tansmets

After starting to do research on an upcoming trip to India in February, i've contacted a few agents and been frustrated iwth the level of hotels they provide for high priced tours. Looking online, I can book hotels at a reasonable cost myself, and prefer to 'control' my own trips and not use an agent. Plus, part of the fun (for me) of travel is the planning! There are some great hotels in India and I look forward to picking them, rather than be pushed wherever an agent gets the most comission.

That said, I know I stll need a driver/transit and wanted recommendations for an agent or driver who would be willing to work with me on the transit from:
Delhi to Agra
then to Jaipur
Udaipur airport pick up
Transit to Jodphur.
Possible transfer from Agra to Rathambore if the park is open

Any recommendations, thoughts, advice greatly appreciated.

thursdaysd

Have you thought about taking the train for some of this? (See seat61.com)

You should be able to arrange a car and driver through your hotel or a local agency once you arrive, but be aware that you will have to pay for him (it's always a him) to return to his starting point. Do NOT use savaari.com....

rhkkmk

i use castle and king and he has been happy to allow me to pick hotels in the past.

tansmets

What costs should I be expecting for a car and driver? I'm not concerned about a tour or driver for the day, i'm more interested in getting from place to place. I will definitely check out seat61. Can I book Indian train tickets myself?

rhkkmk - are you choosing hotels with castle & king booking them, or booking them yourself and having them get you from place to place? I get concerned I'll pay more for a hotel via an agent. I only once used an agency in the past, in Africa since they got me a much better rate on a safari lodge...but from what I heard in India this won't be the same situation.

thursdaysd

Yes, you can book your own train tickets. Use cleartrip.com

I forget how far ahead you can book, but seat61 will tell you.

CaliNurse

Tansmets, it is not necessarily correct that you will pay MORE for a hotel if the agent books it. However, you can ASK the agent--they should tell you honestly what they are paying, vs what you would pay yourself. YOU can choose the hotel .
Have you tried submitting an itinerary listing specific hotels, and stating you want the costs of transport ONLY (no guides added in) ? Submit to several agents and compare. (The htoel can get you a guide later if you want one,or you can hire from your own research, if you want to g that way.)
India was the first place I used an agency to help plan, so i understand that it is sort of new teritory. What i learned is that the agent got SOME of the hotels for less than prices I found online, AND that their prices were never higher than what i found. And in any case, I NEVER felt "pushed" to a particular placed. If the tour agent disagreed with a choice I'd made, she told me exactly WHY she disagreed.

CaliNurse

p.s. If there is a problem, you call the agent immediately. If you are on your own, who do you turn to? I felt more comfortable in India knowing there was someone a phone call away, in-country, who could help if needed.

crosscheck

Excellent advice from Cali. I second everything she said. You will want a support system in India. And agents are much better at booking trains - they know the best seats and can rearrange things if your schedule changes (as ours did, one day in advance).

tansmets

Thanks for all the advice. I was working with Indian Moments and a few others, and the prices were just very, very high for the level of hotels. This is after cutting out elephant rides, boat rides, breakfasts. I told them I was looking to pick my own hotels and have someone deal with the logistics and didn't hear a response....
Also I realize these tours are probably all drivers, where as I should try to take the train where possible.

I was told Udaipur to Jodphur on train is 8 hours and not recommended - those of you who have been to India, did you drive this distance?

thursdaysd

Unless there is a new, divided, highway, eight hours on the roads is at best an endurance test and at worst torture.

However, I can't find a direct train between Udaipur and Jodhpur, nor a connection at Marwar, which would make sense, although there are multiple Marwars and I didn't check them all. You wouldn't like to go to Jaipur instead? There are direct trains between Udaipur and Jaipur, and I didn't think there was a whole lot to choose between the towns. This might be a case for flying.

CaliNurse

Tansmets, there is a recent Fodors thread(by Prana) of recommended tour operators. To those, we can now add Louise' India, based on Crosscheck's excellent experience.

Reminiscing, there were two times on recent India trips when i insisted on particular hotels, against the travel agents' better judgments. Both hotels were terrible!!! (This was a case of me wanting super low cost. Sometimes, you get what you pay for!)

tansmets

Thanks again for all the advice! The hotels i am looking at are high end, just below the Oberois- $150 - $300USD a night with a possible splurge in Udaipur, so I'm not too concerned that they will be terrible. I also want to use up some Starwood points, which the agents seem annoyed by.

How important are hotels in India? For example we just returned from Bali, where the hotel we stayed at was a highlight and really made our trip (Alila Soori). But in Bali we spent a majority of our time at the hotel. On city breaks, we're certainly less picky. I love interesting, well designed properties and am really excited about some of the hotels in India, but, am not sure they are worth the money since we'll be out and about most of the day....right? In February I can't imagine myself lying pool side.

I think the itinerary we are looking at is:

HK - Delhi flight, immediately drive/train to Agra (spend one night)
Agra to Rathambore if possible (1 or 2 nights at Rathambore)
Rathambore to Jaipur (drive, stay in Jaipur 2 nights, haven't investigated trains yet)
Jaipur to Jodphur ( 2 nights stay in Jodphur)

then Jodphur to Udaipur (2 or 3 nights in Udaipur, or one night stopped along the way).

Udaipur fly to Delhi/Mumbai to connect to a flight back to HKG.

Any comments on this? It seems a bit fast paced, so if there is a place to cut, what would it be? My first instinct says Jaipur.

rhkkmk

read my 2 trip reports---2006 and 2011. click on my name.

i fully booked the hotels myself..

tansmets

Thanks! I have begun to read through your reports which are great, the photos are also excellent! I saw you stayed in the Sheraton Udaipur, which we are considering. Part of me wants to splurge on the Lake Palace or Leela of course...

crosscheck

For me hotels are important wherever I am, even/especially if I'm out all day. The way we saved money on our trip (besides going off-season), was to include a mix of guest houses, boutique hotels, heritage properties plus one Oberoi. We ended up adoring the fancy places, of course, but were sad to leave the small affordable hotels because of their charm and personalized service. And, like in Bali, you won't want to be running around all day if you love your hotel - downtime in India is very important, the key to a relaxed trip.

mrwunrfl

I am e-mailing with Arvind at Castle & King for a transportation-only itinerary and I am wondering how he makes the arrangements.

The first part of the itinerary <u>was</u>:
Day 1 - Delhi -> Jaipur
Day 2 - Jaipur tour
Day 3 - Jaipur -> Udaipur
Day 4 - Udaipur tour

For that kind of itinerary does the same car and driver stay with you for all four days? Or, is there a different car & driver for each day? Would the car that takes me from Delhi to Jaipur on Day 1 return to Delhi the same day? Or would the driver spend the night in Jaipur, give me a tour the next day, and then drive back to Delhi that night? And then a new car & driver for the next day or two?

Since that last reply from Arvind, I have added third nights in both Jaipur (Le Meridien) and Udaipur (Sheraton).

Now I have two full days in both of those cities. I don't think I want to commit to hiring a car & driver for both of the days in either city. I would like to have at least one free day in each city.

So I am wondering how this new itinerary would affect the arrangements that Arvind would make. I realize that Arvind can answer these questions, but while I wait for his reply to my new itinerary, I am looking for some fodorite input on how this typically works.

tansmets

Hi,
Please update us on the transit only itinerary and prices...since this is what I am looking for as well!

Crosscheck, after reading your report I've forgotten about the Leela in Udaipur and definitely want to book Devi Garh. It looks fabulous as well as relaxing. The weather in February should be nice, so I think it would be enjoyable to spend a lot of time at that hotel relaxing!

mrwunrfl

C&K quote is $699. That is for Delhi-> Jaipur-> Udaipur and 1 day Jaipur and 1 day Udaipur. Toyota Innova.

tansmets

Hi,
the C&K quote seems expensive. Indian Panoramas quoted me $365 from: Delhi - train to Agra, transit to and from hotel, Agra to Jaipur, Jaipur - Jodphur, then Jodphur - Udaipur including the transit during the day from the hotel...also an Innova.

rhkkmk

i'll try for a 3rd time..

both cities are large and i think you really need a car and driver..

drivers stay in reasonable guesthouses... distances are far.