My friend and I (both women, ages 27 and 35) are going to India for a wedding in December.

This will be my second time to India, but the first was with an organized college trip, so any advice from the more experienced travellers would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the itinerary we are thinking of, but we haven't booked any of our inter-India travel yet, so it still could change. I just want to make sure we are not doing too much in the time we have.

Thanks.

Dec 9-12: Arrive in Mumbai, hang out with a friend whose family lives there, see the sites and shop for wedding attire.
Dec 13-16- Leave for Ellora/Ajanta caves morning of 13th, depart back to Mumbai to arrive 16th (train travel - probably overnight on the way back)
Evening of Dec 16 - Fly from Mumbai to Delhi
Morning of Dec 17 - Train to Agra
Night of Dec 17 - Overnight train from Agra to Varanasi
Dec 18-21 - Varanasi (I've already been here and think my friend will love it)
Dec 21-26 - fly to Dehli, attend wedding
Dec 26 - Fly to Goa
Dec 26-Jan 2 - Goa
Jan 2 - fly back to Mumbai (or should we take the overnight train?)
Jan 3 - leave for the states

Any hotel recommendations for these places would be great. We don't need to stay in luxury, but western toilets and AC (in Goa) are important.

Have you booked your flight and accomodations in Goa? Better do quickly, if you haven't. It is very difficult to find flight into Goa in the Dec 26-Jan 1 timeframe.

Accomodations will be the most expensive too during that time. I recommend the Goa Marriott in Panjim, a most enjoyable property (there are many excellent resorts in Goa but I do not know if you want to be secluded in a corner of the state). You can base yourself there and then make day trips to points in the Goa. If you find it expensive, try Hotel Mandovi (http://www.hotelmandovigoa.com).

Incase you wish to go through an article on 'what to do in Goa'and I promise you it is excellent, you may contact me on email: [email protected]

Definitely need to know budget/night. Range is fine. I would suggest trying to take the overnight train Mumbai-Ajanta/Ellora. 2 full days there then overnight train back should be fine. Problem with your Agra plan is you will not be able to go early Am when the lighting is beautiful and the Taj is far less crowded. I always reco 2 viewings of the Taj. I would also say splurge on a night at Amar Vilas, make it uo somewhere else eg Goa by staying at a cheaper place. Goa-Mumbia there is a night train and a day train as well as the flight. Compare fares - loads of new low cost carriers flying in India.

Be aware that vp_singh (legendsandpalaces) is actually a travel agent and is posting here against the rules agaist commercial advertising and promotion set by Fodor's.

He has already given erroneous advice on other threads here in an attempt to sell his services. Stay away from him! There are lots of reputable travel agents in India. He is not one of them!

Thanks for all your advice - I already have a travel agent, so no need for another one vp_singh. Thanks anyway, though.

We are looking to stay within a medium budget - no more than $25-$50 per person per night. I know we may have to pay more in Goa because of the time we are going there, and that is ok. I've heard there are huts on the beach you can rent in certain areas of Goa, but I assume those are first come first serve as opposed to something you can reserve beforehand.

Thanks for all your help! Any other hotel recommendations greatly appreciated.

Assuming you only need one room, at a max of $100 per night (does that include tax and service charges?) and in high season and some pretty pricey places in India, my suggestion is that you get the Lonely Planet guidebook, as they know budget travel in India better than the majors like Fodors. Their “high-end” reccos for hotels and restaurants are usually good and good value for money.

Look at the hotel reccos put together by Fodors, click on Hotels above, you can search by price. Other good sources for hotels are frommers.com and tripadvisor.com, you can search by price on tripadvisor.com as well.

In Delhi, you might try the Maiden's hotel which s operated by Oberoi, the best operator in India, IMO. It is at the top of your budget, but Delhi is expensive. Take a look at http://www.maidenshotel.com/. The location may be a bit out of the way, also not sure where it is in relation to your various wedding activities.

In Delhi Masters Guest House has had decent reviews on this site. Location is decent. Find out where the festivities are so we can advise better. In Aurangabad (Ellora/Ajanta) take a look at the Taj property there. It may be within your budget. Take a lok at Alastair Sawday;s site for Goa ideas - some nice offbeat ones - http://www.specialplacestostay.com/s...p?FileCode=ind. Also take a lok at www.heritagehotels.com. They are not all expensive.