Must-see hotels in Kashmir & Ladakh

  • Parkachik Tourist Bungalow

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    Parkachik's Tourist Bungalow has simple lodgings but stunning mountain views, and the helpful caretaker cooks reasonably well for guests. It is in…

  • Butts Clermont Houseboats

    Srinagar

    Butts Clermont moors a handful of genteel old houseboats (dating from 1940) beside its own private Mughal garden. This is where Ravi Shankar taught George…

  • Tranquil Retreat

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    Tranquil Retreat has Sonamarg's most fashion-conscious decor along with thick box-spring mattresses, glass-panelled walk-in showers, in-room kettles and…

  • Tsarap Guest House

    Leh

    Ten spacious rooms with modern bathrooms have big windows facing out onto the vegetable garden. Downstairs rooms are carpeted and cost around ₹200 less…

  • Kunzang

    Leh

    The Kunzang's 12 rooms have an understated boutique quality, with fresh, pale decor, large shower heads, excellent beds and fine linens. Balconies look…

  • Kunzang Guest House

    Leh

    Rooms in this traditional farmhouse are simple but huge – most are on the upper floor beside a magical shrine room; a corner room one floor down is…

  • Grand Himalaya

    Leh

    An enticing foyer and restaurant beckon you in with artfully mounted artefacts, old stoves and chess sets on tall stands. Rooms aren't nearly as…

  • Insal Guest House

    Ladakh

    'Love Each Day', says an Insal motto stone summing up the attitude of this super-obliging family guesthouse. Far better than you'd guess from the run-of…

  • Gomang Guest House

    Leh

    A couple of simple rooms are reached via wobbly stairways in a genuine Ladakhi home; the rest are in a modest little extension. Shared bathrooms have…

  • Yarab Tso

    Nubra Valley

    This impressive traditional-style Ladakhi building is set in farm-size grounds and boasts its own bakery. Rooms are let down a bit by simple bathrooms but…

  • Gaskyit Hotel

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    Seven fairly good-looking, well-furnished rooms seem oddly forgotten behind the pleasant restaurant of the same name. The carpeted and wood-panelled upper…

  • Mont-Blanc Guest House

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    About 800m south of the main market, 200m before the mosque, this friendly four-room guesthouse has some of Padum's most attractively appointed rooms…

  • Yokma Homestay

    Ladakh

    Yokma is our favourite Man homestay thanks to its authentic vibe (you might end up helping milk the goats) and its view-filled location at the back of the…

  • Maha Guest House

    Nubra Valley

    This well-run and popular guesthouse has a dozen rooms with attached bathrooms and two garden sitting areas; it also serves up good food. It's a definite…

  • Hotel Rigyal

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    Set back peacefully away from the main market beyond the helipad, Rigyal's rooms have small, clean bathrooms with hot-water showers, and the nice garden…

  • Chow Guest House

    Leh

    This excellent-value family-run guesthouse has a range of sparkling-clean, airy budget rooms with log ceilings. It's set behind a flower-filled, walled…

  • Yangdrol Schangtuk-pa Homestay

    Ladakh

    Set in a large garden and with views back up towards the palace-monastery from rear windows, this excellent homestay has a rooftop shrine and super clean…

  • Camp Watermark

    Ladakh

    This camp has what's currently the most appealing sweep of lake view, deckchairs from which to enjoy it and very comfy tents with unusually good bathrooms…

  • Crane Homestay

    Ladakh

    Korzok's neatest homestay (marginally), Crane has in-room toilet booths, towels and the rare bonus of an English-speaking host (contact Choktup). Room 5…

  • J&KTDC

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    Several of Sonamarg's properties, including the next-door Hotel Kongposh, the Alpine Hut and the J&K Tourist Dormitories en route to Thajiwas Glacier, are…

  • Norzin Holiday Home

    Leh

    A well-kept modern-traditional family home with views from the roof-shrine terrace, an enclosed garden and an amazing grapevine dominating the glassed-in…

  • Zambala Hotel

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    Two minutes' walk northeast of the bazaar, the Zambala has 13 pleasant rooms with bathrooms (hot water by bucket) wrapped around a small, grassy central…

  • Tsewang Khangsar Homestay

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    Rangdum's best value accommodation is this block of four rooms and dining room at the north end of the village. Rooms come with proper beds and share one…

  • Lotus Camp

    Ladakh

    At the edge of Thukje, Lotus has fairly standard bedded tents with en suite bathroom facilities in a small camp that's primarily aimed at birdwatchers…

  • Nurboo Guest House

    Leh

    Simple but clean family-run accommodation of six rooms serenaded by the sound of rushing water. Great mountain views from the rooftop and from upper…

  • Gyalson Guest House

    Leh

    Spick-and-span carpeted rooms in a new but traditionally styled family house with a prime location just behind Wonderland restaurant. The shared family…

  • Sakti Villa

    Ladakh

    The area's best hotel is this guesthouse just below Takthog monastery. The best features are its super-comfy mattresses and attractive valley views…

  • Kora Valley

    Nubra Valley

    Among Hunder's bedded tent camps, Kora is hard to beat. Its central knot of prayer flags frame a gorgeous mountain panorama. It's also very competitively…

  • New Jacquline Houseboats

    Srinagar

    These two very professionally presented houseboats have boutique hotel–style beds with decent mattresses, striking wall hangings and the odd round shield…

  • Hunder Resort

    Nubra Valley

    All 16 rooms in this new three-block hotel are suites with modern bathrooms, balconies and sitting rooms of carpeted mats at Ladakhi chokse tables. It has…

  • AMR Hotel

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    On Katra's main drag, five minutes walk downhill from the bus stand, the AMR has large, stylish rooms and the attached mall complex has its own cinema…

  • Hotel Akbar Sonamarg

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    Arguably Sonamarg's most professionally managed hotel, the Akbar has river views from the lovely lawn and from the subterranean restaurant. Rooms are a…

  • Nubra Organic Retreat

    Nubra Valley

    The lush green grounds of this bedded tent camp are its big draw, with a stupa pond, labelled vegetable plots, hammocks and wicker chairs dangling from…

  • Blue Sapphire Hotel & Restaurant

    Kashmir & Ladakh

    The Blue Sapphire is marginally Kishtwar's top choice and the best of four closely clumped options around the new DC Office. The area is 1km from the…

  • Aru Heights

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    Just four rooms here but they are new and fresh, with windows on two sides and featuring brand new tiled bathrooms. It's unsigned 20m west of Aru's main…

  • Tharpaling Guest House

    Ladakh

    Ever-smiling matriarch Tsiring Yandol gives this roadside place a jolly family feel, serving dinners in a particularly homely communal dining room. All…

  • Solpon

    Leh

    Even the simplest rooms are appealing, with geyser-heated water in shared bathrooms, while the plush, newer section is almost hotel standard, adorned with…

  • Chocolate Box

    Srinagar

    Well-chosen elements of designer style make this 13-room boutique hotel one of the Boulevard's most appealing options. Rooms 107 and 108 have private lake…

  • Nubra Eco-Lodge

    Nubra Valley

    Luxuriously spacious tent rooms and cottages ooze a whiff of style at this camp 2km south of Sumur. It's one of the best options around, though the barren…

  • Rongstak Homestay

    Ladakh

    The upper four of seven rooms here are small but of guesthouse standard, sharing a wide terrace with views and a large bathroom with solar shower. Meals…

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