The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra

"The entrance to this Moorish-Mogul hotel is all arches and sandstone columns, with 64 carved-stone fountains. Elsewhere, the design includes gold leaf, filigree mesh screens, and etched-glass chandeliers. All teak-floored rooms and suites have stunning, unobstructed views of the Taj Mahal, as well as hand-embroidered headboards. In some rooms, guests can dine on the balcony or in the private poolside pavilion. Try a milk and rose-petal bath or a Hungarian wrap at the Oberoi Spa. A selection of kebabs, lamb rogan josh, and traditional cottage cheese dumplings with saffron are on the menu at Esphahan. Editor's Pick: Gold List 2018"

"Travelers would stay at a mix of Disney hotels and local hotels like The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"If the Taj Mahal were a performance, The Oberoi Amarvilas would be the front-row seats. Just a few steps from the eastern gate of India’s most iconic monument, this luxury hotel—which is often ranked as one of the world’s best—is full of Mughal-inspired design, from the arched walkways and marble accents to the inlaid-wood furnishings and gold leaf–embellished frescoes that appears throughout the common areas. Things get even more beautiful at night, when the hotel illuminates its numerous fountains and terraces and serves romantic, candlelit dinners by the pool. Rooms here are as elegant as you might expect, with teak floors, deep soaking tubs, and unobstructed views of the Taj Mahal."