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Rishikesh · Hotel shortlist

Hotels with a pool in the university district, Rishikesh

Marc Delacroix

Marc Delacroix France

Updated 1 September 2026 · 16 Rishikesh hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Rishikesh, out of the 16 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.5 down to 4.2.

Live Free Hostel Rishikesh is the one I would book myself.

Live Free Hostel Rishikesh

Highest rated of the five

Live Free Hostel Rishikesh

★★★★★4.5 from 2,789 reviews

Live Free Hostel Rishikesh comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.5 from 2,789 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under downtown and around $10 a night on the dates we checked.

16 hotels in Rishikesh qualified for this list and five made it. Sanskriti Vedic Retreat is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Live Free Hostel Rishikesh1

    Live Free Hostel Rishikesh

    ★★★★★4.5 from 2,789 reviews

    • Pool
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  2. Sanskriti Vedic Retreat2

    Sanskriti Vedic Retreat

    ★★★★★4.3 from 399 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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  3. Hotel Devbhoomi Inn3

    Hotel Devbhoomi Inn

    ★★★★★4.4 from 281 reviews

    • Pool
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning
    • Airport shuttle

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  4. Natraj Hotel Rishikesh - Rooms l Spa l Destination Wedding l Events4

    Natraj Hotel Rishikesh - Rooms l Spa l Destination Wedding l Events

    ★★★★★4.2 from 3,010 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  5. Hotel Krishna Rishikesh5

    Hotel Krishna Rishikesh

    ★★★★★4.3 from 141 reviews

    • Pool
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning
    • Airport shuttle

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How this list was put together

16 Rishikesh hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Marc Delacroix

Marc Delacroix France

Closes the shop two weeks each winter and goes wherever people make something fermented. Dairies in the Basque country, the Caucasus and rural Sardinia.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.