You can wear leggings if your top hits at least mid-thigh to knee length as a minimum IMO. Make sure your cleavage doesn't show when you bend forward either (do a mirror check back at the hotel). Men oogle at women and I prefer to not give them anything extra to look at.

Thanks - I typically dress pretty conservatively so shouldn't be a problem

Typo on one of my earlier posts: It's "Akshardham". I forgot the second h.

Lipgirl, I recommend you request travel in an Innova instead of the Ambassador or Indica. Much more comfortable, and higher up off the ground for better views, and probably safer. It will add some to the price of the trip total--with any travel agent/planner--but is well worth it IMHO.

Just got itineraries from Faith at Indianpanorama and Mr. Singh . Now comparing each and prices. Both have upscale hotels - wondering if I should go to medium price hotels to lower cost. Loot at nicer hotels as oasis at end of the day. Any comments? I am sure I will have more questions as I read over each itinerary. Waiting to hear from Ram on his plan.

Hello Lipgirl, We, too, plan to visit India in Jan/Feb and I read with interest suggestions that come to you. I am looking for medium priced hotels, car and driver but the ability to travel on our own and take a few train trips. I have contacted Faith at Indianpanorama, Deepa at Delhi Magic but would like to know who Mr. Sing and Ram are. Your thoughts about visiting Mumbai or Delhi - I can't decide - should we go to these cites. Thanks for your help.

hi again, Lipgirl.

You are wise to compare--make sure you are comparing "apples" to "apples" when reviewing itineraries/hotels/type of car/if breakfast is included, etc.

I completely understand your "oasis" concept, but speaking from personal experience, you can get that in nice medium priced hotels too. It is NOT necessary to spend super-big bucks.

What do you mean by "upscale"?? are you talking $400 plus/night for 5 star hotels(Oberois etc), or $150? It really will depend on each hotel. There are brilliant ones for $ 75 for example. ANd in Agra we stayed at a 4* new hotel with pool and wonderful breakfast, for $120/night,

Have you let Faith and others know if you are interested in homestays ?? I highly recommend that option, for a great experience--if not at all, at least some of your places. I know Faith recommends Saubhag in New Delhi based on past clients' experiences. OUr trip n Dec 2008 we started off in two homestays and felt very welcome.

For example, I have not been to Rajasthan, but in that area there are so many wonderful places for less than $100/night (I've been checkig for a future trip!)

Some travel planners are pretty set in which hotels l they want you to use (commissions?) but Faith (again i know from personal experience) is flexible on that. On the other hand, when i described what i wanted in a hotel, and in which budget level, her choices turned out to be amazingly "spot on" (eg Mysore wanted "heritage hotel" in the city-- got Orchid Metropole which we loved; hotel very near New Delhi airport that was clean, , basic, less than $100--got Saptagiri .)

BTW, ahd to laugh about your daughter nad "not too many temoles"--Like my daughter!! I never tired of the Hindu temples, but after about ten different ones, she chose to keep her sandals on and wait, as I went in. on the other hand, she and I LOVED seeing the Sikh Golden TEmple --But I dont think that is in your itin.)

anotehr idea: you could post here the names of hotels that you are getting, and get feedback from some of the folks here--or of course, check Tripadvisor for comments, even if they may reflect varying opinions for the same place!

again, i suggest you try a smaller inn type place, or homestay (kind of like a bed and breakfast place) for at least a couple of your accommodations. Those may be some of your most memorable experiences

re, "Mr Sing " would be VP Singh, LegendsandPalaces.com, a most wonderful tour guide and planner. His itineraries are usually wonderful, adventurous and certainly not run of the mill. A trip with VP is a memorable introduction to India, its villages and cities and its people.
Just put his name into the search box and you will see many what I mean.

lipgirl, there are many so-called "medium price" Indian hotels throughout India; they may be referred to as "Heritage" hotels. Check them out.

VP Singh has commented many times here on the Asia board too.

Some random thoughts and suggestions:

1. I am assuming you have something like 14 days “on the ground” as the first and last days will be for inl’t flights and probably won’t be any sightseeing days. My normal rule of thumb with that amount of time is 3 places with possibly a 4th if it is close by. Otherwise, it is all planes, trains and automobiles with little time to actually experience sights. The would be esp. true if you want to experience village life. Varanasi and Agra are actually rather isolated in terms of proximity to other sights, so if you want to include both, that will be at the sacrifice of other parts of an itin.

2. You may have to do a good bit more reading of the various areas and what they offer before you can really make a plan. For example, as your daughter does not want too many temples, perhaps a visit to an ashram would be of interest. Or a place of pilgrimage for Hindus, Jains or any of the other major religions in India (which usually includes a temple but that is more of an adjunct to the site itself). Goa has several magnificent churches and a vibrant Christian community, Pondicherry does as well. Or a visit to the Ajanta caves which has a lot of Buddhist art and may serve her interest in religion well. I agree that Varanasi is a great way to see religion in every day life without too many temples. It is also a significant pilgrimage place for Buddhists. Simply going for 2 weeks to the “Golden Triangle” area may not really serve your interests. While you will of course see temples and religious expression there, and can visit villages (as you can everywhere in India), they may not actually turn out to be what interests you. I would think outside the tourist box. I would also be careful with plans made by agents, as they tend to focus heavily on the main tourist sites.

3. There is no need, IMO, to include sightseeing in Mumbai on a first time visit with only 2 weeks. You can certainly choose to fly into or out of Mumbai, but I would do it as a connection onto someplace else either on the same day or with an overnight at an airport hotel with an early morning departure for somewhere else. Look at flight schedules, train schedule, etc.

4. A car and driver is not appropriate for long trips. You won’t be going from Mumbai to Rajasthan by car, for example, or going from Delhi to Varanasi via a car. Look at flights for longer hauls. Trains are a good option too, esp. for getting to places like Agra from Varanasi which can be a good way of starting a loop without too much backtracking. I am not one of those people who think you have to hire one car and driver for the trip. You can pick up drivers as needed as you go along.

5. Be sure to look carefully at weather so you are prepared. Wearing a cotton top over leggings is NOT going to work in daytime temps in north India (where you will want a sweater at many times), and you will be freezing on any tiger viewing, which are early morning and late afternoon trips. North India is cool to cold in February. Check guidebooks and weather websites. I would not worry in the least about having too much baggage; there is always someone to handle your luggage for your in India for 50 cents or so. (And free luggage carts at airports.)

6. I would spend what your preference and budget allows for hotels. Indian hotels are all over the map in quality (and stars are meaningless), but a good operator like Oberoi or Taj can almost always be relied upon. Leela has mostly very good hotels. Aman has a few outstanding properties (with prices to match). The Neemrana goup has some interesting hotels as does the Sarovar group. The Devigarh outside Udaipur is IMO probably the best hotel in the world, and is in a lovely small untouristed village to boot (if it had a beach it would be the world’s best hotel). Ginger hotels (a division of Taj) have budget hotels which may work in some cities, and the Lemon Tree group has city and some resort hotels which may appeal. If you have points at Marriott, Starwood, etc consider those for city or resort (e.g. Goa) locations. For smaller hotels, you might see http://sawdays.co.uk/, click on the book for India. You can also buy the book, but the website will give you a very long list of hotels to start with. The vast majority of these hotels are not in the luxury range and some are in the budget range, but all look interesting and several, like the Imperial in Delhi, are outstanding. A good source for ideas and price ranges.

7. I have to express a personal preference for villages in the south (where religion pervades everything in a way that IMO you don’t see as much in the north), and overall the south is more untouristed. They also have the most significant Hindu temples. With 2 weeks you could certainly do a northern trip and a southern, this will take some juggling with schedules, but is possible. The beaches of the southwest are really in good weather in February and may also appeal to your daughter. You could do a houseboat tour of the backwaters of Kerala stopping at villages along the way. Another thought is to go someplace like Rikisesh, which is much smaller in scale the Varanasi, but offers a similar experniece (not as many cremations however) and would also offer opportunities to do walks in the countryside where there are villages. You can also do things like whitewater rafting and there is a national park for game viewing not too far. There are places like Ananda in the Himalaya there which is a lovely hotel/spa with yoga, spa treatments, hikes etc. (Snow leopards and tigers are in this area too.)

8. I agree that with only 2 weeks and so much to see and do, that Nepal is not really necessary. Nor is it a great option at this time due to ongoing strife and strikes (there has been a strike going on in Katmandu for many months). Ladakh would give you mountains and other sites, again you have to be aware of the weather issues.

Thank you, that is the best information. While we do want to see some highlights we are not typically "tourist attraction" travelers! We arrive the evening of Feb. 8th and depart the morning of Feb. 25 in and out of Delhi so it gives us 16 full days. I think I would like to travel to the south, as well. I have two plans from different agents in India but they seem to jam packed and even my daughter asked if we were going to have time to enjoy any of the trip!
I see soooo many forts listed on the tours and the reason I said not too many temples is because when I did my last trip to Thailand I think I saw every temple in Bangkok. After I while they all look the same! One of the people I have contacted, Faith at Indian Panorama is redoing our itinerary to include the south. The one thing my daughter does want to do is the safari - she is an animal lover. Other than that and the TajMahal we are really open about where we go!I have spent alot of time looking at guidebooks, internet info but there is so much to learn! Thanks, again, for any help!

Just to throw another idea in--possibly Kabini for your safari? It's in the South, in Karnataka. We stayed at Cicada and loved it. Saw loads of animals on both the jeep safari and the boat safari ( on Lake, saw alligators, and a tiger eying us from the shore.)

A comment on Cicerone's always interesting thoughts and recommendations: all her posts mention incredibly expensive hotels: Oberois? Taj? Ananda? Devi Garh? You want to spend $500/night? And more than that...is it even necessary? I daresay the vast majority of people in the world raise their eyebrows at the thought of paying this much for one night!Even Neemrana hotels are beyond the average budget. No disrespect meant..but reading recommendations like that, some might feel that they could never afford to go to India, lest they not have the budget for a decent hotel. Not true...nog necessary to spend a small fortune per night , to have a fantastic stay.

As for Sawdays, i have serious questions about them. I've been to some of their properties (not realizing the were at the time)--some were good, some not so. (Names available if requestd) Or--its not that they are not good--but there aare so man others that are not listed.. Never take the Sawday recommendations at face value, without reading other feedback forums(here, TA etc) The Sawdays site says something about the listed places needing to pay to be listed. Which means, they may have seen decent properties but the owners don't wish to pay the fee to be listed. I suspect that is why some properties show as "no longer on the list of our recommended properties." What irks me about that,, is they never say why---but i suspect it is because the places didnt want to pay Sawdays any longer

I just heard from Faith/Indianpanorama - she is in New Zealand and just got power back after the earthquake. She is going to work on a new itinerary as we both realized the last one was too ambitious and didn't give us enough time to enjoy any city. We are "out of the box" travelers and do want to see some highlights but really want to get the flavor of India. I am going to check out Kabini - thanks for that!
As for hotels, I checked all that Faith had listed. Mr. Singh is calling me this morning and when I get his itinerary I will post them both for comments. We are staying at the Oberoi in Delhi just for a treat and to acclimate after the long flight. After that, not staying in that category!

Thanks!!!

If you are going to spend just one night at an Oberoi, i would not recommend the one in Delhi. It is a beautiful hotel, but it is just a really nice business hotel. Lots and lots of suits, and not in a very interesting neighborhood. The Imperial, in the same price range is in a great location, with lots of interesting places right outside (including the cottage Industries Emporium).

The last time I was in Delhi, I tried the Shangri-La, a lovely hotel with really good deals and a bit less of the attitude. Their spa is very nice, and their (usually included) buffet breakfasts are better then either the Imperial or the Oberoi. make sure you look at their web sites for special deals. they kind of hide them, but if you can get an airport transfer, breakfast, upgraded room, etc, for no additional charge, why not?

For a splurge, stay at the Oberoi in Agra. That's the place to splurge, as you get the location (golf carts take you to the Taj Mahal), the unobstructed views of the Taj Mahal, views of the old town, the nice restaurants and the "Arabian nights" style pool and grounds.

Or stay at Sher Bagh if you go to Ranthambore.

Thank you, thank you!!

/

Hi---
Have my two final itineraries and looking for suggestions!!!

Feb. 8 arrive Delhi -late evening Imperial Hotel
Feb. 9 - Old Delhi Imperial Hotel
Feb. 10 - New Delhi Imperial Hotel
Feb. 11 - Delhi to Varanasi - morning Kingfisher Red Flight - Radisson Hotel
Feb. 12 - Varanasi - Radisson
Feb. 13 - Varanasa to Agra - overnight train
Feb. 14 - arrive in Agra - Amar Vilas
Feb 15 - Agra- Karauli (stop at Fatehpur Sikri) - Bhanwar Vilas
Feb 16 - Karauli-Sawai Madhopur - Khem Vila
Feb 17 - Sawai Madhopur - Khem Vila
Feb 18 - Sawai Madhopur - Jaipur - Samode Haveli
Feb 19 - Jaipur - Somode Haveli
Feb 20 - Jaipur - Chennai Flight - overnight in Mahabalipuram - Temple Bay Radisson
Feb 21 - Mahabalipuram to Pondicherry - Perumal Maison
Feb 22 - Pondicherry - Perumal Maison
Feb 23 - Pondicherry-Tiruvannamalai - Sparsa
Feb 24 - Tiruvannamalai-Chennai Airport to connect with flight to Delhi- Hotel Saptagiri
Feb 25 - Depart

Comments on this one.
I am trying to organize the next itinerary as it was not put together as well.

Thank you!!!
Feb.

OK - it was easy to follow, after all!

Plan 2

Feb 8 - arrive Delhi late evening - Imperial Hotel
Feb 9 - Delhi - Imperial
Feb 10 -Delhi - Varanasi - morning flight - Hotel Taj Gateway
Feb. 11 -Varanasi - Hotel Taj Gateway
Feb 12 Varanasi - Khajuraho - late morning flight - Taj Chandela
Feb 13 - Khajuraho,Orchha,Jhansi - drive, then superfast train to Agra - Taj Gateway
Feb 14 - Agra - Taj Gateway
Feb 15 - Agra - Bharatpur - Swaimadhopur - train Hotel Sherbagh luxury tent
Feb 16 - Sawaimadhopur Hotel Sherbagh
Feb 17 - Sawaimadhopur - Jaipur drive - Hotel Trident
Feb 18 - Jaipur - the Trident
Feb 19 - Jaipur - Cochin - air 8:10 am flight - Hotel Old Harbour/Garden Cottage
Feb 20 - Cochin Kumarakom - Hotel Kumarakom Lake Resort
Feb 21 - Kumarakom - Allepey - Houseboat to Hotel Marari Beach Resort
Feb 22 - Allepey - Hotel Marari Beach Resort
Feb 23 - Allepey-Cochin/flight to Mumbai morning - Taj Palace & Towers
Feb 24 - Mumbai
Feb 25 - Depart

For this - not sure I can change my flight to depart out of Mumbai - seems like lots of flights.

both of these itineraries seem really busy as I list them here!!
Also both leave out Udaipur

Thanks!!!!!

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