India GOLuxury hotels in Udupi
None of the hotels in our Udupi list is rated five stars. The upscale choice comes down to two kinds of place: four-star chain hotels in Manipal, about 5 km from the temple, and beachfront resorts on Malpe beach, facing St Mary's Island. The hotels are in the list above; below is how to choose between them.
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Manipal or Malpe
The choice is less about the hotel than about the base.
Manipal: chain standards
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson is a four-star hotel with 54 rooms, a spa and an infinity pool, a short walk from Manipal University and about 4 km from Udupi station. Fortune Valley View (ITC Hotels' group) has 68 rooms and suites, an outdoor pool and guest access to the Marena sports complex on the campus, about 15 minutes' drive from Udupi town. Manipal is effectively part of the same town: buses to Udupi run every couple of minutes, and most cafés and bookshops are there.
Malpe: on the beach
Island Bay View Inn is a small retreat in a coconut grove on Malpe-Thottam beach, away from the harbour, with sea-facing suites looking at St Mary's Island and an outdoor pool. Paradise Isle Beach Resort is one of the few full beachfront resorts on Malpe: two pools, a spa, water sports and a sea-view restaurant, across from the sand and the St Mary's Island jetty.
Something different
SaffronStays Suvarna Sangam is a riverfront villa on a private island about 7.5 km from town, with boat rides and backwater views. Udupi Heritage Inn is a renovated house more than a hundred years old, within walking reach of the temple area. Heritage House Lakshani is a traditional home let as a whole house, with two AC bedrooms, out in the countryside.
How to choose
For the temple, the upscale hotels are not the closest: Car Street is a compact walking area, and the places right beside it are simple matha guest houses and town hotels (see where to stay). From Manipal or Malpe the matha is a short rickshaw ride, about ₹50–100 across town.
For the sea, Malpe is the only real choice, but check the month. In the monsoon sea entry is banned, the ferry to St Mary's Island does not run from June to September, and in April, May and October the sea is often rough. The season is November to February, which is also when a beachfront room is worth the price.
For service and facilities, the Manipal chain hotels are the dependable option, with pools and restaurants that work the same whatever the weather.
When Udupi fills up
The Paryaya, when the temple passes from one matha to the next, fills the town every two years (17–18 January 2028, expected): book months ahead, or look at Manipal and Malpe, which take the overflow. In Paryaya years the Makara Sankramana chariot festival a few days earlier also needs about two months' notice, and Janmashtami with Vittla Pindi (24–25 August 2027, expected) about three weeks.
FAQ
Are there 5-star hotels in Udupi?
None of the hotels in our list is rated five stars. The top category is four-star chain hotels in Manipal, plus beachfront resorts at Malpe.
Which luxury hotel in Udupi is on the beach?
Island Bay View Inn on Malpe-Thottam beach and Paradise Isle Beach Resort on Malpe beach, both facing St Mary's Island.
Is it better to stay in Manipal or Udupi?
Manipal has the chain hotels and most cafés and is about 5 km from the temple, with buses every couple of minutes. For walking to the Krishna Matha at dawn, stay in town near Car Street.
When is the best time for a beach hotel in Malpe?
November to February. In the monsoon sea entry is banned, and the St Mary's Island ferry does not run from June to September.
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
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