| K Varma |
09 August 2005 |
Stayed at Oberoi Amar Vilas - Agra, India.
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Visited Taj-hotel provided golf cart for transportation; Agra Fort and most other sites.
Tour guide recommended by hotel was very informative. Did shopping for wool carpet, handicrafts etc.
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| M Labertew |
05 June 2005 |
Stayed at Ivory Tower - Bengaluru (Bangalore), India.
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Rickshaws and taxis in front of hotel can take you to more distant locations, otherwise shopping and dining is literally steps away. A fun upscale bowling alley and arcade immediately behind hotel, as well as movie theater 1.5 blocks away, make up somewhat for lacking pool, if looking for entertainment options.
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| S Dorn |
06 April 2005 |
Stayed at Umaid Bhawan Jaipur, Hotel - Jaipur, India.
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Jaipur is a great place and a must visit for anyone going to India. It is worth taking a tour as there is many sights to see. I organised a tour through the RTDC, which can be booked at a couple of RTDC offices and RTDC hotels. It only cost 100 rupees for a half day tour and 150 rupees for a full day tour, both with an english speaking guide. I found a great vegetarian restaurant called "The Parantha Hut' in the new city, which served clean and very tasty food (I went back several times).
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| H Butcher |
09 March 2005 |
Stayed at Ritz Plaza Hotel - Amritsar, India.
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Visited Golden Temple. Terrific. And the border crossing, great fun. Very good 1 1/2 hours entertainment. Arrived and left on Shatabdi Express. No problems. Used taxi's and autorickshaws to get around.
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| M Garneau |
21 November 2004 |
Stayed at Chand Palace, Hotel - New Delhi, India.
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A little tip for those who think about hiring a driver to go to Rajasthan (or elsewhere) from Delhi. We hired a driver (through Akshat Tours & Travels) for 26 days and we had a wonderful time (no problems at all, except for a flat tire once). Before we left, we made it very clear -and had written in our contract- that we wanted a very flexible itinerary and that we would choose our own hotels and our own restaurants during the whole journey. If you don't want to get frustrated, this is probably the best thing to do. We have met many travellers in Rajasthan who had also hired a private driver through various agencies, but with a package tour formula: they could not choose their hotels (and often felt they did not get what they had paid for), they were taken to shops and factories where they did not want to go and most of all, they could not change their itinerary. Many of them were really frustrated, so better know before you leave...
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| G Williams |
09 October 2004 |
Stayed at Bajaj Indian Home Stay - New Delhi, India.
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We visited Gandhi's memorial and Emperor Humayun's Tomb (the very, very impressive predecessor to the Taj Mahal) in New Delhi, then hired a vehicle for a one-day round trip tour to the Taj Mahal in Agra (it's well worth the trip, but if I had to do it over again I would overnight in Agra to really soak up the splendor of the Taj). Our most unusual experience was riding a camel-drawn cart from the parking lot of the Taj to the main entrance. I'm glad I wasn't sitting near the camel's backside because it sure was stinky. We flew to Madras (Chennai), where we toured a silk farm, then shopped at several stores specializing in silk clothing. We ended our stay in southern India by visiting friends in Vellore and Tiruvannamalai. Something I didn't expect to see was a monkey walking unattended (or otherwise) through a hotel lobby. And no, the monkey wasn't checking in, I think he was checking things out. Nobody seemed alarmed, and nobody said anything; I guess that's just the way it is in India --- wonderful, exotic India!
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| M Normoyle |
04 July 2004 |
Stayed at Suba Palace, Hotel - Mumbai (Bombay), India.
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I took a tour from Mumbai to Kathmandu with a company called the Imaginative Traveller which was absolutely brilliant. The guides were excellent and it was brilliant value for money.
I would advise anyone travelling to India for the first time not to start their trip in Mumbai. The trip from the airport was shocking- nothing but slums coupled with terrible smells, loads of stray dogs etc. Delhi would be much less intimidating.
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| M Samra |
28 December 2003 |
Stayed at Fariyas Hotel - Mumbai (Bombay), India.
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The elephant boat ride is worth it to get away from Mumbai for the day and the infamous chowpatty beach is worth a look at night when all the local families come out.
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| R Callaghan |
11 April 2003 |
Stayed at Oberoi Maidens, The - New Delhi, India.
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Delhi can be a bit of a culture shock for westeners but overall we were
determined to give it a try and enjoy ourselves. The Obeoi Maidens Hotel was great but as it was some way outside Delhi we ate out very little in the evenings as this would have meant getting a taxi there and back.
We visited Agra and Jaipur through a tour operator and had a driver with an air conditioned car on an all inclusive package. This was good value and the local hotels were geat; the only dawback was that the drivers would insist on taking us into craft shops which we did no want to do.
Charging foreigners 750 rupees to visit the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort when Indians are charged 20 rupees is extortion of the worst kind. If that happened in the west there would probably be riots. The squalor and begging was very distressing not to mention the touts who pestered us continuously. However, we had a truly enjoyable time and many memorable expeiences.
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| L Weeden |
23 February 2003 |
Stayed at Suba Palace, Hotel - Mumbai (Bombay), India.
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Mumbai (Bombay) is a very interesting place with lots to see and do. The hotel is right by the Gateway of India where lots of tours can be taken from. I visited Elephanta caves which is 1 hour away by ferry and really enjoyed but prepare to do some walking up very steep steps and down slopes, oh and watch out for the monkeys who have very canny tactics on how to ambush you for food.
A very busy city full of hustle and lots of noise (especially car horns). A good place to eat which is not far from the hotel is a place called Leopolds, great food and very clean and always busy no matter what time of the day you go. We travelled by taxi which was a good way to get around and not expensive but always ask how much before your journey begins because they don't always use the meter.
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Traveller's Tales: Things to do in India
