बूंदी

Bundi has no international chain hotels. The upgrade question here is not Taj vs. Oberoi — it is whether the ₹8–10k gap between Haveli Braj Bhushanjee (from ₹1,500/night) and Bundi Vilas (₹12–18k/night) pays for anything concrete. It does: Bundi Vilas gives you a rooftop terrace with a direct floodlit sightline to Garh Palace, home-cooked meals included, and editorial verification from Scott Dunn and Corinthian Travel. Haveli Braj Bhushanjee gives you original Bundi School murals on the walls of your room and a 200-year-old family running the property — but no alcohol, a vegetarian-only menu, and ground-floor rooms that reviewers consistently call the weakest in the building. If the stay itself is the point, spend up to Bundi Vilas. If you are treating the room as a base and spending your hours at the palace, step-wells, and ghats, Haveli Braj Bhushanjee at ₹1,500–4,500/night is the sharper call. Note: April in Bundi runs 38–42°C by midday. Neither property has a pool. Plan monument visits before 9am and after 5pm regardless of where you stay.