Pictures of the hotel:
http://www.e-traveller.net/pics/2005...alSheraton.php
Thanks to the help of LH 738.
I had made reservations for this hotel at home in Amsterdam. Reading the reviews of this hotel, I was considering to stay in another hotel, the Taj for instead. However the Taj was fully booked.
The check-in was made via guest relations office. It was clear the manager of the Towers in Delhi had made his call!
The woman accompanied me to my room. The hotel was fully booked with, in general, package tourists. The woman explained to me that the hotel had a different treatment of individual guests and guests of the package tours.
She asked me what kind of plans I had for dinner, she made reservations for the Indian restaurant and I was happy with that.
When entering the room, it appeared to be a suite. Large with a sitting area,, dining area and sleeping area. The bed was king size and was very comfortable.
Upon arrival there were flowers in the room. From the windows there should be a nice view of the Taj Mahal, however the fog spoiled it for me!
In one corner of the room, before one of the window you could sit down on cushions to enjoy the view.
Later that day there were complimentary fruits and cookies!
The safe in the room appeared to have its own way of instructions. The manager told me not to push the buttons too quickly because it will not do anything. He told me later, here in India we adapt to the climate, and we will these things slowly! It was funny.
Via roomservice I ordered a sandwich for a quick bite, in half an hour I was heading to the Red Fort and the Taj! Roomservice was very fast! They even check by telephone if the room service was in time!
The hotel has nice gardens with water area’s. The swimming pool looked very attractive. I did not visit the health club since I only stayed here one night and I had to make a lot of trips.
The service in the Indian restaurant (Bagh-e-Bahar?) was very friendly and it made me feel at home. The guests however were from the tour / package/ groups and the atmosphere in the restaurant was really different than I am used to. Quality of the food was ok.
After my meal I wanted to have some coffee and cake. The coffee bar however was packed with the guests from the tours. I tried to look for another place, downstairs near the garden, but everywhere it was fully packed.
I decided to take the coffee in my room. Roomservice was fast again, and they served it with some nice cookies.
In the morning I had breakfast in the Maikhana restaurant. There was an extensive buffet. Quality was rather low however. Something really different than the quality in the Towerslounge of the Sheraton Maurya in Delhi!
According to the manager, guests who do not belong to the package-tours were supposed to go to another restaurant for breakfast, downstairs. Perhaps the Majong room?
All in all, I had a very comfortable stay in this hotel. I would surely recommend this hotel if going to Agra. I would surely like to return. Only be sure to use the different restaurants than the package tourists do, if you like to have a nice tasteful breakfast.