I would go with AA25. He's outlined some of the best options for you to catch ..quite literally a GLIMPSE of India. It is so diverse that I know an European couple who've a large part of the decade doing different places in India (including other places as well).

Rajeev, Its a shame an Indian won't trust another.

Thanks for the great info! I think we're going to do this itin.

Dec11th arrive Bangalore, work until Dec 19th
Dec19th evening train/flight to Chennai (wife arrives 1 AM on 20th), Hotel: Trident Hilton Chennai
Dec20th Chennai
Dec21st Mammallapuram
Dec22nd Pondicherry
Dec23rd Tanjore
Dec24th Tanjore or Madurai
Dec25th Madurai
Dec26th Thekkady
Dec27th Thekkady
Dec28th backwaters
Dec29th Cochin
Dec30th Cochin
Dec31st fly Bangalore, NYE bangalore
Jan1st-Jan3rd work in Bangalore (wife goes to Hampi)
Jan4th fly to Port Blair
Jan5th Havelock island, Hotel: Barefoot
Jan6th Havelock island, Hotel: Barefoot
Jan7th Havelock island, Hotel: Barefoot
Jan8th Port Blair
Jan9th fly to Delhi
Jan10th depart india

I look forward to hearing about your experiences after flying to Port Blair and would appreciate any suggestions you have upon completion of your trip there. ^^

Your itinerary looks interesting. If I was in Chennai and Mahabalipuram (Mammallapuram) I would not miss Kanchipuramn which is only 60 Kms southwest of Chennai and 26 kms West of Mahabalipuram.

http://www.vacationskerala.com/kanch...balipuram.html

We ended up switching our itinerary around a bit, but here's what we did for our trip:
Dec 13th arrived Bangalore, Hotel: Royal Orchid Central
Dec 16th day trip to Mysore, overnight train to Hampi
Dec 17th Hampi, overnight train back to Bangalore
Dec 22nd flew 9W to Cochin, Hotel: Hilton Trident
Dec 23rd Cochin, Hotel: Hilton Trident
Dec 24th drove to Alleppey, Hotel: overnight houseboat
Dec 25th Kumarakom, Hotel: Backwater Retreat ()
Dec 26th drove to Thekkady, Hotel: Taj Garden Retreat
Dec 27th Thekkady, Hotel: Taj Garden Retreat
Dec 28th drove to Madurai, Hotel: GRT Regency (good!)
Dec 29th Madurai, Hotel: GRT Regency
Dec 30th drove to Tanjore via Trichy, Hotel: Sangam
Dec 31st Tanjore, Hotel: Sangam
Jan 1st drove to Pondicherry, Hotel: Anandha Inn
Jan 2nd drove to Mamallapuram, Hotel: Mamalla Heritage
Jan 3rd drove to Chennai, Hotel: GRT Grand
Jan 4th flew 9W to Port Blair, Hotel: Fortune Resort Bay Island
Jan 5th ferry to Havelock, Hotel: Barefoot Resort
Jan 6th Havelock, Hotel: Barefoot Resort
Jan 7th Havelock, Hotel: Barefoot Resort
Jan 8th ferry to Port Blair, Hotel: Fortune Resort Bay Island
Jan 9th flew 9W to Delhi via Chennai, Hotel: Radisson Delhi

The Andamans were definitely worthwhile trip. Havelock island was great, very laid back and some of the best scuba diving I've done. We flew Jet Airways from Chennai ($325 R/T), their service onboard was excellent. The Barefoot Resort at Havelock was a good place to stay, it was remote and a long way (12km) from the main town/jetty. A long way from anywhere really. A 2 hr flight from Chennai, followed by a 2 hr ferry ride and a 20 minute ride in a tuk-tuk is about as far away as you can get! The beach (No 7) was voted the best beach in Asia a few years ago, and I can vouch for that. Super soft white sand, clear water and snorkeling right off the beach backed by a jungle.

Well looks like we're headed back to India again (& Bhutan) for Xmas/NYE.

Are there any NYE things going on at the Taj Mahal? We missed Agra/Rajasthan on our trip three years ago so would like to focus on that area this year.

anyone knows of anything cultural happening in Hyderabad for new yrs eve? like Ghazals ,or play or live music or classical dance ? where can I find the info ? as i searched , I only saw clubs parties Djs -the usual .I'm not the type.

it may be a good idea to get in touch with some hotels & they would be able to let you know what's going around in the area....a lot of these events take place in the 5 star hotels....

Goa Holidays is the best option for you.

welcome to ft planetlonely....i would have to disagree with you....i think goa is very overrated....

Will be in Mumbai this year. The hotels I contacted sorta want me to stay and eat/drink at their properties. Any other local venues that you suggest? Or maybe a website that has parties listed?