csb001

Welcome to my second trip report, after my Thailand trip last year.

Again, this is a family holiday with my mum & sister, which I originally didn’t plan to join entirely. First plan was to only join the Goa/Mumbai part.

However, a couple of weeks before departure, I decided I wanted to see the Taj Mahal so I decided to join the whole trip.

As a result, I didn’t have any input in the hotels, as these were already planned long before I decided to join the trip (however, they could have been worse  ).

Only thing to decide by myself was the choice of flights. Again I wanted to treat myself on C-class. Timing and pricewise, the best options were BA through London or TK through Istanbul.

For a moment I considered BA F as price was only 500 EUR above C, but in the end I decided to book TK, as the most (of my small stack) of miles are with Miles & More.

This proved to become a bit worrying, as 3 weeks before departure (just after booking my flights) Ataturk airport suffered a terrorist attack. Having already felt the consequences of the attack on Brussels airport which remained closed for a couple of weeks during my easter holiday, I started fearing for my trip. However, Ataturk airport was back operational the day after.

Fast forward two weeks, and four days before departure, a failed military coup took place, once again closing Ataturk Airport so I already started to look for alternative flights. However the day I departed Turkish was in one of its first days of normal operations and didn’t offer a waiver to cancel the flights, so of I went.

This trip report will cover the following installments, with some comments on the touristic visits made.

1. BRU-IST-DEL on TK in C
2. The Leela Palace New Delhi
3. Trident Agra
4. The Taj Rambagh Palace Jaipur
5. Ajit Bhawan Jodhpur
6. Taj Lake Palace Udaipur
7. Udaipur-Mumbai-Goa on Indigo
8. The Leela Goa
9. Goa-Mumbai on Jet Airways in Y
10. Trident Nariman Point Mumbai
11. BOM-IST-BRU on TK in C

Thanks for reading this report, I hope you will enjoy it.

Please bear in mind that my pics are taken with an Iphone and not edited and that I don’t always feel comfortable to take pictures in public.

roadwarrier

Pity about the rocky start to your trip. Having that BRU incident in the back of your mind cannot be pleasant either.
I look forward to the rest of the TR!
Safe, and happy travels.

csb001

As the rest of the family was flying Etihad to Abu Dhabi, and then Jet Airways to Delhi, leaving one hour before my flight, I was at the airport with plenty of time to spare.

I parked the car at the lock park of Brussels airport and proceeded to the departure hall, which is quite a change from the last time I flew through Brussels airport.

There used to be a very busy kiss & ride zone in front of the airport, which is now completely closed down, instead the kiss & ride zone is replaced by some tents you have to pass through where there is a security screening before entering the airport. However, not everyone is screened (there is some profiling going on), so we were able to walk right through.

In the airport the check-in area for Turkish was a zoo with long rows and almost no economy counters open (they were apparently looking for staff to open them). However the business counter was open and I was checked in to Delhi within a matter of minutes. The check-in agent was quite stressed out because as she said "it was a day from hell for them".

Security was quite fast, and after some shopping I saw the family off on their Etihad flight and afterwards proceeded to the new Brussels Airlines lounge "The Suite" (the former Jet Airways lounge in Brussels), which is a huge improvement over the old B-lounge.

I didn’t take any pictures in the lounge, as I don't feel comfortable taking pictures when there are quite a lot of people around or in the pictures. However, the lounge is quite spacious with plenty of seating, and some very nice bath rooms.

I had some pancakes and some drinks in the lounge, and very soon also my flight was ready for boarding. Going down, I noticed that Turkish had sent their European Championships log jet.



I took my seat 3K and was welcomed by the on board chef who offered water, lemonade, orange juice or strawberry juice. As always I took the homemade mint and lemonade, which I love.



This A330 had a newer version of the business class seat, which I preferred, as it has a small storage compartment to your side which has the ideal size to store your phone and your glasses.

Take off was on time with a nice view over Brussels.



Load in business was very light, with only 6 passengers. One family with two small children (one baby) who were very well taken care of by the crew, building a baby crib out of one of the business seats.

After take off, the onboard chef came around with the menu for the flight, addressing me by name, something every crew member did on each of my 4 flights (without a manifest in hand), which I found quite impressive.



I decided to take some champagne with my lunch and this was delivered together with the starter, the salad and the cheese and dessert. A choice of bread was offered from the bread basket.


Both the starter (the mezze) and the salad proved to be very tasty.

When finished, the onboard chef came around to show you the three main courses. Not in the mood for kebabs or a vegetarian main course, I opted for the home made manti. The flight attendant instructed me to put the yoghurt on top of the manti to make it more tasty, which it was indeed. Nice of Turkish to offer some local cuisine on their flights. Another round was made with the bread basket.



I finished with the cheese and the dessert, which was to die for (however, you can never go wrong with a chocolate dessert for me ).

The meal was rounded up with some tea and some cognac.



I had started watching The Revenant, which I hadn’t seen before, and requested some more wine to enjoy during the movie (after all, it was the start of the holidays).



All too fast, we were starting our descent into Istanbul, which offered nice views of the sea and the ships entering the bosphorus.




One feature I love on the A330 of Turkish is the forward facing cam, offering you the view of the pilots (my other Turkish flights on the B777 and the A320 didn’t offer this feature).



Landing was on time, and as happens a lot in Istanbul, we arrived at a parking stand and had to be bussed to the terminal.

The crew however blocked of economy so business could deboard first and there was a special smaller bus waiting for the business passengers, so we were off to the terminal without any delay.

When arriving at the terminal, I immediately followed the transfer signs and was immediately in the terminal, where at first I had some problems orientating myself to go to the central part of the terminal where the Turkish Lounge is located.

After I found my way, the lounge proved to be quite a far trek from where we had been dropped of.

Although there had been a coup four days earlier, Ataturk airport proved to be business as usual, which in the case of Ataturk airport means a zoo (too much people roaming around the airport).

Bretteee

Isn't it too hot to visit India in the summer?

I am going to Johannesburg in October and Turkish are offering a fare of only $700 from New York.

But I decided it was not worth it. I will fly SAA.

csb001

It is the monsoon season in India right now. The heat is bearable, but humidity is at 90%.

And some refreshing rain showers now and then

roadwarrier

October is a great time to visit! Winter will have (hopefully) ended, the Cape should have dried up and hopefully the rains would have started upland, so it should start getting green.

Personally, I would choose TK as opposed to SA - it is my flag carrier, but I have been let down so many times, I avoid them at all cost. Also, they have just lost a huge court case against a local carrier, Nationwide which has since closed down, so I do not know where they will get the money to pay the claimant - they are effectively bankrupt.

HangukStyle

Nice start, looking forward to the rest. Somehow I'm in the mood for Kebab now, unfortunately I don't know what it looks like on TK

csb001

I was granted access to the lounge by the automated gates, scanning my onboard boarding pass.

First thing I did was store my luggage in the lockers which I find a great feature of this lounge, something every lounge should have, as it allows you to roam around the lounge freely without having to haul your bags around with you.

It’s something I always find difficult when visiting a lounge and travelling around. If you can’t store your bags somewhere, you can maybe go to the buffet leaving your bags behind at your seat, as you can still see them, however for using the washroom you always have to take your bags with you. So good points on the Turkish lounge.

The lounge is huge, but I quite like it. I had some Pide (however not too much, having already eaten on the previous flight and awaiting another meal on the next flight).

Having 4 hours between my flights, I had the time to do a full tour of the lounge and I must say I prefer the downstairs area as it seems to be less busy (most people apparently stay upstairs).

The free wifi was fast and so I spent my time degustating the different Turkish wines on offer  and getting up to speed with some work e-mails and social media.


After about two hours, I decided to make a walk through the central shopping zone of Ataturk airport (which may or may not have been to sober up a bit), but was very happy to return to lounge after my walk. My god! This airport always seems to be a zoo to me.

Went back to the lounge and had a rum & coke, before leaving for my flight which was about to start boarding at the gate of which I forgot the gate number but was quite a walk away.

At the boarding gate, different lanes were set up for boarding and after excusing myself to the lane of economy passengers filling almost the whole gate area I was able to struggle my way to the left lane for business and could immediately board.

I had assigned myself seat 2J (In a configuration as Turkish I always assign myself an aisle seat, although I prefer windows, in order not to get closed in and having to jump over the seatmate in the aisle seat, however always hoping to get an empty window next to me to move over to), as 2K seemed empty on online check-in and expert flyer.

During boarding however, another passenger came my way looking rather confused who appeared to be in seat 2K. Funny thing was that just after it was announced that boarding was completed and there were just 4 passengers in C. Don’t know how Turkish does seat assignments, but why putting two strangers together in an empty C cabin?

We had some laughs about it and I moved over to 3K where I remained for the rest of the flight.



Again the typical Turkish welcome drinks were offered (water, orange juice, strawberry juice or lemon-mint), and again I went with the lemon-mint thing.

Waiting at the seats were a blanket and a pair of slippers which I immediately put on.


This flight had the older version of the seat which does not have any small storage space for e.g. your phone, glasses,…), so I was happy not to have any seatmate so I could leave my stuff on the armrest and on the seat next to me.

No other passenger in view from my point of view, it promised to be a rather relaxing flight.




Departure from the gate was on time and during take of we had some nice views of the historic centre of Istanbul which I visited two years ago.





After takeoff, an amenity kit was offered, designed by Cerruti, which I didn’t use during the flight but took home, so below are a picture of the contents spread out.





This was followed by the purser offering me a sleeping kit (duvet, big pillow and mattress), so he already put the mattress over my seat and put the pillow and duvet on the footrest.

After this, menus were handed out by the onboard chef, so let’s have a look what to expect today.


Unfortunately, or maybe luckily because it’s a rather short flight leaving Istanbul at 19:55 and arriving at New Delhi around 4.35, it was not the full dinner in the sky with a buffet rolling by (would love to experience this once, maybe next time).

Drink orders were taken to have with some nuts, so once again I went with the champagne.



After this, the mezze was served, which proved to be even tastier than the mezze on the previous flight.


With my dinner, I decided to try some Turkish red wine, which proved to be rather good.



For my main course, I went with the safest and most western option of the chicken (expecting my fair share of exotic food in India).



The quality of the main course was again quite good and I finished by another tasty dessert.

During the meal I started watching the big short, and I enjoyed once again a cognac with my tea.



Another feature I loved was that the free wifi was working on this flight, so I was able to use whatsapp, Imessage and social media. As a result I could receive a message from my sister telling me they received an upgrade to business class on their Jet Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to New Delhi. No idea how they managed to be picked out, as they are only a miles & more member with only a couple thousands of miles, no status whatsoever. Some people get all the luck I guess.

I might have had another wine during the remainder of the movie, but as you can see by this time, also immigration forms for India were passed out, which I completed before reclining my seat and trying to get some rest.

I managed to sleep (or at least snooze) for about two hours after which India was getting closer and closer.

Soon enough I felt the nose pitching down, and descent was started in New Delhi. One thing I don’t like arriving in a new country, is arriving in a new country in the dark. Nothing more exciting than looking through the window and getting the first glimpses of a new country. However the view on descent was limited to this:



We arrived about twenty minutes early in New Delhi and as economy was held back from deboarding until all C-passengers were gone, I was the first one of the plane.

As the rest of the family was expected to arrive at New Delhi about an hour before me, I speedwalked to immigration where I joined the business class line.

However, apparently the business class line is only for business class passengers not holding an e-visum. So I was sent over to another line at the other side of the room, which was especially for e-visa. Hint for New Delhi airport: you should put clearer signs on this as everyone made this mistake.

Having my picture and finger prints taken, I was through immigration in a matter of minutes, and this time Turkish delivered as my luggage was one of the first of the belt so I proceeded through customs going to look for the rest of the family and our tour escort who would be meeting us in front of the Costa Coffee in the arrivals area.

I found our tour escort holding our names, but strangely enough he was alone. It appears the ladies, although they landed half an hour before me, decided to take things slow as they weren’t expecting me for another hour.

We were welcomed with a flower necklace and some Indian scarves (the kind an Indian groom wears on his wedding day) of which some pictures were taking where we all had small eyes, which may either have to do with the time of the day and the long travels, or the drinks enjoyed on the flight. Our driver was waiting outside with some chilled beers ready in the car (hey, it’s only around midnight at home), and we were whisked away to The Leela Palace which I’l discuss in the next installment.

Bretteee

Would love to fly Turkish. they are offering $700 tickets New York to Johannesburg but I don't have the courage.

Wasn't the weather hot in india now? Would love to go too.

Thailand is another place I wanted to go to. But after last week I will wait. you are lucky you went already.

csb001

We arrived at The Leela Palace New Delhi around 6 a.m. and could order any drink we wanted as a welcome drink. Being early morning, we chose some orange juice which was delivered freshly squeezed.

Reception staff confirmed that one room was ready and that the second room would be ready in about 20 minutes, so we could do the check-in in the first room and by the time that was finished the second room would be ready. Our rooms were on the 7th floor were we headed and performed check-in formalities. About 15 minutes later a knock on the door to tell us that the second room was ready, so we were installed by 7 a.m. ready for a couple of hours of sleep.

Entering the room, on the left side you have a lot of closet space, while on the right side there is a spacious bath room.



Rooms are spacious and de décor is luxurious, however I could imagine that not everyone will like the style (it’s not really modern design, but hey, we’re in India).







Two features I really liked about the room: All electricity plugs were universal, so no need to use an adapter to charge or western European electronic devices. And second, in the room there was a basket with fresh apples and a plate of cookies, which were refilled a couple of times per day, so I might have had too much cookies for my own good.



The room had a view of the traffic beneath.



The bathroom was big enough to dance in. If you entered the bath room, there was a double sink. And one detail to notice is that for every object you left on the sink, housekeeping would put a linen placemat under it.



On the left side was a large soaking tub, with a television and bathing salt.



On the right side were two doors, one opening to the spacious shower, and another one opening to the toilet. A toilet separated from the rest of the bathroom is always a big plus in my book.



I woke back up around noon and decided to head to the roof to get catch some sun at the pool. The rooftop pool at this hotel is amazing.







A nice gesture of is that you receive a basket when you install yourself at the pool. This basket is filled with cold towels, cold water, some fresh lemon juice, sun screen and the menu for food and drinks at the pool. Further as it was the first time they saw me at the pool they put in a welcome gift which consisted of a wooden elephant figure. Always nice to receive a present!



In our program, the first day was a free day. However, not too keen on staying in the hotel for the whole day, we decided with our tour escort to make some excursions and to meet around 4 p.m.

Before we left the hotel however, we had the high tea in the garden. The food with the tea was excellent and hit the spot to keep us going until diner.





We didn’t have any dinners in the hotel, as we went out in the city both nights, but the restaurants seemed very nice.

The lobby was in the same style as the rooms.



One night, I had a nightcap in the bar which had a nice atmosphere, although not too many patrons.



Breakfast was in the Cube restaurant, a glass cube in the garden and was extensive, consisting of both western and oriental options. A nice thing is that several hot options were made to order, however they brought it to the table, which makes sure that there are no lines at the cooking stations. Another nice feature was the juice bar where a cook could process any fruits or mix of fruits you wanted through the juicer.

csb001

As already mentioned, on our first day nothing was on the program, however as we arrived early morning, we decided to make some excursion in the late afternoon.

Together with our tour escort, we decided to visit the lotus temple, and to do some shopping afterwards.

We first headed to the lotus temple, which is beautiful from the outside, however not that special on the inside (where you also weren’t allowed to take pictures or talk).

Outside of this temple we had our first experience of what seems to be the biggest hobby of most Indians: taking pictures of themselves with westerners. I don’t know for how many selfies I posed. I first thought they were confusing me with Eden Hazard or some other famous football player.



After this visit, we went to the biggest shopping mall of New Delhi, where some shoe stores did very good business that day.

Finally, our tour escort proposed to head to Barbeque Nation for dinner, which is an Indian chain restaurant. Being a chain restaurant, we were a bit worrisome about the quality, however it proved to be quite fun (although we didn’t immediately understand the concept).

In this restaurant, there is a BBQ in the middle of your table and waiters come around with big skewers of meat to put on it (or vegetarian options if you chose). These skewers were incredibly tasty and also come with some side dishes (corn etc.). As they kept bringing them all you could eat, we had lots of meat until we were completely satisfied. It was only then we came to understand that this was only the appetizer and that this was to be followed by ad buffet with main courses and desserts. So already too much food on the first day of holiday. Further, cocktails were around 2 €, so the all you can eat dinner was accompanied with all you can drink mojitos.

Next day we started our planned tour. In the morning we started by visiting the Jama Maszid, which is the biggest mosque in India.





This was followed by a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi, which was very colorful.











After this we made a quick visit to Raj Ghat, the location where Mahatma Ghandi was cremated. However, not that much to see, but a black marble stone where the cremation took place.



After this we headed for lunch at a nice Italian restaurant of which I don’t know the name, followed by an obligatory visit to Cottage Industries, a cooporative who sells hand made carpets and shawls for families from Kashmir to support this region which suffers from the conflict with Pakistan. So a carpet sales talk and some tea later, we were of to India Gate and the government buildings in this neighborhood.





Last stop of the day was Qutb Minar, ruins of an old mosque with a huge minaret.





Dinner was at Veda, another restaurant at Connaught Place, which serves contemporary Indian food in a modern décor. Food was nice (first time we really experienced Indian food), but we made the mistake we made in a lot of restaurants: ordering too many dishes. It’s not necessary to order one dish per person, you can easily order less and share. However always order garlic naan which is to die for.



After that, back to the hotel to get ready for our departure to Agra the next day.

palermo

great trip report so far.

offerendum

Indeed an interesting trip

Non-NonRev

Extremely enjoyable report! ^

I do agree with you about food ordering in restaurants - I wish more places would allow half-orders, which would allow more dishes to be sampled without wasting food and money.

PWOttawa

Thanks for a great trip report so far.
Not that I have any right to request seeing as I don't post any reports myself, but I'm really hoping you continue with this report for selfish reasons as I'm taking a very similar trip on TK next year.
Although a bit backwards, YUL-IST-BOM / DEL-IST-YUL.
Hope to read your next installment soon!