Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra

If you’re visiting Agra to see the famous and iconic Taj Mahal, then staying at the luxurious Oberoi Amarvilas compliments this perfectly. This opulent hotel is in a class of its own in Agra and is absolutely worth treating yourself to make your Taj Mahal visit an unforgettable experience.

Amarvilas enjoys an unrivalled position to any of the other hotels, being located just 600 metres from this stunning monument to love.

Arrival at Amarvilas sets the scene beautifully. Entering the gates into the lush treelined driveway brings you to the hotel steps complete with white marble elephant statues saluting you on either side – and the welcoming Oberoi staff to greet you. Enter a lovely Mughal style open air quadrant with flowing fountains surrounded by private alcoved seating areas decorated with gold leaf frescoes – leading to the vast Reception hall.

Each of the delightful rooms affords uninterrupted views of the Taj Mahal and on your return from your afternoon sightseeing, The Bar or the plush, exquisitely comfortable and beautifully decorated Lounge are gorgeous to relax in and enjoy a drink before dinner. If you have a room with a balcony, it’s the perfect spot to indulge in the privacy of a candlelit dinner overlooking the silhouette of the Taj Mahal.

The all day dining Bellevue restaurant or the more intimate Espahan candlelit restaurant for dinner with its low key traditional music and delicious Mughal cuisine cater perfectly to your dining options. Or why not enjoy a poolside candlelit dinner for 2?

The swimming pool is set beautifully on a series of terraces rising up from the pool, and the joyful vividly coloured umbrellas add to the relaxing ambience surrounded by the Amarvilas gardens.

Although many visitors just stay the one night in Agra before continuing on their travels, we would strongly recommend staying 2 nights to give you a chance to enjoy Amarvilas whilst also seeing the other wonderful UNESCO World Heritage monuments Agra has to offer. Don’t miss the peaceful Mehtab Gardens across the river from The Taj Mahal at sunset, as well as the charming and much quieter Baby Taj – the Itmad-ud-Daulah. The superb Agra Red Fort is also well worth a visit, where the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the husband of Mumtaz Mahal for whom the Taj Mahal was originally built, was imprisoned for the last 8 years of his life. The view of his wife’s mausoleum which he would have looked out at across the Jamuna river, is especially haunting and poignant. In September 1657, Emperor Shah Jahan had fallen seriously ill. This set off a war of succession among his four sons in which his third son, Aurangzeb, emerged victorious and usurped his father. Shah Jahan recovered from his illness, but Aurangzeb put his father under house arrest in Agra Fort from July 1658 until his death in January 1666. During all those years, Shah Jehan could only look out across the Jamuna river at his wife’s iconic tomb in the distance. He was finally laid to rest next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.

The Oberoi Amarvilas is the perfect setting to enjoy and to give you a chance to reflect and take in the beauty and astonishing history of all you have seen. Just stay here – you won’t regret it.