blueline7

Many thanks SFO777! I am honoured for you to even be reading my report given your incredible TR's. The Burj really is an odd bird; because at this point, the decor is so dated that it is not just a matter of being gaudy, but old and gaudy. The clientele that I saw there appeared to be largely mainland Chinese and Russian. On the way out, I saw an African king or President or something, in traditional regalia, walking down the stairs with a dozen Burj staffers smartly dressed and at attention, while he walked by, handing each person a bank note while thanking them. That is kind of what I expected, but I only saw something like this once.

offerendum

Really enjoyed your report! Thanks

FlyingDoctorwu

Wow great report.. I too have seen Musken's report on Amanbagh and am so jonesing to go there... Amarvillas often gets panned but we stayed there in 1999 (wow has it really been that long) and thoroughly loved it... The pool area is absolutely gorgeous and it's a great and convenient place to spend one night and visit the Taj.... Last time we were there we went all Oberoi and it was a fantastic experience... though my next goal will be to go Aman on the return.. did you consider the Lodhi in Dehli?


FDW

Kaneohe0850

What an incredible adventure--and you experienced it with your Dad! Absolutely incredible! How long did you plan for this trip?

The Burj looks like it belongs on the Vegas Strip...really tacky!

SAtraveller

Great TR... Thank you for the review of the Burj as well as your excellent pictures. Really enjoyable, and nice for your Dad too

NA-Flyer

Excellent trip report. Love it ^

omsflyer

Great trip report. We also have had similar experiences in 2 trips to India. One of our favorite hotels is the Taj Palace in Mumbai- great Butler service! A highlight of our trip was on a private houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala. It is really nice that you could give your Dad such a wonderful trip

Thunderroad

Fun TR. And interesting comments on the Burj, which I visited once for an (expensive) drink. Its marketing itself as a "seven star hotel" is impressive, but it seems to be more worthwhile as a glitzy over-the-top tourist attraction than actually as a place to stay. For the same high price, there are probably better values in Dubai and certainly elsewhere. Sounds like the fine hotels you visited in India are much more memorable.

nolan222

Amazing trip report! Thank you for taking the time to post it!

CHOPCHOP767

Wow; thank you for a great report! I couldn't agree more with your sentiments about India. The marketing campaign, 'Incredible' certainly does the country justice between the people (fantastically friendly), the food (delicious - especially Bengali) and the sites (awe-inspiring). I took a few trips to Bombay and Goa when I was in Bahrain for 9 months and then again when in Qatar for three months just to get away. Personally, I couldn't stand Dubai as I'm not really one for malls and I found it to be generally tacky, not just the Burj. Qatar was even worse. Thanks again!

SanDiego1K

I am a sucker for folks who spoil their parents. And not only did you give your father the trip, but you took it with him. He'd likely say that even better than this amazing luxurious experience was that he got to experience it all with his son.

Your arrival experience at Taj Falknuma sounds amazing. Showered with rose petals? I'm all for that.

I've been on and off about returning to India. We've gone several times and have really loved it. We've seen the most of the main sights thru all the country. Sometimes I think been there, done that, and then I read your report and think but not in this way.

Thank you for your wonderful pictures and taking all the time to bring us along with you.

pointspinnacle

Well done trip report and your emotions and feeling come through very well. Thanks for sharing Blueline.

blueline7

Many thanks, offerendum. I really enjoyed your trip report to Aman'oi as well!


Many thanks, FDW. Yes, I did seriously consider the Lodhi. Ultimatly however, for my dates, there was no comparison between the value of the two; the Leela had a substantially lower rate and also had a lot of inclusions. I found that the price significantly changed between the two depending on the stay dates.

Originally I was going to go on my own, but then my dad became interested in going, so it worked out great. I don't recall how far in advance we planned it. Maybe 3-4 months or so?


He was the best travel companion ever! We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the food together!

Many thanks! Positive feedback makes these things worth writing.

That sounds like a fabulous trip! I actually watched a great documentary about the Taj in Mumbai and would just love to try it out one day. My dad really enjoyed the trip, including the planning and also recounting the highlights together!


Exactly. With the Burj price and self aggrandizement, one would have expected a lot more, or should I say, a lot better...For high end Dubai, I understand that One and Only and Four Seasons are probably the way to go, but I have not tried either.

My pleasure. Thanks for reading!

Yes, "Incredible India" hits it right on the head. I would love to check out Mumbai and Goa one day. The people in India were fantastic. I even had one shop in Delhi return about $15 to me after I had dropped it on the floor and left the shop! We encountered the best service we had ever had anywhere. It has a real service culture.


It was my most memorable trip ever and going with my dad was the best part of it. I would highly recommend taking one's father or mother on a trip. The arrival at the Taj was jaw dropping. And it was not in the least bit cheesy the way that it happened. In contrast, we saw the same rose petal thing at the Taj Rambagh Palace hotel in Jaipur, to some other guests, and it was nothing like at the Falaknuma. It was contrived and done with little effort whereas at Falaknuma, it was a joyous and genuine experience. India has so much to offer, I could easily doing 6 months there and just scratching the surface! Next time I got to check out Mumbai and Kerala for sure. Before going, I was wondering whether I made the right decision between Aman-i-kas and Amanbagh, since an FT'er who has excellent taste found the former much preferable to the latter. Nevertheless, I felt that Amanbagh was exactly what we were looking for and was perfectly executed, so am very glad with our decision.


Thank you so much for your kind words!

grabamile

@blueline7 I really enjoyed your trip reports so far. Keep up the awesome work! If you are spending time in India next time - Don't miss the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur or Rambagh Palace in Jaipur for the absolute royal treatment.

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www.grabamile.com

mkjr

Great TR. I miss the great food in India. Ohhhh the dosas.

I was fortunate to have my company supply drivers that we use for our employees locally so never had them take me to a tourist trap before on my days off. It's not uncommon as I have heard. Added and now that I think about it it was the guide I arranged in Agra that forced me to do the shops after the tour. Soooo annoying.

Had you been to Delhi before?

I was surprised you did not go to Qutb minar, Humayun's Tomb and the red Fort. Perhaps you had been here before.

The Leela Delhi looks a lot like the one in Bangalore but way differmt than leeela in gurgaon that our company has for us to book. Close to our offices.

Love the road to Agra. I just missed the Grand Prix by a week but the facility in noida is pretty awesome.

I love how in the taj pics, portions of the pillars are hidden due to angles.