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Delhi is such an enormous, busy city, staying in boutique hotels is a great way to decompress. Boutique hotels feel more intimate than their big brand counterparts, offer more personal service, and they’re usually in quieter areas.
These are my personal favourite boutique hotels in Delhi. I have personally visited or stayed at all of these hotels, and have chosen them for location and comfort. Delhi is my home now and I know the city! A well located, comfortable hotel can make an enormous difference in your Delhi experience.
Short on time? Here are my top 2 recommendations:
👉 Hotel Palace Heights: excellent choice for first time visitors because of its easy to navigate location near numerous shops, restaurants, sites and the Delhi metro
👉 Lutyens Bungalow : heritage property extremely well located beside Delhi’s most beautiful park, Lodhi Garden
The Nicest and Best Located Boutique Hotels in Delhi
The hotels on this list are all in Central or South Delhi, the best areas to stay at. Both areas are well connected by metro, and most of Delhi’s sites and attractions are located here. These are also greener and safer parts of the city where most expats and the diplomatic community live.
Here are my favourite boutique hotels in Delhi:
1. Bungalow 157
- Price: $70-120 USD
- Location: C 157, Block C, Defence Colony, New Delhi
- Amenities: shared kitchen and living room, pet friendly, breakfast included
This is one of the best boutique hotels a visitor can stay at in South Delhi. For one thing, it’s on a residential street in one of the best neighbourhoods in the city. The hotel is actually a home that has been converted.
Each floor of Bungalow 157 has 3 guest rooms (all with private ensuites), a common living room and full kitchen. Guests have the option to book one, two or three rooms – which would give you the entire apartment.
The main Defence Colony market with shops and restaurants, and the Delhi metro are a very short walk away. The larger Central Market Lajpat Nagar is also within walking distance. This is also a great base to explore the rest of Delhi from.
🎈Check prices and availability at Bungalow 157
2. Lutyens Bungalow
- Price: $100-150 USD
- Location: 39 Prithviraj Road, New Delhi
- Amenities: swimming pool, gardens, breakfast included
This Delhi boutique hotel is located in one of the original bungalows designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for the British Raj in 1937. It’s a heritage property with an absolutely superb location, right beside Lodhi Garden – it simply doesn’t get any better.
Rooms are elegant and comfortable with ensuite bathrooms. Peacocks frequent the gardens.
This is a walkable and quiet area, perhaps the most exclusive neighbourhood in Delhi. You’ll be able to stroll to Safdarjung Tomb, Lodhi Garden and Khan Market. It’s a very central spot to explore Delhi from, and the metro is within walking distance.
🎈Check prices and availability at Lutyens Bungalow
3. Bungalow 99
- Price: $70-120 USD
- Location: C 99, Chandi Vithi Road, Block C, Defence Colony, New Delhi
- Amenities: shared kitchen and living room, pet friendly, breakfast included
Bungalow 99 is tucked away in one of South Delhi’s best neighbourhoods, Defence Colony. It’s actually the sister property of Bungalow 157.
Rooms are elegant, but comfortable with lots of natural light. Each floor has 3 guest rooms (with ensuite bathrooms), a common living room, kitchen and verandah. You can book one room or the entire floor and have the whole apartment to yourselves.
The location is great – quiet, near community parks and within walking distance of the shops and restaurants in Defence Colony market, and the Delhi metro.
🎈Check prices and availability at Bungalow 99
4. Bnineteen
- Price: $70-100 USD
- Location: B 19, Nizamuddin East, Delhi
- Amenities: breakfast included
This is a really lovely small boutique hotel in one of the most historic and green areas of South Delhi, Nizamuddin East.
Many of Delhi’s most impressive Islamic monuments and heritage sites are a stone’s throw from Bnineteen such as Humayun’s Tomb (UNESCO) and Sunder Nursery. From a historic point of view this is the absolute best place to stay, no question.
I love this hotel, but I have to warn you it’s very close to the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, and you will hear trains at night. Also, the Delhi metro is not within walking distance, you’ll need to take an auto rickshaw to get to the nearest station.
🎈Check prices and availability at Bnineteen
5. Colonel’s Retreat
- Price: $70-150 USD
- Location: D 418, Block D, Defence Colony, New Delhi
- Amenities: breakfast included, rooftop dining, Indian cooking lessons
Colonel’s Retreat is a wonderful boutique hotel located in a tree lined South Delhi neighbourhood. I love the outdoor roof top dining room for breakfast, a rarity with hotels in Delhi. Breakfast is amazing, all homemade breads and jams with Indian and non-Indian dishes.
If you are coming to Delhi for an Indian wedding, Colonel’s Retreat is very close to Central Market Lajpat Nagar, the best budget friendly market in Delhi for Indian wedding clothes and accessories.
You can easily walk to Defence Colony Market which has excellent restaurants and shops, and the Delhi metro from here.
🎈Check prices and availability at Colonel’s Retreat
6. Colonel’s Retreat 2
- Price: $50-130 USD
- Location: D 264, Shiniwas Puri, Block D, Defence Colony, New Delhi
- Amenities: breakfast included, outdoor terrace dining, Indian cooking lessons
Colonel’s Retreat 2 is the sister property of Colonels Retreat and located in the same fantastic residential neighbourhood.
This is a really comfortable property that is famous for their homemade breakfasts. They make their own jams, marmalades and banana bread (which is kind of legendary in Delhi). Guests can eat on the outdoor terrace if it’s not too hot.
You can walk to two markets from here, Defence Colony Market (lots of good restaurants), and Central Market Lajpat Nagar (great ethnic shopping and street food). The Delhi metro is also about a ten minute walk away.
🎈Check prices and availability at Colonel’s Retreat 2
7. Thikana Delhi
- Price: $60-100 USD
- Location: A 7, Block A, Gulmohar Park, New Delhi
- Amenities: breakfast included, access to Gulmohar Park Club (private social and fitness club), cultural workshops
This boutique hotel offers incredible value in South Delhi. It is located in one of the loveliest neighbourhoods, Gulmohar Park (named after the red flowering gulmohar tree). It is one of the most convenient areas to explore Delhi from.
Each of the six guest rooms are tastefully decorated with modern ensuite bathrooms. If you’re hoping to get some work done, there are computer desks, printers and photocopiers on each floor. Guests have access (for a nominal fee) to one of the best pools in Delhi for visitors at the Gulmohar Club, which also has a running track.
You’ll need an auto rickshaw to get to the metro station (Thikana is between two – both about 25 minutes walk), but the location is so central, you can probably just take auto rickshaws or Uber wherever you want to go.
🎈Check prices and availability at Thikana Delhi
8. Home@F37
- Price: $40-60 USD
- Location: F 37, East of Kailash, New Delhi
- Amenities: restaurant, meeting rooms, business centre
This is a proper, small hotel located on the main road of a very good residential area in South Delhi. It’s not a new property, but the rooms are generous and comfortable. Many of my friends and readers have stayed here and been happy.
The Delhi metro is a 5 minute walk away, so you can easily explore the entire city. Kailash Colony market is across the street, which has excellent restaurants (like Juggernaut and The Big Chill Cafe) and shops.
🎈 Check prices and availability at Home@F37
9. Haveli Dharampura and Golden Haveli
- Price: $150-300 USD
- Location: 2293 Gali Gulian, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi
- Amenities: breakfast included, restaurant, cultural experiences & events
Haveli Dharampura and its sister property, Golden Haveli, are beautifully restored historic havelis located in the heart of Old Delhi. In fact, Haveli Dharampura is a UNESCO awarded heritage property.
Both havelis are stunning and luxuriously appointed. Most of the havelis in Old Delhi are completely dilapidated, so this is a unique opportunity.
I don’t usually recommend staying in Old Delhi, but these are special boutique hotels, offering guests a rare glimpse into Delhi’s rich history. It’s also an excellent base to explore Old Delhi from.
Breakfast is served in Lakhori, the gorgeous Mughal style restaurant at Haveli Dharampura. The two properties are only 50 metres apart, so you can easily walk between them.
🎈Check prices and availability at Haveli Dharampura and Golden Haveli
10. Hotel Palace Heights
- Price: $150-200 USD
- Location: D-26/28, Radial Road No. 6, Connaught Place, New Delhi
- Amenities: restaurant
This is a fantastic boutique hotel if it’s your first time in Delhi, or a solo female. It’s located right in the centre of Connaught Place, the commercial and retail hub of Delhi. The hotel is steps away from numerous shops, amenities, restaurants and the Delhi metro.
Connaught Place was built by the British and is characterized by colonnaded walkways. All blocks are lettered and well marked – it’s really easy to navigate. It also gets a lot of pedestrian traffic, so you can safely wander around until about 10 pm every night.
You’ll be within walking distance or a short tuk-tuk ride from many sites and attractions. The metro station is a 3 minute walk from the hotel.
Rooms aren’t large, but perfectly comfortable (I’ve stayed there a couple of times), and the Indian restaurant in the hotel, Zaffran, is one of the best in the city.
🎈Check prices and availability at Hotel Palace Heights
11. The Manor
- Price: $120-320 USD
- Location: 77 Friends Colony West, New Friends Colony, New Delhi
- Amenities: restaurant, bar, cafe, spa, exercise room
The Manor is one of Delhi’s first and finest boutique hotels. It’s in a quiet residential enclave, set in a very large garden, highly unusual for Delhi. The property is chic and elegant, it underwent a complete renovation in 2018.
The hotel is located in South East Delhi, a little away from most of the sites and attractions, but still pretty central and the Ashram metro station is just a few minutes walk away.
I’m not sure why, but the prices on Booking.com (the link below) are substantively less than on the hotel website.
🎈Check prices and availability at The Manor
12. Ambassador, New Delhi
- Price: $100-300 USD
- Location: Sujan Sing Park North, New Delhi
- Amenities: 3 restaurants, fitness centre, spa, pet friendly
This is another hotel that is excellent for India first timers or solo women. It’s located in one of Delhi’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, within an easy walk of several of Delhi’s best sites and the metro. This is one of the nicest and greenest areas in the city.
The hotel is a designated heritage building and full of character. There is a swimming pool, but it’s been under renovation for ages. Instead, guests can use the pool at the luxury 5 star Taj Mahal Hotel (a sister property).
🎈Check prices and availability at The Ambassador, New Delhi
Getting Around Delhi
There are 3 main ways to get around Delhi: Uber, auto rickshaw and the Delhi metro. All are widely used, safe and cheap. Avoid the public buses – they can get incredibly crowded and are mostly male passengers.
Basically, I use the Delhi metro when I’m going more than 10 km, or if the traffic is very bad. For short distances of less than 3 km I take auto rickshaws, and for everything else or travelling anywhere at night, I use Uber. If I have my dog with me, I use Uber or auto rickshaws since dogs aren’t allowed on the Delhi metro.
The Delhi metro is excellent by the way – it’s one of the best systems in the world. You can read exactly how to use the Delhi metro, but you probably don’t need to – it’s very user friendly.
FAQs
These are common questions about staying in boutique hotels in Delhi, India:
What is the meaning of boutique hotel in India?
A boutique hotel in India is a hotel with less than 100 rooms that offers more personalized service. Boutique hotels in India typically are more culturally authentic than big brand hotels, and often use Indian design elements and local art in their decor.
Which part of Delhi is best to stay in?
South or Central Delhi are the best areas of the city to stay in. These areas are greener, safer and generally more affluent. Most of Delhi’s attractions and sites are in these two sections of the city, and they are well connected by Delhi metro.
What is the difference between a boutique hotel and a regular hotel?
Boutique hotels are smaller and more intimate than regular hotels. They offer guests more personalized service and are usually more culturally authentic than regular hotels. Because they are smaller, boutique hotels are often located in quieter, residential neighbourhoods.
The Wrap-up on the Nicest and Best Located Boutique Hotels in Delhi 2024
I always enjoy the more personal service I receive from a smaller property, and the chance to meet other travellers, which is harder to do in a big hotel. So the next time you’re in Delhi, try one of these boutique hotels and see if you don’t agree!
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Don’t forget travel insurance! It’s always a good idea to carry travel insurance just in case something goes wrong. I really like and use SafetyWing
