WinterTravel

We are planning two weeks in India in December and have decided to focus on Rajasthan so that we can minimize time spent in transit and maximize our time to experience the area while still having relaxation and down time. As of now, the itinerary that we have in mind is as follows:

*Delhi - 2 nights (Imperial Hotel)
*Jaipur - 3 nights (Rambagh Palace)
*Jodhpur - 2 nights (Umaid Bhawan Palace)
*Jaisalmer - 2 nights (Fort Rajwada)
*Udaipur - 4 nights (Udaivilas)
*Delhi - 1 night (Imperial Hotel)

We would love comments and suggestions on this. Are we spending too much/too little time in any of these places? Are there day-trips from any that we should not miss (perhaps necessitating adding another night)? Are there other high-end hotels that are preferable to the ones that we have chosen? Are we making a mistake by leaving out Ranthambore (we've been to Africa several times, but perhaps we're missing the point and should go anyway if it is not about the game)?

Thanks in advance for your advice!!

hobbes

Answers
Ranthambore is entirely about game so if you are not interested in safaris you can give it a miss. It does have gorgeous hotels but most people go there and do 2 drives daily, one early morning and one in the afternoon. Dec is not the nest time to see tigers so if that is primary agenda you could skip it. I would delete a night from Udaipur and add it to Delhi. Presumably with flight timings and jet lag your first day and last night may not be very effective and Delhi IM) had sightseeing, great food and shopping to offer for 3 full days. The Imperial is gorgeous and Delhi in Dec is very pretty. If you plan to transfer Delhi-Jaipur by car you could also consider a night at Neemrana Fort - www.neemranahotels - which is en route the drive and will break your journey nicely. Your choice of hotels IMo is great - combination of Vilas and non Vilas properties. If you are an aman junkie you may want to consider their new Alwar resort - check it out on www.amanresorts.com.

rdkr

I can recommend the Rambagh Palace. A great hotel. Have a great trip.
Rich,
Photos and videos of our trip to India.
http://www.franceinfocus.net/vlc46.html

WinterTravel

Thanks for the input thus far! One other question for everyone -- if we've never been to Varanasi, should we try to do a couple of days there (we realize it is nowhere near Rajasthan, but...). In theory, we could fly Delhi - Varanasi - Delhi and then on to our Rajasthan itinerary (though slightly shorter). Thanks for any advice.....

Craig

Sounds like you will moving right along - I can't really tell how many actual days of touring the 14 nights translates to. When we went in February, we spent 3-1/2 full days (4 nights) in Delhi. If you like to shop, you will need that much time. As for touring in Delhi, we did Old Delhi one day, New Delhi the next and South Delhi on the last day. Depending on how much you want see, each of those tours could easily last from 9 AM to mid afternoon.

3 Nights at Jaipur will give you 2 full days which is enough time to do the City Palace and surrounding attractions one day and Amber Fort on the other. You would also have time to shop or relax.

We stayed at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi and I would highly recommend it. In Jaipur we stayed at Raj Vilas which was fantastic. We did have dinner at Rambagh Palace and also went back to see it in the day time. From the outside and in the public areas the Rambagh is most impressive. The dinner we had there was the worst one we had in India however while the meals we had at Raj Vilas were amazing.

I have been to Kenya twice for safaris and we also went to Ranthambore. We were lucky enough to see a tiger but there was plenty of other wildlife. The game drives are very long compared to my experiences in Africa. The park is very large and it takes time to get places. There is also a lot of bureaucracy in getting into the park. Morning game drives go from about 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM and the evening ones go from about 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM. My advice would be to try not to schedule 2 drives in one day. That being said, we are glad we had Ranthambore on our itinerary - the park is beautiful and our photos are stunning. If you go, remember that it will be very cold in the early morning especially. We stayed at Sher Bagh - not for everyone, but great for us.

We were sorry that we had to miss Varanasi. If we had had the time, it would have been our next choice for a destination. Have you already been to Agra and the Taj Mahal? I can't imagine going all the way to India and not seeing the Taj.

Any luck with a tour operator?

WinterTravel

We chose Rambagh Palace over Rajvilas in Jaipur given the location. We've heard good things about Rajvilas, but gather that it is quite far from town and a little less easy to explore from. Would love your thoughts on that, Craig -- did you see a room at the Rambagh when you dined there?

Craig

We did not see a room at the Rambagh but the rooms at Rajvilas are huge and extremely well appointed. I don't think the distance was much of a factor. It really doesn't take long to get into Jaipur and, for touring, Amber Fort is out of town anyway. I am skeptical of places like Rambagh Palace that are living on their reputation and, given the low quality of their restaurants (I am not the only one on this board that has made this observation), would you want to eat breakfast there every day?

WinterTravel

Craig - Did you stay at Udaivilas too? If so, how would you compare that to the experience at Rajvilas?

Craig

We did not have time to go to Udaipur but everything I have heard about Udaivillas is good.

WinterTravel

Craig - It appears that Rajvilas has room too (just checked their website). Did you stay in a room or one of the tents? Do you have any recommendation re: which type of room/view to ask for if we do decide to stay there instead of at Rambagh?

Craig

Rajvilas is a resort, all single story units in pods of 4. We did not stay in a tent and after checking them out, I see no reason to spend the extra $$ to do it unless you really value the privacy. The standard rooms are very large. Privacy depends on where you are - best to keep your blinds closed if your windows face foot paths. We were in a fairly private area farthest from the restaurant and reception but there were 2 unused meeting rooms that were part of our pod.

hobbes

WinterTravel I have stayed at Udai Vilas and raj Vilas. IMO if you stay at a tent at Raj Vilas the experience is significantly different otherwise they are somewhat similar. Another option you could consider for a diff exp in Jaipur is Samode - www.samodehotels.com.

WinterTravel

Hobbes - thanks for the comparison. Were the tents at Rajvilas worth the expense ($595 per night is what website is quoting for Dec)? This is a lot more than Rambagh Palace (website quoting $400 per night). Also, since you've been at Udaivilas we'd love to know if you think that 4 nights there is too long. We were going to end our trip there, so we thought that 4 nights would give us time to see the area but also to relax and enjoy the facilities. Do you recommend a particular room type at Udaivilas?

hobbes

I've already mentioned above that I think you should reduce Udaipur by a day and add it to Delhi. I think 3 nights in Udaipur is ample. I do not offhand recall the difference in rooms at Udai Vilas (went there dec 02) as they are all pretty similar - we had not taken a suite. Raj Vilas vs Rambagh is a tough question - you are already having a palace hotel experience at Umaid Bhawan so maybe you want to splurge on a tent in Raj Vilas? I think the Imperial will be cheaper than Udai Vilas so maybe you can make up the difference there? What did you think re a night at Neemrana?

WinterTravel

We had a look at the Neemrana website and it was certainly intriguing. Our plan is to fly from Delhi to Jaipur, however, so it probably does not make sense for us to detour there. Given your advice about 3 nights being enough at Udaipur, we could return to Delhi for 2 nights there before at the end of our trip before we return home. This would mean 2 nights and 1 1/2 days at the beginning of our time in India and and 2 nights 1 1/2 days in Delhi at the end of our trip. Is that too much in Delhi? Is the Imperial special enough that it won't feel a bit of a let-down after Udaivilas (we always try to end our trip in the nicest place)? Also, is there a particular room type/view that we should ask for at the Imperial?

Craig

I do not think 1-1/2 days in Delhi at each end of your trip is too much. I am sure Hobbes will agree. You will probably have enough time to see most of the sites if you use your 2 full days to do old Delhi one day and south Delhi (which is technically part of New Delhi) on the other. It takes quite a while to get to the attractions in South Delhi. If you are there on a Sunday that will help as the traffic is light. Keep in mind that some attractions are closed on Sundays or Mondays. The Imperial IS special but it is a different experience than the Oberoi properties since it is a city hotel. Whether you will be ending your trip in the "nicest place" depends on your opinion. It certainly is one of the nicest places in Delhi. Although we ended up in a suite, we had reserved a Heritage Room which is the better of two non-suite room choices. I have heard on this site that the standard "Imperial" rooms are rather plain so it is better to spend the extra $$ for the Heritage Room.

hobbes

I really like both the Imperial and Delhi in the winter. IMO after 8 days of Rajasthan you will enjoy Delhi - great food, different landscape, fantastic shopping - as a matter of fact you do not need to shop much in Rajasthan as 60-70% of the same shops have Delhi outlets. I comp agree with Craig - 3 full days in Delhi is NOT much. Maybe you can go for a really nice meal on your last night in Delhi so that you do not miss Udai Vilas that much.

WinterTravel

Hobbes & Craig - Thanks again. Great idea to have a superb meal in Delhi to end the trip. Any recommended spots? Also, you've both mentioned shopping in Delhi -- any specific places you recommend on that front?

Craig

We had fabulous Indian food at both Corbett's (Claridges Hotel) and Bukhara (ITC Maurya Sheraton). They are about a 15 minute drive from the Imperial.

You can walk to Central Cottage Industries, the huge government-run crafts emporium. It is across the street from the Imperial. Don't believe anyone who tells you it is closed. The crafts museum also has a good museum shop. The Hyatt has a large two floor arcade. Further afield are the Santushti Shopping Complex (for clothes) and Haus Khas Village both pleasant, no hassle places to shop.

hobbes

I did a detailed post a while ago on shopping in Delhi.Many others have posted as well so enter delhi shopping in the search box. If you have specific items you are interested in please ask and will advise. For your very special last dinner I would not go to Bukhara tho i comp agree with Craig that you MUST go there once during your trip. Seating is rather informal and it is always packed. If you are open to fusion cuisine Olive in the Mehrauli area is in a great setting and was written up as one of Conde Nast's top tables in 2003, the year it opened. Make a reservation as it is always packed and if you want to sit outside dress warmly. Corbetts is a good option for Indian. The Hyatt Regency in South Delhi has an outstanding Italian restaurant, La Piazza and a great Jap fusion place, Teppan Yaki.