I've never been to China, so am not qualified to answer your original question. But considering your husband's preference for Greece--take advantage of his flexibility while you can!! (-:
Now if you asked me to chose between Greece (where i have been) and India, for me that's easy: Incredible India!!!

lol, Cali, Greece is probably the country I've visited that I liked least! So definitely steer him in a differnt direction - eith India or China.

We've spent 6 weeks in Greece already...so definitely time to venture somewhere else, although we loved it and don't mind going back. I told him I would compromise and go on 2 trips this year. Sadly, he is still working and cannot take that much time.

Question - is India do-able on a moderate budget? Sadly, my husband is unwilling to stay in the 5 + star hotels, given their price. Can it be done at around $100 or less per day for a decent hotel in a decent area?

Dgunbug,

Not everyone rcan afford, the high prices of 5* Indian hotels--and not everyone wants to stay in them, even if they could. IF you read only this forum for India hotel advice, you you might get the impression that you have to spend big bucks for a decent, clean place in a safe area. With all due respect to fellow Fodorites, there is an emphasis on options that are at least $250 night and often waayyyy more (Oberois , Taj, Devi Garh, etc) The two ITC 5* stayed at were indeed fantastic but without Starwood Points, i woudnt have chosen them. Im Amritsar i stayed at a wonderful "5*" hotel that was $120/night, including a fantastic huge breakfast buffet.


I dont think it "sad" that your husband doesnt want to spend on 5* hotels. Good for him!!!

So the answer to your question is a resounding YES!!! There are not just decent hotels but also wonderful homestays and B&Bs that are within your budget. I am always researching to feed my India dreams, so i have ideas: places at which I've stayed, and others at which i'd like to and will stay in the future.

the biggest expense for me India is getting there. Could that be a stumbling block to traveling there, compared to travel to China???(Not ahveing beento CHina, i dont know) Form the US at least, figure about $1400 round trip for each (with variation of course, based on airlines, time of yr, departure point>

CaliNurse - thanks for your imput. We have frequent flyer miles so that is not a concern. We've been lucky enough to be able to use them for the last 2 trips to Asia and are flexible enough in our dates that we "hopefully" can get them again. I would expect that China air tickets are equally expensive.

Bear in mind that if your trip is during the high tourist season (November – March) prices will be affected by that. However, I would say that outside of some major cities (esp Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore) and outside of the heavily touristed “Golden Triangle” area of Agra-Jaipur-Udaipur, you should have no problem with that budget. You are unlikely to go to Bangalore as a tourist, and I would suggest you skip Mumbai as a first-time tourist (other than perhaps to fly into or out of on an international flight). But even within the touristed Golden Triangle and Delhi, you will certainly find hotels at and below that amount. They may have old furniture and bathrooms, service may be a bit spotty, the lights may go out from time to time, but they should be fine. It is a matter of what you are comfortable with. In Delhi I would say you may want to spend more to get a better hotel, although there are certainly options in the US$100 range (don’t forget tax, you don’t indicate if your budget includes tax. Most hotels will also include breakfast in the rate). In Delhi location can also be an important factor which may be worth paying a bit more for. While virtually all areas of India are safe, being closer to tourist sites, restaurants, shopping, etc can be an advantage given the traffic issues in many cities, esp Delhi.

Outside of the main cities and the main tourist areas, you will find far lower prices, paying half your budgeted amount would be more typical. The Amritsar example above is a good one (although it is above your budget and it is not clear to me if the price included tax. But it sounds like it was good value for the price.) The south is quite inexpensive, and you may even be able to include what you might consider to be 5* hotels (other than perhaps Goa and Kerala in high season, but again, bargains can be found.)

I don’t really recommend travelling in the hot/monsoon season from April – September. It is possible, and prices are lower, but you really have to be prepared for brutal temps. If you want your DH to hate India (and lord it over you forever), this would give him a good opportunity to do so. If you go in the hot season, you have to make sure your hotel has air conditioning.

A very useful website for hotels in India is http://sawdays.co.uk/, click on the book for India. You can also buy the book, <i>Special Places to Stay India</i>, but the website will give you a very long list of hotels to start with. A lot of these hotels are in the budget range, and all seem interesting and several, like the Imperial in Delhi, are outstanding (but it’s not a budget hotel by any means). Two good operators generally in India are the Oberoi group (http://www.oberoihotels.com) and the Taj group (www.tajhotels.com. ), they offer budget hotels within their offerings, so check their websites. There is a small Indian chain called Neemrama which operates a number of unique hotels in palaces and other old buildings and could be something to consider if you want a different experience. Go to http://www.neemranahotels.com. The Sarovar group has some nice hotels, see http://sarovarhotels.com/. Ginger hotels runs some decent budget hotels, see http://www.gingerhotels.com/ . Sheraton and Marriott run a number of good hotels in India as well, generally in the major cites and if you have points, this is a good place to redeem them. Finally, get the <i>Lonely Planet Guide</i>, they do budget travel in SE Asia better than Fodors and Frommers, IMO. (You can buy and print out just certain sections of their guidebooks by going to their website, although their guides generally are worth buying in their entirety IMO.) Their “high end” reccos are usually very good value for money, although lately they seem to veer toward the more expensive end (they include the Imperial in New Delhi for example which is decidedly not a budget hotel); so if those seem too much go with the “middle end” reccos.

As a final note, in India (as in China), the “star” rating system for hotels is meaningless, so don’t believe the hype on a website or from a travel agent. A hotel can have a 5 Star rating based on room size and the fact that it has a beauty parlor, and despite the fact that it has not replaced (nor cleaned) the carpeting in its rooms in 25 years. I can’t stress enough that India (or Asia for that matter) is not Europe where you can choose any 2 or 3-star hotel and know that it will be clean, although simple. India’s hotel industry is still in it’s infancy (there are more hotels in Orlando Florida than there are in ALL of India), which is another reason good hotels can be more expensive than you would expect in a relatively poor country. Tripadvisor.com has more and more Indian hotels on it, and is useful for opinions. It will also be about expectations, so if you know what to expect from an Indian 3 star (versus say a Swiss 3 star), then you should have a perfectly fine experience.

It's very difficult to give advice as to where to travel because everyone's different. We kept putting India off because people kept telling us not to go, then when we did go last October we loved it. We were in China 2 years ago and I have to say I'm glad I went but both my husband and myself wouldn't want to go back again, it didn't do much for us. Pricewise you can visit both and stay in nice hotels for your budget, we are not 5* travellers although we do splash out now and again and like to stay in nice places. We were there for 3 weeks but spent our last week in Goa relaxing before flying home, the total cost for the 2 weeks visiting Rajasthan, Varanasi and Mumbai was 2450 Euros (3200 US dollars)this included return flights to Europe, all hotels including the Lalit in Delhi and the Sheraton in Agra, the other hotels were all heritage like hotels, our flight to Varanasi and flight to Mumbai and all drivers and train travel, this doesn't include meals but you can eat out very cheaply in India. We never used guides as we got any info that we needed from our 2 guide books; the "Lonely planet" and the "Eyewitness" guides Our main concern in India was getting sick but we actually came home 5 kg. heavier, we never ate in retaurants that weren't recommended by fellow travellers and definitely didn't touch street food and we were fine. If it was my choice I would definitely choose India but I'm sure in the end you'll visit both, one next year and the other the year after.

Thank you all for your replies. This information is very helpful.

i did not read all of this, but to me the time of year might make a difference when i went, especially to india.....the best india travel is generally done in nov-jan.....

to me india is the most "foreign" experience i could imagine for anyone....it is fantastic... if you decide on it you probably will want to have an indian agency assist you for first time travel..... we loved having our driver and loved having all the assistance along the way.... not sure for a first time i could have done it solo.... but just cause you have assistance does not mean that you do not need to do your homework as well...

a wonderful first trip is the so called golden triangle: delhi, agra, jaipur and their enviorns.....plenty to do there for a few weeks... don't miss out on some heritage hotels: we loved the neemrana fort palace hotel not far from delhi...

china too is fabulous and has so many different regions...

I've been to both India and China, but only around 16 days in each country.. We enjoyed the sightseeing in both countries very much. They sites we visited were outstanding and memorable . The difference for me was the overwelming, in your face poverty in India which I did not feel was as apparent in China. While travelling through China I kept thinking, I could definately return and see more of this country. While travelling through India, I kept thinking how could the government let people live like this. I am sure I thought I would never return to India. However, after a 2 or 3 year hiatus, I have decided to return to southern India, and am presently researching a trip for Jan. So I guess I would say that you need to decide based on the time of year you are going, your interests, and whether you think your husband would be comfortable in a chaotic environment where the poverty is apparent at almost every turn. Judging by your Vietnam trip report, I am fairly sure that you would enjoy either country.

You have all given me much to think about. Both trips sound marvelous, but I will defer to my husband since he is wavering again about going back to Asia this year. Tonight during dinner he suggested spending time in Italy, so we will just have to see. I am hoping to convince him that we can visit Italy down the road. (We've both been to Italy before, although he has seen much more than I have)

Thank you all again for your information. Last night we actually made a decision on next year's travels. My DH is leaving it up to me and we will be going to India. Truth be told, I am a bit frightened by the prospect, but also extremely excited! Now we must figure out a plan for 3 1/2-4 weeks, subject to availability of ff airline tickets sometime in November/December 2011. It's a long way off, but lots of time to read and decide.

Did you drug him? Bravo.

You know Dogster...there are other methods that woman can use to make dogs wag their tails!

Great choice. I think China would be easier to visit even when you are older. India better to go when you still have youth on your side! :-) (My husband and I are in our 60's.) I traveled to India this year with friends (hubby stayed home) and loved it. Photography is part of the allure for me and India has artful scenes wherever you go and most people are happy to be a part of them. I'm already planning to go back--next time with husband--and friends. I have several photos posted at www.pattyroth.com from India and only a few from China--if photos help you. Bon Voyage!

dgunbug, From the descriptions of your trip to Vietnam, I think you're going to love it.

Patty - Thanks for your feedback. I love the way you have a mirror image of the pictures. It gives them an added dimension. How did you do that?

CFW - I'm really excited and I think my husband is too. He's starting to read up on India and he's already taking notes. Hopefully we won't have any snags when it comes to getting airline tickets. As it is, we are short on frequent flyer miles and will likely have to buy some.

fantastic!!!!!!!! get yourself some help from india....i really worked well with castle and king in delhi....he allowed me to book a few things myself as well as use his driver the whole time...

don't rush....there is tons to see....

We also used Castle & King & the service & arrangements were great. Arvind is the owner and very responsive. In addition to the sights, the people we encountered were incredible. There is a great thread on fodors now with some suggestions of terrific books about India. http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...ading-list.cfm

If you are interested in history, Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre & Larry Collins is terrific. It reads like a novel and provides great background.