I'm still having sticker shock with the price of hotels in India. I recently reread Lcuy's trip report about her 12/05 trip in which she listed some hotel prices: Imperial was $259--now it's $565; Oberoi Udavilas was $375--now it's $765. My husband and I don't want to pay those prices so we are in the process of selecting first class and heritage hotels for our stay. However, it seems like there is a dearth of first class/heritage hotels with good reviews on TA or elsewhere. Our tenative selections are below and we would really appreciate it if you would comment on them. We are also thinking of selecting one or two of the luxury hotels during our trip and we would appreciate it if you would pass along your recommendation as to the one or two places where you think we should upgrade to a luxury hotel.

Delhi (3 nights at beginning of trip & 1 night at end): Park Hotel

Udaipur (3 nights): Either Trident (good reviews but doesn't seem to have a good location) or Fateh Prakash (good location but not so good reviews).

Jaipur (3 nights): Samode Haveli (I'm a bit concerned about the location).

Varanasi (2 nights): Yatrik recommends the Ramada but most guide books recommend either the Radisson or Taj. None of these are close to the Ganges and we are still questioning whether we want to stay in the cantonment or by the river.

Agra: We were planning to stay at Amarvilas but now I'm not so sure. Are there good alternatives or should this be our splurge?

Thanks in advance. Choosing hotels on this trip has been much more difficult than I expected. And the falling dollar isn't helping much.

I loved the location of Samode Haveli..you are in the old section, so it is very interesting around the hotel.

I would definitely splurge on Amarvilas, especially if you will only be there one night.

In Varanasi, have stayed at Palace on the Ganges down at Assi Ghat. I loved the location as it is on the river, but not as crowded as the places further north. The hotel was new, and okay, but I didn't like the staff at all. The Palace on the Ganges, right next door, seemed a better choice for the area.

Next month, we will be there and are going to try the Palace on the River aka Rashmi guesthouse. It is in a more central river location and gets good reviews. recommended by Robbie Travels and another Fodorite.

Varanasi is all about the river. Unless you absolutely must go 4* I would not stay in the Cantonnment.

wj1-

I am in the processing on planning a trip as well (with Yatrik) I am in sticker shock as well.

We are also planning to upgrade to "luxury" for 2-3 nights during the trip.

I believe the Amarvillas in Agra are worth the expense but I wonder how much time one would have to enjoy the property if only staying one night?

I look forward to seeing some of the responses.

We'll actually be staying in Agra for two nights (I forgot to include that in my inital post.)

Thanks Lcuy for your confirmation re location of the Samode Haveli. It is helpful. We also appreciate your encouragement to stay near the ghats in Varanasi. We really want to but but are feeling a little bit intimidated by the noise, mosquitoes, bathrooms etc. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing your review.

Palace on the River (Rashmi Guest House) is in a great location, has a nice rooftop restaurant and terrace looking out over the river, warm welcoming service, and nice public areas, but the rooms and bathrooms are extremely small and very basic though clean. I stayed in a super deluxe room with a beautiful river view but it was no bigger or more deluxe than any of the other rooms -- view is the only thing that made it super deluxe. I was there in February so mosquitos were not a problem, but it was noisy because of chanting from the temple or monastery next door. Interesting at first, but it could interrupt sleep if you are a light sleeper or sensitive to noice. Even with these negatives-- I would definately stay there again because of the location on the ghats, which is the whole point of being in Varanasi IMO. You walk out of the hotel and you are THERE. Also convenient for the nightime ARTI service on the river's edge. The traffic in town (cars, rickshaws, bicycles, cows, tuk tuks, pedestrians) is really heavy and I think getting back and forth from the hotel to the river would really take away from the experience of Varanasi. You will have plenty of other opportunities to experience the traffic everywhere else you go, and Varanasi is really the place to enjoy wandering along the ghats and in the small lanes surrounding the river.

We also struggled with deciding on hotels in Udaipur. The prices for the Oberois have really skyrocketed. We finally decided to stay at the Trident Hilton and really liked it, but it is not on Lake Pichola. We checked out Fateh Prakash when we were there and thought it seemed really dated and didn't look that comfortable. While a lake view is certainly a plus, you will spend a lot of time around the lake sightseeing, taking a boat ride, and having lunch and dinner, so I don't think having a lake view from your hotel room is that essential. I would highly recommend dinner one night at Ambrai where you will eat outside overlooking the lake and the city palace. Gorgeous view and the food is delicious.

you could look at the sheratons in agra and jaipur....nikko in delhi

CFW: Thanks for your response. It sounds like you are recommending the Trident over Fateh Prakash. Is that accurate? Did you find the location of the Trident a problem? We had some concern because Frommers said it was a 25 taxi drive from town. And thanks for your restaurant recommendation. Eating at great restaurants while we travel is very important to us. And great to us doesn't necessarily mean expensive.

rhkkmk: We are looking at the Sheraton in Agra. Did you stay there? I also recall that you stayed at the Nikko in Delhi but the reviews on TA aren't so great. If you liked it, maybe it's worth taking another look at it.

If anyone has any other comments, I'd really appreciate your posting them. I'm finding them tremendously helpful.

we stayed at both sheratons above...they are just fine...nothing special, but service was decent and room comfortable....like any middle of the road sheraton...

we loved the nikko....room was quite nice but a bit on the small side....breakfast was especially nice.....best we had in india...good location too....staff was very nice...

also look at neemrana fort palace hotel.....fantastic....

Quick comment about Agra. I've stayed at the Amarvilas and it was worth the splurge.

But, on another trip to Agra last year with friends who were on a budget, we stayed at the Taj View. We had the suite and the rooms had a view (if distant) of the Taj.

I personally preferred Trident over Fateh Prakash, and I recall it being more like a 10 minute drive from there to City Palace on the lake. It is right next to the Oberoi. Udaipur is a relatively small city and, inc contrast to most everywhere else we went, we didn't find traffic a problem there at all. It is much less crowded than Jaipur or Agra. We did have a private car and driver in each city, which has been highly recommended on this and other forums. Relatively inexpensive and makes getting around MUCH easier. You can also have plenty of opportunities to walk, use tuk tuks or bicycle rickshaws whenever you want knowing that you will have the convenience of a comfortable car and driver who knows his way around when you are tired at the end of the day and just want a comfortable ride back to your hotel, or to easily get to out-of-town sites.

I can only comment on Palace on River, as i stayed there in October 2007, and it is a must...Although not luxurious, it was one of the most incredible travel experiences i have had so far, being right on the Ganges...It was fabulous, to be able to wake up in the morning and be right there!!!...I loved it.. And the staff is sooo friendly.

In 2004 we also visited Varanasi, but stayed at a hotel not on the Ganges...and highly recommend u get the most of Varanasi by staying on the river!!

The rest of India u mentioned we stayed in budget hotels so cannot advise...but budget hotels in India give u a whole new look on life!!

Thanks everyone. Your comments are tremendously helpful.

TracyB: There are two Palace on the River hotels. One is also known as the Rashmi Guest House. Which one did you stay at?

Oh sorry, Rashmi Guesthouse is where we stayed..The other one is Palace on the Ganges (i think). Which is also supposed to be good too.

Have a look at The Claridges and The Residence in Delhi . We stayed at the former 2 years ago and liked it a lot .The latter I have heard and read good things about . I agree that hotel prices are staggering and I was surprised even 2 years ago how high they were .