each floor—it’s worth requesting these. For indulgences, there’s Aura—gym, spa, and saloon; and there’s often a party in and around the funky pool, which not only has a bar but a net—so guests can play water volleyball—and a giant mirror ball to remind them they’re on vacation! Our favorite chain hotel in its price range, with enough visual fabulousness to just about make up for the disconcertingly indifferent service levels.

15 Parliament St., New Delhi 110 001.
011/2374-3000.
Fax 011/2373-4400.
www.theparkhotels.com
. [email protected]. 220 units. Rs 12,000 luxury double; Rs 14,000 premium double; Rs 18,000 residence double; Rs 30,000 deluxe suite; Rs 50,000 presidential suite. Rates include breakfast. Residence units, and suites, include airport transfers. Taxes extra. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
3 restaurants; 2 bars; airport transfer (Rs 2,096); babysitting; doctor-on-call; health club; library of DVDs and CDs; massage; pool; room service; spa with sauna and steam; Wi-Fi (Rs 400/hr., Rs 800/day). In room: A/C, TV, DVD, hair dryer, Internet (Rs 400/hr., Rs 800/day), minibar, MP-3 docking station (only in Residence rooms and suites).

Taj Mahal Hotel
Among our top five-star hotel picks in the Capital, and as such offering hands-down best value in the superior room category, this opulent, slightly brash hotel has an exciting atmosphere, award-wining restaurants and a range of superefficient amenities. Its major drawing card is the high esteem in which it is held locally—this is one of the best places to watch the Delhi glitterati at play and work: Capped by
zardozi
domes, the lobby alone sees a huge variety of beautiful models and high-powered execs swishing by. Despite wonderful service and every amenity you could wish for, guest rooms are unexceptional, designed more for efficiency and all-around comfort than to keep you staring at the walls (or boxed in the little bathrooms). No matter: After a day’s sightseeing, head for the pool, where you can watch as raptors cut their way through a darkening sky, or chill out in the spa before heading to
Rick’s,
one of
Delhi’s best bars. (
Note:
With doubles starting from Rs 8,500 it may be the slightly cheaper option, but don’t get bumped down to the
Taj Palace Hotel,
which attracts see-and-be-seen weddings, gigantic corporate functions, and other high-end social functions that impact negatively on service; the location in the Diplomatic Enclave is also a drawback.)