India Hotel Reviews
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.
Madras is a good starting point for visiting South India. Many shops and malls. Famous are the silks of Kanchipooram which are sold in Madras too.
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.
Don''t hire a car in Chennai unless you have a driver with it, the traffic is mad. If there is an inch of space on the road, someone will claim it and rules of the road do not exist, unless its ''first come first served!''
If you are planning to visit the temple please procure entry cards well in advance or you may have to spend more days than you have planned for. A number to tourist attractions are available in and around Tirupati. The travel service at the hotel can assist you to organise tours.
Went to the Wagah border post betwean India and Pakistan. Great fun !! Its about 30 Kms. Booked through the reception at the hotel. ost about 1000 rupees each.They run the tour every evening at dusk. Hundreds of people there. Singing, chanting etc. The golden temple is the main reason for visiting Amtitsar. We went on a Sunday and as you would expect it was packed. Got a TukTuk which was fun.We were the only westerners that we saw. Worth visiting the Food Hall where upto 30,000 people are fed every day for free.Just to see the process. Where they prepare the food and clean up all the plates is amazing. Worth going just to see that. The temple is quite small but beautiful surrounded by a moat within white ornate buildings. Just down the road within walking distance is the place where the British massacre took place.( Jallianwala Bagh) Being British I felt very uneasy here. Don''t think I would go again. As the only westerners we got a lot of hostile looks. As you would expect. I thought it was just a memorial garden but it turned out to be much more than that. In fact we got quite a lot of hostile looks at the Golden Temple as well as if we weren''t welcome there. It was the only place in India that I felt this and I was pleased to leave Amritsar. There were very few westerners that we saw and I''m not sure if they get too many tourists other than Indians. There aren''t any 5 star hotels there so that may say something. Eating out was difficult. We ate in the hotel for two of the nights and it was very good. The other place that we found was a Pizza Hut in Lawrence St (a 10 minute walk away)which was very good and the staff were so pleased to see us. As were the customers. We were quite a novelty. After 3 weeks in India a Pizza was great. There are a lot of internet places which are very cheap (25 rupees per hour) about 30 pence. You can also phone from these places and to the UK it was only 4 rupees per minute. At the time we were there we got 89 rupees to the pound.
We were in Khajuraho for 2 days. The town was perhaps the most touristy of all the places that we have been. We got pestered constantly and it was a relief to get back to the hotel. Went to Raja''s Cafe as recommended in the lonely planet,don''t bother. It said it was owned by a Swiss woman. Possibly a long time ago,dirty and grim.There didn''t seem like too many places to eat apart from the hotels unless you want the cheapest places. We were there for a short time so just ate in the hotel. It''s so cheap anyway, approx £2-3 for a main course at a 4-5 star hotel. I''ve been to India 5 times and found the safest way is to eat in the best hotels unless you are a backpacker. The overall cost is minimal. We went to the light show at the Temples at 7.30 pm. It lasted for about an hour but half that time would''ve been better. The temples are right in the town centre (its a very small town-a village really)I thought they were fantastic. Architecturally and visually. Mostly in very good condition.In a lovely park setting, a complete contrast to the town. You can easily walk around them in a couple of hours. We walked round the town in about an hour tops. Mostly small shops (tourist types) and tailors. You could get most things made here. I ordered a dress and blouse from the hotel shop before coming into the town. In the hotel there was no hassle I probably paid more but I was happy with the result. The rickshaw drivers were the most persistent of anywhere that I''ve been but probably the poorest I have seen. There weren''t too many tourists but it still doesn''t make it very pleasant to walk around with the constant hassle.
Agra and in particular the Taj Mahal were beautiful. However, there isn''t much else to do in Agra so don''t spend more than a day here. Also don''t waste your money getting a guided tour for the day - the only attractions worth seeing are the Taj Mahal are perhaps the Agra Fort (if you haven''t already seen the Red Fort in Delhi).
Mumbai was stinky, dirty and on the whole we found it not to be the most interesting place in India. There are much nicer places in India to spend your time and money in. Ellora caves and Ajanta caves which are about 6 hours from Mumbai are beautiful.
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).
First time visit to Taj for my kids; 2nd time for me & my wife. Took early (06.00h / 08.10h) Shabtabdi Express from New Delhi station to Agra Cantonment, which was an on-time, excellent, fast (2+ hour) including breakfast & newspaper service in Executive Class (2X2 airplane style seating). The usual mob scene on arrival in Agra, with everyone offering guide and car services. We got lucky with Kumar, who spoke excellent English, was very knowledgeable, and low-key on sales pressure. He offered Rs150 to "any hotel" and on the way offered to do a full day tour for Rs650 including the current station pick up. We accepted, and enjoyed the tour. <br> <br> The highlight was the Taj itself, and the place was mobbed with tourists in the late afternoon/early evening. All the gardeners/groundskeepers were trying to be very helpful by showing off good photo sites and angles (and of course soliciting tips). You must pay Rs 25 video camera fee, and you are only allowed to take video from the gate area itself, approximately 500m away. Mobile phones and tripods strictly not allowed (check in facility available.) No photography allowed inside Taj Mahal itself.<br> <br> The next day Kumar took us to the abandoned city of Fatepur Sikri, which was beautiful. The major difference from my last visit (20 years ago) is the commercialization of the mosque and shrine there. There are so many, highly-aggressive hawkers, con artists, guides, etc. following your every footstep inside and outside the shrine as to make the visit distinctly unenjoyable. Save your shopping for New Delhi (either Janpath or Central Cottage Emporium). Prices in Agra a severely over-inflated relative to Delhi. Returned from Agra Cantonment on Taj Express (18.55h / 22.00h). Train was 10 mins late arriving (originates in Gwalior) and it was not obvious to tourists where to find the A/C chair cars on our reservations. Seating was 2X3 airplane style; meals & water available for purchase from the steward on board. Arrived approx 15 mins late at New Delhi Nizzamudin station to the usual crowd of taxi hawkers.
With regard to visiting the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort - I was traveling with two teenagers who kept wanting to grab my camera. Advice: Provide everyone with his/her own camera for recording these stunning these visual sites.
We had a car and driver from the Aurangabad Travel Syndicate for which we negotiated a price of 1600 rupees for Ajanta and a City Tour. The driver was excellent and the car of good quality. The driver knew where to take us and we had a trouble-free (and memorable) visit.
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.
We arrived in Agra by rail and picked a taxi at the station, we agreed to book the taxi for 2 days for Rs 1250 which included an excellent guide and took us to all the sights in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, and of course a couple of factory shops making marble ornaments and jewellery, but we didn''t feel pressurised to make any purchases. There is a restaurant (Riao Restaurant) to the left as you exit the hotel, about 40 metres along the road (Rs 5 if you want to take the cycle rickshaw) which is quite good, but not much cheaper than the hotel restaurant, beer is not on the menu but is available (Kingfisher Rs 150).
If you are wanting to avoid the usual tourist hoards, stay in and go out around Anjuna and Vagator in the north of the northern part of Goa. Go and see the waterfall in dudhsagar national park.
Rest Indigo just behind the Taj is a very hip bar downstairs and a great Italian inspired rest on the second floor. Ask for a table on the terrace.
Do research on restuarants befor visiting, generally the quality in the tourist areas is poor, whereas good in the better residential areas in the south of the city. For good quality Indian fabrics try Fabindia in Greter Kailash I. Plus a few other good Indian houseware/fabric/clothing & book shops with an upmarket indian restaurant (Zaffaron.) The shops on this little garden square don''t pay rickshaw drivers commission, so prices are fixed & reasonable plus open to 7 pm.
Khajuaraho is not the easiest place to get to, but worth the effort. We flew from Varanasi on Jet Air. The temples are wonderful. The Western Temples the biggest, but all three sites worth a visit. The Sound and Light Show held in the evenings at the Western Temples is well worth a visit. The town is small and can be a break from the multi-populated cities of India. The hawkers here can be a bit annoying. Raja''s Cafe just opposite the Western Temples is good and open later on in the evenings.
A good place to use as a base for a short stay in Mumbai since everywhere is easily accessible: emporiums, ''Fashion Street'' (just up the road), Chowpatty Beach, the maidans, etc. We''re not cricket-lovers, but the ground is opposite.