Hyderabad [ HYD ] hotel recommendations
 

Hi,

I will be in Hyderabad for 3 nights this month and am looking for good hotel recommendations. I want to stay close to the Banjara Hills area [ more specifically closer to Road # 2 & 3 in Banjara Hills ]

So, what do you suggest ? I was looking at the Ebony Boutique hotel as that's the closest to me. Other recommendation I got was the Sheraton in the Begumpet area. Does anyone have any experience with the Ebony Boutique ? Any other hotel recommendations in that area ?

My budget is upto $85-$100 per day. Also, what travel website do you suggest for booking the hotel? I would like to buy it in the US with my US credit card [ like Orbitz,hotels.com or Kayak - which one has the best customer service ??] as I am not comfortable giving my card info to an Indian located travel website or the hotel website directly .

Thanks.

i've been doing this for years & have never had a problem....

Problem I had - it is processed as an international transaction and sometimes credit cards do not authorize. If I buy it here , it will be a smoother transaction. But, I am still looking for info about HYD hotels ? Can you please help me out there !:)

the courtyard by marriott is very nice - though about half an hour from banjara hills

Thanks for the reply. yes , that was my top choice -- but as you say, it is 1/2 hr from Banjara Hills and in the traffic there , it easily takes an hour or more.

That's why I was planning to book the Ebony Boutique as it is much closer for my needs.

unfortunately i've never stayed at the ebony boutique....i always stay at the kakatiya or the westin....i've often managed to get the westin for a little over $100 a night....

also, i don't know whether you are a SPG member but both the kakatiya & the westin have c&p options available this month so that would make both great value for money at 2,800 points & $45 a night....

Thanks for the reply. That's a great hotel - Westin . Even though I cant stay there this trip because of the distance, it is certainly on my schedule for future trips. It is a newly built hotel with some great prices. ^

Bu, for this trip - I am thinking of staying at the Ebony Boutique mainly because of the distance. It is very close to my scheduled work events. And as I am in Hyd for only 2 days , I want to avoid wasting time in that horrible traffic !:)

What do people recommend for a hotel in HYD that's as close as possible to the airport? Taj Vivanta? I'll be flying out on BA at 06:55 and want to sleep as long as I can!

If you absolutely want as close as possible, there is an on-site transit hotel run by the Plaza Premium people who operate the lounges (it's downstairs at the car park level). I haven't stayed, and it's quite difficult to determine the quality from the reviews on Tripadvisor, as they seem to be a mixture of reviews of the hotel and reviews of the lounges:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...a_Pradesh.html

The airport Novotel does have a useful shuttle service, too, and is 3.5km from the terminal.

The Vivanta is at Begumpet - the site of the old airport. That's a fair journey from the new one - make sure you're looking for Rajiv Ghandi airport!

Personally, I don't bother staying at the airport for early flights. I tend to work in Hitech City, and so stay there, and the journey in the early morning isn't terrible (can be done in 30 minutes in a standard Meru or Skycab). And I'm very fond of my new preferred hotel up there (the Trident). But that's a matter of personal choice.

stut, thanks very much. I couldn't remember which was the old airport and which was the new one! I'll probably check out the Novotel. That extra 30 minutes is important to me...

Probably granny-egg-sucking-tuition, but do make sure you've got transport arranged for the morning, and are aware of the shuttle timetable, otherwise you could well end up using that 30 minutes anyway!