Arambol (Harmal)
The sea-facing timber cottages here are among the best on the cliffs, with attached bathrooms, fans and verandahs.
Must-see hotels in India
Ladakh
This simple parachute restaurant has two bedded tents with en suite toilets but a charmless roadside location.
The Western Ghats
Scruffy rooms straight out of a cheap hotel, but in a peaceful setting virtually right beside the Moyar River.
Karnataka
This long-running place has simple, functional rooms, a central location and a popular garden bar-restaurant.
Mangaluru (Mangalore)
Right in the thick of things, this old-school cheapie has very low rates and fairly well-maintained rooms.
Odisha
This is a reasonably comfortable hotel on the main Paradeep Rd, 5km before Lalitgiri. Reserve in advance.
Himachal Pradesh
Above Malhotra Jewellers, right on the central square, is this consistently popular budget choice.
Linh Son Vietnam Chinese Temple
Uttar Pradesh
Simple, clean triples with modern private bathroom and hot water. Not very cosy but great value.
Meghalaya
The Sundare has old fashioned but decently maintained rooms in a conveniently central location.
Punjab (India)
The Pathankot bus station has a guesthouse featuring very basic rooms and a common shower room.
Punjab (India)
One of two smarter hotels in Faridkot, Hotel Trump Plaza has a good restaurant and a bar.
Uttarakhand
Far and away the best place to lay your head in Sankri, with clean rooms and hot water.
Drikung Kagyu Gompa Guesthouse
Himachal Pradesh
Monastery guesthouse with simple rooms and a shared terrace with peaceful lake views.
Tamil Nadu
Don't expect much, but rooms are clean enough and surprisingly decent for the price.
Karnataka
Around 500m from Murudeshwar beach, with basic but clean and spacious rooms.
Uttarakhand
On the Ramnagar River, accessed from Dhangarhi Gate; meals are available.
Chennai (Madras)
In business since 1951, Broad Lands was a hippie-era stalwart. This rundown colonial-era mansion, with leafy courtyards and rooms up rambling staircases,…
Tiruvannamalai
A place for individual or organised retreats rather than a permanent community, Sri Anantha Niketan has tree-shaded grounds, Arunachala views and basic…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Run by the same people as the excellent Sea Shore Hotel, it's not as attractive but its box rooms (some with partial sea views) are cheap as chapatis and…
Chandigarh
Located beside the train reservation office, on the 1st floor of ISBT 17 bus station, this rundown place is handy for late-night or early morning buses –…
Maharashtra
Large, plain and well-worn rooms that won’t win any awards for imagination or cleanliness but are among the cheaper options in this pricey city. It’s one…
Himachal Pradesh
Occupying three upstairs floors on the right of the street leading up to the Chaurasi temples, Mahadev has rooms ranging from dingy and windowless to…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
The main strengths of this family-oriented place are the hallway seating areas and the striking use of wooden door surrounds to create M-shape designs…
New Delhi
With a handy central location and reasonably comfortable rooms, the Corus is a convenient but fusty choice. Ask to see a few of the rooms, as the lower…
Mumbai (Bombay)
A crumbling, colonial-era building on prime Colaba real estate, where owner Raj tows a line between welcoming and wishy washy. Rooms are spartanly…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
This colourful little 10-room guesthouse has naive murals and laminates in the foyer, and stencil designs in the comparatively cute rooms that are far…
Uttarakhand
At the southern end of the Mall, just past the tourist office, the Savoy is in a quiet location. Some cheaper downstairs rooms are simple, musty affairs,…
Tamil Nadu
Attached to an outdoor meeting hall, this bizarre but friendly place has two clean, modern-ish, neon-blue-lit rooms (with kettles, hot water and air…
Gujarat & Diu
This pilgrim rest house, with very basic rooms, will let foreign couples (and only couples – no single travellers of either sex) stay if it's not too busy…
Meghalaya
The pleasantly quiet Tourist Lodge commands outstanding views but has amateurish service. Baghmara is a small town on the Someshwari River, close to the…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Turn right out of the bus stand and walk 100m to find this place with small, bare-bones, tolerably clean rooms. It has a dimly lit bar-restaurant where…
Panaji
With a nice location opposite Ourem Creek, Sona is a sound but pretty boring choice in a good area, and probably a fraction overpriced. Not all of the 30…
Manali
The three floors of slightly worn rooms share broad terraces with plastic-chair seats that soak up the sunshine, making it possible to forgive the…
West Bengal
The Relax is the best budget option in Madarihat, with eight simple yet well-kept doubles that lack air-conditioning but come with hot-water bathrooms…
Uttar Pradesh
This institutional-feeling place has basic, scruffy and stained rooms, but the bathrooms have sit-down toilets and hot water – it's doable. Look at a few…
Dharamsala
With all the charm of a 1970s school, this HPTDC hotel's main attraction is its central yet quiet location and the sunset views from its broad if…
Punjab (India)
Above the road linking Kesgarh Sahib to the fort, Hotel Paramount Residency has overly spartan rooms that are far from clean and really isn't worth the…
Rishikesh
Clean, friendly and cheap – this family-run place hits the trifecta. Rooms are simple and pleasant, and each has use of its own little kitchen (gas is…
