Delhi · Hotel
Villa 33
A small bed-and-breakfast base in Delhi, Deluxe and Superior rooms with breakfast included.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
Ask on WhatsAppIndia · 7 hand-picked stays
Boutique hotels
in Delhi
Delhi is really three cities, and picking the wrong one costs an hour in traffic each way. Our seven stays here divide clearly between the old city and the southern colonies.
Old Delhi means Shahjahanabad: Chandni Chowk, the Jama Masjid, the food. Haveli Dharampura is a Mughal-era house brought back from dereliction over six years, work that won UNESCO's Asia-Pacific award. Waking up inside the walled city is an experience the rest of Delhi cannot offer. It is also loud, congested, and a long way from the airport.
The south Delhi colonies are where most people should stay. They are green, residential and near the Metro, and this is where the small guest houses are. Colonel's Retreat has been running in tree-lined Defence Colony since 2008. Mizpah is a four-room Anglo-Indian bed and breakfast in Safdarjung Enclave. Haveli Hauz Khas is a retired couple's heritage mansion with five themed rooms and home cooking, walking distance from the Deer Park and the tombs.
Friends Colony and the larger houses: The Manor was Delhi's original boutique hotel, built in the 1950s in nearly an acre of garden. It is the closest thing here to a proper hotel with grounds.
Practically: Indira Gandhi International is 15 to 16 km from south Delhi and around 25 km from the old city, and the Airport Express reaches New Delhi station in twenty minutes. Agra is two hours by Gatimaan Express, Jaipur four to five by road. Most India trips start or end here, so one or two nights is usually the right amount rather than a week.
Planning the rest of the trip? Read our Delhi travel guide.
Delhi · Boutique bed & breakfast
Mizpah Delhi
A four-room bed and breakfast in a house in Safdarjung Enclave, styled, its owner Caroline says, on her grandmother's Anglo-Indian home in Calcutta. The rooms, Iris, Rose, Jasmine and Lily, take their names from the flower-named daughters and aunts of Anglo-Indian families; each is different, with its own bathroom and a balcony or terrace. The kitchen cooks home-style Anglo-Indian, Bengali and Delhi dishes, and the house is fully staffed through the day.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
Ask on WhatsApp
Delhi · Boutique bed & breakfast
Colonel's Retreat
Two bed-and-breakfast houses in Defence Colony, an upmarket, tree-lined corner of South Delhi; the doors first opened in 2008. Rooms are Standard Rooms, each with an air purifier, opening onto shared lounges hung with original art. The kitchen makes its own jams, marmalade and multigrain bread, the banana bread is the house speciality guests ask for most, and in good weather breakfast and dinner move up to the rooftop.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
Ask on WhatsApp
Delhi · Boutique bed & breakfast
Haveli Hauz Khas
Haveli Hauz Khas is a five-room bed and breakfast in a heritage mansion in Hauz Khas Enclave, South Delhi, run by hosts Neelu and Teji, heritage enthusiasts who have written books on Indian history, architecture and travel. Each air-conditioned room follows an Indian heritage theme, Ajanta, Banni, Hampi, Kama and Neem, and breakfast is fresh and home-cooked.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
Ask on WhatsApp
New Delhi · Heritage haveli
Haveli Dharampura
A haveli built in 1887 in the lanes off Chandni Chowk, restored as a 14 room heritage hotel around a traditional inner courtyard and awarded UNESCO's Asia-Pacific prize for heritage conservation. Rooftop evenings come with kite flying and high tea over Old Delhi.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
Ask on WhatsApp
New Delhi · Boutique hotel
The Manor
A 1950s house in Friends Colony rebuilt as a nineteen room boutique hotel after a year long renovation, with a fine dining restaurant, a European cafe and a French patisserie.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
Ask on WhatsApp
New Delhi · Family-run heritage guesthouse
Lutyens Bungalow
Prithviraj Road is the old residential heart of New Delhi: wide, tree-lined, quiet, with Lodi Gardens and Safdarjung's Tomb a stroll away and Khan Market, India Gate and Humayun's Tomb a few minutes by car. The family-run Lutyens Bungalow has stood here since 1937, with sprawling mature gardens, a swimming pool, and rooms that each have their own entrance, a private bathroom, wifi and a tea and coffee tray. Food comes from the family kitchen, with seasonal vegetables from the garden.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
Ask on WhatsAppCommon questions
- Where should I stay in Delhi as a first-time visitor?
- South Delhi: Defence Colony, Hauz Khas, Safdarjung Enclave or Friends Colony. They are quiet residential areas with the small heritage guest houses, close to the Metro and around thirty to forty minutes from the airport. Old Delhi is the more interesting place to wake up but a harder base for everything else.
- How many nights do I need in Delhi?
- Two. That covers Old Delhi and the Jama Masjid on one day, and Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar and Lodhi Gardens on another. A third night is worth it if you want the National Museum or a day trip, but most itineraries are better off giving that night to Agra or Jaipur.
- Is Delhi a good base for Agra and Jaipur?
- For Agra, yes: the Gatimaan Express takes about two hours each way, so the Taj Mahal is a genuine day trip. Jaipur is four to five hours by road and deserves its own nights rather than a day return. The three together are the standard first circuit of north India.
Plan a trip · trusted local expert
The whole Delhi trip,
planned for you
Not just the room: drivers, trains, guides, the lot. Tell us the shape of the trip and Indiaesque builds it to your budget with our own people on the ground. No call centres, no mark-up mystery.
- · A real itinerary from someone who lives there
- · One WhatsApp conversation, from first idea to final itinerary
- · Built and booked with Indiaesque — one clear price, taxes in
Deal alerts · free on WhatsApp
Never overpay
for ordinary
You're in. 🎉 New finds land on your WhatsApp before they land here, and a real person is one message away.
One tap on WhatsApp and you're on the list. Every new find reaches you before it reaches the site. Never spam, leave anytime.
Message us on WhatsAppOpens WhatsApp — send the ready-made message, tap Join in our reply, done.
or we can message you
Check WhatsApp 📱
You're on the list the moment you're done. Done it? Continue →
Nothing arrived? Send us a quick “hi” instead — that works every time. Message us on WhatsApp →
Free forever. We'll confirm on WhatsApp and send our best finds there — leave anytime.
Know first
Get deal alerts free
One tap on WhatsApp. No password, no card, leave anytime. Every new find and every deal lands with you first.
Message us on WhatsAppOpens WhatsApp — send the ready-made message, tap Join in our reply, done.
or we can message you
Check WhatsApp 📱
You're on the list the moment you're done. Done it? Continue →
Nothing arrived? Send us a quick “hi” instead — that works every time. Message us on WhatsApp →
Your booking is handled personally by the Indiaesque team, start to finish — no call centre, no middlemen.