family trip advice 18 days in India,leaving 12/14/12!
Dec 9th, 2012, 03:09 AM
#21
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Hi venturesome4, Your itinerary is whirlwind, amazing but doable. I stay in India and havent yet been to Varanasi and Amritsar. We in India would do this itinerary in 5 different trips.
I think Udaipur is the best place. You can have dinner at a place called Amrai in a heritage hotel called Amet haveli. It is on the opposite bank of the lake from where you can see all the places from one point. At night the reflection of the city Palace, Lake palace, Jagmandir palace are magical. The ambiance in this open air restaurant is too good. They have lanterns hanging from the large trees for lighting, besides candles on your table. The musicians playing a string instrument "Sarangi" and "Tabla" for rhythm add to the overall experience. You almost feel like a Maharaja when you descend on the lawns of Amrai. Food is sumptuous and reasonable. This is the best dining experience of my life.. Dont miss it.
If at all, due to time constraints, you have to cut down something from your itinerary; you can think of Amritsar and Aurangabad in order of their star value. Lemon tree at aurangabad is a very good hotel.
Whichever way you do it, be sure, you will fall in love with the place and it will be one of the best you have had.
Wish you all the best!!!
I think Udaipur is the best place. You can have dinner at a place called Amrai in a heritage hotel called Amet haveli. It is on the opposite bank of the lake from where you can see all the places from one point. At night the reflection of the city Palace, Lake palace, Jagmandir palace are magical. The ambiance in this open air restaurant is too good. They have lanterns hanging from the large trees for lighting, besides candles on your table. The musicians playing a string instrument "Sarangi" and "Tabla" for rhythm add to the overall experience. You almost feel like a Maharaja when you descend on the lawns of Amrai. Food is sumptuous and reasonable. This is the best dining experience of my life.. Dont miss it.
If at all, due to time constraints, you have to cut down something from your itinerary; you can think of Amritsar and Aurangabad in order of their star value. Lemon tree at aurangabad is a very good hotel.
Whichever way you do it, be sure, you will fall in love with the place and it will be one of the best you have had.
Wish you all the best!!!
Dec 9th, 2012, 07:43 PM
#22
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Thanks Paragkash. We are very much looking forward to it! The dinner sounds amazing. We are foodies so will definitely look into the possibility of eating there. We will definitely be crimping the trip if needed as we see how we feel energy and health wise. Leaving in 5 days !
Dec 9th, 2012, 08:22 PM
#23
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The restaurant is called Ambrai - You can read about it in my current trip report by clicking on my name. It's not a foodie place - the cuisine is not innovative, but it's very good and the atmosphere is unbeatable. Make sure your guides reserve a lakeside table.
Dec 11th, 2012, 08:43 AM
#26
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Yes crosscheck, you are right. The name was Ambrai..
The cuisine is more of North Indian Style, if you like it. We loved it.
venturesome4, you are travelling in 2nd half of December. The sun sets 5.45 or 6 and it gets dark by 6.30. So you can surely have dinner by 7.30. Reach the restaurant by 7 and spend some time there. You will surely get the best table touching the lake.
The climate in India nowadays is great and comfortable. You will need warm clothing at night, in north India.
Wish you all the best. have a great trip.
The cuisine is more of North Indian Style, if you like it. We loved it.
venturesome4, you are travelling in 2nd half of December. The sun sets 5.45 or 6 and it gets dark by 6.30. So you can surely have dinner by 7.30. Reach the restaurant by 7 and spend some time there. You will surely get the best table touching the lake.
The climate in India nowadays is great and comfortable. You will need warm clothing at night, in north India.
Wish you all the best. have a great trip.
Dec 11th, 2012, 04:26 PM
#27
I sure hope you'll post a trip report.
A couple of quick notes... that SpiceJet flight from Varanasi to Delhi is often late, and on December 18, the Taj Mahal will close at 5:28 (sunset) I really doubt you'll be there in time to see it that day.
Other places I love in Agra are the fort, the "baby Taj" and the garden across the river from the Taj (for the alternate view, not the garden itself).
But the best sight for my money in Jaipur is Amber fort. Do that first, then see if you have time for the other spots there. I really recommend using a guide, as there are a lot of interesting details you'll miss if you are just wandering, or even if you have a written guide.
I'm pretty surprised at your hotel for the night in Mumbai. It is 30 KM from BOM airport? In mumbai traffic that could be an hour drive after your 7 pm arrival and it will be another long drive at 4 am the next morning. Or are you using a different airport for domestic?
Keep in mind that Indian traffic is extremely unpredictable. Traffic, construction etc have often turned estimated our "3 hour drives" into 5 or even 8 hour ordeals, and you truly do not want to be on any but city streets after dark in India. Winter fog in Delhi can cause flights to be delayed or even cancelled. Because you are scheduled so tightly, you really need to do some extra research to have a bunch of "plan B's" to deal with delays.
A couple of quick notes... that SpiceJet flight from Varanasi to Delhi is often late, and on December 18, the Taj Mahal will close at 5:28 (sunset) I really doubt you'll be there in time to see it that day.
Other places I love in Agra are the fort, the "baby Taj" and the garden across the river from the Taj (for the alternate view, not the garden itself).
But the best sight for my money in Jaipur is Amber fort. Do that first, then see if you have time for the other spots there. I really recommend using a guide, as there are a lot of interesting details you'll miss if you are just wandering, or even if you have a written guide.
I'm pretty surprised at your hotel for the night in Mumbai. It is 30 KM from BOM airport? In mumbai traffic that could be an hour drive after your 7 pm arrival and it will be another long drive at 4 am the next morning. Or are you using a different airport for domestic?
Keep in mind that Indian traffic is extremely unpredictable. Traffic, construction etc have often turned estimated our "3 hour drives" into 5 or even 8 hour ordeals, and you truly do not want to be on any but city streets after dark in India. Winter fog in Delhi can cause flights to be delayed or even cancelled. Because you are scheduled so tightly, you really need to do some extra research to have a bunch of "plan B's" to deal with delays.
Dec 12th, 2012, 01:39 AM
#28
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Evelyn, Departure Day is almost here for you!! How exciting!
You asked about fitting in a visit to Abhaneri after Agra. Though you say your family doesnt want to linger in Agra, they may wish spend more time at Taj Mahal than you are expecting.
Like Lcuy, i loved the Agra Fort. We had a great guide for the Fort and the TM, which added greatly to the experience.
For the day you leave Agra, just...play it by ear, and don:t feel, on that or any day, that you MUST do it ALL. yes, if time is not pressing on you, you
enjoy the village of Abhaneri, but don:t feel compelled to squeeze it in!
You asked about fitting in a visit to Abhaneri after Agra. Though you say your family doesnt want to linger in Agra, they may wish spend more time at Taj Mahal than you are expecting.
Like Lcuy, i loved the Agra Fort. We had a great guide for the Fort and the TM, which added greatly to the experience.
For the day you leave Agra, just...play it by ear, and don:t feel, on that or any day, that you MUST do it ALL. yes, if time is not pressing on you, you
enjoy the village of Abhaneri, but don:t feel compelled to squeeze it in!
Jan 14th, 2013, 11:39 PM
#30
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Hi Paule, Your travel date must be coming up soon. you have planned well and I bet you will have a wonderful time! We had an amazing trip and interestingly enough, it really didn't feel that rushed. There were a few things I would do differently and I hope some one can profit from our experiences. I have started a trip report while it is fresh on my mind.
Calinurse, We did love the Taj Mahal and Agra fort, also Fatipur sikri. We spent the time we wanted at each place and didn't rush. It was by far our busiest day, but we had the same guide and driver,for all those sites , who were both excellent, so it didn't seem as crazy as it looks on paper. We didn't make it to Abhaneri .Perhaps we will see it on a different trip sometime.
icuy. yup the Mumbai hotel was a long drive from the airport, 1 hour in the evening and about 20 min the next morning at 4 am. Not worth it. I just wasn't paying attention to where it was located since at that point we weren't touring in Mumbai. you are so right about the driving times in india! Amber fort was also one of our favorite. We had a knowledgable guide and it made the place come alive. thanks so much for all the good advice!!
Evelyn
Calinurse, We did love the Taj Mahal and Agra fort, also Fatipur sikri. We spent the time we wanted at each place and didn't rush. It was by far our busiest day, but we had the same guide and driver,for all those sites , who were both excellent, so it didn't seem as crazy as it looks on paper. We didn't make it to Abhaneri .Perhaps we will see it on a different trip sometime.
icuy. yup the Mumbai hotel was a long drive from the airport, 1 hour in the evening and about 20 min the next morning at 4 am. Not worth it. I just wasn't paying attention to where it was located since at that point we weren't touring in Mumbai. you are so right about the driving times in india! Amber fort was also one of our favorite. We had a knowledgable guide and it made the place come alive. thanks so much for all the good advice!!
Evelyn
