This will be my first trip to India. I am planning the following trip (though at the worst time of the year- July 30-August 1):

Sat July 30 late arrival into DEL.

Stay- either The Manor or Imperial ( though I am having trouble getting an email through to the Manor). Does anyone have any opinions abouth either of these hotels.

Sun July 31- Arga

Same hotel

Mon August 1-Wed August 3

Udaipur- Devi Garh Hotel. What do you know about this hotel?

Thur 4-Friday 5

Jaipur

Hotel ?? any ideas-

Sat 6 back to DEL, with late night departure to ICN fill in the day with DEL touring.

Is this a good introduction to India? Would I be better cutting Udaipur and having longer in Jaipur? Longer in Delhi?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Sat July 30 late arrival into DEL.

Stay- either The Manor or Imperial ( though I am having trouble getting an email through to the Manor). Does anyone have any opinions abouth either of these hotels.

Sun July 31- Arga

Same hotel

Mon August 1-Wed August 3

Udaipur- Devi Garh Hotel. What do you know about this hotel?

Thur 4-Friday 5

Jaipur

Hotel ?? any ideas-

Sat 6 back to DEL, with late night departure to ICN fill in the day with DEL touring.

Is this a good introduction to India? Would I be better cutting Udaipur and having longer in Jaipur? Longer in Delhi?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

The Imperial is better located although I have never stayed there myself. The Imperial is better known than the Manor, for what it's worth.

The worst time of the year is actually now until beginning June. Hot enough to get many people sick.

I would not go to Agra on your first morning in India since all "day trips" to Agra begin early and return late. The train to Agra is much faster than the bus/cars (2.5 hours vs 4.5-6) but advance reservations are often needed and you want to be in 1st class ACC if possible. I suggest you do Agra by train WITH a tour group. And when in Agra don't get fleeced by the hawkers or taken by tour guides unless it's hotel arranged or something else official. And don't waste your time shopping in Agra (despite what tour guides say).

How are you getting between the various cities?

In Jaipur I stayed at the Trident Hilton; it's a good value (especially at this time of the year), relatively new and you need a driver to take you around Jaipur anyway. It's relatively close to Amer Fort where you can get an elephant ride up all the way (and back down if you wish).

There is a Sheraton Rajputan in Jaipur too but I've never stayed there. Both hotels are a good value at this time of year, but the Trident Hilton is newer. Only 2000 SPG points are needed for a weekend stay at the Sheraton in Jaipur and most all Trident Hiltons in India are 10,000 HHonors points. There is also a Trident Hilton in Udaipur which is quite nice.

caviat: i haven't been in a few years. but, agra, though wonderful, and as you've been told, and not to be missed, is only for visiting the taj, and is quite dangerous. pickpocket haven. be careful. the nature of all travel in india, from my experience, is that you are looked at as a fool who should be ripped off in every way humanly possible. so do the best to plan ahead and know what to expect. having said the negative, i've spent about 6 months there, and remember it most fondly. and frankly, we are a bit the same with tourists here in hawaii. i get hotels for 1/2 of what tourists pay, and golf for 10-20%, for example.

The area around Agra has at least four things that should be seen. Taj Mahal, Agra Fort (from where you can see Taj Mahal as the imprisoned, deposed-by-son Emperor saw it) and Akbar's Tomb. Then there is Fatehpur Sikhri which I recommend also.

But given the heat, it's going to be hard.

Agra is not dangerous if you stay on the tourist path, but it's a place now designed to fleece tourists.

I think that the Imperial definitely has the best location, and is an interesting old hotel that has been turned into a nice upscale place. I'd also note that LeMeridien is in the same area and a little less expensive.
My own choice would be to take the second day in Delhi to rest up, and then travel by car/driver from a Govt. approved ITDC/DTDC agency for the trip to Jaipur and Agra...
and yes, for the first visit, I think I would skip Udaipur and enjoy the other two cities. The first visit to India is always a little overwhelming on the senses.

Three comments:

1. I think your stay is way too short. At least try not to spend your brief time there by moving through so many different locations. I fear that when you leave India you won't really have had the time to understand much of what is really going on behind the scenes...

2. The horror stories about India are blown way out of proportion. Sure, public transportation is a hassle and in the touristy places the touts are a PITA, but besides that you're likely to experience a fairly trouble free time there.

3. That being said, India will definitely challenge your senses. That's why I'd recommend at least a couple of weeks to settle in.

Thanks for your advice.

The problem is that I only have 9 days to do the trip- so getting from Korea to India and back means that this is the length of time I have.

Perhaps dropping Udaipur- though Devi Garh looks really great!

Another option is heading to Sri Lanka instead....Less to see, and just head to the south coast and relax on the beach, and see the elephants.

This will be my first trip to India. I am planning the following trip (though at the worst time of the year- July 30-August 1):

Sat July 30 late arrival into DEL.
Is this a good introduction to India? Would I be better cutting Udaipur and having longer in Jaipur? Longer in Delhi?

Thanks for any help you can give me!


Also post to the Forum (Asia/India) on fodors.com for additional suggestions and recommendations.

This will be my first trip to India. I am planning the following trip (though at the worst time of the year- July 30-August 1):

Sat July 30 late arrival into DEL.

Stay- either The Manor or Imperial ( though I am having trouble getting an email through to the Manor). Does anyone have any opinions abouth either of these hotels.

Sun July 31- Arga

Same hotel

Mon August 1-Wed August 3

Udaipur- Devi Garh Hotel. What do you know about this hotel?

Thur 4-Friday 5

Jaipur

Hotel ?? any ideas-

Sat 6 back to DEL, with late night departure to ICN fill in the day with DEL touring.

Is this a good introduction to India? Would I be better cutting Udaipur and having longer in Jaipur? Longer in Delhi?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

I think your itinery is a little hectic. IMO, 4 cities in 7 days is never a good idea.

With regards to hotels, in Delhi the Imperial is a larger hotel decorated in colonial style having some very classy restaurant and very centtrally located. Manor by comparison is a much smaller boutique hotel located in a posh residential colony but is much farther away from the attractions.

At Jaipur, Oberoi Rajvilas is the top hotel though its not too conveniently located. Other option is Taj hotels' Rambagh Palace, which is much more conveniently located.

Devigarh is fantastic. IMO, the best hotel in India in terms of design. We stayed at the Devigarh Suite, which is their top suite and it was very spacious and luxurious with a huge bathroom and a open air jacuzzi and swimming pool shared with one other suite.

I live in Delhi and have stayed in both Rajvilas and Devigarh, so if there are any other questions please ask

I'd just like to point out that you barely seem to have any time in DEL itself. Delhi is itself a city of significant historic importance in India. There's plenty to see - buildings from the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal, and modern-day India. Consider adding a day to spend in Delhi.
Here's another suggestion: You can base your entire trip out of Delhi and do a series of day-trips or overnights. That way you also get to travel to the foothills of the Himalayas if that's something that interests you. Check out places like Dehradun which are very pretty and not too far from Delhi. These areas also tend to be better choices, weather-wise than the searing desert.
I think you'll be happiest with your trip if you can identify the aspects you're interested in. If it's the geography (Himalayas, Rivers: Ganga, Yamuna (many more), Thar Desert, Forests of Kerala, ...), wildlife (many National Parks with treats including Lions, white Tigers, Rhinos, ..), history (ancient period, mughuls, british era), or religion and culture (hindu, budhist and jain temples and holy sites, muslim shrines and mosques and some prominent churches)
Most big cities in India provide a good mix of history, culture and contemporary influences.
Hope this helps

I agree with the others that your trip is too hectic at present -- I would suggest spending the first day in Delhi, then Agra the next day --- cut Udaipur and spend more time in Delhi and Jaipur. The Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) is probably the number one itinerary for visitors and is easily manageable in the time you have.

For accomodations in Jaipur, for a diiferent expeience, I suggest the Raj Palace (http://rajpalace.com/index.htm) --- haven't stayed there myself but it seems to be as far from the cookie cutter Sheratons as you can get.

Good luck and enjoy the trip.