India Report - The Oberoi Amarvilas
Introduction Transfer arrangement from Delhi airport to the hotel was made prior to our arrival. A driver was waiting for us but we had trouble identifying him as he was holding an 'Avis' sign while I was expecting 'Oberoi'. Moreover my name was misspelled to the point I thought it was someone else's. So when you arrive just look for a driver with a complete white outfit and he shall be 'the' guy. The journey with a Ford SUV was a 3-hour drive; the road condition was excellent. Cost was nearly 300 Eur.We had booked a 3-night stay through Amex with FHR program (Fine Hotels & Resorts) including breakfast, one complimentary 3-course dinner and 1-hour massage at the Spa. Check In Arrival at the hotel is pretty spectacular. The short pathway leads you to a kind of exterior front porch. You climb a few stairs and you discover the famous fountain courtyard. Cold towels and welcome drinks were offered in the lounge with first and fantastic view of iconic Taj Mahal. Our room was not ready yet so we chose to have lunch at Bellevue restaurant. I will speak later on about dining venues. Room We were in 'premier room with balcony' #304. It is located above the bar so very central with a large balcony, actually more like a terrace. Size of balconies can vary a lot, on the third floor the best ones are 301, 302, 303, 304, 305 and 318. Accommodation is basic for this hotel category but it was satisfactory (large walk-in closet, bathroom with single vanity, bathtub, separate shower). I was slightly worried about hotel condition after I read that rooms were tired and starting to show their age. Indeed you can see that the hotel is not brand new but all materials used during construction were of excellent quality and I actually think that years are giving more authenticity to this place. Dining Breakfast in Bellevue was ok but nothing special, choice selection shall be improved. We tried in-room dining: quick, efficient and tasty for simple dishes. We had buffet lunch in Bellevue (60 Eur for 2 people excluding beverages) but it is very average. We also tried lunch by the pool and to me it is a better option than Bellevue with greater value. Last evening we had dinner at Esphahan (130 Eur for 2 people including a glass of wine for each) it was our best meal in Agra. Overall Overall service was fantastic. Again I had read some bad reviews and I was expecting nothing special but I was positively surprised by attention to detail and genuine interest from the staff (especially at restaurants & pool) to make our stay memorable. The no tip policy was good, you can give a sealed envelope at check-out but we preferred to charge our credit card. I don't know if it was enough or not, I gave 30kINR.Least but not least, weather by mid-April was perfect, sunny and temperatures ranging from 30 to 40°C. Still cloudy at times but I would go back at this period without hesitation.The Oberoi Amarvilas will provide you with skilled guides at a very reasonable cost (less than 15 Eur per day). Car for local trips was less than 25 Eur in total for Agra fort and additional journey to the opposite side of the river from where we had great views of Taj Mahal at sunset). They also arranged tickets for night viewing but I was a bit disappointed, full moon was not bright enough to make the experience worth it. Wifi is charged 10 Eur per day and speed is limited but still ok compared to other places we stayed at in India.Most guests stay 1 night but 3 nights is great, it gives you plenty of time to enjoy all facilities. Swimming pool is beautiful, gym is well equipped and quite large (see pictures). Spa is excellent, we had very good treatments. Even boutiques are nice (marble shop, silk fabrics, etc.) with better prices and quality that most tourists traps in the area.