Golden Triangle India in April??/ Very bad time??
May 28th, 2012, 03:42 PM
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Golden Triangle India in April??/ Very bad time??
Please advise, Cicerone and others...Planning first trip to India. Tempted by Oberoi rates in April. I realize that the rates are reduced because it is the hot season. Big mistake to go then? Please advise. We can go February or March but it will cost more. Of course we do not need to go Oberoi. We will be traveling independently, but will full prior arrangements.
May 28th, 2012, 08:53 PM
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Not a big mistake, so long as your trip is short and in the first week or so of April. It gets progressively warmer. It will be hot during the day so keep your sightseeing in the mornings and evenings keeping indoors and enjoying the fabulous Oberoi properties. The Raj Vilas has some fine luxury tents and these are in the shadiest areas. The premier rooms at Amar Vilas are ok. After the golden triagle you could fly to Simla for an excellent few days in cool, with every tree in bloom and night air enveloped in fragrance!
Happy hunting!
Happy hunting!
May 29th, 2012, 10:53 AM
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personally i would consider Feb instead... so many of the indian sites are void of a/c or outside, it would be a shame to miss anything or leave the site before fully enjoying it..
make sure you have an suv for touring with good a/c..
i have used arvind with castle and king twice and have been very pleased with all that he offered at a very fair price... ask for krishna to be your driver..
make sure you have an suv for touring with good a/c..
i have used arvind with castle and king twice and have been very pleased with all that he offered at a very fair price... ask for krishna to be your driver..
May 31st, 2012, 01:23 AM
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February and March were hot - April would be even more so.
The Oberoi are expensive hotels. You could try theRaddison chain or their cheaper priced Country Inn.
A comapny we have used and recommend who does the Golden Triangle is Kan Singh at
Rajasthan Visit [[email protected]]
Very honest and with a great sense of humour. On our recommendation the CEO of Oz Harvest used him and was very pleased with his service.
The Oberoi are expensive hotels. You could try theRaddison chain or their cheaper priced Country Inn.
A comapny we have used and recommend who does the Golden Triangle is Kan Singh at
Rajasthan Visit [[email protected]]
Very honest and with a great sense of humour. On our recommendation the CEO of Oz Harvest used him and was very pleased with his service.
May 31st, 2012, 08:00 AM
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While I agree that you MIGHT be OK with the first week in April, trying to fit in all you want to see in 7 days could be rather tiring, IMO. And you may in fact get a boiling hot week that first week in April as well. It's a crap shoot as far as I am concerned with weather at that time. I've been there in March when it was pretty warm. I was in Delhi the last week in April this year and it was hot, but not boiling (only in the low 90s F) and we even had some raindrops; which was of course was the talk of the town, as it never rains at that time of year. So you don't know, but statistically speaking, the odds are that it will be very hot.
I know people say "I live in X and so I am used to hot weather", but really very few people are used to temps over 100 F every day coupled with the fact that every sight you want to see is out in the blazing, cloudless sun with no air conditioning and all the marble or stone reflecting back the heat. It's walking around in that heat that is so exhausting. If you just wanted to spend time in the air conditioned shopping malls you would be fine; but then why go to India.
And it is likely that the lake in Udaipur will be a mud bottom in April, so you may want to skip Udaipur if you have dreams of seeing a shimmering lake…
If you can skip the Golden Triangle and go south, where it is always hot anyway but you get sea breezes and can take a dip or sit by a pool or beach in some shade for relief, perhaps that is better. Or as mentioned above, pick a hill area which will be cool. There are options which can work in April; I just don't think Rajasthan is one of them.
If you are looking at Oberois, you can choose them just for some cities and hopefully save costs. For example, while their Delhi and Gurgaon hotels are very nice, there are lots of good options in Delhi so I don't think Oberoi is necessary. For Agra and a splurge, I think the Oberoi is a good choice. For Udaipur I actually their location is a bit inconvenient and I think there are choices in town which may be better. For Jaipur, again I think their hotel, while lovely, is a bit out of town to be convenient and does lack the ambience of something like the Rambagh. So you may be able to do March or February with some other hotel choices and Oberois where you really want to splash out on them.
I know people say "I live in X and so I am used to hot weather", but really very few people are used to temps over 100 F every day coupled with the fact that every sight you want to see is out in the blazing, cloudless sun with no air conditioning and all the marble or stone reflecting back the heat. It's walking around in that heat that is so exhausting. If you just wanted to spend time in the air conditioned shopping malls you would be fine; but then why go to India.
And it is likely that the lake in Udaipur will be a mud bottom in April, so you may want to skip Udaipur if you have dreams of seeing a shimmering lake…
If you can skip the Golden Triangle and go south, where it is always hot anyway but you get sea breezes and can take a dip or sit by a pool or beach in some shade for relief, perhaps that is better. Or as mentioned above, pick a hill area which will be cool. There are options which can work in April; I just don't think Rajasthan is one of them.
If you are looking at Oberois, you can choose them just for some cities and hopefully save costs. For example, while their Delhi and Gurgaon hotels are very nice, there are lots of good options in Delhi so I don't think Oberoi is necessary. For Agra and a splurge, I think the Oberoi is a good choice. For Udaipur I actually their location is a bit inconvenient and I think there are choices in town which may be better. For Jaipur, again I think their hotel, while lovely, is a bit out of town to be convenient and does lack the ambience of something like the Rambagh. So you may be able to do March or February with some other hotel choices and Oberois where you really want to splash out on them.
May 31st, 2012, 04:44 PM
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Thanks, All for your insight. We can go in February...so we might. I need to look at the hotels (non-Oberoi) and figure out what works for us. All the other costs will be the same in February. I liked the idea that they meet you at the airport/train station and included breakfast. I am sure that these "extras" are not difficult to arrange in other hotels or thru the agent we use. The Oberoi summer deal just make the trip seem a bit easier. Being miserably hot all the time will not make us happy. (When we went to Chicha Nitza in March all we wanted to do was leave since we were so hot. Not good) India is overwhelming enough without 100 degree heat.
May 31st, 2012, 06:55 PM
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Most any hotel, even the most humble B&B can arrange for airport transfers. Breakfast is typically included in the rate, if it isn't, go back and renegotiate (and try for free wifi too).
I would use agents sparingly, as they may steer you toward hotels where they get a bigger fee or have friends. The people on this site are fairly opinionated (myself included of course) and with a guidebook, tripadvisor.com and folks here I think you can easily choose hotels yourself. I don't really see the need for an agent at all, unless they can get you really good deals on airfares and significantly better hotel rates on hotels YOU choose than you can get yourself by contacting hotels directly. So challenge your agent to do that. India is quite wired, and again, even the most humble B&B generally has email and a staff who can respond in English. You can do most of this on your own.
Guides are good for some sights like the City Palace in Jaipur, the Red Fort in Delhi; but as I have yet to find a guide service in India which anything close to what you can find in Europe (like ContextRome), again I am not sure it is worth paying an agent to arrange guides for you. (Same with drivers.) You can arrange through a hotel for a guide for a day, or just take your luck at a site entrance and see what you get. For many sights, you don't need a guide. I would not use a guide at the Taj Mahal, for example, but just experience it yourself. The <i>Eyewitness</i> guidebooks are also excellent for many sights, as they have cutaway drawings. The one thing a guide is often useful for is fending off offers from OTHER guides.
Hotel staff can also book trains for you as necessary, although that is one thing an agent might be useful for.
I would use agents sparingly, as they may steer you toward hotels where they get a bigger fee or have friends. The people on this site are fairly opinionated (myself included of course) and with a guidebook, tripadvisor.com and folks here I think you can easily choose hotels yourself. I don't really see the need for an agent at all, unless they can get you really good deals on airfares and significantly better hotel rates on hotels YOU choose than you can get yourself by contacting hotels directly. So challenge your agent to do that. India is quite wired, and again, even the most humble B&B generally has email and a staff who can respond in English. You can do most of this on your own.
Guides are good for some sights like the City Palace in Jaipur, the Red Fort in Delhi; but as I have yet to find a guide service in India which anything close to what you can find in Europe (like ContextRome), again I am not sure it is worth paying an agent to arrange guides for you. (Same with drivers.) You can arrange through a hotel for a guide for a day, or just take your luck at a site entrance and see what you get. For many sights, you don't need a guide. I would not use a guide at the Taj Mahal, for example, but just experience it yourself. The <i>Eyewitness</i> guidebooks are also excellent for many sights, as they have cutaway drawings. The one thing a guide is often useful for is fending off offers from OTHER guides.
Hotel staff can also book trains for you as necessary, although that is one thing an agent might be useful for.
Jun 1st, 2012, 12:25 AM
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Agree with Cicerone. For none of our travels either in India, Thailand, USA or Europe have we used travel agents. Just research the type of hotel/B & B you think you like and contact them direct.
I too would not use a guide at the Taj, but would at the Agra fort, the city palace in Jaipur (perhaps) the Jaipur fort. If you decide to use one of the guides that hang around the monuments, then talk to them for a little while to make sure that you can understand what they say (often their English does not extend to indepth questions) and bargain - don't accept the first price.
I too would not use a guide at the Taj, but would at the Agra fort, the city palace in Jaipur (perhaps) the Jaipur fort. If you decide to use one of the guides that hang around the monuments, then talk to them for a little while to make sure that you can understand what they say (often their English does not extend to indepth questions) and bargain - don't accept the first price.
Jun 1st, 2012, 05:12 AM
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Great advice. We have mainly self-booked for almost all our trips. I love doing the booking. But...what about car and driver between cities? How do I arrange that???
I have used this forum many, many years and I have been very happy with the recommendations here.
I have used this forum many, many years and I have been very happy with the recommendations here.
Jun 1st, 2012, 08:17 PM
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You can hire a car and driver for daily sightseeing either through your hotel or by walking out the gates of your hotel and finding your own driver; the latter will be cheaper, but the flip side is that if you have a complaint or problem, you have little recourse; if you go through the hotel you may be able to get some help. But generally for a day driver, going outside the hotel is fine. Bring or buy a phone which works in India, and then when the driver drops you off at a sight, restaurant, shop, etc you just call him when you are done and arrange a meeting point.
In Delhi, I would recommend try Kumar Taxi Service. It should be less than US$20 for an 8-hour day of touring. (For a hoot, get an Ambassador, just not for long distance….)
Kumar Tourist Taxi Service
14/1 K- Block
Connaught Circus
Tel: 91-11-2341-5390
e-mail: [email protected]
Others may have reccos for other services in other cities.
Whether you need a car and driver to go between cities will depend on your itin. You may be flying or taking trains between destinations, so won't need a driver. My general rule of thumb is no more than 5 hours on the road a day, and no driving at night; so once one or both come into play I take a train or fly. Some people like to hire the same car and driver to take them around a circuit for all or most of a trip. You can of course do that (Kumar could arrange that); and people on this site should be able to offer recommendations and hopefully email contact info. I tend more toward using different drivers for short hops. Also, using the same driver for a circuit may entail some backtracking, so consult a map and make sure that driving one way and then going out by train or air is not a better way to save time. For example you can drive from Jaipur to Udaipur (and stop or overnight along the way), but you would not want to return by road to Jaipur, as you have other options once in Udaipur to get to other destinations.
In Delhi, I would recommend try Kumar Taxi Service. It should be less than US$20 for an 8-hour day of touring. (For a hoot, get an Ambassador, just not for long distance….)
Kumar Tourist Taxi Service
14/1 K- Block
Connaught Circus
Tel: 91-11-2341-5390
e-mail: [email protected]
Others may have reccos for other services in other cities.
Whether you need a car and driver to go between cities will depend on your itin. You may be flying or taking trains between destinations, so won't need a driver. My general rule of thumb is no more than 5 hours on the road a day, and no driving at night; so once one or both come into play I take a train or fly. Some people like to hire the same car and driver to take them around a circuit for all or most of a trip. You can of course do that (Kumar could arrange that); and people on this site should be able to offer recommendations and hopefully email contact info. I tend more toward using different drivers for short hops. Also, using the same driver for a circuit may entail some backtracking, so consult a map and make sure that driving one way and then going out by train or air is not a better way to save time. For example you can drive from Jaipur to Udaipur (and stop or overnight along the way), but you would not want to return by road to Jaipur, as you have other options once in Udaipur to get to other destinations.
Jun 2nd, 2012, 06:17 PM
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Thank you, Cicerone. I knew I could count on your advice. I will begin serious planning. Many questions to come. One Indian travel company gave us an itinery of $900 a day for each of us. I guess there are people who will agree to anything. With nice hotels and a good basic travel plan we should be good to go.
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