Easily my new favorite hotel in Delhi, Hotel Shipra changed my perceptions of what a budget hotel in this city would be. Clean, spacious and comfortable rooms can be found here as well as the needed amenities such as room service, laundry and luggage assistance. Located in the bustling area of Laxmi Nagar in the Northeastern part of Delhi, consider this a place for long term stays or travelers on a budget. Although not located near many of the popular tourist sites of the city, my criteria for this stay was totally based on cost.

Guests reach the Delhi hotel lobby by crossing a narrow lane which runs directly in front of the building. Mind the vehicle and scooter traffic that speeds past this road with little warning in addition to heavy foot traffic. A rent-a-cop stands guard round the clock as well as playing doorman for arriving and departing guests. The lobby is covered in dark woods and fabrics. A small seating area is provided near the front desk. Off the right rear of the lobby is the on-site restaurant offering Indian food and Continental meal service. Skip the overpriced fare as a simple breakfast of two boiled eggs, gobi parantha and chai cost me Rs 192. Instead, walk down to the VS3 Mall just a few blocks from the hotel. Here you can find multiple US fast food joints such as KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Indian sit down fare is ready available around every corner.

Back in the hotel, the cheaper room option held twin beds. I was pleasantly surprised with the mini fridge, A/C ( not used), ceiling fan and 100+ channels on TV. The bathroom had full time running hot water including a shower and Western toilet. Now, the room did not have a lot of charm but it was functional, clean, and secure. Cost with tax was Rs 2149/night or $48/night.

A Metro station with the overhead line running directly in front of the cheap New Delhi hotel is just a few blocks distance. Taxis are abundant and easy to flag down although most needs can be met by a short walk in either direction. For internet run across the busy multi-lane road to the cyber cafe located on the second level. Rs 13 buys you an hour of service, cheapest I’ve found yet!

UPDATE 6 February 2012: Shipra Laxmi Nagar appears to be permanently closed. A remodel project which began more than a year ago has yet to be completed, and any signs of reopening are not to be found.

Set along the Cauvery River, this resort and restaurant getaway is a welcome stop after hours of sightseeing set under natural jungle shade. A sprawling maze of pathways cut through groomed landscape where you’ll find free roaming ducks, caged rabbits plus a plethora of wild birds. Eager waiters are quick to seat newly arrived guests, a good and bad thing for those that wish to linger a bit longer among the beautiful grounds. Eventually the gently passing river calls everyone toward it’s banks where various levels of seating compete for the best views.

From Indian food to Chinese food, the heartily stocked menu is surprisingly reasonable in price. Portion sizes are just right for couples to share a few dishes. This won’t be the best meal during a trip to India but it certainly will be the most memorable. Squawking ducks keep a close distance to shore in the slow moving river water as gentle breezes rustle the numerous overhanging trees. A small ghat allows bird lovers to get into the shallow river water for picture perfect camera shots.

Quick, friendly service, great prices, clean toilets and plenty of parking for those traveling by car, make Amblee Holiday Resort a preferred pick while visiting Srirangapatna. Foodies: You can find better food in the local haunts while sacrificing the idyllic atmosphere.

Vishnu Regency, just a 5 min walk or 2 minute car ride from Channakeshava Temple, is your typical budget hotel with attached restaurant. Although it has all the amenities of a hotel, Vishnu Regency gains much of it’s business from the ground floor restaurant which caters to foreign and domestic tourists of Belur. North and South Indian, vegetarian only food, is served in a neat and clean, friendly environment. This hotel cum restaurant knows it’s clientele well.

Ample parking in front of the building means quick access into the dining hall. The best toilets in the area offer guests a chance to freshen up before or after taking their meal. Quick turnaround from order to table gets tourists on a time schedule in and out with no hassle.

Cost for 3 people: Rs 135 + tip for veg palav, roti, puri and South Indian thali

Mornings are not a particularly popular time for the plethora of restaurants within the surrounding Jaisalmer Fort area. I’m not sure if most tourists have found accommodation with breakfast included or maybe my eating schedule of 8:00 – 8:30 AM was too early. Either way, one look inside any restaurant during normal breakfast hours will result in a room full of empty seats. Natraj Restaurant’s very clean exterior and immaculate dining hall (found after a healthy climb up stairs) was no exception.

A sole waiter sitting behind a desk scanning the morning’s printed headlines turned out to be the owner and cook. Fortunately, as the only customer in the place, the wait to have an order taken, prepared and ultimately served only depended on my simple order of aloo parantha and chai. It’s hard to judge a restaurant based on such a meager meal, except to say my plate didn’t stay empty but for a second before being restocked with a piping hot, fresh parantha straight from the kitchen. Any restaurant who doesn’t either offer or just bring a refill of parantha shouldn’t be in business. The crispy outer coating with ever so slightly a hint of salty ghee mixes perfectly with the soft, spicy goodness of potatoes inside. One helping is never enough. Combined with a bowl of fresh curd and steaming chai, this was an Indian breakfast of tourist champions.

Not one other traveler ventured up the twist and turns of stairs to reach the restaurant during the 45 minutes I spent there. Morning sun bathed the half covered, half uncovered seating area giving me full reign to snoop about while clicking away at sights below. Sounds of residents waking up could be heard in the short distance. That omnipresent hacking noise so many Indians can be heard making as they clear their bodies of yesterday’s pollution left me feeling as if I was waking up in someone’s own kitchen. And that’s a hard feeling to come by in the bamboozling city of Jaisalmer.

Lunch and dinner must be the bread winning meals of the day for Natraj Restaurant’s gentle, soft spoken owner. I vowed to return as all my Indian food favorites were on the menu, priced fairly for this tourist community.

Arriving to town after dark, without a reservation and certainly without a clue as to where to stay in Bharatpur, my goal was to find any hotel with a bed, and maybe some hot water. Stretching along the divided 4 lane highway outside of town about 2 kms is a strip of hotels near the park entrance. As I made the rounds checking out room accommodations within this cluster of properties it was made obvious that rooms don’t come cheap near Keoladeo Park. Eventually I settled on Hotel Sunbird. A rat race of western tourists had descended on a neighboring hotel owned by a foreigner. Maybe I would have found myself with some new contacts there but my gut said to stay clear.

Guest rooms at Hotel Sunbird Bharatpur range from simple rooms within the main building, to cozy cottages built around a small garden area out back. This is a trend many of the competitors also offer at similar rates. Singles or couples looking for some extra privacy will certainly enjoy the well decorated, peaceful setting of the cottages. I was content with my comfortably clean room on the second floor away from the road. Two guests can easily share the space provided, fighting over the TV or small seating area tucked in the corner. Plenty of hot water flowed from the western bathroom with shower.

Hotel Sunbird’s proximity to the bird park was not what attracted me. In fact, I had no plans to visit the park on this trip. Rather it was the welcoming red brick exterior of the main house, built either purposefully or accidentally much like an 1800′s colonial manor complete with thick trimmed windows. Deep green ivy attached itself to the brick walls creating a faux New England feel. A charming courtyard of sandstone blocks lined with potted plants lays before the house, a nice buffer between the dusty parking lot and front doors. Hotel Sunbird felt like a guest house rather than just another hotel.

Meals served in the family restaurant doubling as the lobby

Two young Indian men were the face of the operations inside the main house which doubles as the lobby and Indian food restaurant. The owners, a middle-aged Indian family, were still within ear shot behind the reception desk ensuring guests were comfortable. Part cooks, part waiters, part money handlers and baggage movers, the two men hustled through the night as hungry travelers ordered dinner or requested rooms.

My early morning wake followed by chai and paranthas before shoving off for a long day of sightseeing was made easier by the two guys from the night before. Obviously tired, they happily prepared and served my meal with good conversation. The test of any decent hotel is whether it looks as good in daylight as it appeared during an after dark check-in. Hotel Sunbird aced the test.

Cost: 1600 Rs including breakfast (Reduced slightly from the published rates. Expect hard bargaining for any discounts)

Dinner: 195 Rs Malai Kofta, plain roti and water. Delicious.

Local Indian restaurants called dhabas stretch the landscape of India’s highways from the furthest reaches of the North, to the hottest beaches of the South. Moving beyond the city limits, tourists quickly see buildings large and small covered in signs reading “Punjabi Dhaba, Sharma Dhaba, or just “Dhaba”. They are what feeds the nation’s traveling population on any given day. So just what is a typical Indian dhaba?

Purpose: A need to feed the traveling population within India has been present for decades. It’s only been within the past 10 years, with the increasing growth of foreign and domestic tourism, as well as the increased salable goods transported, that the demand for more food outlets was realized. Dhabas large and small have sprung up along the roadsides of India in hopes of profiting from the sale of traditional Indian food. Generous helpings of cheap, tasty and nourishing food are served to travelers who have sit in the open air on ethnic bamboo-cots that are often fit for kings or queens.

Small dhaba located in Rajasthan

Design: A small dhaba is usually framed in a simple concrete plastered stall or free standing building located just steps from the main road. Plastic tables and chairs are set in front to draw hungry drivers, and to give a sense of comfort for the weary. The kitchen is never a far walk for the waiter. It may be behind a wall or out in the open depending on how much a factor floor space plays in the finished design. A few tables inside may offer relief from the heat with overflow customers relegated to the outside tables with stifling views of the sun.

Large dhabas dwarf their smaller competitors. Parking lots with attendants, grand entrance signs, billboards advertising for miles beforehand, air conditioned dining rooms, lush tropical oasis like settings and sometimes even attached gift shops give the passing traveler reason to stop.

Over-sized dining rooms with heavy tables and chairs cater to the foreign tourist crowd and middle-class Indian who desires more of a true dining experience while on the road. Flat screen TV’s entertain the newer wired generations and sports fanatics looking for the latest scores.

Aloo Gobi, Eggs Burji + Lime Soda Sweet & Tip= Rs 180 ($4)

Cuisine: It is said that the majority of India’s truck drivers are Punjabi, thus the majority of highway dhabas serve Punjabi food. At closer inspection, this isn’t all that true. A well-known imitation Punjabi cuisine has spread throughout the country, capitalizing on the interest of Indians who experiment with new flavors. Dhabas located in the heart of South India advertise REAL Punjabi Food, yet their kitchens are filled with South Indian cooks.

And the same can be said for dhabas located in North India. Curious tourists with an interest in trying South Indian delights are quickly warned not to try them. Drivers and tour guides know full well that the North Indian cooks are not trained or capable of producing the fluffy goodness of idli as a South Indian. And the fabulous chutneys served alongside. Forget it. It’s just not the same.

Wondering what to order? Stick with the popular dhabas who advertise local foods. Each state has a very distinct regional food which really should be sampled only when traveling within that area. Steer away from Hyderabadi briyani when visitng Punjab. And shy away from Momos when passing through Coimbatore.

South India dhaba right off the highway brimming with greenery

Easy On and Off: Successful dhaba owners know, first and foremost, their location must be easy to access from the highway. Ample parking (always free) is typically provided in front of the building. This is marketing 101, attract more customers by the volume of cars in your lot. Travelers are drawn to a place that looks busy, is easy to reach, and is just as easy to return to the main road.

Open Early, Late and even 24 Hours: Breakfast, lunch and dinner is always on the menu at the nearest dhaba. Travelers rising with the sun can order a cup of chai as easily as the night owl seeking a full meal around midnight.

Toilets: Tourists should be prepared for less than ideal sanitary conditions when searching for toilets, located in the rear, side or separate building adjacent the smaller dhaba. Tourists who followed my advice for bringing TP and wet wipes at all times will have no trouble maneuvering past the Indian toilets.

Larger dhabas know their customer base well, providing cleaner, western facilities often with TP, soap and hand towels.

Wash basins separate from the toilets are always easy to find for a quick hand wash before and after meals.

Employees: It’s a man’s world out there. No where is this more true than Indian dhabas. Men are responsible for the preparation, cooking, serving and cleaning at all dhabas. Females are rarely ever seen other than as cashiers in the busier larger dhaba.

Amenities: Attached hotels plus fun parks, food markets and more are appealing to the customer who needs to stop but maybe isn’t hungry.

Thekkady’s main road is a tourist catch-all lined with hotels and restaurants offering no privacy, no personality, and little break from the noise. Opposite all this commotion is Chrissie’s located among the treetops of Bypass Road. From the roadside, Chrissie’s narrow two car wide building front is deceptively small looking. Immediately after stepping past the brightly lit lobby, just how spacious the newer, tastefully decorated hotel of Kerala truly is becomes clear.

The main building houses the lobby, second floor restaurant, staff quarters and cozy sitting room. Guests are free to play games, read a book, lounge or take in a snack in this main level area. Move up a short flight of stairs into the open air restaurant where you’ll find high ceilings lined with large glass panes allowing a flood of nature light inside. Unexpected treats such as gnocchi and brushetta are available alongside muesli and a few other popular Indian food staples. Guests retreat to one of the 16 rooms among the four story addition perched above the main building. A quaint, stone path enveloped in natural and landscaped greenery provides a comfortable walk to the rooms all featuring a balcony facing undisturbed jungle growth. Travelers with trouble climbing stairs or walking long distances are fairly warned there is no lift, however, luggage service to and from the room is provided by the staff.

Simple guest rooms decorated in bright coastal cool colors reflect the relaxed atmosphere of Chrissie’s. Step outside onto a generously sized balcony for hours of reading pleasure or to watch the monkeys frolic in the sun soaked treetops (Guests are warned to keep all doors and windows closed when not in the room to avoid any monkey non-sense). Neat and clean ensuite bathrooms provide everything needed: shower with full time running water, hot water geyser, western toilet and sink.

There are no phones, no TV’s and no internet. In their place is a fourth floor large yoga room with space for up to 30 people. Throw open the doors for a yoga class in the clouds you’ll never forget. Scheduled classes are posted next to the lobby in addition to the myriad of other sightseeing options nearby.

You’ll find Chrissie’s is a popular choice among foreign travelers staying in Thekkady. The mixed-age crowd staying here is interested in finding more of what India has to offer. And Chrissie’s is serving it up with a hint of Britain, a pinch of Kerala, and a whole lot of hospitality.

Dalhousie is not a foreign tourist favorite destination so you won’t see many foreign faces in these parts of India. And Vicky Fast Food knows their clientele is mostly traveling Indians, who aren’t lavish spenders at breakfast time. If the adverts painted on the outside didn’t draw you in, the crowds of customers entering and exiting will certainly show you this is a popular place. The storefront of two sliding metal garage doors are thrown wide open bringing in fresh air and much needed sunlight. Inside, a hungry breakfast crowd dives into North Indian food favorites like stuffed parantha and poori aloo bhaji. With the cool crisp morning fog just beginning to break, hot chai was the in-demand drink for cold travelers during my visit. Outside views of snow covered Himalayan mountain peaks rising above thick dark green forests come free of charge.

Large groups of waiting families have no choice but to split up during peak times. Cramped seating is first come, first serve. Budget travelers will appreciate the low priced, delicious simple cooking. Tourists with cars must find parking along the switchback road a short walking distance from the restaurant. It’s not fancy, but it is 100% authentic.

On a recommendation by my driver I stopped into Hotel Hassan Ashhok to browse the dinner menu. All the usual Indian food favorites were listed at prices that didn’t break the budget. Wicker high back chairs complimented with simple tables, hard wood flooring, and picture windows overlooking the well maintained hotel gardens all set in a soft ambiance, were the ultimate selling features for me to stay. As I sat down for my experience at Shantala Bar and Restaurant the crisply uniformed staff immediately sprung into action.

Paneer tikka paired with a simple dal makhani elated my nose as the dishes were placed on the table. Wafts of perfectly combined spices teased all those nearby as steam emanated from gorgeous presentations of food. Large chucks of paneer were perfectly coated in a tantalizing mixture, finished at just the right time in the tandoor and served piping hot with a side of cool mint chutney sauce. A southern kick of spices flavored the sometimes bland dish of dal makhani, commanding attention with each bite while causing my forehead to bead with sweat. Offset with deliciously cool and refreshing lime soda sweet, I began to feel as if I was marinating in the best of Indian spices. Unfortunately the in-season choice of gajar halwa (sweet carrots) was not available for desert, and the back up choice of gulab jamun was served cold. But this meal had already been branded a winner thanks to the taste, quality and presentation of the meal. Kudos go to the manager who orchestrated pleasant table side service from his timid staff.

Shantala Restaurant’s clean, modern and relaxing atmosphere is within easy walking distance to any other nearby accommodations local travel agencies frequently book. With superior service not expected in these parts of India as well as food which tastes as good as the kitchens of Delhi and Mumbai restaurants, tourists to Hassan will not be disappointed with Hotel Ashhok.

Cost: Rs 500.

Located on Residency Road near Panch Batti Circle in Jodhpur, many of the hotels dotting the road didn’t exist until the past few years. Four-star mid-level high rises have sprung up in this upscale neighborhood catering to the wealth of foreign tourists arriving daily.  Now dwarfed in size by it’s neighbors, Hotel Ajit Mansion seems a bit out of place yet has retained it’s budget status for travelers watching their wallets.

Trees and other surrounding greenery add a sense of home along the front walkway leading to a small but welcoming lobby just steps from the main road. From here, Ajit Mansion’s operations are run by two men who appear to be brothers. Friendly but serious in attitude, these two work well together to ensure guests are quickly greeted and served. Ample free parking in front of the building combined with the usual friendly Indian boys on staff makes loading/unloading simple.

Basic rooms are modest in size and could be tight with two travelers carrying too much luggage. Attached western bathrooms are spotlessly clean as is the entire guest room. Full time running water is a nice amenity not always found within this price range. The bed linens are all business; One fresh fitted sheet pulled tight, two wool blankets and two pillows. Add in a TV with cable, ceiling fan, small seating area along with a dresser and you have yourself an efficient room fit for any tourist in India.

Rhythm Restaurant is located on the top floor serving multi-cuisine food throughout the day. As with the guest rooms, there is nothing fancy about the dining area. Simple tables on tile flooring fit the breezy and fuss free atmosphere of the rooftop. Breakfast, included in the room rate, is also served here however all meals can be taken in room around the clock.

A spacious seating area is located on the second floor where walls are adorned with traditional Rajasthani artifacts. On the main floor adjacent to the lobby is where two newer model computers sit with high-speed internet connectivity. WiFi is also available but doesn’t reach all parts of the building and is not promised as such. Fast friends can be made in this area as guests congregate while using the computers or waiting in queue for an open spot. Watch your toes sitting here as this area is the main route to the kitchen. Hotel staff is constantly running the stairs to gather orders.

Ajit Mansion is centrally located to all major tourist spots of Jodhpur. Several tempting food options are within walking distance for the true traveling foodies although Ajit Mansion’s offerings are respectable and fairly priced. Good food, neat and clean comfortable rooms, friendly and helpful staff plus reasonable rates make Ajit Mansion my pick for best budget hotel in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Cost: Rs 1200 with breakfast/taxes. Competitors next door: Rs 3900.