Trip Design

India has one of the most characterful hotel scenes anywhere: converted forts and palaces, heritage havelis, intimate boutique stays, luxury safari lodges and polished city hotels. We tend to favour places with real character and a sense of place, often family owned or family run.

Our choices come from years of visits, feedback from our clients and the knowledge of our partners on the ground, balanced against your tastes and your budget. Crucially, we recommend hotels and areas based purely on you and on what we know to be genuinely good, never on commercial agreements or profit, which can quietly shape the choices of some larger operators. Hotels make a huge difference to a trip, so we choose them carefully and honestly, with only your trip in mind, and we will always tell you where we think your money is best spent.

India does heritage and boutique beautifully. A few we are very fond of include Shahpura Bagh, Dev Shree, Niravi, Kot Dunara near Dhundhara, RAAS Chhatrasagar at Nimaaj, Ramathra Fort and Haveli Dharampura in Old Delhi. We are drawn to places with soul and character that still keep pace with the times, and there are many more across each region that we will match to your route. You can browse a selection in our guide to the top hotels in Rajasthan.

India is home to some of the finest hotels in the world, from grand palace hotels and design-led retreats to exceptional safari lodges. We work across the leading luxury names, among them Amanbagh, the Oberoi hotels, Sujan and the Taj palaces, alongside a host of smaller owner-run gems. Whatever the style, we look for properties with soul and character that are also keeping with the times.

Absolutely, and they are some of our favourite trips to plan. Whether your passion is textiles and block printing, food and cooking, photography, architecture and history, wildlife and birding, rail journeys, or a more spiritual trip through yoga and the sacred sites, we can build the whole journey around it, with specialist guides and hosts who share your interest. Tell us what moves you and we will shape everything around it.

This is where a Red Dot trip really comes alive. Alongside the headline sights, we build in small, memorable experiences led by local guides and hosts: a sunrise or sunset visit to the Taj Mahal, Jaipur's morning flower market, block printing at the Anokhi Museum, a kite flying and cooking evening at a family haveli, a street food walk through Varanasi, a cycling tour through the Udaipur countryside, or a dawn jeep safari in Satpura. There are dozens to choose from across every region, and you can browse a selection on our India experiences page. We will weave the ones that suit you into your itinerary.