| K Varma |
09 August 2005 |
Stayed at Oberoi Amar Vilas - Agra, India.
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Visited Taj-hotel provided golf cart for transportation; Agra Fort and most other sites.
Tour guide recommended by hotel was very informative. Did shopping for wool carpet, handicrafts etc.
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| Guest has requested to remain anonymous |
30 July 2005 |
Stayed at Taj Connemara - Chennai (Madras), India.
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Madras is a good starting point for visiting South India. Many shops and malls. Famous are the silks of Kanchipooram which are sold in Madras too.
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| D Chisholm |
18 February 2005 |
Stayed at Bajaj Indian Home Stay - New Delhi, India.
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Do research on restuarants befor visiting, generally the quality in the tourist areas is poor, whereas good in the better residential areas in the south of the city. For good quality Indian fabrics try Fabindia in Greter Kailash I. Plus a few other good Indian houseware/fabric/clothing & book shops with an upmarket indian restaurant (Zaffaron.) The shops on this little garden square don't pay rickshaw drivers commission, so prices are fixed & reasonable plus open to 7 pm.
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| A Searle |
23 January 2005 |
Stayed at Bissau Palace - Jaipur, India.
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We spent two full days visiting the 'must-see' sights of Jaipur and Amber. Once you are in the historical centre of Jaipur use a rickshaw or walk - the Palace of the Winds, the observatory and the City Palace Museum are all close together. For Amber hire a driver, and if it's a fine day it is good to finish with a panoramic view over the city from the Tiger Fort.
For a major tourist destination, the hassle factor from hawkers, guides etc. is refreshingly low. I don't like shopping but even I was tempted by the wonderful Rajasthan fabrics. Jaipur is a real centre of craftsmanship - from cloth to inlaid marble - so do your shopping here, rather than in Delhi or Agra.
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| R Ng |
16 January 2005 |
Stayed at Suba Palace, Hotel - Mumbai (Bombay), India.
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Andheri and Bandara West would be 2 areas recommended for shopping. You would need to bargain as the offered price is always very high. There is a government sanction Emporium on the right of the hotel entrance (as you exit the main entrace). For business travellers, Suba Palace would be far if your clients are situated in Andheri or Woorley.
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| P Rao |
28 October 2004 |
Stayed at Le Royal Meridien - Mumbai - Mumbai (Bombay), India.
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We did a lot of shopping in a one stop shop called Panneri in Andheri. If you are the fan of Indian dresses and you have a wife who likes plastic money then you will find the designs & prices of Indian dresses at exceptional value in Mumbai.
Mumbai is a place to eat a lot of different kinds of food, we found that eating outside of Le Meridian was value for money.
If you have limited time avoid going south to the heart of Mumbai as the traffic is a pain anytime of day.
If you have a connection flight to catch and need a place to spend the night or evening in a relaxed atmosphere then Le Meridian is the place to be.
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| S Bubar |
25 October 2004 |
Stayed at Suba Palace, Hotel - Mumbai (Bombay), India.
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Visit Prince of Wales museum. I ate in 3 very good restaurants : Khyber, Mahesh Lunch Home, and Status. Found Bombay to be very interesting, but shop alone. If a tour guide takes you to a shop, you may be paying up to 30% more. Take time to shop before you buy big ticket items like carpets and jewelry.
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| C Luly |
28 July 2004 |
Stayed at Ashok Hotel, New Delhi - New Delhi, India.
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The texiles of India are amazing, even if, as a foreigner, you would never wear a sari. They are wonderful decorating accents to take home and use creatively. A good place to find them and other things is the Central Cottage Industries Emporium but it is nearly impossible to get there if you are using street transportation--everyone takes you to the place with a similar sounding name where they earn a commission just for dropping you there.
On this trip, I wanted a guided city tour so I used the hotel's travel service for safety and convenience. I booked an aircon car, driver and guide for a reasonable price and we spent a couple of hours driving by to look at a few sights.In spite of paying for the tour, I ended up at an expensive, well-mannered but high-pressure shop selling carpets and jewelry. After getting his commission, the guide left and the driver took me around to a few other places that I wanted to visit. When booking tours, it probably makes sense to specify up front that you do not want to go to such places, then be prepared to be insistent and refuse to get out of the car if taken to such places.
The Central Cottage Industries Emporium is a good place to shop if you don't have much time or you want to learn about quality and prices before heading out to places where bargaining is done. The State Emporium was rather disappointing but would have been OK if I had been wanting a specific thing that they had in quantity.
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| U Malik |
02 July 2004 |
Stayed at Park New Delhi, The - New Delhi, India.
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For shoppers a must stop is the Govt. owned Cottage Emporium about a 10 min walk from the hotel and showcasing Handicrafts from all over India. The prices are a little more expensive than the smaller privately owned shops lining Janpath Street(provided you are good at haggling at the smaller shops) but the quality is guaranteed so you are assured of not being taken for a ride.
A nice not too expensive restaurants is the Standard Cafe located on the first floor adjacent to the Regal Cinema 5 min walk from the Hotel. Try their Tandoori Platter! Taxis and Auto Rickshaws are easily available from outside the Hotel, but try to get an idea of the fare (to your intended destination) from the Hotel so you can negotiate effectively.
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| K Heston |
09 May 2004 |
Stayed at Lalitha Mahal Palace - Karnataka - Mysore, India.
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The Mysore palace is well worth the trip, but you have to check your camera once inside the gates, so leave it behind. The sellers in front of the palace are some of the most agressive I've seen in India, and will swarm you with postcards and hand-carved boxes as you walk to and from the palace (and they get really bad if you buy something, with others literally running from their stalls to try to sell you something else). Haggling is worth your while, since they cut their prices from a start of 950 rupees for one box to 3 boxes for 500 rupees, which is quite a good deal.
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Traveller's Tales: Shopping suggestions in India
