I have stayed at the Mauyra Sheraton twice. Nice hotel. As a gold, I was upgraded to the Towers both times (which includes a full breakfast). The rooms looked the same as those in the non-Towers section, where a friend was staying.

The gym is great, the restaurants very good (especially Bukhara), and all works well.

I did the day trip to Agra by train. I coordinated it all through Sunil at [email protected]. His company is great. They coordinated the trip to Agra when President Clinton was there a few years ago. They picked us up at the Sheraton, drove us to the train station (at the crack of dawn), put us in our seats, met us in Agra, gave us a great tour, and took care of the return in the same way. Really a top notch operation. For the three of us, all inclusive but for tips, food, and actual admission charges to the monuments, was $285.00.

Sunil (a man, by the way) has a company web site at http://www.travelbureauagra.com/

Make sure that, in addition to the Taj, you go to Fatepur Sikri. Marvelous.

Tell Sunil you got the recommendation from the three idiots from California who visited in May (hot doesn't even begin to describe it--117 in Agra), one of whom was in a Pith Helmet.

He arranged our Delhi tour as well, for about half of what the Sheraton was going to charge.