Aman India Journey + Oberoi Udaivilas, Amarvilas and Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace
Jan 9, 2013, 9:39 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: Amex Plat, FHR, SPG
Posts: 107
Aman India Journey + Oberoi Udaivilas, Amarvilas and Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace
We just returned from 2.5 weeks through India. It was eye opening, both beautiful and not at the same time. Nothing can really prepare you for India, but it was not as bad as some horror stories we had heard. Nobody in our foursome got sick, and nobody got conned.
We started off in Udaipur at the Oberoi Udaivilas:
The approach to the the hotel was pretty spectacular. They take you by car to a dock and then you do the final approach by boat. We managed to arrive just at sunset and it was pretty magical. The hotel grounds were beautiful and unlike any I had seen (till we got to the next Oberoi) The service was impeccable. Specifically the waitstaff. They went above and beyond every night. We casually mentioned to our waiter we liked a specific kind of street food we tried back home and he beamed with delight. The next night he had the chef prepare a special meal of that same street food as well as some of his favorites. The food was excellent. The weakest part of the hotel to me were the rooms. They seemed a touch old and nothing really special. We had the deluxe semi-private pool rooms. And the view from the pool was nice. We had some beautiful sunsets but all in all I found the rooms underwhelming. We spent 3 nights there... which I think was perfect. My rating: 8.5
Next we were supposed to fly to Jodhpur but the day before the flight we got a call from the Taj asking us how we were going to arrive now that our flight was cancelled. Thankfully, they were on the ball, because India air didn't seem to care to let us know. The Taj arranged for a car to drive us the 5 hrs and it turned out to be not so bad. The roads were fine.
Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur:
This certainly is a wow when you first arrive. It's a stunning palace. We were upgraded to a Royal Suite while our friends had a historic suite. They're room was actually much bigger with a huge bathroom. Ours was much smaller but had a terrace so we opted for the outdoor space. Our room was a little dark, theirs was open and airy. The service here was not quite as good as the Udaivilas but it was very good. The highlight of our stay was the Baradari Dinner. Christmas Eve we had dinner in the central chatri... we were seated in the lobby, given turbans and sashes and then escorted through the hotel and onto the lawn. When we reached the stairs they set off a fire work display for us. It was pretty amazing, then they lead us down a candle lit path to our private dinner (Well semi-private, the whole hotel was watching from a far.) We then had our own band and performances under the stars. It was very special. I highly recommend the splurge. We also very much liked the rooftop bbq. The food was excellent all around. We spent 2 nights at the hotel and that was also the right amount. There's not a ton to do in Jodhpur. My Rating: 9
From there it was a flight back to Delhi, thankfully, this one was not cancelled. We were met at the airport by the Aman New Delhi (or fake aman as we started calling it later.) We knew something was amiss immediately when we got into the car and there were no: Towels, pillows, snacks, brochures or music. I catalogued all the differences in my other post:
Aman New Delhi Un-Aman
The hotel itself is beautiful, the rooms large and very comfortable and the food was decent not great. (One morning we ordered the donuts with coffee granita thinking it would be much like the ones we had at Amankila, they served us store bought donuts.) The spa was terrific, big peaceful rooms and excellent service. We were very much looking forward to the boutique thinking it would be a nice curated shop. It was not... it was part of the salon and extremely disappointing. The excursions were the most disappointing part of this hotel, we were hoping for Aman-style activities, they had none. When we booked a tour of Old Delhi, it was like we were the first people to ask for this, they sent one of the concierges out with us... and he gave us a half-assed tour. One evening we had reservations at Bhukara (good food, but felt like we were eating in a chain restaurant.) We inquired about how to get there. I asked about getting a cab and they said just take the hotel car it's only 15 minutes. We wrongly assumed that meant it was complimentary. It was not. They charged us $100 each way. Which was very strange considering our full day tour with car was $50. They agreed to reduce the rate to $100 but still that seemed very silly. We were in Delhi 2 nights and that also was enough. I give the rooms a 9.5, but service a 7. On to Agra...
We opted to take the train to Agra. The train station in Delhi is nutty. As soon as the car pulled in we were surrounded by people banging on the window. At the time we didn't know these were porters, had we not been with a hotel representative we probably would have been concerned. They grabbed our bags and took off in a sprint with the bags on their heads. The train itself was a little worse for wear. We were in 1ac but it didn't feel like first class at all. The train ended up taking 4 hrs because of fog. That being said we still liked being able to sit and read instead of the bobblehead ride on the roads of India.
Oberoi Amarvilas
This hotel was a little underwhelming. The common areas were nice, the rooms were even worse than the udaivilas. The views of course were unparalleled, and that's why you stay there. The pool area was nice, but it was cold when we were there. The service was poor. I heard somewhere that this was the Oberoi training hotel. Not sure if thats just a rumor, but it sure felt like it. The food was just okay, and the service bad. Too many people not organized. Unfortunately the way our trip unfolded we arrived on a friday and the Taj is closed so we had to stay 2 nights. Too many. We loved the Taj Mahal and had an excellent guide. We even opted to see the Taj at night (which is only possible on full moons.) This turned out to be a fools errand because of fog. They should have mentioned that. Oh well, it was still an interesting adventure. As far as Agra is concerned, if you can do it in one night... get in and out. My rating of this hotel: 7.5
Amanbagh
Ahhh finally in the cradled arms of a real Aman. Aman picked us up in Agra and immediately we knew we were back at the real deal. Pillows, snacks, music, brochures... phew. The ride to Amanbagh was a bit of a rolypoly one. Most of it is highways but there are a couple of villages that give you a real core workout in the car.
We arrived at Amanbagh and were shown to our Terrace Havali suite and it was excellent. Big open, airy and great. My only complaint would be the beds were a touch hard. The staff here were excellent as expected. It really is amazing how different it is when you step foot in a real aman hotel. The food was some of the best we had in India. The shop was the largest we'd seen so far at an Aman hotel. Well stocked with beautiful jewelry. We were lucky enough to be there for New Years and they went all out... huge buffet and bbq and decorated the whole place in lights and strung umbrellas on the courtyard. It was amazing. Everything about the resort was perfect. The local villagers were so inviting and happy to see us every where we went. Get used to waving and saying Tata to all the kids.. they come sprinting out of their houses to say hello. The local guides were so knowledgeable on all the wildlife. We were there 3 nights and that also seemed right to me. My rating: 10 (on our departure the GM confirmed he has been working on the Gambon Amans, they break ground this year and will eventually have 5. Using the Bhutan model... they'll open them in stages.)
Aman-I-Khas
This was the real surprise for me and the rest of the group. There has been a lot of mixed reviews on this forum of 'Khas and after our recent stay at Amanwana I was expecting to be underwhelmed. We loved it. There's not a whole lot to the resort but this is one of those places that for us had a certain unexplainable magic. The tents themselves were amazing... so much better than 'Wana. But the real showstopper is the service. Our batman Sutesh was perfection. He took care of us morning and night. He magically appeared when ever we need him and took care of us with an unpretentious level of attentiveness. He clearly took pride in his job and in the level of service he could offer. Each activity we did, he magically appeared with tea and snacks in the most spectacular settings. Though we didn't get to see a tiger the hunt in the park was in and of itself exciting and fun. Even the 6 hour train ride back to Delhi was a delight because Sutesh came with us and tended to anything and everything. The food was excellent as well. We even loved the local craftsmen who came to sell their wares. We particularly loved the pashmina guy who was so charismatic (though it didn't help our wallets, we became particularly hooked on his scarfs.) All in all Aman-i-Khas shocked us with it's charm. We did 3 perfect nights there. Another 10 in my book. (Only cons were very cold in the mornings in the tents and the beds were incredibly hard.)
All in All the India Journey was an adventure... go with an open mind and heart. Don't expect everything to go according to plan. Be flexible. You will definitely see things that will shock you... but you will also see things that will amaze you.
We started off in Udaipur at the Oberoi Udaivilas:
The approach to the the hotel was pretty spectacular. They take you by car to a dock and then you do the final approach by boat. We managed to arrive just at sunset and it was pretty magical. The hotel grounds were beautiful and unlike any I had seen (till we got to the next Oberoi) The service was impeccable. Specifically the waitstaff. They went above and beyond every night. We casually mentioned to our waiter we liked a specific kind of street food we tried back home and he beamed with delight. The next night he had the chef prepare a special meal of that same street food as well as some of his favorites. The food was excellent. The weakest part of the hotel to me were the rooms. They seemed a touch old and nothing really special. We had the deluxe semi-private pool rooms. And the view from the pool was nice. We had some beautiful sunsets but all in all I found the rooms underwhelming. We spent 3 nights there... which I think was perfect. My rating: 8.5
Next we were supposed to fly to Jodhpur but the day before the flight we got a call from the Taj asking us how we were going to arrive now that our flight was cancelled. Thankfully, they were on the ball, because India air didn't seem to care to let us know. The Taj arranged for a car to drive us the 5 hrs and it turned out to be not so bad. The roads were fine.
Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur:
This certainly is a wow when you first arrive. It's a stunning palace. We were upgraded to a Royal Suite while our friends had a historic suite. They're room was actually much bigger with a huge bathroom. Ours was much smaller but had a terrace so we opted for the outdoor space. Our room was a little dark, theirs was open and airy. The service here was not quite as good as the Udaivilas but it was very good. The highlight of our stay was the Baradari Dinner. Christmas Eve we had dinner in the central chatri... we were seated in the lobby, given turbans and sashes and then escorted through the hotel and onto the lawn. When we reached the stairs they set off a fire work display for us. It was pretty amazing, then they lead us down a candle lit path to our private dinner (Well semi-private, the whole hotel was watching from a far.) We then had our own band and performances under the stars. It was very special. I highly recommend the splurge. We also very much liked the rooftop bbq. The food was excellent all around. We spent 2 nights at the hotel and that was also the right amount. There's not a ton to do in Jodhpur. My Rating: 9
From there it was a flight back to Delhi, thankfully, this one was not cancelled. We were met at the airport by the Aman New Delhi (or fake aman as we started calling it later.) We knew something was amiss immediately when we got into the car and there were no: Towels, pillows, snacks, brochures or music. I catalogued all the differences in my other post:
Aman New Delhi Un-Aman
The hotel itself is beautiful, the rooms large and very comfortable and the food was decent not great. (One morning we ordered the donuts with coffee granita thinking it would be much like the ones we had at Amankila, they served us store bought donuts.) The spa was terrific, big peaceful rooms and excellent service. We were very much looking forward to the boutique thinking it would be a nice curated shop. It was not... it was part of the salon and extremely disappointing. The excursions were the most disappointing part of this hotel, we were hoping for Aman-style activities, they had none. When we booked a tour of Old Delhi, it was like we were the first people to ask for this, they sent one of the concierges out with us... and he gave us a half-assed tour. One evening we had reservations at Bhukara (good food, but felt like we were eating in a chain restaurant.) We inquired about how to get there. I asked about getting a cab and they said just take the hotel car it's only 15 minutes. We wrongly assumed that meant it was complimentary. It was not. They charged us $100 each way. Which was very strange considering our full day tour with car was $50. They agreed to reduce the rate to $100 but still that seemed very silly. We were in Delhi 2 nights and that also was enough. I give the rooms a 9.5, but service a 7. On to Agra...
We opted to take the train to Agra. The train station in Delhi is nutty. As soon as the car pulled in we were surrounded by people banging on the window. At the time we didn't know these were porters, had we not been with a hotel representative we probably would have been concerned. They grabbed our bags and took off in a sprint with the bags on their heads. The train itself was a little worse for wear. We were in 1ac but it didn't feel like first class at all. The train ended up taking 4 hrs because of fog. That being said we still liked being able to sit and read instead of the bobblehead ride on the roads of India.
Oberoi Amarvilas
This hotel was a little underwhelming. The common areas were nice, the rooms were even worse than the udaivilas. The views of course were unparalleled, and that's why you stay there. The pool area was nice, but it was cold when we were there. The service was poor. I heard somewhere that this was the Oberoi training hotel. Not sure if thats just a rumor, but it sure felt like it. The food was just okay, and the service bad. Too many people not organized. Unfortunately the way our trip unfolded we arrived on a friday and the Taj is closed so we had to stay 2 nights. Too many. We loved the Taj Mahal and had an excellent guide. We even opted to see the Taj at night (which is only possible on full moons.) This turned out to be a fools errand because of fog. They should have mentioned that. Oh well, it was still an interesting adventure. As far as Agra is concerned, if you can do it in one night... get in and out. My rating of this hotel: 7.5
Amanbagh
Ahhh finally in the cradled arms of a real Aman. Aman picked us up in Agra and immediately we knew we were back at the real deal. Pillows, snacks, music, brochures... phew. The ride to Amanbagh was a bit of a rolypoly one. Most of it is highways but there are a couple of villages that give you a real core workout in the car.
We arrived at Amanbagh and were shown to our Terrace Havali suite and it was excellent. Big open, airy and great. My only complaint would be the beds were a touch hard. The staff here were excellent as expected. It really is amazing how different it is when you step foot in a real aman hotel. The food was some of the best we had in India. The shop was the largest we'd seen so far at an Aman hotel. Well stocked with beautiful jewelry. We were lucky enough to be there for New Years and they went all out... huge buffet and bbq and decorated the whole place in lights and strung umbrellas on the courtyard. It was amazing. Everything about the resort was perfect. The local villagers were so inviting and happy to see us every where we went. Get used to waving and saying Tata to all the kids.. they come sprinting out of their houses to say hello. The local guides were so knowledgeable on all the wildlife. We were there 3 nights and that also seemed right to me. My rating: 10 (on our departure the GM confirmed he has been working on the Gambon Amans, they break ground this year and will eventually have 5. Using the Bhutan model... they'll open them in stages.)
Aman-I-Khas
This was the real surprise for me and the rest of the group. There has been a lot of mixed reviews on this forum of 'Khas and after our recent stay at Amanwana I was expecting to be underwhelmed. We loved it. There's not a whole lot to the resort but this is one of those places that for us had a certain unexplainable magic. The tents themselves were amazing... so much better than 'Wana. But the real showstopper is the service. Our batman Sutesh was perfection. He took care of us morning and night. He magically appeared when ever we need him and took care of us with an unpretentious level of attentiveness. He clearly took pride in his job and in the level of service he could offer. Each activity we did, he magically appeared with tea and snacks in the most spectacular settings. Though we didn't get to see a tiger the hunt in the park was in and of itself exciting and fun. Even the 6 hour train ride back to Delhi was a delight because Sutesh came with us and tended to anything and everything. The food was excellent as well. We even loved the local craftsmen who came to sell their wares. We particularly loved the pashmina guy who was so charismatic (though it didn't help our wallets, we became particularly hooked on his scarfs.) All in all Aman-i-Khas shocked us with it's charm. We did 3 perfect nights there. Another 10 in my book. (Only cons were very cold in the mornings in the tents and the beds were incredibly hard.)
All in All the India Journey was an adventure... go with an open mind and heart. Don't expect everything to go according to plan. Be flexible. You will definitely see things that will shock you... but you will also see things that will amaze you.
Jan 9, 2013, 10:52 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
good report ^
some new details i think
very valuable breaking news re "aman" delhi (thanks for posting 2 weeks ago) ("aman" through jan 31)
gabon details - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...l#post17817363
?
seems like theyve stopped (nonstop) flights again
while at same time bringing back agra flights >
http://articles.economictimes.indiat...-return-flight
(with stops, incl varanasi - where 10 room taj Nadesar Palace opened in jan 2009)
some new details i think
very valuable breaking news re "aman" delhi (thanks for posting 2 weeks ago) ("aman" through jan 31)
gabon details - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...l#post17817363
seems like theyve stopped (nonstop) flights again
while at same time bringing back agra flights >
http://articles.economictimes.indiat...-return-flight
(with stops, incl varanasi - where 10 room taj Nadesar Palace opened in jan 2009)
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Jan 9, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Jan 9, 2013, 2:09 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: Amex Plat, FHR, SPG
Posts: 107
Yeah... well... I suppose that was the problem. We only went on one... I know, I know, but we were more interested in hiking and being active than driving around the game park. We didn't fully expect to see one on our only drive... but it was fun none the less.