| 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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| M Labertew |
05 June 2005 |
Stayed at Ivory Tower - Bangalore, India.
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Rickshaws and taxis in front of hotel can take you to more distant locations, otherwise shopping and dining is literally steps away. A fun upscale bowling alley and arcade immediately behind hotel, as well as movie theater 1.5 blocks away, make up somewhat for lacking pool, if looking for entertainment options.
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| V Bull |
15 May 2005 |
Stayed at Ramada Raj Park Chennai - Chennai (Madras), India.
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Don't hire a car in Chennai unless you have a driver with it, the traffic is mad.
If there is an inch of space on the road, someone will claim it and rules of the road do not exist, unless its 'first come first served!'
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| J Das |
09 May 2005 |
Stayed at Ramee Guestline Hotel, Tirupati - Tirupati, India.
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If you are planning to visit the temple please procure entry cards well in advance or you may have to spend more days than you have planned for.
A number to tourist attractions are available in and around Tirupati. The travel service at the hotel can assist you to organise tours.
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| P Barratt |
09 May 2005 |
Stayed at Ritz Plaza Hotel - Amritsar, India.
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Went to the Wagah border post betwean India and Pakistan. Great fun !! Its about 30 Kms. Booked through the reception at the hotel. ost about 1000 rupees each.They run the tour every evening at dusk. Hundreds of people there. Singing, chanting etc.
The golden temple is the main reason for visiting Amtitsar. We went on a Sunday and as you would expect it was packed. Got a TukTuk which was fun.We were the only westerners that we saw. Worth visiting the Food Hall where upto 30,000 people are fed every day for free.Just to see the process.
Where they prepare the food and clean up all the plates is amazing. Worth going just to see that. The temple is quite small but beautiful surrounded by a moat within white ornate buildings. Just down the road within walking distance is the place where the British massacre took place.( Jallianwala Bagh) Being British I felt very uneasy here. Don't think I would go again. As the only westerners we got a lot of hostile looks. As you would expect. I thought it was just a memorial garden but it turned out to be much more than that. In fact we got quite a lot of hostile looks at the Golden Temple as well as if we weren't welcome there. It was the only place in India that I felt this and I was pleased to leave Amritsar. There were very few westerners that we saw and I'm not sure if they get too many tourists other than Indians. There aren't any 5 star hotels there so that may say something. Eating out was difficult. We ate in the hotel for two of the nights and it was very good. The other place that we found was a Pizza Hut in Lawrence St (a 10 minute walk away)which was very good and the staff were so pleased to see us. As were the customers. We were quite a novelty. After 3 weeks in India a Pizza was great.
There are a lot of internet places which are very cheap (25 rupees per hour) about 30 pence. You can also phone from these places and to the UK it was only 4 rupees per minute. At the time we were there we got 89 rupees to the pound.
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| P Barratt |
06 May 2005 |
Stayed at Taj Chandela, Hotel - Khajuraho, India.
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We were in Khajuraho for 2 days. The town was perhaps the most touristy of all the places that we have been. We got pestered constantly and it was a relief to get back to the hotel. Went to Raja's Cafe as recommended in the lonely planet,don't bother. It said it was owned by a Swiss woman. Possibly a long time ago,dirty and grim.There didn't seem like too many places to eat apart from the hotels unless you want the cheapest places. We were there for a short time so just ate in the hotel. It's so cheap anyway, approx £2-3 for a main course at a 4-5 star hotel. I've been to India 5 times and found the safest way is to eat in the best hotels unless you are a backpacker. The overall cost is minimal.
We went to the light show at the Temples at 7.30 pm. It lasted for about an hour but half that time would've been better. The temples are right in the town centre (its a very small town-a village really)I thought they were fantastic. Architecturally and visually. Mostly in very good condition.In a lovely park setting, a complete contrast to the town. You can easily walk around them in a couple of hours.
We walked round the town in about an hour tops. Mostly small shops (tourist types) and tailors. You could get most things made here. I ordered a dress and blouse from the hotel shop before coming into the town. In the hotel there was no hassle I probably paid more but I was happy with the result.
The rickshaw drivers were the most persistent of anywhere that I've been but probably the poorest I have seen. There weren't too many tourists but it still doesn't make it very pleasant to walk around with the constant hassle.
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| A Thambiratnam |
12 April 2005 |
Stayed at Holiday Inn Agra - Agra, India.
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Agra and in particular the Taj Mahal were beautiful. However, there isn't much else to do in Agra so don't spend more than a day here. Also don't waste your money getting a guided tour for the day - the only attractions worth seeing are the Taj Mahal are perhaps the Agra Fort (if you haven't already seen the Red Fort in Delhi).
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| A Thambiratnam |
07 April 2005 |
Stayed at Highway Residency, Hotel - Mumbai (Bombay), India.
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Mumbai was stinky, dirty and on the whole we found it not to be the most interesting place in India. There are much nicer places in India to spend your time and money in. Ellora caves and Ajanta caves which are about 6 hours from Mumbai are beautiful.
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| S Dorn |
06 April 2005 |
Stayed at Umaid Bhawan Jaipur, Hotel - Jaipur, India.
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Jaipur is a great place and a must visit for anyone going to India. It is worth taking a tour as there is many sights to see. I organised a tour through the RTDC, which can be booked at a couple of RTDC offices and RTDC hotels. It only cost 100 rupees for a half day tour and 150 rupees for a full day tour, both with an english speaking guide. I found a great vegetarian restaurant called "The Parantha Hut' in the new city, which served clean and very tasty food (I went back several times).
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India travel tales 
