Chennai (Madras)
Sketchy-looking hallways open into spacious rooms that are basic and have scuffed walls, but are clean and totally doable if you're counting your rupees…
Must-see hotels in India
North Goa
Rooms are in the bland-but-functional mould you’d expect from GTDC accommodation, but the borderline budget-midrange price tag is reasonable value for the…
Kalimpong
A middle-of-town inn featuring 12 bright pine-panelled rooms, fresh linen and clean bathrooms with hot water. There's some decent Chinese food available…
Ladakh
Above a very tatty roadside restaurant is an even scruffier guesthouse with humid, boxy rooms. However, it's the cheapest option around if you get stuck…
Bageshwar
Hotel Annapurna is conveniently located next to the bus stand, however it's a dive and only recommendable if you're really stuck. The drunks loitering…
Rishikesh
A good budget choice in Swarg Ashram, here you'll find some of the best-value rooms in the neighbourhood. There's a rooftop terrace, shared kitchen and…
Rishikesh
Above Café Coffee Day, the Surya is in a good location by the bridge at Lakshman Jhula. Despite being let down by disinterested staff, it's good value if…
Arunachal Pradesh
Hotel Nefa has dingy wood-panelled rooms, clean sheets, hot showers and welcoming but disorganised service. It fills up with domestic tourists, especially…
Tamil Nadu
Open to single travellers, the lemon-walled rooms here are tolerably clean and not bad value. No shower: water is by the bucket (₹40). It's on the…
Northeast States
The cheaper rooms here are fairly dreary and spartan, with the odd cockroach. The 3rd-floor executive rooms and the suite have balconies and are bigger,…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Rooms are very basic and bare, but decently clean and have verandahs. Set around a patch of shady ground (with swings!), they have fans or coolers, but no…
Kerala
When not booked out by school groups, this is a drab but clean, secure and fairly helpful budget choice, though the very basic bathrooms have seen better…
Manali
Fair-value, three-storey place right on Old Manali's main drag with decently maintained bare-box rooms off east-facing shared terraces. The top floor is…
Darjeeling
Offers three comfortable rooms with attached bathroom and hot showers, with pleasant lawns out the front. No meals except breakfast, though.
Uttarakhand
Aim for the annex in the back, with newer rooms that are worth a few more rupees – but look at a few if you can, as each has unique flaws.
The Western Ghats
A clean, bland midrange hotel with a decent restaurant, just 500m from Mettupalayam's bus station and 1km from the train station for Ooty.
Madurai
The West Tower's best asset is that it's very near the temple, but it’s also tolerably clean and quieter than some other cheapies.
Madurai
The walls are a bit scuffed, but the rooms are clean, mattresses are good, and TM is efficiently run. Not bad at all for the price.
Odisha
This is a decent budget hotel run by the Jagannath Temple. Rooms are relatively clean and attached bathrooms have bucket showers.
Odisha
This basic hotel features singles with bathrooms and bucket showers, right at the foot of the steps up to Jagannath Temple.
Uttarakhand
Small and clean with TVs and hot-water showers. Though the beds are hard, this is one of the better cheapies in Joshimath.
Trichy (Tiruchirappalli)
These tolerably clean rooms are just about doable if you're desperate for a cheap sleep opposite the Central Bus Station.
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
Tired, pine-furnished rooms that aren't horrible but need some attention. It's clean, but you can do better elsewhere.
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The eight very simple rooms all have non-too-clean hot-water bathrooms. They don't always accept foreign travellers.
Uttarakhand
The hut known as Tourist Hutments offers the best-value accommodation in Dhikala. It sleeps up to six people.
South Goa
Secure, central and bland as they come, the GTDC’s Vasco offering is serviceable if you get lost in Vasco.
Bihar
This is a simple flophouse with large colourful rooms, some of which have air-con. Not much English spoken.
Assam
The New Park offers tidy, bright rooms with colourful walls, old-fashioned hot showers and in-room wi-fi.
Kerala
Cheap, cheerful enough and very basic budget guesthouse in a busy, central bazaar area.
Uttarakhand
The rooms on the 'back side' of this hotel are quiet and have valley views.
