This central hotel is convenient for the train station. A fancy elevator takes you up to your room, which will be clean and tidy and might overlook an inviting (but out-of-bounds) swimming pool to the rear. There are drinking-water dispensers at the end of each corridor, some train noise to put up with, and no room service after 9pm.

Reminiscent of a classic backpacker hang-out, this cheery, busy hotel sits in Guwahati’s central market area and offers great value for those travelling on a budget. Rooms are typically featureless but clean and tidy, with fresh sheets, and the management is helpful. The in-house restaurant offers a decent range of basic dishes.

Owned and managed by the affable and hospitable Baruah family, this charming 1970s bungalow on Manik Chandra (MC) Rd oozes nostalgia in the form of innumerable antiques and memorabilia strewn across its living areas. The six plush rooms are appointed with elegant period furniture and brocaded upholstery. The home-cooked food is matchless in terms of local flavour and character.

The manicured front lawns go extremely well with chilled beer in the evenings (just remember to carry mosquito repellent).

This trusted oldie is professionally run and offers superb value for money, and is thus a favourite with midrange travellers transiting through Guwahati. Rooms are well serviced; those with AC offer a significantly better deal for a few hundred extra rupees. Book in advance, as it’s packed most of the time.

In a quiet residential area, this utterly delightful place run by ex-professor Sheila and her husband, Mahesh, is probably one of the best homestays in all India. The property is hemmed by lush gardens outside and adorned with ecochic decor within. The Assamese meals (₹650) prepared by in-house chef Pankaj give serious competition to restaurants in town.

Once the best among Guwahati's hotels, the Dynasty on Sir Shahdullah (SS) Rd retains a sense of nostalgia and offers magnificent rooms with a colonial flavour. It has all the facilities you’d expect from a top-end hotel, including a couple of superb restaurants, a sauna and a spa.

Facing Chitralekha Udyan south of the bus station, this government-run hotel has been spruced up to cater to international budget travellers. The spacious, good-value rooms have clean attached bathrooms, fresh sheets and mosquito nets. The staff is extremely efficient and obliging by government standards.

Touting itself as 'one of the finest hotels in Assam', this smart midrange address offers great value for money. The spacious rooms have comfy beds, large windows, clean and airy loos, and mod cons such as flat-screen TVs and wi-fi. It's a five-minute walk along JN Rd from Mission Chariali.

With slick, contemporary rooms, good customer service and plenty of attention to detail, this hotel – located about 3km north of the town centre – has lots going for it. There’s an in-house restaurant, a coffeeshop and, most importantly, a well-stocked department store downstairs where you can buy essentials before venturing into remote areas.

On the rooftop terrace, Chat House has an open-sided, but roofed, dining area boasting cooling breezes, good views, Indian snacks, noodles, pizzas and momos (Tibetan dumplings).

This incredibly busy and popular cafeteria serves hot, tasty all-day snacks and mini meals – the puris (deep-fried flatbreads) are simply scrumptious – through the day. The bakery section has a decent range of puffs, pastries and bread, while the upstairs vegetarian restaurant comes alive during lunch and dinner.

Eco-Camp organises park visits, including two-hour birdwatching rafting trips (₹1650/2200 in a two/four seater). Accommodation is in ‘tents’, but colourful fabrics, private bathrooms, sturdy beds and thatched-roof shelters make the experience relatively luxurious. The camp is set within lush gardens full of tweeting birds and butterflies drunk on tropical nectar, while the exotic plants are all labelled for easy identification.

Set amid rolling tea gardens about 5km from Balipara and 30km northeast of Tezpur, this resort offers luxury accommodation in four superbly renovated planter’s bungalows on a picturesque 9-hectare campus canopied with evergreen trees. The showcase Heritage Bungalow (₹29,500 per double including full board) is a stately 100-year-old building that preserves a slice of the high life from its past.

Hotel Paradise has well-kept interiors, chequered blankets, friendly service, deep-fried snacks and free wi-fi in the lobby.

At the end of Solicitor Rd is New Park, a smart establishment with tidy, breezy rooms, hot showers and lots of daylight.

The highlight of Jorhat is the delightful Puroni Bheti, standing amid lush tea gardens on the western edge of town and run by a super-hospitable planter and his family. Personalised attention, premium accommodation, lip-smacking homemade food and song- and laughter-filled evenings with the hosts guarantee a memorable and luxurious stay. House dogs Elsa and Bamby are great company.

In Garamur, this thatched guesthouse on bamboo stilts has rooms decked out in locally made fabrics, giving it a hippie-chic atmosphere. There’s also a new concrete block that sticks out like a sore thumb. It's run by a friendly tribal family, and the kitchen serves a delicious range of local Mishing dishes (meals ₹250).

En route from Kamalabari to Garamur, this stilted guesthouse perches on a marshy, bird-spotted lake. Listen to the chorus of a thousand cicadas before dropping off to sleep in a comfy bamboo bed in one of the spartan, traditionally furnished cottages (bring that insect repellent along!). Dinner (₹250) can be organised by prior request.

A pretty complex of eight cottages ranged around a grassy lawn trimmed by seasonal blossoms, this place is often booked out by top-end international tour groups and is clearly the best of Majuli’s overnight options. A very tasty local meal (₹500) can be enjoyed with advance arrangement.

Around 500m south of Shiva Dol along AT Rd is this surprisingly appealing hotel, where you'll find a line of super-smart rooms with comfy beds, clean sheets, tasteful laminate furniture and good bathrooms. It's clearly the best of Sivasagar's meagre budget options, and the pricier rooms easily conjure a faithful illusion of a business hotel. There's a good in-house restaurant.

Now in its 25th year of operation, this trusted address features 34 rooms that – despite offering varying standards of comfort – all guarantee excellent value for money. Service is professional and prompt, and in-house restaurant Kaveri does a good job of Indian and Chinese staples.

Smartly appointed and featuring a good range of North Indian, Chinese and local Assamese fare, this restaurant is a great place to grab dinner after a long day's sightseeing around town. The staff will happily explain the nuances of local cuisine and help you order your preferred dishes.