I got a quote for $1520 on Dec 17.

I know of people getting $1200 during this Xmas season.

Any opinions on my quote?.......

$1520 isn't bad at all from SFO, since Dec is the high season for travel to India. You won't find an empty plane headed to the subcontinent that time of year.

We went last Dec from LIT and paid $1600 on DL/AF from LIT. I imagine that this year's demand and capacity might be down a little due to the war, SARS, and everything else.

What airline(s) are you using?

Asiana is the airline.

Most airlines are booked.....Already!

Singapore is running $1800. Air Canada, the same, thru Toronto.

I'm going to a wedding there. I sure hope they appreciate the cost and time to travel there! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif


$1520 seems awefully expensive though. All FF programs are booked as well....

I'd jump on that fare if I were you. We booked ours in August of last year too, and the fare quickly started going up.

If you wanted to use FF miles, you'd literally have to book the minute the airlines open up availability for it, which I think is 335 days in advance. We tried to use FF miles, even in coach, about 200 days out and had no luck.

You might try checking with a consolidator. Pick up an India Today magazine and check the ads in the back, sometimes you can find cheaper deals, but most likely they are on Air India, and I wouldn't fly Air India if you paid me. I've done it once, and it was horrible. The worst part is that they keep waking you up for the food services. Most airlines just let you sleep, but not on Air India. If it's food/tea time, they wake you up. I couldn't stand it.

Where in India are you going?

Thanks for your advice.

I will be travelling around Dehli environs. Maybe 500 mile radius. Taj Mahal and other no-brainer sites will be visited of course.

I also heard Air India is pathetic. I know of someone who flew with them. All the connections were extremely late and ultimately took him 50 hours to get to India from the States. That is absolutely unnaceptable. That performance is in Aeroflot territory for crying out loud.

BTW, what is a recommended hotel in DELHI? Thanks in advance!.........

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Wolverine:
......
BTW, what is a recommended hotel in DELHI? Thanks in advance!.........</font>

Hyatt, Marrott, Radisson, Le Meridien,.. your pick - whatever works...

Personally I would stay in an Oberoi hotel before I stayed in an American chain hotel. The Oberoi in New Delhi is in need of an update, but the Maidens in Delhi is quite nice, and the level of service at all of their hotels is amazing.

Since you said you are going to Agra, I would definitely try and stay at the Amarvilas Hotel, which is part of the Oberoi Group. It has amazing views of the Taj and is inside the "clean zone", so the view is not obscured by the smog that makes Agra's sky look gray/yellow. It is quite expensive ($450+/night), so even if you decide not to stay there, at least stop by for a visit and have a drink.

http://www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi/India/Amarvilas/index.htm

I don't know if you've ever been to Delhi before, but at first blush, it can be quite overwhelming due to the sheer amount of people everywhere, the seeming lack of order, etc. But Delhi really is a nice town with great food, sightseeing, and people watching. The new "flyways" (highways) and the subway are quickly bringing order to the city, and the new buses that run on natural gas have made the air much more breathable.

Also, since you said you had a 500-mile radius for travel, I would try to make it to Udaipur. It is an amazing city, and if you do nothing else than check out the Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, it would still be worth the trip. The hotel was the same one that much of the James Bond movie "Octopussy" was filmed at and is a wonder in itself. It was originally a palace but has since been converted into a hotel.

http://www.lake-palace-udaipur.com/

Any other questions, please post.

[This message has been edited by hamajicky (edited 08-16-2003).]

Thanks for the advice!

Those seem like great suggestions and I will definitely follow-up!

I've heard good things about the Imperial Hotel in Delhi. Many people say it's a Taj era hotel--very discretely lavish. The Thai restaurant inside is said to be one of the best in Asia. At $139/night Expedia "special" rate, it seems like a no-brainer for this $300+/nite regular rate hotel.

The Oberoi you mentioned has also gotten raves. Seems very lavish. I guess you really can't go wrong with either! :=)

I heard of a monkey palace somewhere in India. I don't know where this is, but apparently it's an old stone palace and small monkeys inhabit it--looked like something out of "Jungle Book". Definitely appeared as a "must see attraction" on TV. I wish I remembered where it was. Any clues would be great!....

I also heard that there are beautiful areas in the souther most tip of India. There is just so much too see in this huge country that a 20 day stay seems like nothing--especially when one has to take a train....

The Imperial Hotel you are referring to is a nice hotel with a great location on Janpath. Janpath is a street in New Delhi where many vendors have set up shop streetside to sell Indian goods, similar to the bouqanistas along the Seine in Paris. Also on Janpath is the Emporium, the state-run "department store" where you can by virtually any handicraft from anywhere in the country, where the quality is assured, the price is fair, and they will ship it worldwide. The $139 Expedia rate is good, about the same as what you get from booking the hotel directly though, and if you book through the hotel, you don't have to pay now as you do with ExSpRates.

http://www.theimperialindia.com/

I believe the monkey palace you are talking about is close to Jaipur. If you are traveling by car (which from Delhi, I would recommend) from Agra to Jaipur, it is on the way, about 30-45 minutes before you get to the city, and very close to another Oberoi hotel, the Rajvilas. We stopped by and didn't see but a few monkeys. You will see monkeys all over the place in Delhi, especially close to the airport for some reason.

Also, on the road from Agra to Jaipur is Fatehpur Sikri, a palace compound that is surrounded by a town of the same name. A bit touristy, but a great place to stop and spend two hours admiring the palace and its history. You can hire a guide that speaks English for under $5 although I am sure they will gouge you on the entrance fee if you aren't Indian or don't look it. They will also gouge at the entrance to the Taj. Indian nationals pay I think 50 rupees, and foreign nationals pay something about 700 rupees.

India is very accessible by train, but is also very accessible by air if you want to go the south. Jet Airways is a very reliable airline with new Boeing jets that can take you to any corner of the country. Trains are also reliable. If you plan on staying in the North, though, I would recommend hiring a car and driver. The rates are extremely affordable (&lt;$40) day, and in most cases are faster than trains. North India, especially between the Tourist Triangle of Delhi/Agra/Jaipur has highways that you can travel 60mph on, a fairly new phenomenon for India.

If you have the opportunity to visit the south, I'd check out Goa. I believe it was originally settled by the Portugeuse and is now a thriving beach resort.

http://goa.indiantravelportal.com/

I too would advise jumping on that $1520 fare, which is reasonable. Flying to India in the month of December, you are lucky to get a seat at all. This is when all the expatriate Indians go home to see their families. Be prepared for fellow passengers bringing vast quantities of over-weight luggage.

In the south, I prefer Kerala to Goa, but that's just my two cents. As for where to stay in Delhi, I was recently at the (old) Oberoi and recommend it. I've been to the Hyatt also and it is fine although the rooms are rather small. The Maurya Sheraton could use a bit of updating, but its restaurant (Bukhara) is unbeatable, one of the best in Delhi. Buy some cans of the makhani dal to take home!

hamajicky, I went to Udaipur in February and stayed at the brand-new Udaivilas. As of the opening of this place, you can forget about Lake Palace, which is a Motel 6 by comparison. It looks nice from far away, but the Udaivilas interiors and grounds are absolutely unbelievable. The restaurants are excellent as well (much better than the food at the Lake Palace, where I had dinner one day.) Udaivilas is one of the top three hotels I have ever stayed in, anywhere. Wolverine, Udaipur itself has a lot to offer, especially if you build in some day trips to places like Kumbalgarh Fort and the Jain temples in Ranakpur. I'd recommend it if you are doing a loop via Agra and Jaipur.

Do not miss Fatehpur Sikri.

I agree with you about Udaivilas. The Lake Palace is a nice place to visit and admire, but pales in comparison as a place to stay when compared to Udaivilas, Travelmad.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by hamajicky:
I agree with you about Udaivilas. The Lake Palace is a nice place to visit and admire, but pales in comparison as a place to stay when compared to Udaivilas, Travelmad.</font>

Yes, it's been a long time since I was inspired to take a picture of a hotel room (even the bathroom!) but Udaivilas was so stunning, I had to. Sadly, it's way too expensive for me to stay at on my own dime. I just have to wait for conferences to make it into places like this. I wonder where next year's India Investor Forum will be???

Looks good. How far is Udaipur from Dehli. Any attractions in Udaipur that would make it a worthwhile visit besides the hotel?....

Thanks in advance!.....

See Travelmad's previous post about the fort and the temple. The state of Rajasthan is also famous for its great shopping of Indian handicrafts like quilts, pillow covers, jewelry, shoes (made of camel leather), etc. Rajasthanis wear very colorful clothing and that style has carried over to the crafts of that state. Jaipur might be a little better for shopping, but Udaipur is not far behind.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Wolverine:
How far is Udaipur from Dehli. Any attractions in Udaipur that would make it a worthwhile visit besides the hotel?</font>

See http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/2690a/108d7a/ for a few ideas on what to do in Udaipur. I think the city is good for a three-day stay, more or less. If you're at Udaivilas, tack on a few more days just to lounge in the luxury...

This city is located about 10 hours' drive/train to the southwest of Jaipur--if you're en route from Delhi through Jaipur, you just keep going straight on to get to Udaipur. But this is an awfully long distance to drive in India. Instead, I'd fly (you can fly between Jaipur-Udaipur and also between Udaipur-Delhi) or take the train from Jaipur.

By the way, you're very lucky to be invited to an Indian wedding. This ought to be a great experience. Make sure you rent "Monsoon Wedding" beforehand to get an idea of what you are in for!

Personally, I can't stand Indian weddings after having been to so many American ones. The rituals and the flowers and everything are pretty cool, but I find the mass chaos that goes on during weddings to be pretty annoying. Especially the eardrum shattering bhangra music that will inevitably be blaring throughout the whole thing. Also, I don't think that Indian people understand the concept of a line which can be a pain while trying to make it through the buffet line.

If you've never been to one though, it'll be cool. Once you've done a half dozen, you'll grow to dread them.