Best Hotels in central-South Delhi

                                                          The Ashok Hotel:

The main highlight of The Ashok Hotel is that- at 110 suites it has one of the highest number of suites in Delhi.

Interestingly it is also one of the few hotels run and maintained by the government in good stead. This hotel has hosted some of the most important foreign dignitaries visiting the country on official purposes.

Massive glass chandeliers welcomes you to the lobby. Gold palliate above the chandelier reflects gold in the Lobby.

The Lobby

Deluxe Suite which are 2nd category rooms built in Indian contemporary style is a mix of old Indian charms with sprite of new Indian style. Furnitures and other decorative items used in the room may date back some years. The living room has a separate table made of hard red wood. It could ideally be mistaken for  the popular Dicken's desk. Executive rooms are more contemporary and are 3rd category suites.

The Ashok Deluxe Suite, Sitting Room

Corridors are of different theme on different floors. On one of the most impressive corridors is brightly lit and classically decorated with small plants and oval gold gilded mirrors and lamps.

A heavily decorated corridor at the Hotel

The Samavar Coffee shop not only serves coffee but lunch and dinner as well. It has 110 covers and 4 serving booths. The decor is done in Indian sensualities and Aesthetics. Some sits by the window look out to the swimming pool. Frontier restaurant is more western in decor. It is more dimly lit and and use restricted colors of black, blue and white. It serves North-West cuisines, even from Afghanistan and Pakistan and covers around 72 food items. Frontier has a mini bar by the side of the restaurant. Kumgang, a Korean Restaurant is one of the most popular restaurant in the hotel. It has won Best Korean restaurant for consecutive 7 years. Oudh is a typical Indian restaurant. It's decor will surprise you, event though you might have heard about it. Old portrait paintings of men and women which looks like Maharajas and Maharanis, greet you at the entrance. Then, you'll walk into a room glowing with tungsten light amidst the low drone of harmonica and tabla and someone humming a classical song. These people are performers, and they  are integral to the scheme of making the ambiance very Indian. kebabs and salads are served in a traditional gold gilded pots. At the table laid with white tablecloth you'll find many tiny triangular shaped rolls. These are nothing but Pan to chew after a heartfelt meal.

The Ashok has a huge Friendship lounge for hosting parties and events like Birthdays.
The Ground floor at The Ashok Hotel is rented out to many private entrepreneurs to set up different stores and restaurants. It meant to keep you inside the hotel by giving you everything you want at that small confine.

The Samavar coffee shop

The Frontier

The Gumgang korean restaurant

The Oudh, Indian restaurant

A Mini Bar at Frontier

                                                                   The Taj palace:

If you happen to walk into Taj Palace Hotel, chances are that the first thing you'll hear about the hotel from any staff is the stupendous view. Taj Palace Hotel boast a view quite enviable in a mega city like Delhi. The entire face of the 'V' shaped hotel faced the greenery of the largest ridge in Delhi. You wouldn't see a building in sight. What you'll see is endless sea of greenery and  fluffs of clouds and blue sky. It stirs your imagination and make you feel you are far away from civilization, even though you're just few minutes drive from CP.

The Taj Palace hotel has reinvented then and now to stay on top. Though it was set up in 1978, it has some of the most contemporary rooms and decor statement. The Lobby is quite spacious and has distinct style sensibilities of it's own.

There are altogether 407 rooms. Deluxe or base rooms and Luxury rooms are of the same size but the decor and room arrangements are different. You'll see that luxury rooms appear more spacious. Deluxe  rooms are brightly lit. the colors used in the room are colorful. It has a feel good ambiance about it. The window looks out to the swimming pool below and the greenery of the ridge. You can also see the small putting lawn by the pool specially designed for golf lovers. Luxury rooms are on the 4th and 5th floors. They are not as bright as the Deluxe rooms. They do have the same view, only better from higher ground.

The swimming and the green Putting lawn

The Club Room

A Deluxe Room

The Taj Palace Club rooms are the 3rd highest category rooms. The decor is quite contemporary and at the same time grand. Apart from the 'His' and 'her' bathroom toiletries, the room also has a closet. The theme in decor spills over to the living room.

The corridors are one remarkable beauty here. Each floor has different style statement and are lit differently. I'm always found admiring the colorful corridor, done with much precision. There are also the Executive suites and the presidential suites. There are altogether 41 suite rooms in the hotel.

The beautiful corridor

The Kafe Fontana is a 24 hours Mediterranean restaurant that serves food from regions such as Greece, Turkey, Spain, Lebanon, France, Italy etc. It is one of the most colorfully lit restaurant. Combined with live cooking and beautiful outdoor view of the pool and lush lawn, this restaurant is a lively place to be.

The Colorful Kafe Fontana restaurant

                                                            Claridges, Delhi:

Exterior View of Claridges, Delhi

There's nothing fancy about Claridges, Delhi from the outside. It's a humble, white, three storied building located very close to Race Course metro station. But once you step in you will get the feeling of being at  home with the comfort of a five star service.

 The signature white umbrellas and tables greet you outside the small lawn in front of the facade. The Lobby is not too large but it is extensively arranged even to accommodate some stores which are rented out to private businessmen.

Apart from ornament shop, book shop and garment shop, Claridges in collaboration with Yagini gallery also exhibits paintings on the small corridor between Pickwicks and Dhaba restaurants.

Pickwicks is a nice clean place on the ground floor. It is a multi cuisine restaurant that serves 24 hours and has 54 covers. Dhaba is a typical Indian restaurant. It is created to resemble the North Indian roadside dhaba. If you have driven across the plains of Haryana or Punjab, then you know exactly what Dhaba is. The wall is daubed with mud color and on it are paintings of peacock, trucks and no-honking sign. There is also a miniature of colorful truck that plies on the highway, in one corner. It is like creating a small India in the Heart of New york.

Jade is a Chinese restaurant, devoted to giving maximum privacy to the customers. It is small yet each table is separated by a wall. The room somehow has a healing touch. Glass panes connects the restaurant to the outside world. In spite of its bare minimum opening it is being creatively and sparsely utilized to infuse freshness. Aura is a Bar located on the ground floor. It start serving at 4 pm and goes till 1 pm.

Claridges has all together 137. It has 3 category of suites.

A swimming pool sits in the center of the square shaped hotel as if it's the center of all attraction. Fitness rooms and spas along with business center burrows in the basement.