The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India 🇮🇳

Just 600 meters from the Taj Mahal, and every room offers an unobstructed view of the mausoleum. It’s the perfect start for a visit to this wonder of the world!

Just 600 meters separate The Oberoi Amarvilas from the Taj Mahal — and without exception, every room and every terrace offers a view of this wonder of the world, even from your bed. Between the Mughal palace architecture and a sunrise buggy that takes you almost all the way to the West Gate in the morning, one quickly becomes clear: understated elegance and world-class service go hand in hand here. With sunset dancing and live music to welcome you back from the Taj Mahal, this stay reads almost like a little love letter to Agra — so be sure not to miss all the details in this full review.

Review #130

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Location

The Oberoi Amarvilas arguably has the most spectacular location of any hotel on this trip: It’s located just about 600 meters from the Taj Mahal and is the only building allowed to stand within the protected green belt surrounding the monument. Every single room and Suite offers an unobstructed view of the Taj Mahal. Depending on the floor, the view is either better or not quite as good.

From the hotel, it takes about 15 minutes to reach downtown Agra, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri (both UNESCO World Heritage Sites) are also easy to get to.

Getting There

The nearest airport to The Oberoi Amarvilas is Agra Airport (Kheria), located about 21 kilometers away. However, it is a military base with limited civilian traffic — and some of the procedures here differ from those at regular airports.

In practice, however, most guests arrive via Delhi, either by car — which takes 3 to 4 hours to cover the approximately 200 kilometers via the Yamuna Expressway, depending on traffic. You can also travel by train — the Gatimaan Express covers the Delhi – Agra route in about 100 minutes, making it a very relaxing option as well.

We decided to go with the car ride option anyway, and our friendly driver took us from our previous hotel, The Imperial New Delhi, to our new hotel in about 3.5 hours — faster, more efficient, and friendlier than anything we’d read online beforehand. We booked through GetYourGuide and can highly recommend it.

First, as you arrive in Agra, you’ll pass a huge sign welcoming you to the city. Once you arrive at the hotel, you’ll first go through a brief security check and then drive through the sprawling garden to the entrance, until you reach the spacious driveway.

There, we were warmly welcomed by uniformed staff, who unloaded our suitcases and stored them for us. The friendly staff even met us with umbrellas and walked us all the way to the Lobby so we wouldn’t have to walk under the blazing sun without protection. Great service — great welcome!

Check-in

Once we arrived at the Lobby, we were greeted with a welcome ritual. Just a few steps away from the front desk, we made our way to an elegant, spacious Lounge, where we checked in while enjoying a delicious, cold welcome drink — in a very relaxed atmosphere and, interestingly, without being asked for a deposit at all.

We were given some information about the hotel and about visiting the Taj Mahal — which is, of course, THE main attraction in Agra.

The Oberoi Amarvila at a Glance

Opened in January 2001 by the Oberoi Group, the architecture is deliberately inspired by the Mughal palaces of centuries past — featuring a domed roof in the Lobby, cascading water features, terraced gardens, and reflecting pools. The five-story building features 95 rooms and just 7 Suites, each of which offers the aforementioned view of the Taj Mahal — some even with their own terrace for the perfect sunset experience.

For dining, you can choose between Esphahan (which specializes in North Indian tandoor cuisine) and Bellevue, an international all-day dining restaurant, as well as a Bar with a view of the Taj Mahal. All rooms also feature 24-hour butler service.

For years, The Oberoi Amarvilas has been among the top-ranked hotels worldwide in various rankings (including Travel + Leisure) and is considered one of India’s most expensive — but also most exclusive — hotels. If you’d like to have the Taj Mahal as your own private garden, so to speak, this is the place for you.

Room with terrace

Unfortunately, The Oberoi Amarvilas does not offer Preferred Partner rates, but we booked the smallest room category anyway — a Premier Room and had already requested an upgrade in advance, knowing full well that we weren’t actually entitled to one, but they were kind enough to upgrade us to a Premier Room with a terrace anyway. Many thanks again to The Oberoi Amarvilas for that!

So let’s take a closer look together at Room No. 112 located on the ground floor of the building.

This beautiful key holder, of course, features the elegant The Oberoi logo and includes two stylish wooden key cards.

The Oberoi Amarvilas also offers its guests Butler service, which includes packing and unpacking luggage, shoe shining service, and laundry pickup. In addition, breakfast and beverages can be ordered in your room for an extra charge.

Welcome

A small welcome gift was waiting in the room consisting of macarons, chocolate pieces with toppings, and fresh fruit. Next to the armchair, there were also fresh mangoes and bananas — the mango tasted truly exceptional.

Entrance

Right behind the front door, you’ll find yourself in a relatively spacious hallway with the bathroom off to the right and the dressing room off to the left.

In the small dressing room, you’ll find an iron and ironing board, two lightweight bathrobes, everything you need for shoe care and housekeeping, as well as the safe.

Living Room and Bedroom

Just walk straight through and you’ll find yourself in the cozy combined living and sleeping area. The bed is right next to the entrance on the right, and the sideboard with the minibar is right next to it on the left. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the terrace, there’s a table with two chairs on the left that can be used as a desk or dining table. On the right, you can make yourself comfortable in an armchair with a side table.

The bed is positioned a bit unusually in the room, but it faces the Taj Mahal, so you get a view of this World Heritage Site as soon as you wake up! That’s pretty cool, right?!

The mattress was on the firm side. It came with a fairly thin comforter and two pillows of different firmness levels per guest. Guests who prefer a different pillow can also choose from a pillow menu.

Turndown

Of course, a hotel of the caliber of The Oberoi Amarvilas also offers its guests turndown service. The comforter is turned back, the decorative pillows are moved to the side, the curtains are drawn, and the bedside lamps are turned on. In addition, thin cotton bedside rugs and particularly beautiful slippers are laid out.

Bathroom

Unfortunately, the bathroom features only one sink on the vanity, adorned with a red rose — a truly lovely touch. You’ll also find a variety of amenities beautifully arranged here, most of them in the signature Oberoi blue. Everything was spotless and in top condition.

Right next to the sink is the shower, which has a showerhead and a handheld shower — so it’s not really a rain shower. The body wash, conditioner, and shampoo are from Forrest, a top Indian amenity brand that’s commonly found in the country’s finest hotels.

On the right side of the room, the toilet is right next to the small bathtub. The room itself is quite compact, but the space is used well.

View

From the room — or rather, from the spacious terrace — we had a view of the Taj Mahal. A truly amazing and very unique feature. Sure — during daytime, it wasn’t really possible to use the terrace because of the extremely high temperatures, but in the evening, the view of the greenery and the ability to step right outside from the room are truly wonderful!

Hotel Activities

Pool

The rather spacious pool is attached directly to the main hotel building and is located about two stories below the ground floor. This gives the entire area a cozy and sheltered feel. To the right and left of the pool, large staircases with several steps lead down. Directly beneath the building is a sort of grotto, into which the pool extends and which also features seating and lounging areas. At the far end stands a sort of pavilion consisting solely of arcades, under which you can sit in comfortable wicker armchairs.

Arranged around the pool, there are lounge chairs arranged in pairs of two together with a beach umbrella waiting for you on each of the three open sides.

Although they tried to cool down the pool water, given the prevailing temperatures, they were only partially successful — the water felt more like in a bathtub, but it was still somehow more refreshing than if it hadn’t been cooled at all.

The service by the pool was, of course, excellent as well: As soon as we sat down, we were brought cold refreshing small towels, plenty of water in small plastic bottles, a rose-scented spray, and sunscreen right to our lounge chairs. We even got free ice cream every now and then!

Unfortunately, however, on a negative note: When it came to the small plastic bottles, The Leela New Delhi and the legendary The Imperial New Delhi were a bit more creative in recent weeks — an issue that, in our opinion, is quite important given the plastic pollution in India and one that a hotel of The Oberoi Amarvilas’ caliber should take into consideration.

Fitness Center

This compact gym has everything you need for a basic workout. The equipment is a bit dated, but very well maintained. You’re also welcome to help yourselves to water and cold towels. Towels for use on the equipment are also provided.

Spa

The Oberoi Spa offers only treatment rooms with fairly standard treatments.

Tours

Of course, the hotel also offers you the option of a sunrise tour to the Taj Mahal —which is surely the main reason most guests visit the city. The tour starts at 5:00 a.m., when the mausoleum opens.

Tickets for the Taj Mahal are available through the Indian government’s official website, where you can also purchase tickets for other attractions such as Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. A ticket costs about 10 euros per person; admission to the mausoleum is about 12 euros. If you don’t have cash, however, it’s best to book the 12-euro option right away, since an upgrade on-site is only possible with cash. The two-euro difference is definitely worth it, though — since you’re already there, it’s great to be able to go up to the top!

In our opinion, you don’t really need a guide, but if you’re interested, you’ll definitely be approached on the way to the West Gate and can arrange it right there on the spot. In the morning, the hotel provides its guests with a free buggy ride for the short trip almost all the way to the West Gate entrance — the entrance closest to the hotel — and picks them up there again. This makes for a truly enjoyable visit!

Special Features

Every evening, there’s a small but charming show at sunset. From the bar’s terrace, you can watch the performance take place on the roof of the arcades by the pool, featuring traditional Indian music and dance.

Restaurants

Bellevue

This all-day dining restaurant serves Indian and international dishes in a modern setting beneath arcades.

For dinner, we decided to eat here for the sake of convenience. The food was delicious, and the service was consistently excellent. We were served in an extremely friendly and professional manner and felt completely at ease here.

Isfahan

The hotel’s second restaurant specializes exclusively in Indian cuisine, but it was closed during our stay as it was the off-season. However, all of the dishes from that restaurant were also available at the Bellevue Restaurant during the closure and could be enjoyed there as well.

The Bar

The hotel’s elegant bar offers seating both indoors and on the beautiful terrace. Starting at 3:30 a.m., coffee, muffins, croissants, and orange juice are available here for guests who want to fuel up before the sunrise tour to the Taj Mahal. In the evening, you can also enjoy drinks on the sun deck with a prime view of the sunset show.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in Bellevue Restaurant at The Oberoi Amarvilas. As is customary in India, there is a lovely buffet, complemented by a fairly extensive à la carte menu. Here, too, the quality of the food and drinks was consistently top-notch, and the service was once again excellent. Hot beverages and à la carte dishes are, of course, served at the table.

On our way back from the Taj Mahal, we were even greeted with live music.

Service

The service here at The Oberoi Amarvilas was outstanding throughout our entire stay — at dinner and breakfast, as well as during check-in and by the pool. We felt very comfortable and welcome everywhere, and were well taken care of. That’s exactly how it should be.

Checkout

Check-out took place at the front desk and was very well organized. The bill was correct, and the process was handled in a highly professional and, once again, extremely friendly way.

Costs

For that one night in May 2026, we paid just under 25,000 IDR, which was equivalent to about 220 euros at the time of our stay. The cost was for the standard room — the upgrade to the room with a terrace was, mind you, an exceptionally kind gesture on the hotel’s part, and breakfast was included in the rate.

Departure and Onward Travel

From here, we’ll continue on to the ITC Agra — which, however, will only be available as a bonus video on our YouTube channel — before traveling on to the Alila Fort Bishanagarh, north of Jaipur.

At checkout, the staff kindly asked us what our next plans were, and we were then spontaneously offered a free ride to the next hotel by the team at The Oberoi Amarvilas. Great service, right?!

Conclusion

The Oberoi Amarvilas knows how to combine understated elegance with exceptional service. From check-in through every interaction with the staff all the way to check-out, the stay was a true delight: friendly, on equal terms, and really, really good. The hotel itself is also impressive: great design, a wonderful entry-level room, and excellent food for both breakfast and dinner.

We can therefore highly recommend The Oberoi Amarvilas to all types of guests. Everyone is certainly going to have a wonderful time here.

On our internal EVRYWHRE scale, we therefore place the hotel — quite deservedly — in the Top-Notch segment.

Rating

As expected, we award this stay at The Oberoi Amarvilas a well-deserved 10 out of 10 possible points.

Go there?

Yes! We highly recommend it: Go there!

Book with EVRYWHRE

Would you like to stay at The Oberoi Amarvilas? Then book through us. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Preferred Partner rate available here, but booking through us won’t cost you any more than booking at other hotels — and it offers real benefits, such as:

✔ Free breakfast
✔ Upgrade subject to availability
✔ $100 hotel credit
✔ Early check-in & late check-out
✔ Earn points—as usual

You can find all the details on our Booking Hub.

YouTube Review

Are you even more interested in The Oberoi Amarvilas and want to see the amazing view of the Taj Mahal from the room’s terrace in even more detail? Then I highly recommend checking out our YouTube review. It’s really worth it!