anuj12

For all first time visitors to India I would recommend avoiding travelling long distance by car. It is very different from car travel in other countries and might be a little overwhelming for your first visit. As the earlies replies said - take it easy and do not try to cover the whole country as it is quite vast and every part has its own charm. Taj Mahal is a must do if you are coming to India. Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur are well connected by air and have some of the best hotels in the world.

Londonjetsetter

I think we will only visit the Taj Mahal if we can extend the trip for another couple of days. I've seen that you can fly to Agra from Delhi on Kingfisher. We will definitely go to the Aman Delhi and Amanbagh. The difficult choice is between Aman-i-khas and the Rambagh Palace. Totally different I know. Oh to have unlimited holidays!

Ericka

I believe a visit to the Taj Mahal is essential for a first visit to India. What if you never make it back? Same with the tigers, but I'm a nature lover.

If you like the amans, here is a suggested itinerary based on our trip. I think the transfers were very easy. No travel agent required. Aman pretty much arranged everything, with Oberoi taking ownership of the last bit.

1 ni aman Delhi
(train to aman-i-khas)
4 ni aman-i-khas
(drive to amanbagh)
3 ni amanbagh
(drive to oberoi amarvilas)
1 ni amarvilas
(drive to delhi airport for midnight flight)

vuittonsofstyle

HUGELY stressful, I promise. Don't even think of it.

I would also be very careful about flying to Agra as it is one of the most cancelled Kingfisher flights I know - so much so that I have never managed to do it - cancelled every time. Equally, driving there is normally a nightmare and, at times, can be really scary, especially when you get trucks driving straight towards you on the wrong side of the dual carriageway.

Take the early morning Shathabi Express from Delhi if you must go to Agra on your first trip, but for me, 1 night at The Oberoi Amarvilas is much too short. Agra deserves more time and so does The Oberoi Amarvilas, which is a beautiful hotel.

Addressing some of the other comments brought up, I would not class Jaipur in the same context as Delhi. Yes, it is a town, but not a big town, and if you stay at The Rambagh (I only say this because I think The Oberoi Rajvilas rooms and suites are looking rather tired these days), then you have acres of green lawns, peacocks and peacefulness, so nothing like the normal Delhi experience.

There will always be things you wished you had seen or stayed at on an India trip, but the best way of enjoying it is to limit yourself to a handful of hotels and locations. Otherwise, it is a very tiring blur.

The Aman India experience is certainly a thought, although having experienced the safari options in Madhya Pradesh, Ranthambhore and Aman-i-Khas seem very tame and nowhere near as lush in comparison.

Kagehitokiri

re taj mahal, it isnt going anywhere is it?
sigh @ transportation. oberoi aviation starts at ~$1K/hr, but 2 hr min, and positioning charge. they and taj/deccan/etc all seem set up for daytrips or keeping the plane with you for whole trip. not point to point. huh, this mentions $1K per person per sector for greaves? > http://www.strategicvision.org/ne/La...al-5-26-09.doc

vuittonsofstyle, have you explored VIP airport services in india?
in a situation like that, are there any options?

(plus virtuoso benefits)

Ericka

No, the Taj isn't going anywhere, but how old is londonjetsetter? LOL

vuittonsofstyle

Yes, Kage, but always arranged by the hotels. Oberoi, Taj and Aman can all smooth the way through airports. I think Aman do it automatically, whereas I think you have to request it from Taj and Oberoi. I have always used them. Otherwise, it can be a nightmare, although to be fair, the main airports are much, much better than they were and both Delhi and Mumbai are nearing completion of massive re-builds - all very smart.

I have also used Taj private planes on a couple of occasions, which worked very well - again booked via Taj. Oberoi do this, too, and Aman, if you ask (though they are not their planes).

VIP services in India are not comparable to anywhere else, as they can often involve rather more than a pleasant meet and greet. Think mounted camels, trumpets, dancing girls. Great fun

Kagehitokiri

how fast do they get you through, both for international and domestic?

tajair has higher starting rates, although taj gold gets 10% off.

Ericka said aman was working on formalizing an air offering.

Londonjetsetter

I'm 35!

I am sure I will be back soon enough. India's only an 8 hour flight from London and you know how much we all like to travel.

vuittonsofstyle

It depends entirely upon the airport. The main hubs like Delhi and Mumbai take longer. I have never timed it, but last trip it was pretty fast - maybe 30 mins from plane to exit. Don't forget India is a leisurely place.

Normally, you have someone from the hotel who basically pushes into the lines of people and goes to the front. Everyone hates you, of course, but it is standard procedure in India and the immigration people seem to know what to expect.

The thing that slowed us down slightly, when entering Delhi was they had installed Swine Flu desks, with people with masks over their noses, who looked at you to see if you had a fever. Very amusing.

Domestic airports can be tiny, so you are whisked through in minutes when you are accompanied by a hotel rep.

Private plane landings at remote strips are wonderful events in India. If you land at the strip near Amanbagh or Banjaar Tola, all the villagers arrive to wave. It is law for them to have a police presence and fire presence when a private plane lands, so the local cops and people are amongst the crowd, sometimes taking photos of the event. Great fun.

Private planes to, say, Jaipur are more conventional. I think Kingfisher handle the ground ops for Taj. Very good experience.

Kagehitokiri

i cant find the airstrip near amanbagh?

vuittonsofstyle

The planes do, luckily. It is about 30 mins drive from Amanbagh, towards Delhi.

Kagehitokiri

so [is] that closer than jaipur to aman-i-khas as well?

huh, somehow i missed this >
http://www.amanresorts.com/amanikhas/location.aspx
also >
http://www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi_v...ion_access.asp

vuittonsofstyle

You mean, driving from Jaipur to Aman-i-Khas? Depending upon how many cows are in the road, that journey by car is around 3 or more hours. Another way to get to Aman-i-Khas is by train from Delhi, but I have never done this, only heard the trains as the track is across the road from Oberoi Vanyavilas.

Ericka

Unfortunately, this was probably put on hold along with the additional properties in India.