Some travelers to India love to see how little they can spend on hotels. You can indeed get quite a rush from spending less on an Indian hotel than you might spend at a fast-food restaurant in the U.S. Others want only the best, and opt to stay in luxury 5-star hotels, or perhaps even in an Indian palace that has been made into a hotel. For the rest of us, the best option seems to be mid-range hotels, that are certainly reasonably priced by American standards, and comfortable enough for the average tourist. If you fit into the category of those who prefer moderately priced hotels, here are three of my recommended options in New Delhi, India.
A Recommended Mid-Range Hotel in Paharganj Area of New Delhi, India
Paharganj is located in a busy bazaar area in New Delhi. Because of that, it is a good place to stay if you like to shop. It’s convenient because you can step right outside of your hotel and start shopping, and when your shopping bags start to get full, you can easily bring your finds back to your hotel room before heading out for more. It’s also located close to the New Delhi train station, so if you’re traveling by train to or from New Delhi, Paharganj is a convenient place to stay.
Metropolis Tourist Home
1634 Main Bazaar, Paharganj
New Delhi, India
Telephone: 23561794
www.metropolistravels.com
I have stayed in the Metropolis Tourist Home on a couple of my stays in New Delhi. The fact that I stayed there more than once indicates that it is an okay place to stay. A plus is that it has a good restaurant, which is not only convenient, but nice from a safety standpoint if you don’t want to wander the streets of New Delhi after dark.
One negative thing about this particular location is that it has windows up near the ceiling of the bathroom, and when opened, it sounds like the people in the room next door are right inside of your room. My traveling companion and I awoke with a start one night because we thought someone was in our room due to the sound of someone coughing, as well as the smell of cigar smoke, both of which came from the room next door. Closing the window in the bathroom seems to remedy that problem.
The Metropolis Tourist Home will set you back roughly Rs. 1200 per night.
A Recommended Mid-Range Hotel in the Connaught Place Area of New Delhi
Connaught Place is one of the nicer areas in New Delhi. Because of that, it is a generally pleasant and safe place to stay. It feels a bit more modern than a lot of parts of Delhi, and is home to many American chain restaurants, which is great if you’re hankering for a taste of home.
YMCA Tourist Hostel
Jai Singh Road
New Delhi, India
Telephone: 23361915
Email: [email protected]
There’s nothing fancy about this place, but it is clean and comfortable and in a great location. It also has a decent swimming pool, which is rare in mid-range hotels in India. Swimming costs around Rs. 200 per person and the nightly tariff for the hotel is approximately Rs. 3500 which includes breakfast and dinner.
A Recommended Mid-Range Hotel on Chanakyapuri and Ashoka Road in New Delhi, India
Though not as conveniently located as the two hotels mentioned above, this area is relatively quiet, and the streets are lined with trees. It takes about 20 minutes to get to Connaught Place by rickshaw from this area.
YWCA Blue Triangle Family Hostel
Ashoka Road
New Delhi, India
Telephone: 23360133
www.ywcaofdelhi.org
Though nothing fancy, I feel very safe when staying at the YWCA Blue Triangle in New Delhi, India. It is clean and comfortable, and the nightly tariff of approximately Rs. 2000 includes a simple but filling breakfast, where both hot tea and coffee are served. Each time I’ve stayed here, at the complimentary breakfast I had to dodge ants in the sugar bowl before spooning sugar into my coffee. While a bit disconcerting, such an experience is not unusual in India.