New Delhi Hotel Reviews
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.
I highly recommend the N block Cybercafe at Connaught Place and warn all to make sure that any ride, be it in taxis, cars or risckshaws is "direct and without shopping or emporiums".
Mughal Empire Monuments were worth visiting in Delhi as well as Agra. Pahar Gung market is very interesting. For a very tasty chicken, lamb or goat tandoori meat visit KARIM Restaurant near Nizamuddin tomb in Delhi.
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...
My suggestion is to NOT go to Old Delhi between the hours of 8 - 11 am and 5 - 7pm. I tried to get up to the mosque for a sunset - well traffic was a standstill and the mosque closes prior to sunset for prayer...get the right info and do some research - this will save precious time and save frustration - listen to the drivers - they sometimes do know best...however much we try to think otherwise.
We had a great time in India around the Golden Triangle (Delhi-Agra-Jaipur). We travelled by train, which was fine in sleeper class (upgrade possible on the train!) and by tuk-tuk within the city (know your fare and stick to your destination, as drivers can be quite cunning). When the Metro is finished, Bajaj will be very near a line. A good place for food in Delhi is the Embassy restaurant on Connaught.
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!
Visited Mirik near Darjeeling, specially the Kagyu Monastery of the late Bokar Rinpoche and stayed at the Jagjeet Hotel. Staff was friendly, did everything possible to make stay pleasant.
YOU ARE ABLE TO BOOK A PRIVATE TAXI FROM THE HOTEL WHICH IS VERY REASONABLE WHO WILL TAKE TO WHERE EVER YOU WANT TO GO (PLUS A FEW OTHER PLACES*)HE WILL WAIT FOR YOU WHILE YOU ARE SHOPPING OR WHATEVER. BOOKED A TOUR TO TAJ MAHAL THRU TOUR DESK AT HOTEL AND IT WAS VERY GOOD-TRANSPORT IN 4WD-VERY PROFESSIONAL/FRIENDLY. *CRAFT/HANDICRAFT SHOPS
Recommend to go to Sheratons Bukhara restaurant, with fabulous central asian and indian bbq food. You can even ask to go into the grill room and they give you a cook hat, so take your fotos! Bill Clinton was also dining in this restaurant.
The texiles of India are amazing, even if, as a foreigner, you would never wear a sari. They are wonderful decorating accents to take home and use creatively. A good place to find them and other things is the Central Cottage Industries Emporium but it is nearly impossible to get there if you are using street transportation--everyone takes you to the place with a similar sounding name where they earn a commission just for dropping you there.<br> <br> On this trip, I wanted a guided city tour so I used the hotel''s travel service for safety and convenience. I booked an aircon car, driver and guide for a reasonable price and we spent a couple of hours driving by to look at a few sights.In spite of paying for the tour, I ended up at an expensive, well-mannered but high-pressure shop selling carpets and jewelry. After getting his commission, the guide left and the driver took me around to a few other places that I wanted to visit. When booking tours, it probably makes sense to specify up front that you do not want to go to such places, then be prepared to be insistent and refuse to get out of the car if taken to such places.<br> <br> The Central Cottage Industries Emporium is a good place to shop if you don''t have much time or you want to learn about quality and prices before heading out to places where bargaining is done. The State Emporium was rather disappointing but would have been OK if I had been wanting a specific thing that they had in quantity.
For shoppers a must stop is the Govt. owned Cottage Emporium about a 10 min walk from the hotel and showcasing Handicrafts from all over India. The prices are a little more expensive than the smaller privately owned shops lining Janpath Street(provided you are good at haggling at the smaller shops) but the quality is guaranteed so you are assured of not being taken for a ride.<br> <br> A nice not too expensive restaurants is the Standard Cafe located on the first floor adjacent to the Regal Cinema 5 min walk from the Hotel. Try their Tandoori Platter! Taxis and Auto Rickshaws are easily available from outside the Hotel, but try to get an idea of the fare (to your intended destination) from the Hotel so you can negotiate effectively.
A couple of great restaurants nearby are Spice Route in the hotel Imperial, and the Blue Elephant at the top of the Intercontinental. Also just south of Delhi is a great Muslim restaurant, Karims...An absolute must!!
If you want to visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal it is worth booking with India Tourism or arranging to hire a car with other parties. Many companies offer tours to Agra which is rather expensive.
With the hotel, we rented a taxi to visit differents historic sites in Delhi. After, we travel alone, by our-self. It''s very pleasant to go to Varanasi. The Alka hotel (it seems, it''s not on your list), is a very good hotel, with view on the gange! I recommend it! Visit Sarnath, close to Varanasi! We had the lonely planet and the guide du routard, which give very good address of restaurants and hotel! We stay after one night at the Clark''s hotel at varanasi and one night before to go back to France, at the Imperial hotel at Delhi! of course, the price are not compare to Ajanta hotel!
Delhi - interesting but frustrating city. Old Delhi worth a visit if you have the energy! Worth taking a rickshaw around the bazaars there. Beware of touts at all tourist sites. Some are good and worth the money many are worthless. The one we had at the Taj Mahal was not very good at all. The one we had at Fatehpur Sikri was very good. Worth the money. Don''t hire one until you have listened to them for 5 mins or so and know if they know their stuff. The guide at the National Museum in Delhi was very good and would not accept any money for his tour. Good Indian restaurant in Sheraton Hotel. Go to Agra by train. The 6.30am express executive class is great, a big surprise with breakfast and a newspaper.
The owners run tourist business as well, so they could make taloir made trips round India at very reasonable prices. We have travelled by car provided by hotel to Agra anf Keoladeo National park, which worse seeing especially before March, so driver was at our disposal for 3 days and it was not expensive. There is a very good Indian restaurant round the conour from the hotel, recommended by the owners.
Good bar/restaurant with music - go to commercial centre ''The Buzz". Luxury hotel for drinks, cocktails, food and grand decor go to Imperial hotel. Good reasonable speed internet cafe two doors down from bajaj and some small shops and eating places within walking distance.
We were lucky enough to run into quite a few excellent people and hotels along the way: Dev Raj Ajmer--tour guide, driver. He took us all over Rajestan to places we didn''t even know to go. His # is: 9829281366 or email him @ devrajajemera2001@yahoo.com and tell him Ellen and Alberto told you about him. In Jaipur we stayed in the Umaid Bahwan. Also excellent place. Very clean, accomdating staff, beautifully painted rooms. The restaurant was not so great, but the hotel itself was fabulous and inexpensive! They have a website--just look it up. In Bikaner we stayed at the Baharan Guest House. This place is WONDERFUL as well. Clean, big rooms, some with TV. The food is to die for! The family that runs the place is just terrific and sooo nice! Email me for the number--I don''t have it handy right now.
Agra is a fun filled day that requires patience and adventure when driving on the road to the Taj Mahal! We rode elephants on the way and saw a lot of countryside villages. Also the shopping in Delhi is fabulous!