4bams

we have just decided to go to india for 2 weeks over xmas (family of 4 with kids 19 and 21) we just changed our plans from vietnam to india, as we have done thailand in the past with the family, so this will be quite different.
this is our plan so far, and would appreciate your comments

we do not mind being very busy! i will hire a driver and guides as needed. as we are needing 2 rooms, i need to watch my costs, so would like suggestion for hotels in the $200-$300 range. we would like to do one splurge, which we think will be the serai in jaisalmer. this does eat up a lot of time but jaisalmar sound so lovely and different it seems worth it? thoughts?

we do not need more time in dehli, and will forgo jaipur this trip. if the tiger parks are open, we could switch jaisalmar for ranthambhore, for our splurge.

you guys have helped so much on previous trips i look forward to your input!

day 1 night- arrive dehli quite late
day 2 fly to udaipur 12:15
day 3 udaipur
day 4 udaipur
day 5 fly to jodphur 13:00 see jodphur in the afternoon, sleep in jodphur
day 6 drive to jaisalmer in morning, arrive afternoon
day 7 jaisalmer
day 8 drive to jodphur in afternoon, arrive evening
day 9 fly to dehli at noon, arrive at 2 pm dehli.
drive to agra, arrive (hopefully) for sunset
day 10 agra in morning, then drive to dehli in time for
flight to varanassi 18:20, arrive varanassi 19:45
day 11 varanassi
day 12 varanassi morning and afternoon
flight to dehli 20:15
day 13 dehli
day 14 fly home

4bams

anyone???

Jaya

Christmas is high season in India. You should be booking flights and hotels very soon and there may be some sticker shock.

Make sure your driver speaks English before you agree to use him and that he knows the areas he will be driving (don't assume he does).

Since you have a 12:15 flight on day 2, you really need to book a hotel that isn't far from the airport (like around 3-7 km range if possible).

Craig

I've not been to Jodphur or Jaisalmer so I can't comment on those. I've been to all of the others though and your time allowed for each destination seems reasonable, except for Agra, which seems rushed. This is a very busy itinerary with too much time spent in airports IMO. I think you need to get moving on your hotels as many will be already booked for the holidays. We stayed at a homestay in Udaipur which I don't recommend for a family of 4. The Sheraton might be in your price range. Lodging in Varanasi is fairly cheap but be sure to stay on the river. We stayed at Amarvilas in Agra which would be a splurge for you. The game parks are open at that time of year - we stayed at Sher Bagh tented camp which was a blast and may be in your price range.

Hope this helps.

Jaya

Amarvillas would be a wonderful splurge!!!

Be aware that you will need two hotel rooms for 4 people in India.

You may already know this, but the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays.

galactus

Your budget seems quite alright for hotels and you should be able to get some pretty nice places for it provided you book early enough. Your itinerary does seem jam packed though. You might want to cut a few places to fully enjoy the places that you do visit.

The Maidens at Delhi is a good option but its far from the airport, so go there only if you have a decent amount of time. The Clarks Shiraz at Agra is good value for money and at a good location for exploring. For Udaipur, if you want a heritage hotel feel, look at the Shiv Niwas Heritage Hotel.

rhkkmk

WOW... lots of moving around... read my trip report, "why india, part II" for some hints..

i think heritage hotels would work for you.. we loved ratan villas in jodphur and they have a great pool for the kids and a good a la carte menu..

i agree stay on the river only in varanasi... check out the palace on the ganges hotel..

do you have any hotel pts? india is a great place to use them..

we stayed at the sheraton palace in udaipur and it was fab but i might stay in the historic area another time---look where we ate, most of them were nice heritage hotels..

udaipur was the best place we stayed in india... i would want 2-3 days there..

4bams

thanks

you are correct on hotels, some are filling up. the amarvillas is outrageously expensive- a one night stay in december is almost $2000 per room!!! I need 2 rooms, so absolutely (sadly) not happening. I was going to contact castle and king to provide driver and make all my reservations. I will wait til after aug 22 to decide about the tiger park- we will see if the parks will be shut down then apparently. sher bagh is run by the same people as the serai (jaisalmer) so if we do that it might ease our travel by not going to jaisalmer. not really sure what else we would be able to cut our,as we are already not going to many places...

Jaya

The economy in India is very good and you are competing for flights and hotels with Indians that have plenty of money to spend. Another secret is that Indians booking within India pay less than foreigners do. Knowing that won't get you a cheaper deal, just an FYI.

Amarvillas, when I checked a few years ago, was running around $700 per night. Guess business must be good!

galactus

Actually if you want a splurge option and are going to be in Udaipur, the Taj Lake Palace is fantastic. Similarly the Umaid Bhawan Jodhpur is a great option for luxury. I've never been to the Serai but seems interesting by its photos.

CaliNurse

H, Bams.

Agree with Craig, might be too rushed, especially Agra.

Perhaps you could save some $$ by driving rather than flying, eg Udaipur to Jodhpur. When you take into account getting to and from airports, etc, and what you'll miss seeing on the roads (life in villages, etc) it won't add much time, and might add a lot, to avoid one or two flights and hit the road instead.

When you request your car, do not even THINK about booking anything less in size than a Toyota Innova, for your family's comfort. It will cost a bit more than a sedan, but well worth it.

I haven't been (yet) to Jaiselmer, but perhaps a add a day there since you are gong that far--for camel trip out to the desert?

Have you made plans for your overnight in Delhi, after arrival but before next day's departure?

Have the most wonderful time in incredible India!!

rhkkmk

we found the camel trip wayyyy toooo commercial and honestly boring..

jailsamer is a nice twon for about 2 full days..

we like bikaner too..

flora7

Jaisalmer is really very nice and beautiful place to visit, spend one night in desert in camp, camel safari,


afcourse, when you go jodhpur to udaipur on the way visit Rankpur jain temples, its very beautiful

4bams

thanks all for your help. there has been a roller coaster with rathambore: all the tiger parks were closed pending a supreme court case, but it seems very likely they will reopen now in october.however, "very likely" in india is too much of a chance for me! as for jaisalmer we have cut it out as being too far. instead we have been working with castle and king, and so far i am impressed with the ideas he has come up with to give us off the beaten track experiences- we will do village visits, desert tent camp/ nature preserve, stay in some heritage hotels. it will be busy but thats how we like it!