The Imperial New Delhi

If India seems overwhelming, book yourself in a hotel that feels like a literal palace: The Imperial. Here, even starter guest rooms have sky high ceilings and are stocked with Posturepedic mattresses topped with Porthault French linens, marble bathrooms adorned in Italian fixtures, and even toiletries from 1926 Francophile favorite, Fragonard. Among the gratis amenities that will have you feeling like a Maharaja: fresh fruit platters, shoe shines, and bottomless tea and coffee to get you fired up for days of exploration. Females traveling alone often feel extra comfortable booking rooms in the Single Lady Corridor, which sounds like a Beyonce song but is, in fact, a brilliant move on the hoteliers part: these rooms have all the same thrills, plus complimentary flower arrangements, women’s magazines, manicure sets, pink silk robes and 24/7 assistance from female staffers. So yes, in short: they’ve thought of everything.

A 1931 legend that’s touted as among the most luxe stays in India, with 200 tailored rooms, 8 acres of leafy gardens and a holistic spa.

Boring. You’ll find exquisite art placed throughout, so no room is less inspiring than the last.

Nine restaurants within the grounds ensure you never have to venture out, unless you feel like it. Stop in at the 1911 bar to sip any of 500 tipples under a stained glass roof that smacks of history.

If there is a more restorative spa experience in India, you can’t imagine what it is. Here, everything from your yoga goals to nutrition are top of mind for staffers; ayurvedic offerings include 100% organic bath and massage oils. As you steep in your piping hot bath, the water dotted with rose petals, you begin to feel like someone fabulous: yourself again.

- The Spice Route - It has been designed to reflect the journey of spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam, put together in the world famous menu crafted by the President’s Awardee Thai national Chef Veena Aroa - 1911 Restaurant - Spread into three luxurious dining areas- ‘1911 Brasserie’; a lavish ‘Verandah’ with blue pillars which were witness to the meetings by the eminent leaders during the independence era and ‘Terrace’, 1911 restaurant reflects the bygone era ecstatically through its plush furnishings, period art and historic ambience - SAN GIMIGNANO – Italian Restaurant with Alfresco - DANIELL’S TAVERN – Pan Indian Restaurant - THE ATRIUM – Tea Lounge - The Royal Bar