Also we could cut Jaipur and go to both Jaisalmer and Jodhpur...not sure if it would be better to fly then from Delhi if we skipped Jaipur.

We took the train from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer several years ago. The train windows were so dirty that we could barely see outside. I don't think flying to Jaisalmer was an option then--due to border problems at that time. I would skip Jaisalmer in favor of Jodhpur.

For the short time you have I would definitely omit Jaisalmer. Remember that the drive from Agra to Jaipur is long so you certainly won't have two full days there. I would choose either Jodhpur or Jaipur and stay put until the long drive to Udaipur. The desert around Jaisalmer is very different from that in Namibia. We've seen both. Our desert experience in Jaisalmer was a real tourist trap. Nothing like joining 10,000 tourists, camels, and vendors for sundown. Enjoy your trip.

I agree with Marija. Jaisalmer is a bit far from your other destinarions. Also Jodhpur has the best fort in Rajasthan.

Thanks all for helping me go ahead with my itinerary as follows. I was a bit concerned about the tourist trap risk in India after Namibia, which was devoid of tourists and infrastructure.

How far is Jaipur to Jodhpur? JOdhpur seems "on the way" to Udaipur.

As for my routing, if I go fly back to Delhi to go to Agra, I also run into the closed Taj on Friday. Right now I'd arrive at Delhi very very late Thursday night, so Friday we'd have to either drive to Agra and see other things or spend the day in Delhi to see the Taj on Saturday. This is over Chinese New Year, so it will be packed with Chinese tour groups...oh well. I somehow feel the return routing, starting in Udaipur and ending up in Delhi is less preferable. I ended a trip in Egypt years ago in Cairo - not a great final impression!

The route Delhi-Agra- Jaipur is the best. The road Delhi-Jaipur is in a mess right now with work that was supposed to have been done for the 2010 Commonweaalth Games still not complete

Jaipur has more to offer than Jaisalmer and Jaisalmer, being more dependent on tourism, has more of the touristy feeling you want to avoid. You can get a desert experience near Jodhpur at Khimsar or Osian

Including Jaisalmer means adding at least 2 extra nights as you necessarily have to go through Jodhpur twice or via Bikaner to get to Jaisamer from Jaipur and then from Jaisalmer too Udaipur

Devigarh will be the best end to your tour..dont worry the four hours during transit will just fly away

Thanks again...we've decided to have some extra time not to be rushed and now it looks like:
2 nights delhi (one is just arrival) > 2 Agra > 2 Jaipur >2 Jodhpur> 4 Udaipur.

If I cut the night from Delhi where to add it?
As we leave HKG on a Thursday night and arrive on a Friday morning...we could go straight to Agra on Friday and just see the Taj on Saturday and add a day elsehwere into the itinerary as Delhi sights don't seem as exciting. Thanks everyone for your opinions.

Also in Jodhpur, what hotels are recommended? Raas and Samara both look interesting, but obviously VERY different. The Umaid Palace is out of my price range.

We stayed at the Taj Hari Mahal in Jodhpur and liked it. It's been rebranded as a Vivanta by Taj.

http://www.vivantabytaj.com/Hari-Mahal-Jodhpur/Promotions.aspx

I liked Delhi and thought it had a lot of interesting stuff. For more details on the Taj Hari Mahal see
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/bruce-and-marija-go-to-india.cfm

We will be at Devi Garh Feb. 21, 22. Then two days Udaipur. Do we overlap?

We will be at Devi Garh a few days earlier...oh well would have been nice if our days did overlap.

As for Jodhpur, thanks Marija for the recommendation. I looked at some photos of the Vivanta Taj and will consider it. It's a drop more $$ than the Raas for our dates. I also am thinking about the Ajit Bhawan - some of the rooms look dated, but it looks like an interesting hotel. I'm trying to strike a balance by managing to stay in interesting boutique hotels in India while also saving $$$ and using starwood points where possible. I really like the Raas but all the reviews about the loud sermon from the mosque make me hesitant to book. We won't be there on a Friday night though, but I don't know what other Muslim holidays may be going on.

I just booked the ITC in Jaipur on cash & points - the reviews aren't great and with so many other amazing properties in Jaipur, I might reconsider.

We also stayed in the vivanta taj in jodpur and liked it. The taj was running a nice deal - 3 nites for the price of 2 when we were there.

I also concur that Delhi is worthy of 2-3 days. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

Tans, save your Starwood points and cash. YOu are right, with so many great places in Jaipur, at very reasonable costs...better to save the Starwood point in India for some of the great ITC hotels (eg Maurya in New Delhi, Mughal in Agra) or for another Starwood property around the world that does cash and points.
I agree with Marija, Dgun, and others about Delhi "deserving" of 2-3 days. Don't shortchange yourself there. And it's GREAT for shopping. (I love the set up t Haus Khaz Village--problaby the only outdoor "shopping mall" next to an beautiful historical site!!!

In an "I miss India" frame of mind, this from TGS Tours had me laughing. One of those "shrug, it's India" statement:

"The road Delhi-Jaipur is in a mess right now with work that was supposed to have been done for the 2010 Commonweaalth Games still not complete "

Well, at least the Delhi metro finished in time!!

Hi,
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately Starwood is claiming there are no "standard" rooms for the ITC Mughal in Agra for February, and not letting me use points for some basic room wtih a "fruit platter on demand". As if that's what one wants to eat in India! (my husband and I both got sick in Thailand from fruit). Using points in Delhi is a poor value, while for the ITC in Jaipur it's a great deal. All of these reservations are cancellable, so I guess i'll pick the best deal at the last minute
We will have 1.5 - 2 days in Delhi, partially because the Taj is closed on Friday. There is a lot of stuff to do everywhere - looking forward to it.
As for Delhi hotels we are waiting on rates from a friend of ours who has access to very good deals...otherwise we might try the Le Meridien.

Any luck with le Meridien?

YOu can get a lovely and "atmospheric" small hotel in Jaipur, so again, even with the great deal in Jaipur , recommend saving your Starwood points

When i was there using cash and points Maurya came to about $100. Has that changed?


YOu will not regret 2 days in Delhi, esp'lly as much of that will be physically recovering from long flights, getting used to new time zone, etc

Hi Cali,
The Le Meridien is about $250 USD a night our dates, or 10K starwood points - no cash & points available. I'm still waiting to hear back from our contact on corporate rates, so hopefully I can get something good that way. Sometimes sales for Delhi hotels come up on last minute travel websites (Jetsetter, etc) so I might look for something on those. None of the Delhi Starwood properties offers C&P for our dates.

I think we will book Raas in Jodphur, it seems like an interesting place, and we won't be there on a Friday or a Muslim holiday hopefully!

I think we will probably have 2 days in Delhi. We won't be recovering from jetlag as we are based in Asia, but I definitely want to take it easy the first day! It seems like any hotel in Delhi should have an ok location as I assume we'll just have a driver picking us up anyway.

We loved our guesthouse in Delhi - large rooms, great home-cooked food, very reasonable, in a walkable, residential neighborhood next to Humayum's tomb. B19 http://www.bnineteen.com/

We stayed at Ratan Vilas in Jodhpur in 2009 for $64/night including breakfast. It's a heritage hotel with a large bedroom and a spacious bathroom. It's not within walking distance, whatever that means in India, of the main part of town, but we had a car and wonderful driver. Lovely grounds and secluded . . .


We had a mediocre dinner at the Hari Mahal, a Taj hotel in Jodhpur. Waiters were excellently caparisoned in brocade tunics and turbans, but I'm glad we didn't waste our money on a room there.

Indianapearl - thanks for the tip. I just checked and unfortunately Ratan Vilas are not available for our dates.
Chandelao Garh is for about $60 a night, but it's far from town...I paid $290 or so for RAAS for a cancellable rate, which seems to be fair. Hari Mahal was a bit more than this.

Tans, check Kothi Heritage in Jodhpur. Friend stayed and loved it. About $50/night.

If you have time, take a day trip to Ossian, about ten miles outside Jodhpur. There are some interesting Hindi sites there, some quite ancient, as well as an active Durga temple and a Jain temple.

Thanks for the advice about Ossian. As for my Jodhpur lodging I have a refundable room at RAAS and am thinking about changing to Fort Chanwa Luni, the Tripadvisor reviews look good, and it's less than 1/2 the price of RAAS. I read a few reviews of Kothi Heritage and one said a bunch of rooms have no windows, so we decided to pass - my husband is picky.

Tans, there are LOADS of TArecommended placesIN Jodhpur that are half the price of RAAS.

Re :I have no particular interest in Kothi Heritage (other than friend who loved it) but in general, for any particular in any hotel, e.g. no windows, in this or any place... ask your travel agent to have them request/guarantee you getting a room with whatever ,you do or do not want, depending on the place. You will usually be given vouchers to turn in to the hotel when arriving...DO NOT turn them in until you see the room, if you have any concerns!!

Or...are you booking all these places yourself? Sorry, i can't recall if you decided to do the entrie trip independently.