January 22, 2007

ASIA | INDIA

India’s Number One

By Mark Jolly

A hotel to match the high expectations of the Taj Mahal.

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Nobody said it was easy keeping pace with India’s luxe hotel boom, but one property to distinguish itself from the pack is the Oberoi Amarvilas. The five-star resort in Agra has just received the National Tourism Award for the second year in succession — and that’s after having already been ranked no.2 resort in the world (Zagat), and among the world’s top 10 resorts (T+L). Just 600 meters from the Taj Mahal, every one of Amarvilas’ 57 bedrooms overlooks the fabled monument of love. And complementing the grandiosity of the Mughal era, the resort’s terraced, torch-lit garden is home to a white-marble colonnaded swimming pool. Which means you shouldn’t have to worry about plunging into the Ganges anytime soon with the 18 million pilgrims who are currently celebrating new moon night.