India's Best Boutique Hotels: 11 Handpicked Gems

This video takes you inside 11 incredible boutique hotels and resorts I’ve personally tested across India, and is the culmination of my Best Hotels & Resorts in India series. From luxurious Aman resorts to hidden gems like Cabo Serai and Villa Palladio, each property offers something unforgettable-great design, amazing service, and that “wow” factor that turns a good trip into an epic one.
This isn’t just another generic list. I stayed at 13 hotels, toured 20, and narrowed it down to these 11 after experiencing them firsthand. Whether you’re looking for a jungle escape near Ranthambore or a serene hideaway in Udaipur, these hotels have been handpicked for design lovers, adventurers, and anyone who values an authentic experience.
Looking for the perfect match for your India adventure? I break down what makes each property special and how to decide which one’s right for you. Check out my full reviews for more in-depth tours below:
#11 THE RAFFLES - UDAIPUR: • As Good as the Origina...
#10 THE OBEROI VANYAVILAS WILDLIFE RESORT - RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK: • Ultimate Luxury Glampi...
#9 THE ALILA DIWA - GOA: • Inside The Alila Diwa,...
#8 THE JOHRI - JAIPUR: • India's Most Affordabl...
#7 THE SIX SENSES - FORT BAWARA: • Inside Six Senses Fort...
#6 VILLA PALLADIO - JAIPUR: • Inside India's Crazies...
#5 CABO SERAI - GOA: • Cabo Serai: India's Be...
#4 THE AMAN-I-KHAS - RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK: • Aman-I-Khas My Most Su...
#3 28 KOTHI - JAIPUR: • India's Most Affordabl...
#2 AMANBAGH - RAJASTHANI DESERT: • Experiencing India's B...
#1 THE RAAS DEVIGARH - UDAIPUR: • RAAS Devigarh: Why It'...
BOOK YOUR STAY BY USING OUR BOOKING LINKS AND SEE BELOW WHY YOU CAN TRUST US:
THE RAFFLES - UDAIPUR Booking Link - www.booking.co...
THE OBEROI VANYAVILAS WILDLIFE RESORT - RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK Booking Link - www.booking.co...
THE ALILA DIWA - GOA Booking Link - www.booking.co...
THE JOHRI - JAIPUR Booking Link - swankguide.com...
THE SIX SENSES - FORT BAWARA Booking Link - www.booking.co...
VILLA PALLADIO - JAIPUR Booking Link - swankguide.com...
CABO SERAI - GOA Booking Link - www.booking.co...
THE AMAN-I-KHAS - RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK Booking Link - swankguide.com...
28 KOTHI - JAIPUR Booking Link - swankguide.com...
AMANBAGH - RAJASTHANI DESERT Booking Link - www.booking.co...
THE RAAS DEVIGARH - UDAIPUR Booking Link - www.booking.co...
Why should you trust us?
The Swank Guide is supported by you. Our recommendations are 100% unbiased; we choose what we think is best. We’ve partnered with Booking.com because that ensures we can get you the lowest price. In most cases, you also have ample time to cancel.
Our goal is to save you time by finding the best hotels and experiences for you, and eliminate the stress of paying for something before you understand if it’s right for you. We work with total editorial independence. That means nothing appears in our videos as a recommendation unless we’ve tried it and loved it. These are the hotels and activities we choose for ourselves and recommend to our family and friends.
We curate unusual, independent, and sustainable boutique hotel experiences. We’re a small team of 3.5 people - for now. Our founder Don is an American who’s lived about half his life overseas and has traveled to over 60 countries - always looking for that perfect hotel, and often being disappointed. Before starting Swank, Don worked as an entrepreneur in the clean energy space, and then sustainable housing - one of the reasons sustainability is in our DNA.
✔ W E B S I T E
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#SwankGuide #indiatravel #indiatravelguide

[@SwankGuide]

If this was helpful to you, please help us out by using our booking links below. Best price guaranteed. Swank you! THE RAFFLES - UDAIPUR Booking Link - www.booking.com/hotel/in/raffles-udaipur.en.html?aid=7978712&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CA&label=KZbin THE OBEROI VANYAVILAS WILDLIFE RESORT - RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK Booking Link - www.booking.com/hotel/in/the-oberoi-vanyavilas-ranthambhore.en.html?aid=7978712&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&label=KZbin THE ALILA DIWA - GOA Booking Link - www.booking.com/hotel/in/alila-diwa-goa.en.html?aid=7978712&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CA&label=KZbin THE JOHRI - JAIPUR Booking Link - swankguide.com/28-kothi-and-the-johri-india/ THE SIX SENSES - FORT BAWARA Booking Link - www.booking.com/hotel/in/six-senses-fort-barwara.en.html?aid=7978712&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CA&label=KZbin VILLA PALLADIO - JAIPUR Booking Link - swankguide.com/villa-palladio-jaipur-india/ CABO SERAI - GOA Booking Link - www.booking.com/hotel/in/cabo-serai.en.html?aid=7978712&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CA&label=KZbin THE AMAN-I-KHAS - RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK Booking Link - swankguide.com/aman-i-khas-resort-india/ 28 KOTHI - JAIPUR Booking Link - swankguide.com/28-kothi-and-the-johri-india/ AMANBAGH - RAJASTHANI DESERT Booking Link - www.booking.com/hotel/in/namanbagh-alwar.en.html?aid=7978712&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CA&label=KZbin THE RAAS DEVIGARH - UDAIPUR Booking Link - www.booking.com/hotel/in/raas-devigarh.en.html?aid=7978712&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CA&label=KZbin

[@mymobiledevicerightnow7978]

The Amanbaug link seems to be for a completely different hotel in a very different category 😮

[@jayshreeKrishna984]

I'm also here in this hotel

[@booksquotes948]

Excellent 😊

[@SwankGuide]

Glad you liked it!

[@trendingwwwandw]

Greatly enjoyed reviewing your India's best boutique hotels video presentation. Thank you for taking us to so many amazing destinations. Happy holidays.

[@SwankGuide]

Glad you liked it! Thanks!

[@Geoffreyboucher]

Cheers Don,,,,happy new year to you and peace and happiness 😊😊😊😊😊😊❤

[@SwankGuide]

Thank you.... back at ya!

[@Dr_Nighthawk]

I absolutely love your content, Don! I hope you visit India again. This time, do consider staying at the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, the Taj Rambagh Palace, and the Tree of Life Resort in Jaipur. I promise, you won’t be disappointed!

[@SwankGuide]

Thanks for the kind words and the recs... I'd love to come back!

[@arpanpeter9326]

I really hope you get to check out the resorts in the south of India, especially the ones in Kerala. I would suggest The Postcard hotels is worth checking out. Thank you for this list nonetheless and hope to see you in India soon.

[@SwankGuide]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@gauravrawat8959]

These are just rajasthan and goa hotels...not even 10% of India..I think you should make series on each region of India - north, south, central like that..e.g..just make a series of best hotels in uttranchal like ananda, vaana, taj rishikesh etc.

[@SwankGuide]

I did tons of research... visited many that I decided were not special enough... but it's true I ddint go everywhere... I'm looking for a critical mass of cool places in an area. It's hard to justfy flying 3-4 hours and then daribing another 4-5 hours to visit 1 hotel. I say very explicitly in the video that India is a big place and I couldn't get everywhere... I'm trying to cover the whole world. There was one I believe I mentioned in the video in the Himalayas i wanted to visit and one in the Andamans.... as well as 2 RAAS hotels... guess I'll just have to come back.

[@gauravrawat8959]

@@SwankGuide Yes your reviews are right on the spot..i must admit but surely you must come back and review these amazing properties also.

[@AlfaazeMaahtaab]

He is talking about boutique hotels bro. Only boutique hotels.

[@AlfaazeMaahtaab]

To everyone who isn't getting it in the comments, this is a list of boutique hotels only.

[@SwankGuide]

Thanks for commenting... the title includes Boutique Hotels... so hope folks get what this is about

[@deborshibanerjee9626]

You have only shown hotels from 2 states goa and rajasthan there are hotels which can be put into your list from kerala, karnataka,andamans etc. India is a big country you should try to visit other states as well i am sure you would like those places as well.

[@SwankGuide]

Thanks for the suggestions... I'm going to have to try to get to those places soon. I'm trying to hit the most popular spots first.

[@kitsva]

All RAAS hotels in India are outstanding. RAAS Chhatrasagar is a gem!

[@SwankGuide]

I wish I had more time... I really wanted to try out the other 2 RAAS... they look fantastic. thanks for the feedback

[@sudheerek]

Seems mainly like a click bait! There's a whole world of luxury in south of India such as Leela Kovalam, Taj Wayanad and so many more. You should title this video as North West India, as this is hardly covering anything outside of Rajasthan and Goa, two small states in a big country.

[@SwankGuide]

In my opinion Taj hotels suck. I'm not trying to appeal to everyone... just folks who care about good design and authentic experiences. A chain like the Taj may have decent hotels here and there but it's a cookie cutter, generic experience... which some people love and that's great... just not my vibe and not the audience I'm trying to serve.

[@1968harsh]

​Hi the thing is your reviews are good but again going to few hotels in Goa and Rajasthan does not represent India. You visited 13 hotels and made a list of 11. I totally believe you researched a lot and the fact your cheapest hotel category has room starting at $250​your target audience is completely different. Also most hotel here are chain hotels be it six senses or aman, it's kinda obvious they will be half good especially if they align with what you want. Not a critique just that you cannot visit two area and make a list of best hotel in India. The same way you cannot visit London and Tenerife and make list of best hotel in Europe. @@SwankGuide I agree Taj hotels do get overrated. I had not great experience at Taj Lands End. Even other than Taj there are amazing ITC properties in India. But get your point too that you need to create certain number of videos. Still mentioning in video it only pertains to Goa and Rajasthan would be better. It gives people outside india wrong idea of what to expect.

[@priyamagarwal]

Goa Jaipur Goa again Oh, Udaipur South Goa for uniqueness Maybe throw in some Ranthambore

[@SwankGuide]

ok

[@Vtravel2]

Dude u have not seen india only ,how can u pick best and top. There are 50 better than this I know

[@SwankGuide]

Dude.. pls send list of 50 better ones.. have you tried them all? I did tons of research... visited many that I decided were not specail enough... but I say very explicitly in the video that India is a big place and I couldn't get everywhere... I'm trying to cover the whole world. I dont pretend this is anything but my own taste and opinions... what you might thing is good I probably wont agree with and vive versa... My tatses will vibe w people who care about the same things I do... that certainly is a minority of people.

[@Vtravel2]

@SwankGuide i understand you tried best to get some good hotels but can't name them india best i am giving you few good bunch of really nice hotels please Google or see videos and review they are the real top and most of them I have been to 1. Taj palace mumbai 2. Itc grand maratha mumbai 3. Taj Falaknuma palace 4 oberoi udaipur 5 taj Lake palace Udaipur 6 kumarkoram resort 7 evolve humpi 8 ayatana resort coorg 9 Lalit Golf Resort Goa 10 taj fort aguda goa 11 oberoi Shimla And many more I can give you 50 name for sure,first your research about these and then let me know There are tons of boutique hotels and resorts which are superb. India in much beyond Rajasthan,goa and arga and host great hotels and resorts

[@2207joni]

Its aman-ay-khas, (rhymes with bay) not aman-eye-khas

[@GaiaTheia-j5r]

Does he come across to you like the open to feedback type...

[@SwankGuide]

hmmmm... I thought I was pronouncing exactly as the hotels General manager told me... could be wrong

[@GaiaTheia-j5r]

@@SwankGuide कितना फेंक रहा है। होटल वाला अमन ई खास बोलेगा क्या, फेंकऊ

[@DrGirth]

Bro gets free stays to sell these hotel rooms....

[@SwankGuide]

Bro don't know what he's talking about... despite the fact he's a real doctor???? 100% wrong - bro - I pay for my stays

[@GaiaTheia-j5r]

​@@SwankGuideWell he did drop two out of the thirteen he scammed