Hi,

Was wondering if I could get some help on hotels in Delhi.

1. I am flying into Delhi at 9:55 pm and departing the next morning at 5:40AM. Does it make sense to stay in a hotel, and if so, what makes the most sense?

2. I am arriving back in Delhi a week later at 8:50AM and departing that evening at 11:10PM. Thought it would make sense to get a hotel room for the day. Am I thinking about this correctly? And what is a convenient hotel to use that would be near the shopping areas?

Thanks much!

i do not believe there are hotels as such at the delhi airport, but there are some nearby...there may be a shower/rest place however within the airport....i do not think that any indian airport is the place i would want to spend the nite...

getting a room for the day in delhi will cost you almost $200, depending on the date

I stayed with friends when I visited Delhi so apart from lunch at the Imperial I'm not familiar with the hotels. However, I'm certain you can find something for less than $200!

Centaur Airport Hotel is at the airport, couple of others close by
try this:
http://www.nongasia.com/delhi.html

I saw mentioned a country resort fairly near which might be nice for a day stay, sorry can't remember the name.

Thanks much for the input. Had heard about the Centaur hotel but also heard bad reviews. Sounds like a hotel is a much better idea than staying at the airport. Any ideas of where in Delhi I should stay for the day of shopping? Or should I stick to being close to airport since I am leaving the day that I arrive?

For your flight in , there's such a thing as retiring rooms. They're at the airport (domestic) and are available on a first-come first-served basis. I'm sure they're stripped down, but it's an idea. You're only going to be there a few hours anyway, right? See http://www.airportsindia.org.in/aai/...ssengerfac.htm

For leaving Delhi, I'd personally look for a place near wherever you want to shop. You could pay $30 (or less) or so if you go with a B&B. The ones I've stayed at haven't been particularly close to shopping, unfortunately.

i can't imagine what a $30 room in delhi would be like???

Have to agree with the concern about the $30 room. I'm thinking maybe spending $75-$100? Or is that too unreasonable?

No that ie. your budget should be all right. See what kind of rate the Radisson offers. Else consider Uppals Orchid Hotel also very near. A bit farther are the Grand and the Vasant Continental. For your day room near the shopping take a look at the Meridien and Yatri Niwas.

We stayed at Le Meridien and we liked it and its location. This is a modern, comfortable large hotel. The lobby is huge, very modern. The rooms are very well equipped. The service is excellent. The breakfast is fine. WE loved the french restaurant. ( I do not like Indian cuisine, but I meet people who liked very much the Indian restaurant there).

DO NOT consider Uppals Orchid until you read the reviews on Trip Advisor!!!!

We stayed in a $40/night hotel upon arrival late at night and leaving by train in the am. Metro Heights, I think it was. Decent for 5 hours. If you're flying out the next day, a better choice would be the Redisson. Very close to the Airport. Big, impersonal and expensive, but close.

For your last day, you might ask if the Imperial will give you a discounted partial day rate. They knocked off about 1/3 for a noon to 9 pm day for us. it was well worth it as we were coming in from the country and really needed a bath and a place to repack our stuff for the flight home. In addition, the Imperial is really convenient for last minute shopping.

The Radisson is within a mile from Delhi airport. Its a good place to stay and shouldn't be too expensive. Do not stay at the Centaur- even if it is for a short stay. I stayed there for 1 night a few years ago and it was really bad (not clean, dark, very depressing). Here is the link- it is literally a 5 minute drive from the airport.
http://www.radisson.com/newdelhiin

Hope that helps.

Hi SuY,

Hotels in Delhi are very expensive....and no decent hotel costs less than USD 150 to 200......

For your first visit - your fligth gets in at 2155 hours - by the time you come in from the customs etc it shall be definitely 2255 or 0030 hours or even more (if the flight is on time)...

It shall be better if you just go across to the domestic terminal from there (free shuttle) and wait for sometime at the domestic airport...the check for domestic fligths start one and a half hour from the time of departure...so you can check in by about 0400 in the morning....

It does not mnake sense to spend so much for just one or two hours at the airport - if an airport retiring room is available - ask your airline hostess about it...than go for it....

For the second visit since you have time..it shall be better to take up a hotel like Radisson - freshen up and than spend the timre going around Delhi....
Radisson is nearest to the airport and also quite good....

When are you visitng Delhi - which month and date ??? Costs shall depend on the time period ??

let me know and I shall advise you the best possible options..

ASHAMS

yes, luxury hotels in Delhi are very expensive as compared to many Asian locales, but there are plenty of other choices, hotels of all budgets, guesthouses located about the city! Near the airport itslef in the luxury range as mentioned u have the Radisson,but calmer and quieter options in the luxury range and not too far away u have the upmarket areas of Vasant Kunj and then Vasant Vijar and u will find the Grand and subsequently the VAsant Continental. The Grand is actually a beautiufl hotel and has some superb dining options!!! Radisson also has some good resturants but tends to be very busy. In terms of less expensive and more central alternatives on your return to Delhi And for those who can not afford luxury, Delhi indeed has plenty of options... oh, but before i go into that, I must alSO mention there are indeed a string of cheap and somewhat seedy~looking hotels located on the national highway that passes the airport and for some these are adequate.I guess the best of the lot here would be the Shanti Palace and the Westend coming in at about $75~100 night. On a entirely different note, in terms of places to stay in the city, there are accomadation hubs of differnt price ranges located all about the city and some are really fine. These include the very cheap backpacker Parganj where u can actually get a hotel for about 10$, or another hub with better places would be karol Bargh where u can get a small hotel for about $40 nightly. IN addition to this, there are some fine guesthouses located all about the city in the various posh locales, such as tose u will find in GK, or Golf Links, Jorbargh, and the most options of upmarket guesthouses u will find in one of my fave Delhi neighborhoods of Sundar Nagar, beautiful and green. This is ofetn where i stay when passing thru Delhi and when i want a more familiar feel. A good guesthouse in the loacalites will run u about $50 plus, and have all the basic amenties, AC, color tv, room service etc. And beyond the guesthouses about Delhi, i must say that if u are hankering for a more central midrange hotels, there is one more accomadation hub loaced about central Connaught Place, and here u will find a few offerings again in the ^60~$75 range like Nirulas, Jukasco, York, and Alka. All these central reasonably priced places wld be a great economic option for putting u in the thick of things. By the way, this list is no way exaustive, just a breif rundown of some economic alternatives to the Luxury range. Alright, take care, happy travels and feel free to drop me a line with further questions, as i have stayed in the gamut of accomadation over all my years in and out of Delhi from the simple to extravagant. Happy to help. Namaste, Bonita.

bonita....wonderful to see you back on our asia board....welcome home to usa from a winter in india doing the wonderful guiding and assisting of travellers there...

you have given karen and myself so much wonderful assistance over the last year in the planning of our trip this coming november to india... would you consider doing this for other fodorites?? if so how would people get in touch with you...??

your perspective as an american and one who has lived in india on and off for many years (8????) has been very helpful and insightful...

we got lots of help here on fodors, as well from our friend craig and other india experts, even including our 'old friend' lyndie (ratt's special pal) who is currently lost on samui or in some little town in india...

good to see you back here....so what can you tell us new about india??

Hi Bob and everyone! Yes, i am back in the USA for my summer holiday after a good 8 months based in India and Nepal with plenty of lesurely holiday breaks to Bangkok too. And by the way Bob, I have been in/out of INdia for close to 15 years, and i wld say working in the region for over a decade! I am deeply devoted to this region of the world, heart and soul! And good news, I had my best season ever in India, and yes, tourism is booming. I led/managed about 9 various cultural tour programs in the region during season, and pretty much lived en route at the five stars between Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Orcha, Khajuraho, Varanasi, and Kathmandu! When i was not on the road with group, i was on the road for my own explorations which never end or working on various other projects in the region! This year between trips, i kept my South Asia base shifting between Bombay, Bangkok and Delhi, so very exciting. About your other question, yes, of course, I wld be delighted to help out any fodorite who has interest in India and wld like to connect with a insider American who is absolutely devoted to the region, and has been traveling here for what seems like many lifetimes! I wld be more than happy to help anyone out planning their trip, answer questions, address concerns, etc. *I check the board from time to time, but the best way to reach me is via my email, [email protected] I am also in NY for summer, so wld be happy to chat with anyone personally too, so again, drop me a line and we can perhaps convo direct..I will then be returning to India Sept for nine months...take care, happy travels, and namaste!

bonita...before anyone accuses you (and me i guess) of advertising here, let me say that i only suggested it because you, and others have been so helpful to me in planning my trips....isn't fodors fantastic....based on our discussions during the last year, when you made so many suggestions to me, i thought that maybe you could also help others...and based on your reply i guess you are willing to do that....

from time to time there are postings where people offer their help verbally on this forum...maybe you should do a special posting from time to time to offer that assistance....actually i think you did that last summer on fodors and that is how we hitched up initially...

hope our paths will cross this fall in boston, delhi or bangkok or the golden triangle....

bob

Hey Bob. Thanx for the kudos, advice/suggestions and your deluxe sense of humor at the same time. And if anyone accuses me of anything, "i can always say, "Bob made me do it! "Anyways, back to our crossing of paths. I will probably be back in Bangkok last week of Sept and certainly in Delhi by October, so not Boston for sure. Much better chance in Bkk before of after your India sojourn. Oh, and i just realized it could actually happen in India, AGRA of all places! I have looked over your itinerary for your India trip, and i do beleive we have a common night in Agra at the Sheraton* as i will be passing thru with a group i am leading ur last night..We need to sinc up days and check. If not// i will probably be in Bkk after NOV 23, plus or minus and maybe. namaste.Bonita [email protected]

you will know me, i will be the petite one wearing all black...